---
title: NavigationPath
framework: swiftui
role: symbol
role_heading: Structure
path: swiftui/navigationpath
---

# NavigationPath

A type-erased list of data representing the content of a navigation stack.

## Declaration

```swift
struct NavigationPath
```

## Mentioned in

Migrating to new navigation types Understanding the navigation stack

## Overview

Overview You can manage the state of a NavigationStack by initializing the stack with a binding to a collection of data. The stack stores data items in the collection for each view on the stack. You also can read and write the collection to observe and alter the stack’s state. When a stack displays views that rely on only one kind of data, you can use a standard collection, like an array, to hold the data. If you need to present different kinds of data in a single stack, use a navigation path instead. The path uses type erasure so you can manage a collection of heterogeneous elements. The path also provides the usual collection controls for adding, counting, and removing data elements. Serialize the path When the values you present on the navigation stack conform to the Codable protocol, you can use the path’s codable property to get a serializable representation of the path. Use that representation to save and restore the contents of the stack. For example, you can define an ObservableObject that handles serializing and deserializing the path: class MyModelObject: ObservableObject {     @Published var path: NavigationPath

static func readSerializedData() -> Data? {         // Read data representing the path from app's persistent storage.     }

static func writeSerializedData(_ data: Data) {         // Write data representing the path to app's persistent storage.     }

init() {         if let data = Self.readSerializedData() {             do {                 let representation = try JSONDecoder().decode(                     NavigationPath.CodableRepresentation.self,                     from: data)                 self.path = NavigationPath(representation)             } catch {                 self.path = NavigationPath()             }         } else {             self.path = NavigationPath()         }     }

func save() {         guard let representation = path.codable else { return }         do {             let encoder = JSONEncoder()             let data = try encoder.encode(representation)             Self.writeSerializedData(data)         } catch {             // Handle error.         }     } } Then, using that object in your view, you can save the state of the navigation path when the Scene enters the ScenePhase.background state: @StateObject private var pathState = MyModelObject() @Environment(\.scenePhase) private var scenePhase

var body: some View {     NavigationStack(path: $pathState.path) {         // Add a root view here.     }     .onChange(of: scenePhase) { phase in         if phase == .background {             pathState.save()         }     } }

## Topics

### Creating a navigation path

- [init()](swiftui/navigationpath/init().md)
- [init(_:)](swiftui/navigationpath/init(_:).md)

### Managing path contents

- [isEmpty](swiftui/navigationpath/isempty.md)
- [count](swiftui/navigationpath/count.md)
- [append(_:)](swiftui/navigationpath/append(_:).md)
- [removeLast(_:)](swiftui/navigationpath/removelast(_:).md)

### Encoding a path

- [codable](swiftui/navigationpath/codable.md)
- [NavigationPath.CodableRepresentation](swiftui/navigationpath/codablerepresentation.md)

## Relationships

### Conforms To

- [Equatable](swift/equatable.md)

## See Also

### Stacking views in one column

- [NavigationStack](swiftui/navigationstack.md)
- [navigationDestination(for:destination:)](swiftui/view/navigationdestination(for:destination:).md)
- [navigationDestination(isPresented:destination:)](swiftui/view/navigationdestination(ispresented:destination:).md)
- [navigationDestination(item:destination:)](swiftui/view/navigationdestination(item:destination:).md)