How to Build a To-Do List App with Xcode and AI

Team Alex · April 4, 2025

Tutorial

Estimated completion time: 3 min read

How to Build a To-Do List App with Xcode and AI

Overview

In this tutorial, we are going to build a basic to-do list iOS app using Xcode, Swift, SwiftUI, and Alex, a smart AI assistant for iOS developers. The app will enable users to add, delete, and mark tasks as done.

Prerequisites

You'll need the following tools to follow this tutorial:

Implementation Steps

1. Project Setup & Planning

Let's create a new Xcode project. Open Xcode, click on "Create a new Xcode project", select "App" under iOS, and name it "ToDoListApp".

For the data model, we'll need a Task class with two properties: taskDescription (String) and isDone (boolean). We can use Alex to quickly generate this model. Just say, "Alex, create a Swift class named Task with a String property taskDescription and a boolean property isDone", and Alex will generate the initial code for us.

Next, we'll outline our basic UI/UX. We'll need a list view to show the tasks, an add task button, and a checkbox for each task to mark it as done. Let's get Alex to help with this. Just say, "Alex, create a SwiftUI view with a list, an add button, and a checkbox for each list item". Alex will generate the initial UI code, which we can then customize.

2. Core Features

Now, let's implement the core functionality of the app. We'll need to add tasks, mark tasks as done, and delete tasks. To add a task, we'll present a modal where users can type their task. Alex can generate the code for this. Just say, "Alex, create a new SwiftUI view for adding tasks with a text field and a save button".

To mark tasks as done, we'll change the isDone property of the task when the checkbox is tapped. Alex can help generate the code for this. Just say, "Alex, create a function in the Task class that toggles the isDone property when called".

Lastly, to delete tasks, we'll add a swipe to delete functionality to our list. Alex can help with this as well. Just say, "Alex, add a swipe to delete functionality in the list view".

3. Data & Storage

To persist our data, we'll use UserDefaults. We'll need functions to save and retrieve our tasks. Here, Alex can help us generate the boilerplate code. Just say, "Alex, create a function in the Task class that saves the tasks to UserDefaults and a function that retrieves the tasks from UserDefaults".

4. Polish & Refinement

To make our app feel more polished, we'll add some animations, handle loading and error states, and make final performance tweaks. Alex can help us with all of these. For example, you can say, "Alex, add a fade animation to the list items when they are marked as done".

Next Steps

In the next tutorial, we'll add more advanced features to our app, such as due dates for tasks and notifications. As a challenge, try implementing these features yourself with the help of Alex.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we built a basic to-do list app using Xcode, Swift, SwiftUI, and Alex. We saw how Alex can speed up and simplify our development process by generating code for us, helping us solve errors, and offering insights to improve our code.

Remember, Alex is an AI assistant that understands general spoken or written requests. You don't need to use precise commands. This makes Alex beginner-friendly while still powerful for advanced users.

Give Alex a try with a free trial. Happy coding!