❝The soul, much like a child, if left untended, clings to nursing; yet if you gently wean it, it will adapt and cease.❞
~  Imam Al-Busiri

![al-burda-18.jpg](https://media.graphassets.com/9TVnHqMZRWtVmqHKZUlw)

The soul, much like a child, if left untended, clings to nursing; yet if you gently wean it, it will adapt and cease

والنفس كالطفل إن تهمله شب على حب الرضاع وإن تفطمه ينفطم

An advanced IPTV player for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and the Mac.

Tilfaz

```swift
import FirebaseDatabase
import FirebaseDatabaseSwift

public extension DatabaseQuery {
  func observe(_ eventType: DataEventType) -> AsyncThrowingStream<DataSnapshot, Error> {
    AsyncThrowingStream { continuation in
      let handle = observe(
        eventType,
        with: { snapshot in
          continuation.yield(snapshot)
        },
        withCancel: { error in
          continuation.finish(throwing: error)
        }
      )
      continuation.onTermination = { [unowned self] _ in
        removeObserver(withHandle: handle)
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### How to use?

```swift
[!copy]
do {
  let ref = Database.database().reference().child("foo")
  
  // Observe child added
  for try await snapshot in ref.observe(.childAdded) {
    print("Child added: \(snapshot.value)")
  }
  
  // Observe child changed
  for try await snapshot in ref.observe(.childChanged) {
    print("Child changed: \(snapshot.value)")
  }
  
  // Observe child moved
  for try await snapshot in ref.observe(.childMoved) {
    print("Child moved: \(snapshot.value)")
  }
  
  // Observe child removed
  for try await snapshot in ref.observe(.childRemoved) {
    print("Child removed: \(snapshot.value)")
  }
  
  // Observe any changes
  for try await snapshot in ref.observe(.value) {
    print("Child removed: \(snapshot.value)")
  }
} catch {
  print("Observing failed with error: \(error)")
}
```

Observe changes for key in Firebase database using Swift's async/await

Observe changes for key in Firebase database (async/await)

```swift
import FirebaseDatabase
import FirebaseDatabaseSwift

public extension DatabaseReference {
  @discardableResult
  func setValue(
    from value: some Encodable,
    encoder: Database.Encoder = Database.Encoder()
  ) async throws -> DatabaseReference {
    let encoded = try encoder.encode(value)
    return try await withCheckedThrowingContinuation { continuation in
      setValue(encoded) { error, ref in
        if let error {
          continuation.resume(throwing: error)
        } else {
          continuation.resume(returning: ref)
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### How to use?

```swift
[!copy]
do {
  let ref = Database.database().reference().child("foo")
  try await ref.setValue(from: "bar" /* Any encodable object */)
  print("Value set")
} catch {
  print("Setting value failed with error: \(error)")
}
```

Set an Encodable value for a key in Firebase database using Swift's async/await

Set Encodable value for key in Firebase database (async/await)

```swift
import Firebase

public extension User {
  func delete() async throws {
    // swiftformat:disable:next redundantReturn
    return try await withCheckedThrowingContinuation { continuation in
      delete { error in
        if let error {
          continuation.resume(throwing: error)
        } else {
          continuation.resume()
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### How to use?

```swift
[!copy]
do {
  try await Auth.auth().currentUser?.delete()
  print("User deleted")
} catch {
  print("User deletion failed with error: \(error)")
}
```

Delete Firebase user using Swift's async/await

Delete Firebase user (async/await)

```swift
import Firebase

public extension User {
  func delete() async throws {
    // swiftformat:disable:next redundantReturn
    return try await withCheckedThrowingContinuation { continuation in
      delete { error in
        if let error {
          continuation.resume(throwing: error)
        } else {
          continuation.resume()
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### How to use?

```swift
[!copy]
for await user in Auth.auth().observeStateDidChange() {
  if let user {
    print("User with id: \(user.uid) logged in")
  } else {
    print("User logged out")
  }
}
```

Observe Firebase auth state changes using Swift's async/await

Observe Firebase auth state (async/await)

Typed key-value storage solution to store Codable types in various persistence layers with few lines of code!

Stores

An open source µ framework for parsing m3u playlist files.

