Difference between ANY and ANYOBJECT ?
In Swift, Any
and AnyObject
are two types used for representing a value of any type, but with different constraints.
Any
is a type that represents any value, including functions, structures, classes, and enums. For example:
let value: Any = 42
In this example, value
is of type Any
and can hold any value, including an integer, a string, a class instance, etc.
AnyObject
is a type that represents any instance of a class. For example:
let object: AnyObject = NSString(string: "Hello, world")
In this example, object
is of type AnyObject
and can only hold instances of a class type. It cannot hold a value of a struct, enum, or function type.
The main difference between Any
and AnyObject
is the type of value they can represent. Any
can represent any value, including value types and function types, while AnyObject
can only represent instances of a class type. This allows for more type safety when using AnyObject
, as you can be sure that the value you are working with is an instance of a class.