WWDC gave us many causes to each migrate libraries to SwiftPM and to develop new ones to assist our work. The combination between Xcode improvement and SwiftPM dependencies retains rising stronger and extra essential.
Apple’s Enhancing a Bundle Dependency as a Native Bundle assumes you’ll drag in your bundle to an Xcode undertaking as a neighborhood bundle overrides one which’s imported via a standard bundle dependency.
In Growing a Swift Bundle in Tandem with an App, Apple writes, “To develop a Swift bundle in tandem with an app, you’ll be able to leverage the conduct whereby a neighborhood bundle overrides a bundle dependency with the identical identify…if you happen to launch a brand new model of your Swift bundle or wish to cease utilizing the native bundle, take away it from the undertaking to make use of the bundle dependency once more.”
I don’t use this method. It’s not dangerous or unsuitable, it simply doesn’t match my model.
Then again, opening the Bundle.swift file on to develop has drawbacks in that it doesn’t absolutely supply Xcode’s suite of IDE assist options but.
So I’ve been engaged on a private answer that greatest works for me. I would like my bundle improvement and its exams to reside individually from any particular shopper app outdoors a testbed. I would like to make sure that my code will swift construct and swift check correctly however I additionally wish to use Xcode’s built-in compilation and unit testing with my joyful inexperienced checks.
I set out to determine how greatest, at the least for me, to develop Swift packages underneath the xcodeproj umbrella.
I first explored swift bundle generate-xcodeproj. This builds an Xcode library undertaking full with exams and a bundle goal. You should utilize the --type flag to set the bundle to executable, system-module, or manifest as an alternative of the default (library) throughout swift bundle init:
Generate% swift bundle init Creating library bundle: Generate Creating Bundle.swift Creating README.md Creating .gitignore Creating Sources/ Creating Sources/Generate/Generate.swift Creating Checks/ Creating Checks/LinuxMain.swift Creating Checks/GenerateTests/ Creating Checks/GenerateTests/GenerateTests.swift Creating Checks/GenerateTests/XCTestManifests.swift Generate% swift bundle generate-xcodeproj generated: ./Generate.xcodeproj
Though SwiftPM creates a .gitignore file for you as you see, it doesn’t initialize a git repository. Additionally, I all the time find yourself deleting the .gitignore as I exploit a personalized world ignore file. That is what the ensuing undertaking seems like:
As you see, the generated Xcode undertaking has every little thing however a testbed for you. I actually like having an on-hand testbed, whether or not a easy SwiftUI app or a command line utility to play with concepts. I regarded into utilizing a playground however let’s face it: too sluggish, too glitchy, too unreliable.
It’s a ache so as to add a testbed to this set-up, so I got here up with a special approach to construct my base bundle surroundings. It’s hacky however I a lot want the result. As a substitute of producing the undertaking, I begin with a testbed undertaking after which create my bundle. This method naturally packs a pattern with the bundle however none of that pattern leaks into the bundle itself:
I find yourself with three targets: the pattern app, a library constructed from my Sources, and my exams. The library folder you see right here accommodates solely an Information.plist and a bridging header. It in any other case builds from no matter Sources I’ve added.
I a lot want this set-up to the generate-xcodeproj method, though it takes barely longer to set-up. The rationale for that is that SwiftPM and Xcode use totally different philosophies for a way a undertaking folder is structured. SwiftPM has its Sources and Checks. Xcode makes use of a supply folder named after the undertaking.
So I take away that folder, add a Sources group to the undertaking, and make sure that my construct phases sees and compiles these recordsdata. The Checks want related tweaks, plus I’ve so as to add a symbolic hyperlink from Xcode’s exams identify (e.g. “ProjectNameChecks”) to my SwiftPM Checks folder on the high degree of my undertaking to get it to all cling collectively. As soon as I’ve executed so my inexperienced checks are prepared and ready simply as if I had opened the Bundle.swift file instantly. However this time, I’ve all the proper instruments at hand.
Since I’m speaking about set-up, let me add that my duties additionally embrace establishing the README, including a license and creating the preliminary change log. These are SwiftPM setup duties that swift bundle init doesn’t cowl the way in which I like. I trash .gitignore however since I’ve Xcode set-up to mechanically initialize model management, I don’t need to git init by hand.
I believe it is a short-term workaround as I anticipate the combination of SwiftPM and Xcode to proceed rising over the subsequent couple of years. Since WWDC, I’ve been significantly enthusiastic about creating, deploying, and integrating SwiftPM packages. I assumed I’d share this in case it would assist others. Let me know.