M3UKit

❝Be patient with your Lord’s decree, for you are truly under our watchful eyes. And glorify the praises of your Lord when you rise.❞
~ At-Tur 48

![altur-48-l.png](https://media.graphcms.com/PhSYPz8zSQ6BqwWVO7pV)

فإنك بأعيننا

❝He will love them, and they will love Him.❞
~ Al-Ma'idah 54

![almaeeda-54.png](https://media.graphcms.com/xfG7OLPVSLab1jhM2BMX)

![almaeeda-54-bg.png](https://media.graphcms.com/sutsOf2pQiquX4mLmfjv)

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@fanhungry?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Dương Trần Quốc</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>
  

He will love them, and they will love Him

يحبهم ويحبونه

❝ And pray, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge”❞.
~ Taha, 114

![taha-114-large.jpg](https://media.graphcms.com/HNdrySmOQ3K7MEj8AEKr)

![taha-114.jpg](https://media.graphcms.com/As6otFsTK6OLrL2zNkmB)

And pray, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge”. Taha, 114

وقل رب زدني علماً

A concept of Spotify brand in farsi nastaliq typeface

![spotify-bw.jpg](https://media.graphcms.com/54zya9l5Sh27UA5SZqYC)

![spotify-p.svg](https://media.graphcms.com/cQOuHAjBTJG10sr4S16x)

![spotify.svg](https://media.graphcms.com/kN0dYFbmTOWPTee2vJEk)

![spotify-bw.svg](https://media.graphcms.com/mKd6dRG1RUuCtOtkQK4E)

A concept of Spotify brand in farsi nastaliq typeface

شعار سبوتيفاي بالعربي

A µFramework for showing alerts like the one used when copying from pasteboard or connecting Apple pencil.

Drops

```swift
[!copy]
var counts: [Int: Int] = [:]
let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3]
numbers.forEach { number in
    counts[number, default: 0] += 1
}

print(counts) // [1: 3, 2: 2, 3: 2]
print(counts[5, default: 0]) // 0 (non-optional)
```

Swift 5.2 added subscript with default arguments, it gets quite powerful for custom subscripts, but also default ones like in this example

Subscript with default arguments

Fontastic is the app for browsing and installing hundreds of custom fonts on your iPhone or iPad.

Fontastic

```swift
[!copy]
struct Person {
    let name: String
    let surname: String
}

extension Person: Comparable {
    static func < (lhs: Person, rhs: Person) -> Bool {
        // Compare tuples instead of properties 😉	
        (lhs.surname, lhs.name) < (rhs.surname, rhs.name)
    }
}

extension Person: CustomStringConvertible {
    var description: String { "\(name) \(surname)" }
}
```

```swift
[!copy]
let names = [
    Person(name: "Zelda", surname: "Appleseed"),
    Person(name: "Donald", surname: "Stevens"),
    Person(name: "John", surname: "Appleseed"),
    Person(name: "Steven", surname: "Appleseed"),
    Person(name: "Michael", surname: "Bowden")
]

print(names.sorted())

/* prints:
[
	"John Appleseed",
	"Steven Appleseed",
	"Zelda Appleseed",
	"Michael Bowden",
	"Donald Stevens"
]
*/
```

Use tuples to sort Comparable objects based on multiple properties.
Example: sorting contacts by surname; then by name, to see all names from the same family in a row.

Multiple levels sorting with tuples

While type aliasing is a simple concept of Swift, that is literally just an alias for an existing type, it can be used in intersting ways to make the code more readable.

Think about how Apple has a `typealias TimeInterval = Double`, it does not only increases readability, but also serves as a note that this could be something else other that a `Double` in the future –Maybe?–

Coming from ObjC, type aliasing can be useful to remove some of the old prefixes and making the code a bit Swifter!

```swift
[!copy]
final class Service {
    typealias Book = SLBSomeLibraryServiceBookModel

    func loadBooks() -> [Book] {
        // ...
    }
}
```

Combining type aliasing with generics is another nice way to increase readability and reusability:

```swift
[!copy]
enum APIError: Error {
    // ...
}

struct Post {
    // ...
}

struct Book {
    // ...
}

struct Service {
    typealias Handler<Response> = (Result<Response, APIError>) -> Void

    func fetchPost(id: Int, _ completion: Handler<Post>) {
        // ...
    }

    func fetchPosts(_ completion: Handler<[Post]>) {
        // ...
    }

    func fetchBooks(_ completion: Handler<[Book]>) {
        // ...
    }
}
```

[Antoine van der Lee](https://twitter.com/twannl) wrote a nice [blog post](https://www.avanderlee.com/swift/typealias-usage-swift/) with more details, give it a read if you find the topic intersting.

Use a generic type in type aliases to increase code reusability.
Notice how the same type alias is used for all Post, [Post], and [Book]  😎

Generics in typealias

I recently immigrated to Amsterdam with my family. It was a life-changing decision. In this post, I’ll try to share my experience from the moment we took the decision to leave Turkey up until this moment, and some tips and resources to bring you some insights if you are considering relocating.

