ios - Swift Firebase loading records with long delay

Question

I'm building a Swift app using Firebase, and I'm new to both so be gentle. Currently, when I open the app, it syncs the entire database again and causes a 2 or 3 second lag where the user stares at an empty tableview. How can I speed this up?

Any thoughts?

My code:

My loadContacts function

func loadContact(snap : FIRDataSnapshot) -> Contact {
let key = snap.key
let contact = (snap.value) as? NSDictionary

let c1 = Contact(
    id: (contact?["id"] as? String)!,
    firebasekey: key,
    first_name: (contact?["First Name"] as? String)!,
    middle_name: (contact?["Middle Name"] as? String)!,
    last_name: (contact?["Last Name"] as? String)!,
    suffix: (contact?["Suffix"] as? String)!,
    company: (contact?["Company"] as? String)!,
    phone_labe1: (contact?["Phone Label 1"] as? String)!,
    phone1: (contact?["Phone 1"] as? String)!,
    phone_label2: (contact?["Phone Label 2"] as? String)!,
    phone2: (contact?["Phone 2"] as? String)!,
    email_label1: (contact?["Email Label 1"] as? String)!,
    email1: (contact?["Email 1"] as? String)!,
    email_label2: (contact?["Email Label 2"] as? String)!,
    email2: (contact?["Email 2"] as?  String)!,
    social: (contact?["Social Security Number"] as? String)!,
    dob: (contact?["Date of Birth"] as? String)!,
    street: (contact?["Street"] as? String)!,
    city: (contact?["City"] as? String)!,
    zip: (contact?["ZIP and Postal Code"] as? String)!,
    state: (contact?["State and Province"] as? String)!,
    reg_number: (contact?["Reg Num"] as? String)!,
    stable_reg_number: (contact?["Stable Reg Num"] as? String)!,
    emergency_contact: (contact?["Emergency Contact"] as? String)!,
    emergency_phone: (contact?["Emergency Phone"] as? String)!,
    drivers_license: (contact?["Driver's License Num"] as? String)!,
    insurance_carrier: (contact?["Insurance Carrier"] as? String)!,
    details: (contact?["Details"] as? String)!,
    insurance_exp: (contact?["Insurance Expiration Date"] as? String)!,
    insurance_group: (contact?["Insurance Group Num"] as? String)!,
    insurance_member: (contact?["Insurnace Member Num"] as? String)!, // spelled wrong in database
    job_title: (contact?["Job Title"] as? String)!,
    date_modified: (contact?["Modified"] as? String)!,
    keywords: [],
    notes: []
)

return c1;
}

And in my contact table view

import UIKit
import Firebase

class ContactTableViewController: UITableViewController, UISearchBarDelegate, UISearchDisplayDelegate {
// MARK: Properties
var contactSearchResults : [Contact] = []

// FIRDatabase.database().persistenceEnabled = true
let contactRef = FIRDatabase.database().reference().child("contacts")

override func viewDidLoad() {

    contactRef.queryOrdered(byChild: "Last Name").observe(.childAdded) { (snap: FIRDataSnapshot) in
        contacts.append(loadContact(snap: snap))
        self.tableView.reloadData()
    }

    contactRef.queryOrdered(byChild: "Last Name").observe(.childChanged) { (snap: FIRDataSnapshot) in
        // this code here is wrong, but it doesn't matter for demonstration purposes
        contacts.append(loadContact(snap: snap))
        self.tableView.reloadData()
    }

    // Uncomment the following line to preserve selection between presentations
    // self.clearsSelectionOnViewWillAppear = false

    // Uncomment the following line to display an Edit button in the navigation bar for this view controller.
    // self.navigationItem.rightBarButtonItem = self.editButtonItem()
}

My database has structured like

Contacts (my problem area) has about 4000 records in it with 33 individual children values each.

Answer 1

Waitting for answers