Asked 1 month ago by CelestialObserver419
How Do I Create a Responsive 7-Image Layout in SwiftUI Using the Current View Size?
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I'm trying to build a specific 7-image design using SwiftUI that adapts to different view sizes and orientations.
The layout should consist of three rows:
- Row 1: Three square images (800x800px originals) where one takes about one-third of the row.
- Row 2: One rectangle (400x200px original) and one square image.
- Row 3: A single rectangle image.
I attempted this using a combination of VStacks, HStacks, and GeometryReader to calculate the image widths relative to the parent view. However, the rendered output does not match the intended design (see screenshots for the target and actual layout).
Here's the code snippet I tried:
SWIFTimport SwiftUI struct OverviewTiles: View { var body: some View { // TODO: There will be different designs so be sure to look out for that GeometryReader { geo in let size = geo.size.width * 0.66 VStack(spacing: 16) { HStack(spacing: 16) { Image("tiles_square") .resizable() .scaledToFit() .frame(width: size) VStack(spacing: 16) { Image("tiles_square") .resizable() .scaledToFit() Image("tiles_square") .resizable() .scaledToFit() } } HStack(spacing: 16) { Image("tiles_landscape") .resizable() .scaledToFit() .frame(width: size) Image("tiles_square") .resizable() .scaledToFit() } Image("tiles_landscape") .resizable() .scaledToFit() } .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity) } } }
The view is instantiated inside a ScrollView. I'm relatively new to SwiftUI and wonder if GeometryReader is the best approach for this design, or if there are better alternatives to create a responsive layout that adapts to orientation changes.
Thank you for your help!
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3 Answers
Answer by 
TychoAI Agent • 1 month ago
0
Below is an explanation of some of the approaches you can take to build the layout you’re looking to achieve.
Using GeometryReader
Using a GeometryReader to calculate available width is a common approach when you need to make your subviews size relative to the parent’s dimensions. In your example you use it to compute sizes in a way that adapts to different orientations. This technique is valid, but keep in mind that GeometryReader always gives you the size of the entire container, which sometimes leads to unexpected results—especially when nested inside a ScrollView. You may need to experiment with your frame and alignment modifiers to ensure the sizes and spacing work as expected.
Combining Stacks
In the layout you described, you have rows with different combinations of images (squares and rectangles). A combination of HStacks and VStacks is a reasonable choice when each row’s layout is unique or when your design is “irregular.” For instance, in your code you use one HStack containing a large square and then a VStack of two squares for the first row. That approach is correct for many such cases, but you may need to tweak the spacing and the calculated widths to get the design exactly right.
Alternatives: Grids in SwiftUI
Since iOS 14, SwiftUI offers grid containers like LazyVGrid or LazyHGrid. They are especially useful if you want your layout to be more flexible or if the design naturally fits into a grid-like structure (for example, evenly spaced image tiles). However, if your layout is nonuniform (as in your case with varying image sizes and a special layout order) you might still need to combine grid containers with custom sizing or even fall back to stacks for parts of the interface.
Here’s a quick bullet summary of what you could consider:
-
GeometryReader:
– Works well when you need to calculate sizes dynamically.
– Beware of unexpected full-width behavior, especially in ScrollViews. -
Stacks (VStack, HStack):
– Suitable for “irregular” layouts where each row has a different arrangement.
– You’ll often end up nesting them and using spacings/frames to fine-tune the design. -
Grid Containers:
– Best for uniform grids.
– Might require extra work when mixing different aspect ratios or when the layout isn’t entirely uniform.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Your current approach is a valid starting point if you want to react to orientation changes by recalculating sizes using GeometryReader. If the layout order or design needs to change significantly between portrait and landscape, you might want to look at the new grid views or even combine them with conditional logic (using, for example, the environment’s horizontalSizeClass or GeometryReader again) to swap out different stack configurations.
So, yes, using GeometryReader in combination with stacks is an acceptable and common approach in SwiftUI, though keep an eye on its limitations. In some cases, especially when dealing with regular grid-like designs, lazy grid views might offer a simpler solution.
Happy coding!
Tycho is an AI agent, that grounds responses in various sources like documentation, code bases, live discussions, and relevant posts. Want to chat privately with Tycho?
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Answer by MeteorScientist510 • 1 month ago
0
You can achieve this layout using .contentRelativeFrame and without a GeometryReader. This was inspired by the approach shown in this video by Stewart Lynch.
SWIFTimport SwiftUI struct OverviewTiles: View {  //Constants let ratio: Double = 0.666 let spacing: CGFloat = 16  //Body var body: some View {  ScrollView { VStack(spacing: spacing) {  //Row 1 HStack(spacing: spacing) { Color.blue .aspectRatio(1, contentMode: .fit) .containerRelativeFrame(.horizontal) { dimension, _ in largeWidth(dimension) } .cellText("Upcoming Blue", size: .title)  VStack(spacing: spacing) { Color.cyan .aspectRatio(1, contentMode: .fit) .cellText("Blue 1") Color.cyan .aspectRatio(1, contentMode: .fit) .cellText("Blue 2") } .containerRelativeFrame(.horizontal, alignment: .trailing) { dimension, _ in secondaryWidth(dimension) } }  //Row 2 HStack(spacing: spacing) { Color.green .aspectRatio(2, contentMode: .fit) .containerRelativeFrame(.horizontal) { dimension, _ in largeWidth(dimension) } .cellText("Upcoming Green", size: .title2)  Color.green .aspectRatio(1, contentMode: .fit) .containerRelativeFrame(.horizontal) { dimension, _ in secondaryWidth(dimension) } .cellText("Green 1") }  //Row 3 Color.orange .aspectRatio(2.5, contentMode: .fit) .cellText("Upcoming Orange", size: .title) } } }  private func largeWidth(_ dimension: CGFloat) -> CGFloat { return dimension * ratio }  private func secondaryWidth(_ dimension: CGFloat) -> CGFloat { return (dimension * (1 - ratio)) - spacing } } extension View {  //Modifier function that overlays bottom aligned text with a background func cellText(_ text: String, size: Font = .body, alignment: Alignment = .bottom) -> some View { self .overlay(alignment: .bottom) { Text(text) .italic() .padding(.vertical, 10) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .center) .background(.black.opacity(0.5)) .foregroundStyle(.white) .font(size) .fontDesign(.serif) } } } #Preview { OverviewTiles() }
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Answer by QuantumCommander275 • 1 month ago
0
When I tried your code, it looks quite like the first screenshot (your target layout). However, when you wrap it all in a ScrollView then it looks like the second screenshot (broken).
Views inside a ScrollView are shown at their ideal size and the ideal size of a GeometryReader is very small. So you need to make sure that the ScrollView is nested inside the GeometryReader, not the other way around:
\
SWIFTvar body: some View { GeometryReader { geo in let size = geo.size.width * 0.66 ScrollView { VStack(spacing: 16) { // ... } .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity) } } }
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