## Why Amsterdam?

It was January 2019 when my wife and I took the decision to say goodbye to Istanbul, it was time for our next adventure. We wanted to move to a place with a higher quality of life and a better education system since our kids are growing quickly.

Before setting our mind on Amsterdam we had other options on our list including London, Berlin, Dublin, Stockholm, and Helsinki.

While each of these destinations is beautiful and unique in a different way, we favorited Amsterdam for the following reasons:

### Europe’s Rising Tech Hub

Amsterdam is rapidly developing into one of the most significant technology hubs of Europe and the world.

Inventions like Python, Vim, Blender, Compact Cassette, Compact Disc, and [more computer science inventions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dutch_inventions_and_innovations#Computer_science_and_information_technology) have been invented here. It is simply, one of the best places on Earth if you are working in tech!

### Very International

The Netherlands has the [second highest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EF_English_Proficiency_Index) English as a second language proficiency in the world, nine out of ten Dutch people speak English fluently!

You don’t have to learn Dutch to live in the Netherlands, I have met many people who have been here for years and they don’t speak Dutch.

Amsterdam itself is formed of a wonderful multicultural mix of more than 180 nationalities, in fact, half of the population is not Dutch.

No matter where are you coming from, what is your ethnicity or religion, it is easy to find communities and cultural events for you, so far it was super easy for me and my family to fit in.

### Happy Place

The country has been in the top 10 worlds happiest countries [report](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report) for a few years now.

In comparison with Istanbul, where there is a lot of stress everywhere; people here are happier, more open-minded, and relaxed. It is mainly because Amsterdam has an excellent quality of life. It’s clean and safe. It has a lovely environment, with little traffic or pollution and beautiful canals that give the city a special ambiance.

### Family and Child-Friendly

Although many people think of it as the sin city of Europe, Amsterdam is a wonderful place to raise kids and have a family, from activities for kids, to one of the best education systems in the world.

It is also because work-life balance here is very good, I get to spend more time with my family, I drop my son to school every morning, I feel it is a nice way to start my day by having a conversation about the school, life and things about the future from a young boy’s perspective.

### Perfect Size

Amsterdam is just the perfect size, it is not a huge city, but not a small one. Its impressive network of public transportation including ferries, trains, buses, trams, and metros is very reliable and accurate.

Amsterdam is also well known for its bike-friendly streets.

### Easy immigration process

The Netherlands has a relatively easy and fast immigration process for highly skilled migrants, the process takes 1~2 months.

---

## How to Move?

The easiest way to move to Amsterdam is to find a job, your employer then will initiate the immigration process for you.

To make the migration process faster make sure the employer is a [registered IND sponsor](https://ind.nl/en/Documents/Public_Register_Regular_Labour_and_Highly_Skilled_Migrants.pdf).

There are some websites to search for jobs in the Netherlands, however, Linkedin, Glassdoor, Stackoverflow, and relocate.me are familiar and have thousands of open positions in tech 😉

The immigration as a highly-skilled migrant in the Netherlands has a simple 3 steps

### 1. TEV applications

> 2~3 weeks

Your company will file your and your family’s entry and residence applications as a highly-skilled migrant with the Dutch immigration authorities in the Netherlands (IND).


### 2. MVV consular process

> ~1 week

Once your TEV application has been approved, you will need to apply for a long term Dutch entry visa (MVV visa) at the Dutch embassy/consulate in your home country or the country where you have legal residence.


### 3. Visiting the Expat Center

> ~1 day

Once you and your family have arrived in the Netherlands with the MVVs, you will be allowed to start working for your employer directly.

Several days later your employer will arrange a visit to the expat center where you will receive your residence permit card, BSN (social security) number, and finalize your migration process.

---

It is not an easy decision to move to a new country, especially if you have a family. I hope I tried to make things a little bit clearer in this post 😃

Read more about various aspects of the Netherlands in the links below, and let me know on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/omaralbeik) if you have any questions.

