Introduction to SPM artifact bundles

XCFrameworks and SPM

Earlier than the introduction of the brand new format we needed to fiddle with FAT binaries to help a number of platforms. I’ve a deep dive article about frameworks and instruments that you should utilize to assemble a FAT binary, however I not suggest it since XCFrameworks are right here to remain. 🔨

With a purpose to construct an XCFramework, it’s a must to use Xcode and a course of may be very easy. You simply have to pick out the Framework kind underneath the iOS tab once you create a brand new mission. Be happy to call it, add your Swift supply code and that is it.

You may construct this mission utilizing the command line for a number of platforms through the next script.

xcodebuild archive 
  -scheme MySDK 
  -sdk iphoneos 
  -archivePath "construct/ios_devices.xcarchive" 
  BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES 
  SKIP_INSTALL=NO
  

xcodebuild archive 
  -scheme MySDK 
  -sdk iphonesimulator 
  -archivePath "construct/ios_simulators.xcarchive" 
  BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES 
  SKIP_INSTALL=NO


xcodebuild archive 
  -sdk macosx MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=11.0 
  -arch x86_64 -arch arm64 
  BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES 
  -scheme "MySDK" 
  -archivePath "construct/macos_devices.xcarchive" SKIP_INSTALL=NO


xcodebuild -create-xcframework 
  -framework construct/ios_devices.xcarchive/Merchandise/Library/Frameworks/MySDK.framework 
  -framework construct/ios_simulators.xcarchive/Merchandise/Library/Frameworks/MySDK.framework 
  -framework construct/macos_devices.xcarchive/Merchandise/Library/Frameworks/MySDK.framework 
  -output MySDK.xcframework

You may even construct variations for Catalyst and different working programs, if you perform a little search you possibly can simply work out the required parameters and configuration. Lengthy story quick, it is very straightforward to create an xcframework output together with all type of platform slices for particular units. 😊

Now if you wish to use this XCFramework, you possibly can merely drag and drop it to your Xcode mission and it ought to work with out additional points (if it incorporates the mandatory slices). Alternatively you should utilize Swift package deal supervisor and create a binary goal an hook up your exterior framework bundle through SPM. That is how a quite simple configuration file seems to be like.

import PackageDescription

let package deal = Bundle(
    identify: "MySDK",
    merchandise: [
        .library(name: "MySDK", targets: ["MySDK"]),
    ],
    dependencies: [
        
    ],
    targets: [
        .binaryTarget(name: "MySDK", path: "./MySDK.xcframework")
    ]
)

In your mission you should utilize the library product as a normal dependency, and the underlying binary goal will deal with importing the mandatory header information and linking the precise library. The one drawback with this method is that it’s macOS (or to be much more exact Apple OS solely).

Say hey to artifact bundles for Swift PM

All proper, so XCFrameworks cannot be used underneath Linux, however individuals like to put in writing command line scripts in Swift and use them for server aspect initiatives. In some circumstances these scripts (or plugins), want to name exterior scripts that aren’t put in on the system by default. That is the place artifact bundles will help, as a result of it makes potential to ship a number of variations of the identical executable binary file. 🤔

Artifact bundles should not a alternative for xcframeworks, however extra like an addition, or enchancment because the proposal title signifies this, for the Swift package deal supervisor plugin structure. They permit us to ship precompiled binary information for a number of platforms, this fashion plugin authors do not should compile these instruments from supply and the plugin execution time could be closely diminished.

There’s a nice weblog publish about wrapping the SwiftLint executable in an artifact bundle, so I do not actually need to get into the small print this time, as a result of it is fairly simple. The proposal itself helps so much to know the essential setup, additionally the older binary dependencies proposal incorporates some associated information good job Swift crew. 👍

I might like to present an honorable point out to Karim Alweheshy, who’s actively working with the brand new Swift package deal supervisor plugin infrastructure, he has an wonderful repository on GitHub that demos artifact bundles so please have a look in case you have time. 🙏

Anyway, I’ll present you how one can wrap an executable into an artifact bundle. At present there is not any option to wrap libraries into artifact bundles, that is going to be added afterward.

mkdir MyApp
cd $_
swift package deal init --type=executable


swift construct -c launch


cp $(swift construct --show-bin-path -c launch)/MyApp ./myapp



mkdir MyPluginExample
cd $_
swift package deal init 

mkdir myapp.artifactbundle
cd $_
mkdir myapp-1.0.0-macos
cd $_
mkdir bin

Now the file construction is prepared, we must always create a brand new information.json file underneath the artifactbundle listing with the next contents. This may describe your bundle with the accessible binary variants, you possibly can check out the proposals for the accessible triplets variations.

{
    "schemaVersion": "1.0",
    "artifacts": {
        "myapp": {
            "model": "1.0.0",
            "kind": "executable",
            "variants": [
                {
                    "path": "myapp-1.0.0-macos/bin/myapp",
                    "supportedTriples": ["x86_64-apple-macosx", "arm64-apple-macosx"]
                }
            ]
        }
    }
}

Copy the myapp binary underneath the myapp-1.0.0-macos/bin/myapp location, and eventually we will make a quite simple command plugin to take advangate of this newly added device.

import PackagePlugin
import Basis

@essential
struct MyDistCommandPlugin: CommandPlugin {
    
    func performCommand(context: PluginContext, arguments: [String]) throws {
        let myAppTool = strive context.device(named: "myapp")
        let myAppToolURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: myAppTool.path.string)

        let course of = strive Course of.run(myAppToolURL, arguments: [])
        course of.waitUntilExit()
    }
}

Watch out with the paths and file names, I used lowercase letters for the whole lot on this instance, I like to recommend to comply with this sample once you create your artifact bundle binaries.

swift package deal plugin --list
# ‘hey’ (plugin ‘HelloCommand’ in package deal ‘MyPluginExample’)
swift package deal hey
# Good day, world!

That is it, now we have got a working artifact bundle with a customized made executable accessible for macOS. We will use this artifact bundle as a dependency for a plugin and run the device by utilizing the plugin APIs. I might actually love to have the ability to cross compile Swift libraries and executable information afterward, this might make the event / deployment workflow a bit simpler. Anyway, artifact bundles are a pleasant little addition, I actually like the best way you possibly can ship binaries for a number of platforms and I hope that we’re going to have the ability to share libraries as effectively similarly. 😊