Documentation for Linked Projects?
I am a longtime IntelliJ user who has been working for the last year or more on iOS app development using XCode. I've finally decided that I just don't want to live with XCode any more if I can avoid it. So I'm using the 30-day evaluation of AppCode to see if it will work for me.
I'm struggling a bit to understand the AppCode's features and how to best utilize them for my project. My main project setup includes:
- A library made up of a dozen or so Objective-C classes and protocols
- A set of unit test classes for the library, built on both the SenTesting and OCMock test frameworks
- A single (for now) IOS application that uses the library, presumable via a static library build of the library code
- A set of unit test classes for the iOS app
Based on my past use of IntelliJ, I had expected to set up the library and its tests as some kind of library module much like I'd set up a JAR module in IntelliJ. I'd also expect to set up the application and its tests as an application module that depends on the library module, much like I'd set up a WAR module that depends on the JAR module in IntelliJ. But after an hour or two of playing around with the project structure I'm not sure how I should best accomodate my project.
It occurred to me like I should probably create the library and the app as AppCode projects, and then add one as a linked project to another. But when I've tried that I don't see obvious ways to specify that one depends on the other, etc. I looked for documentation on the linked application feature but can find nothing useful. Are linked projects the way to go here? If so, can someone point me in the direction of documentation or some other description of how this is supposed to work?
Thanks
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Tim,
if you already have an Xcode project, you can simply open it in AppCode - no specific configuration is required as AppCode uses same project model as Xcode.
Though, to create and configure build targets you still need to use Xcode, since AppCode doesn't currently have project-configuration UI.
Anton,
Thanks for the information, but I don't currently have a valid XCode project for this and I was hoping to avoid creating one just so I can use this in AppCode. If necessary I will. but I am curious if a project configuration UI is planned for any time soon.
Even if it is not possible to do what I want, I would still like to understand what a linked project is and how it can be used. Is there any documentation or sample videos I should be watching to better understand how linked projects work?
Thanks
Tim,
here is quick-start for basic Xcode project concepts: http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#featuredarticles/XcodeConcepts/Concept-Workspace.html.
And instructions on using frameworks in Xcode: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPFrameworks/Tasks/IncludingFrameworks.html
Thanks Anton, but I don't need information about how to set up XCode, I need information about what I can do (or can't do) in app code.
Even if I can't create projects directly in AppCode as I'd like to, I'm still trying to understand how to use the features that AppCode does support. And the "Linked Project" feature of AppCode is something I'd like to understand but I can't find any description or documentation anywhere.
So can you please provide either a link to documentation of that feature or a brief summary of the feature to help me understand it.
Thanks
Tim,
as I previously pointed out, AppCode doesn't currently have project-configuration UI; to create and configure build targets you still need to use Xcode.
Yes, Anton, I get that. However, you are still not answering the question that I've repeated several times. So let me try to ask it another away.
In AppCode (not XCode), I can right-click on a project, and select Add/Linked Project. AppCode then allows me to select another project, and when I do that the other project is now accessible as a child node within my main project. This much seems to make sense.
Where I get confused is what I can do with that linked project within my main project. Can I build the linked project from within the main project? Can I include the output of that project's build (e.g. a static library) in the main project in some way?
In other words, what can I do with these linked projects? What problem are they intended to solve? In what situations are they useful?
I understand now that AppCode is not able to do certain things at this time. I am less interested in what it cannot do, and more interested in what it can do. So can someone please tell me what the Linked Project feature is for and what it can do?
Thanks
Linking a project is generally a way to organize your workspace, here are some articles:
http://www.cocoanetics.com/2011/12/sub-projects-in-xcode/
http://www.blog.montgomerie.net/easy-xcode-static-library-subprojects-and-submodules
http://wiki.remobjects.com/wiki/Linking_Custom_Frameworks_from_your_Xcode_Projects
So did you figure out the answer in these two years? :)
I'm still looking for one, specifically what "Linked Project..." does and what do I need to do to make it build and successfully use the linked project, there's no information online - only a couple of people with the same question. Anton's links were useful, but the question still stands. Can anyone shed some light please?