Hey everyone,
I’m learning async/await and trying to fetch an image from a URL off the main thread to avoid overloading it, while updating the UI afterward. Before starting the fetch, I want to show a loading indicator (UI-related work). I’ve implemented this in two different ways using Task and Task.detached, and I have some doubts:
- Is using
Task { @MainActorthe better approach?
I added @MainActor because, after await, the resumed execution might not return to the Task's original actor. Is this the right way to ensure UI updates are done safely?
- Does calling
fetchImage()on @MainActor force it to run entirely on the main thread?
I used an async data fetch function (not explicitly marked with any actor). If I were to use a completion handler instead, would the function run on the main thread?
- Is using Task.detached overkill here?
I tried Task.detached to ensure the fetch runs on a non-main actor. However, it seems to involve unnecessary actor hopping since I still need to hop back to the main actor for UI updates. Is there any scenario where Task.detached would be a better fit?
class ViewController : UIViewController{
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
//MARK: First approch
Task{@MainActor in
showLoading()
let image = try? await fetchImage() //Will the image fetch happen on main thread?
updateImageView(image:image)
hideLoading()
}
//MARK: 2nd approch
Task{@MainActor in
showLoading()
let detachedTask = Task.detached{
try await self.fetchImage()
}
updateImageView(image:try? await detachedTask.value)
hideLoading()
}
}
func fetchImage() async throws -> UIImage {
let url = URL(string: "https://via.placeholder.com/600x400.png?text=Example+Image")!
//Async data function call
let (data, response) = try await URLSession.shared.data(from: url)
guard let httpResponse = response as? HTTPURLResponse, httpResponse.statusCode == 200 else {
throw URLError(.badServerResponse)
}
guard let image = UIImage(data: data) else {
throw URLError(.cannotDecodeContentData)
}
return image
}
func showLoading(){
//Show Loader handling
}
func hideLoading(){
//Hides the loader
}
func updateImageView(image:UIImage?){
//Image view updated
}
}