---

## Resources and Helpful websites

### Immigration and Visas

- [Netherlands and you](https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/)
- [Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)](https://ind.nl/)

### Cost of living, income, and taxes

- [Cost of Living Estimator](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city-estimator/in/Amsterdam)
- [Dutch Income Tax Calculator](https://thetax.nl)

### Finding an apartment

- [Funda](https://www.funda.nl/en/)
- [Pararius](https://www.pararius.com/english)
- [Huurwoning](https://www.huurwoningen.nl/in/amsterdam/)
- [TenantHub](https://tenanthub.nl/)
- [RentSlam](https://rentslam.com/en/amsterdam/)
- [!WOON | English information and support for tenants](https://www.wooninfo.nl/english/)

### Moving around

- [OV-chipkaart](https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/home-1.htm)
- [NS](https://ns.nl/en)

### Shopping

- [Marktplaats](https://www.marktplaats.nl/)
- [bol.com](https://www.bol.com/nl/)
- [Coolblue](https://www.coolblue.nl/en/)


### Misc

- [The ultimate guide to moving to Amsterdam](http://blog.honeypot.io/moving-to-amsterdam-infographic/)
- [I Amsterdam - Your guide to visit, enjoy, live, work & invest in Amsterdam](https://www.iamsterdam.com/en)
- [IN Amsterdam - Official services for international newcomers](https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/our-network/in-amsterdam)
- [I am Expat | For expats of all colors, shapes & sizes](https://www.iamexpat.nl/)
- [My First Month booklet](https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/living/move-to-amsterdam/expat-resources/my-first-month-booklet)

### Communities
- [Expat-related groups and clubs in Amsterdam](https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/international-community/groups-clubs/expats/amsterdam)
- [InterNations | Community for expatriates & global minds](https://www.internations.org/)
- [Amsterdam Culture Club | I amsterdam](https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/living/feel-at-home-in-amsterdam/amsterdam-culture-club#aboutus)

My experience from the moment I took the decision to immigrate to Amsterdam until this moment, and some tips and resources to bring some insights if you are considering relocating.

Relocating to Amsterdam

When you use HTTPS, you need to authenticate (supply a username and password) each time you take an action that communicates with the remote server. Let’s see how we can use SSH (secure shell) to communicate with git websites like Github or Bitbucket and avoid having to manually type a password.

However, when using SSH, you create a key pair that contains a private key (saved to your local computer) and a public key (uploaded to your git website). The website then uses the key pair to authenticate anything the associated account can access.
This two-way mechanism makes performing git operations on your computer easier and prevents man-in-the-middle attacks.

In this quick tutorial, we will see how to generate keys, add them to your git website, and enforce the system to use SSH for all git operations. Let’s start!

---

## Generate the SSH keys

First things first, we need to generate a new SSH key.

Move to your `~/.ssh` directory —create a new folder if you don’t have it already—, and use the following command to create a new ssh key pair

```sh
ssh-keygen
```

Choose a key name that is easy for you to remember, example `personal-github` or `work-bitbucket`, …

---

## Add the public key to your git account

Copy the contents of your **.pub** key and add it to your git account, it is usually under **Settings** → **SSH**

- [Adding a new SSH key to GitHub](https://help.github.com/en/articles/adding-a-new-ssh-key-to-your-github-account)
- [Adding a new SSH key to Gitlab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ssh/README.html#adding-an-ssh-key-to-your-gitlab-account) 
- [Adding a new SSH key to Bitbucket](https://confluence.atlassian.com/bitbucket/set-up-an-ssh-key-728138079.html)

---

## Enforce your system to use SSH instead of Http

Now that the key is added to your git account, we need to tell the system to use SSH instead of HTTPS for all requests to that website.

#### In your `~/.gitconfig` file:

```
# Enforce SSH instead of Http for git websites

## Github
[url "ssh://git@github.com/"]
  insteadOf = https://github.com/

## Gitlab
[url "ssh://git@gitlab.com/"]
  insteadOf = https://gitlab.com/

## Bitbucket
[url "ssh://git@bitbucket.org/"]
  insteadOf = https://bitbucket.org/
``` 

---

## Tell your system which key to use for each git website

In the previous step, we enforced the system to replace any HTTPS request with SSH for the git website, however, we need to specify which key to use as well, otherwise, git requests will fail.

#### In your `~/.ssh/config` file:

```
# Specify SSH key for each Git website

## Github
Host github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/<YOUR_SSH_KEY_NAME>

## Gitlab
Host gitlab.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/<YOUR_SSH_KEY_NAME>

## Bitbucket
Host bitbucket.org
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/<YOUR_SSH_KEY_NAME>
```

With the above setup, the system will use SSH automatically when performing git operations like `clone`, `fetch`, `pull`, …

Note that this will work for git operations other packages perform like Cocoapods!

---

That’s it for now. If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback, please let me know via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/omaralbeik) 👋

Learn how to generate SSH keys, add them to your git website, and enforce the system to use SSH for all git operations.

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