---
title: "handler(for:)"
framework: intents
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "intents/inintenthandlerproviding/handler(for:)"
---

# handler(for:)

## handler(for:)

handler(for:) Instance Method of INIntentHandlerProviding Returns the object capable of handling the specified intent in an extension.

``` func handler(for intent: INIntent) -> Any? ```

Parameters

- **intent**: The intent object representing the request coming from the system.

Return Value

The object capable of handling the specified intent, or `nil` if your app doesn’t handle the intent. Return an object that conforms to the protocol for handling intents of the same type as the provided `intent`.

Discussion

This method acts as a dispatcher, mapping incoming intents to the object capable of handling them. In your implementation, check the `intent` parameter’s type and return an object capable of handling that type. As SiriKit invokes this method on an arbitrary queue, limit your implementation to just resolving the handler, and dispatch additional work to an alternate queue.

The object you return must adopt the handling protocol for the specified intent. For example, when receiving an [INSendMessageIntent](/documentation/intents/insendmessageintent) object, return an object that adopts [INSendMessageIntentHandling](/documentation/intents/insendmessageintenthandling). The simplest way to implement this method is to check the `intent` parameter’s type and return the appropriate object, as shown in the following example.

**Swift:**

```swift override func handler(for intent: INIntent) -> Any? {             switch intent {     case is INSendMessageIntent:         return SendMessageHandler()     case is INSearchForMessagesIntent:         return SearchForMessagesHandler()     default:         return nil     } } ```

**Objective-C:**

```objc - (nullable id)handlerForIntent:(INIntent *)intent {      // You can substitute other objects for self based on the specific intent    if ([intent isKindOfClass:[INSendMessageIntent class]]) {        return ([[SendMessageHandler alloc] init]);    }    else if ([intent isKindOfClass:[INSearchForMessagesIntent class]]) {        return ([[SearchForMessagesHandler alloc] init]);    }    return nil; } ```

You’re responsible for providing the handler objects and for ensuring they adopt the necessary protocols to respond to a given intent. In the example above, the `SendMessageHandler` class implements the [INSendMessageIntentHandling](/documentation/intents/insendmessageintenthandling) protocol, and the `SearchForMessagesHandler` class implements the [INSearchForMessagesIntentHandling](/documentation/intents/insearchformessagesintenthandling) protocol.

When creating handler objects in this method, use the provided `intent` object only to determine which handler to create. Don’t use the `intent` object to initialize your handler object and don’t store a reference to the intent object for later use. SiriKit updates the intent object during the processing of the request to incorporate any new information provided by the user.

The system calls this [INExtension](/documentation/intents/inextension) method for intents listed in the Supported Intents section of an extension’s target. To handle intents in your app directly, see [application(_:handlerFor:)](/documentation/UIKit/UIApplicationDelegate/application(_:handlerFor:)).

For information about how to handle intents, see [Resolving and Handling Intents](/documentation/SiriKit/resolving-and-handling-intents).