gistfile1.swift

// Creates a UIColor from a Hex string.
func colorWithHexInString(hex : String) -> UIColor {
        var cString:String = hex.stringByTrimmingCharactersInSet(NSCharacterSet.whitespaceAndNewlineCharacterSet()).uppercaseString
        

        if (cString.hasPrefix("#")) {
            cString = cString.substringFromIndex(advance(cString.startIndex, 1))
        }
        
        if (countElements(cString) != 6) {
            return UIColor.grayColor()
        }
        
        var rString = cString.substringToIndex(advance(cString.startIndex, 2))
        var gString = cString.substringFromIndex(advance(cString.startIndex, 2)).substringToIndex(advance(cString.startIndex, 2))
        var bString = cString.substringFromIndex(advance(cString.startIndex, 4)).substringToIndex(advance(cString.startIndex, 2))
        
        var r:CUnsignedInt = 0, g:CUnsignedInt = 0, b:CUnsignedInt = 0;
        NSScanner.scannerWithString(rString).scanHexInt(&r)
        NSScanner.scannerWithString(gString).scanHexInt(&g)
        NSScanner.scannerWithString(bString).scanHexInt(&b)
        var red = CGFloat(r)/255.0
        var green = CGFloat(g)/255.0
        var blue = CGFloat(b)/255.0
        var alpha = CGFloat(1)
        
       return UIColor(red: red, green: green, blue: blue, alpha: alpha)
}