macOS Swift & Mac OS X/macOS system compatibility?

[super_kev]

Hi folks,
I haven't found an answer to this and I've searched around for awhile, but I'm looking into learning Swift, and I wanted to know if there are any Swift language/XCode version cutoffs where the language is not compatible with older versions of Mac OS X? For example, if I develop on a macOS 10.14 or 10.15 machine, can my program (MySQL database program, nothing fancy) work with OS X 10.9, 10.10, or 10.11? Is there a website that shows what parts/features of the Swift language require newer versions of OS X/macOS? Does Swift offer direct MySQL compatibility or would one drop in Objective-C or C++ code? And are there some good websites or videos you would recommend to get started?

 

[Red Menace]

The various Xcode releases definitely have cutoffs and limitations for Swift versions. There are some links and a handy chart in the answers to this Stack Overflow topic.

 

[super_kev]

Sweet, thanks! But this just looks like compilation compatibility, not the required system for that app to run on, correct? For example, Swift 4.0.3 is supported in XCode 9.2 which runs on 10.12 High Sierra. However, would the app built by that 10.12 machine work on 10.11 or 10.10, or newer apps built on 10.15 work on 10.12/10.13? Make sense?

 

[szymczyk]

The Swift version isn't going to be the main issue in supporting older versions of macOS. All Swift versions up to version 5.0 support macOS 10.9 and later.

The main issue in supporting older versions of macOS is going to be Apple's frameworks. Examples:

• Storyboards require 10.10 and later.
• Using a WebKit view from Interface Builder require 10.12 and later.
• SwiftUI and Combine require 10.15 and later.

The following article provides more information on supporting older versions of macOS:

Supporting Older Versions of iOS and macOS

I don't know of any sites that teach developing Mac apps that use MySQL. I compiled a list of resources for learning Mac development.

 

[super_kev]

That's what I wanted to know, thanks! So it's called Deployment Target. And yes, as long as the frameworks are compatible I should be good.