ipad-patterns

iPad Patterns

Comprehensive guide for iPadOS-specific development patterns. Covers multitasking (Stage Manager, Split View, Slide Over), multi-window support, drag and drop, keyboard shortcuts, pointer interactions, Apple Pencil, and external display support. These patterns differentiate an iPad-optimized app from a scaled-up iPhone app.

When This Skill Activates

• User is building or reviewing iPad-specific features
• User asks about Stage Manager, multi-window, or UIScene lifecycle
• User needs drag and drop (NSItemProvider, Transferable, UIDragInteraction)
• User wants keyboard shortcuts or discoverability overlay
• User asks about pointer/trackpad interactions or hover effects
• User is implementing Apple Pencil or PencilKit support
• User needs adaptive layouts for Split View, Slide Over, or size classes
• User asks about external display support
• User wants to make an iPhone app work well on iPad

Decision Tree

What iPad feature are you building?
|
+-- Multi-window / Stage Manager / UIScene lifecycle
|   +-- multitasking.md
|      +-- Scene configuration, requestSceneSessionActivation
|      +-- Window management, scene delegates
|
+-- Split View / Slide Over / Adaptive Layout
|   +-- multitasking.md
|      +-- Size classes, compact/regular transitions
|      +-- NavigationSplitView column widths
|
+-- Drag and Drop
|   +-- drag-drop.md
|      +-- SwiftUI: .draggable() / .dropDestination()
|      +-- UIKit: UIDragInteraction / UIDropInteraction
|      +-- Transferable protocol, NSItemProvider
|
+-- Keyboard Shortcuts
|   +-- input-methods.md
|      +-- SwiftUI: .keyboardShortcut()
|      +-- UIKit: UIKeyCommand
|      +-- Discoverability overlay (Cmd hold)
|
+-- Pointer / Trackpad Interactions
|   +-- input-methods.md
|      +-- .hoverEffect(), UIPointerInteraction
|      +-- Custom pointer shapes, lift/highlight effects
|
+-- Apple Pencil / PencilKit
|   +-- input-methods.md
|      +-- PKCanvasView, PKDrawing
|      +-- Touch type filtering, Scribble
|
+-- External Display
    +-- multitasking.md
       +-- WindowGroup for external scenes
       +-- UIScreen notifications (legacy)