# assign(to:) Republishes elements received from a publisher, by assigning them to a property marked as a publisher. ``` func assign(to published: inout Published.Publisher) ``` ## Parameters `published` A property marked with the `@Published` attribute, which receives and republishes all elements received from the upstream publisher. ## Discussion Use this operator when you want to receive elements from a publisher and republish them through a property marked with the `@Published` attribute. The `assign(to:)` operator manages the life cycle of the subscription, canceling the subscription automatically when the [`Published`](/documentation/Combine/Published) instance deinitializes. Because of this, the `assign(to:)` operator doesn’t return an [`AnyCancellable`](/documentation/Combine/AnyCancellable) that you’re responsible for like [`assign(to:on:)`](/documentation/Combine/Publisher/assign(to:on:)) does. The example below shows a model class that receives elements from an internal , and assigns them to a `@Published` property called `lastUpdated`. Because the `to` parameter has the `inout` keyword, you need to use the `&` operator when calling this method. ``` class MyModel: ObservableObject { @Published var lastUpdated: Date = Date() init() { Timer.publish(every: 1.0, on: .main, in: .common) .autoconnect() .assign(to: &$lastUpdated) } } ``` If you instead implemented `MyModel` with `assign(to: lastUpdated, on: self)`, storing the returned [`AnyCancellable`](/documentation/Combine/AnyCancellable) instance could cause a reference cycle, because the [`Subscribers.Assign`](/documentation/Combine/Subscribers/Assign) subscriber would hold a strong reference to `self`. Using `assign(to:)` solves this problem. While the `to` parameter uses the `inout` keyword, this method doesn’t replace a reference type passed to it. Instead, this notation indicates that the operator may modify members of the assigned object, as seen in the following example: ``` class MyModel2: ObservableObject { @Published var id: Int = 0 } let model2 = MyModel2() Just(100).assign(to: &model2.$id) ``` --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)