Detailed Review
Decc positions itself as a utility for developers working within the Swift Playgrounds ecosystem on iPadOS and iOS. The app addresses a clear gap: while Swift Playgrounds excels at writing and running Swift code, its interface for managing project dependencies can feel opaque. Decc steps in to provide a clear, navigable window into a playground's `Package.swift` file and the associated dependency graph, offering transparency that is often taken for granted in desktop IDEs.
The core functionality revolves around parsing and displaying dependency information. After selecting a Swift Playgrounds project, the app lists all imported packages, their versions, and their own nested dependencies. This visualization is crucial for understanding the true footprint of a project and for troubleshooting version conflicts. A notable feature is the ability to tap into a dependency and view its core details, such as the official source repository link and the exact version pin. This turns the iPad from a pure coding environment into a more investigative one, suitable for studying how popular libraries are constructed or verifying licenses.
In practical use, the experience is streamlined and purpose-built. The interface is minimal, focusing on a list-and-detail view that feels native to iOS. For a developer who has just cloned a complex playground from GitHub and wonders why it won't resolve packages, Decc can provide immediate answers. The real-world scenario is one of diagnosis and learning, rather than active dependency management. It does not, however, allow for editing the `Package.swift` file or updating versions directly; its role is strictly observational.
As a new app with no published reviews, user feedback is not yet available. This presents both an opportunity and a caution. Early adopters would likely be those deeply invested in the Swift Playgrounds workflow, perhaps educators or developers who prioritize iPad-based coding. Potential pain points, based on the app's stated functionality, could include handling very large dependency trees on a smaller screen or compatibility shifts with future Swift Playgrounds updates. The value proposition hinges entirely on the user's need for this specific insight.
Overall, Decc presents a focused solution to a narrow problem. Its strength is its singular purpose and clean execution within the constraints of iOS. The main limitation is its passive role—it informs but does not act. For developers content with Swift Playgrounds' built-in tools, it may seem superfluous. But for those who frequently need to audit or understand playground project structures, it provides a utility that can streamline the development and learning process in a way that was previously inconvenient or impossible on an iPad.
Perfect for: Perfect for Swift learners, educators, and developers who primarily use Swift Playgrounds on iOS/iPadOS and need deeper insight into their project's libraries.