When should I access properties with self in swift?

Question

In a simple example like this, I can omit self for referencing backgroundLayer because it\'s unambiguous which backgroundLayer the backgroundColor is set on.

Answer 1

I'm going to go against the flow and not use self unless absolutely required.

The reason why is that two of the main reasons to use self is

• When capturing self in a block
• When setting self as a delegate

In both cases, self will be captured as a strong reference. This might be what you want, but in many cases, you actually want to use a weak one.

Therefor, forcing the developer to use self as an exception and not a rule will make this strong capture more conscious, and let him reflect on this decision.