WWDC gave us many causes to each migrate libraries to SwiftPM and to develop new ones to assist our work. The mixing between Xcode growth and SwiftPM dependencies retains rising stronger and extra essential.

Apple’s Modifying a Bundle Dependency as a Native Bundle assumes you’ll drag in your bundle to an Xcode venture as a neighborhood bundle overrides one which’s imported by way of a standard bundle dependency.

In Creating a Swift Bundle in Tandem with an App, Apple writes, “To develop a Swift bundle in tandem with an app, you possibly can leverage the habits whereby a neighborhood bundle overrides a bundle dependency with the identical title…for those who launch a brand new model of your Swift bundle or wish to cease utilizing the native bundle, take away it from the venture to make use of the bundle dependency once more.”

I don’t use this strategy. It’s not dangerous or mistaken, it simply doesn’t match my type.

However, opening the Bundle.swift file on to develop has drawbacks in that it doesn’t absolutely provide Xcode’s suite of IDE assist options but.

So I’ve been engaged on a private resolution that finest works for me. I need my bundle growth and its checks to reside individually from any particular consumer 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 completely satisfied inexperienced checks.

I set out to determine how finest, not less than for me, to develop Swift packages below the xcodeproj umbrella.

I first explored  swift bundle generate-xcodeproj. This builds an Xcode library venture full with checks 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 Exams/
Creating Exams/LinuxMain.swift
Creating Exams/GenerateTests/
Creating Exams/GenerateTests/GenerateTests.swift
Creating Exams/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 at all times find yourself deleting the .gitignore as I exploit a custom-made world ignore file. That is what the ensuing venture seems to be like:

As you see, the generated Xcode venture has the whole lot 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 atmosphere. It’s hacky however I a lot choose the end result. As a substitute of producing the venture, I begin with a testbed venture after which create my bundle. This strategy 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 checks. The library folder you see right here accommodates solely an Data.plist and a bridging header. It in any other case builds from no matter Sources I’ve added.

I a lot choose this set-up to the generate-xcodeproj strategy, though it takes barely longer to set-up. The explanation for that is that SwiftPM and Xcode use completely different philosophies for a way a venture folder is structured. SwiftPM has its Sources and Exams. Xcode makes use of a supply folder named after the venture.

So I take away that folder, add a Sources group to the venture, and make sure that my construct phases sees and compiles these recordsdata. The Exams want related tweaks, plus I’ve so as to add a symbolic hyperlink from Xcode’s checks title (e.g. “ProjectNameExams”) to my SwiftPM Exams folder on the prime stage of my venture to get it to all cling collectively. As soon as I’ve carried out 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 precise instruments at hand.

Since I’m speaking about set-up, let me add that my duties additionally embody organising the README, including a license and creating the preliminary change log. These are SwiftPM setup duties that swift bundle init doesn’t cowl the best way I like. I trash .gitignore however since I’ve Xcode set-up to robotically initialize model management, I don’t must git init by hand.

I think it is a short-term workaround as I anticipate the mixing of SwiftPM and Xcode to proceed rising over the following couple of years. Since WWDC, I’ve been notably enthusiastic about creating, deploying, and integrating SwiftPM packages. I believed I’d share this in case it’d assist others. Let me know.

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