Closure argument becomes nil - ios

Question

I have a weird issue trying to validate user input. I'm using a wrapper for a form framework and I want it to be able to validate user input.
The trouble is, when I call the closure with the userValue argument, it ends up being nil and all checks return false:
class FormRowWrap {
var tag: String
var row: AnyObject
var verification: (value: Any?) -> Bool
init(tag: String, row:AnyObject, verification:(Any?) -> Bool) {
self.tag = tag
self.row = row
self.verification = verification
}
}
class InsertViewController: FormViewController {
let rows = [
{
let tag = "Fuel Name"
let row = FormRowWrap(tag: tag,
row:TextRow(tag) {
$0.title = tag
// $0.value = last known user default
},
verification:({(value: Any?) -> Bool in
if let thing = value as? String {
//^----- the value in a **breakpoint here is nil**
//
if !thing.isEmpty {
return true
}
}
return false
}))
return row
}() as FormRowWrap,
{
let tag = "Price"
let row = FormRowWrap(tag: tag,
...
func formValuesAreValid(values: [String: Any?]) -> Bool {
var result = false
for rowWrap in self.rows {
let userValue = values[rowWrap.tag]
print("userValue \(userValue) forTag: \(values[rowWrap.tag])")
// ^---- this prints userValue **Optional(Optional("Ghh")) forTag: Optional(Optional("Ghh"))**
let entryIsValid = rowWrap.verification(value: userValue)
if (!entryIsValid) {
result = false
return result
}
}
result = true
return result
}
If I run rowWrap.verification(value:"test") it returns true, so I think it's an issue about properly unwrapping values.

Answer 1

Your function needs an Optional but userValue is an Optional inside another Optional:
Optional(Optional("Ghh"))
So when you force unwrap it with
let entryIsValid = rowWrap.verification(value: userValue!)
what happens actually is that you unwrap the first layer and get back an Optional:
Optional("Ghh")
which is what your function signature
(value: Any?) -> Bool
needs.
About why it's wrapped twice:
with
formValuesAreValid(values: [String: Any?])
the values in the values dictionary are Optionals, and then when you access the dictionary:
let userValue = values[rowWrap.tag]
you get yet another Optional - because accessing a dictionary always returns an Optional, so in this case values[rowWrap.tag] returns an "Optional Optional".
Then somewhere else you unwrap once thinking you'll get the value if let thing = value as? String but you get the inner Optional instead and your next check fails.

Answer 2

Found a way to make it work by force unwrapping the "userValue":
let entryIsValid = rowWrap.verification(value: userValue!)
I still don't understand why this works and why it doesn't work with the argument as wrapped optional.