---
title: About Imported Cocoa Error Parameters
framework: swift
role: article
role_heading: Article
path: swift/about-imported-cocoa-error-parameters
---

# About Imported Cocoa Error Parameters

Learn how Cocoa error parameters are converted to Swift throwing methods.

## Overview

Overview In Cocoa, methods that produce errors take an NSError pointer parameter as their last parameter, which populates its argument with an NSError object if an error occurs. Swift automatically translates Objective-C methods that produce errors into methods that throw an error according to Swift’s native error handling functionality. Understand How Error Parameters Are Imported Swift examines Objective-C method declarations and translates them into Swift throwing methods, with shorter names when possible. For example, consider the removeItem(at:) method from FileManager. In Objective-C, it’s declared like this: - (BOOL)removeItemAtURL:(NSURL *)URL                   error:(NSError **)error; In Swift, it’s imported like this: func removeItem(at: URL) throws Notice that the removeItem(at:) method is imported by Swift with a Void return type, no error parameter, and a throws declaration. If the last non-block parameter of an Objective-C method is of type NSError **, Swift replaces it with the throws keyword, to indicate that the method can throw an error. If the Objective-C method’s error parameter is also its first parameter, Swift attempts to simplify the method name further, by removing the WithError or AndReturnError suffix, if present, from the first part of the selector. If another method is declared with the resulting selector, the method name is not changed. If an error producing Objective-C method returns a BOOL value to indicate the success or failure of a method call, Swift changes the return type of the function to Void. Similarly, if an error producing Objective-C method returns a nil value to indicate the failure of a method call, Swift changes the return type of the function to a nonoptional type. Otherwise, if no convention can be inferred, the method is left intact. note: You use the NS_SWIFT_NOTHROW macro on Objective-C method declarations that produce an NSError to prevent it from being imported by Swift as a method that throws.

## See Also

### Common Patterns

- [Using Key-Value Observing in Swift](swift/using-key-value-observing-in-swift.md)
- [Using Delegates to Customize Object Behavior](swift/using-delegates-to-customize-object-behavior.md)
- [Managing a Shared Resource Using a Singleton](swift/managing-a-shared-resource-using-a-singleton.md)
- [Handling Cocoa Errors in Swift](swift/handling-cocoa-errors-in-swift.md)