Swipe Actions Outside of List (SwiftUI)

swipeActions used to work only inside List, which made swipe-to-delete the last reason to choose List over a ScrollView with lazy stacks. The swipeActionsContainer modifier lifts that restriction: any container can host swipe actions now.

The classic List form

Per row, swipeActions takes an edge and allowsFullSwipe. List enables the behavior itself, so no container modifier is needed there.

List {
  ForEach(messages, id: \.id) { message in
    Text(message.content)
      .swipeActions(edge: .trailing, allowsFullSwipe: true) {
        Button("Delete", role: .destructive) {
          messages.removeAll { $0.id == message.id }
        }
      }
  }
}

Enable it anywhere with swipeActionsContainer

Attach swipeActions to the rows as before, and add swipeActionsContainer() on the outer container. Without it, the row modifiers do nothing outside List.

ScrollView {
  LazyVStack {
    ForEach(items) { item in
      ItemRow(item)
        .swipeActions {
          Button("Delete", role: .destructive) { delete(item) }
        }
    }
  }
}
.swipeActionsContainer()

The container modifier is more than a switch. It keeps only one row's actions open at a time, dismisses open actions when the user scrolls, and dismisses them on a tap outside the active row, the coordination List always did internally.

Works with custom Layout types too

A custom Layout accepts the same pair: swipeActions on the children, swipeActionsContainer() on the layout. Any container qualifies once it carries the modifier.

The practical effect: a card-based screen keeps its own layout, styling, and performance while still offering native swipe interactions.