Get the length of a String

For Xcode 7.3 and Swift 2.2.

let str = "🐶"

1. If you want the number of visual characters:

str.characters.count

2. If you want the "16-bit code units within the string’s UTF-16 representation":

str.utf16.count

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Most of the time, **1** is what you need.

When would you need **2**? I've found a use case for **2**:

let regex = try! NSRegularExpression(pattern:"🐶",
options: NSRegularExpressionOptions.UseUnixLineSeparators)
let str = "🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶"
let result = regex.stringByReplacingMatchesInString(str,
options: NSMatchingOptions.WithTransparentBounds,
range: NSMakeRange(0, str.utf16.count), withTemplate: "dog")
print(result) // dogdogdogdogdogdog

If you use **1**, the result is incorrect:

let result = regex.stringByReplacingMatchesInString(str,
options: NSMatchingOptions.WithTransparentBounds,
range: NSMakeRange(0, str.characters.count), withTemplate: "dog")
print(result) // dogdogdog🐶🐶🐶

**As of Swift 4+**

It's just:

test1.count

for reasons.

(Thanks to Martin R)

**As of Swift 2:**

With Swift 2, Apple has changed global functions to protocol extensions, extensions that match any type conforming to a protocol. Thus the new syntax is:

test1.characters.count

(Thanks to JohnDifool for the heads up)

**As of Swift 1**

Use the count characters method:

let unusualMenagerie = "Koala 🐨, Snail 🐌, Penguin 🐧, Dromedary 🐪"
println("unusualMenagerie has \(count(unusualMenagerie)) characters")
// prints "unusualMenagerie has 40 characters"

right from the Apple Swift Guide

(note, for versions of Swift earlier than 1.2, this would be `countElements(unusualMenagerie)` instead)

for your variable, it would be

length = count(test1) // was countElements in earlier versions of Swift

Or you can use test1.utf16count