I'm working to create an iOS static library that I wish to sell. I've walked through the steps for the initial builds and have generated the .a/.h output.
When I include these files in a separate project, I don't see any way to browse the contents on the .a file.
HOWEVER, when a line of code in my library crashes the app (like I said, it's still in development), the debugger shows the entire class (.m) file to me. What's up with this?
I don't really understand what all goes into static libraries, and I'm not sure I compiled that version for both simulator and device. Could that have something to do with it? If so, could someone explain why?
Thanks!!!
Don't worry, your source code is not included in the archive (.a) file.
Xcode is smart enough to find the source code file on your computer, based on the debugging information embedded in the file. If you build the library using the "Release" configuration (or otherwise modify the build settings so that debugging symbols are stripped) and don't have the source anywhere on the machine, a developer will have to resort to their knowledge of x86 or ARM assembly to figure out how your code works.
By the way:
Since a lot of Objective-C is handled at runtime, a lot of class names and selector names will be visible in your library. That's just how it works. You could try to obfuscate it, but I think your time is better spent writing more useful code to sell.
If you want to give people a static library for iOS development, you'll want to build versions for the iOS Simulator (x86) and the iOS Device (arm) and then use lipo to combine them into a single fat static library. Search around for "lipo xcode fat static library" for different ways to do this. Some solutions are more convoluted than others.
I had the same issue. #benzado is right about what he has mentioned. But I had to strip debugging symbols to solve the issue. To do so, I had to change Build Settings of project library before build as mentioned below.
Select your Target and go to Build Settings. Set
' Strip Debug Symbols During Copy ' to YES
' Debug Information Format ' to 'DWARF with dSYM File'
' Generate Debug Symbols ' to 'NO'
' Symbols Hidden by Default ' to 'YES'
To see what are these for, refer Apple Build Setting Reference
And build the library using the "Release" configuration. This worked for me.
If you have a project for static library with all .m files on your computer then every copy of this library (.a file) will be symbolicated with its .m file while debugging in xCode.
xCode doesn't search for appropriate .m file through all your disk. It knows the place of original project. So if you distribute only library it fully hides your initial code.
To make sure you can copy your library in some new project then clear .m file in library project.
From this moment any attempt to debug methods of library will give empty file on screen.
Related
I am using SBJson classes in my library and having tried to use the library in my project I am having a duplicate symbol error because I am also using these files in the main project.
I can't add prefixes to these files so how does one usually work around this problem ?
I saw other answers that suggest renaming classes with prefixes, yet this isn't really the solution since it's correct that these files have duplicates - it's an open source code.
You could remove the SBJSON (.m) files from the library project target (using the "Build Phases" screen in Xcode) and then project should be able to compile using the SBJSON files that are part of the main project. There might be issues though, if both projects use different versions of the SBJSON library.
Personally I wish all library projects didn't include other libraries but note (in a "Read Me" file or whatever) that it's a dependency and it's up to the developer to include the dependencies in the main project. I've had a lot of issues with duplicate symbols in the past due to this stuff.
Just Go to Build Setting and
search for No Common Blocks and
set it NO.
And build again you will not get this error again.
CheersKP
You can just include the .h files in your project and remove .m for SBJson. That way you can import the .h in you code and it will compile.
I need help to configure/use protobuf in Objective-C for a iOS app.
I've tried all but I keep getting errors on xcode. Did anyone manage to make protobuf work well in Objective-C/iOS?
I have used it to some extent on iOS, and with metasyntactic's extension, it works really well. I even managed to get the code generation as a custom build step in Xcode. We switched to Thrift for our project (for other reasons), so my apologies if some details below are wrong, but in general this is how to do it.
In Xcode 4.2, open the target properties, go to the "Build Rules" tab and create a new build rule for "*.proto" files
In "Using:", choose "custom script" and use a script like this:
protoc --plugin=/usr/local/bin/protoc-gen-objc $INPUT_FILE_PATH --objc_out=$DERIVED_FILES_DIR
In Output files, add the generated files (there should be two files, $(INPUT_FILE_BASE).pb.m and $(INPUT_FILE_BASE).pb.h.
Add the .proto files to your project.
I am trying to create and then add the dylib to a project.
I created it by using the "Cocoa-Library" template and setting the type to "Dynamic" (not sure if it should be dynamic or static...). Then I created a simple obj-c class called Test and wrote a method in it that prints out something to console.
I compiled and used the generated .dylib file and put it in another project. Now whenever I try to use it, I get this message on runtime"
dyld: Library not loaded: /usr/local/lib/TESTLib.dylib
Referenced from: /Users/***/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/TestingDYLIB-axmoocnxbwznoyerfogosumqufxc/Build/Products/Debug/TestingDYLIB.app/Contents/MacOS/TestingDYLIB
Reason: image not found
I also created a Copy File phase and set the destination to "Frameworks". I still get the same error.
What am I doing wrong?
The issue is not where Xcode is looking for the library at compile time, which is what Simon Whitaker's answer addresses.
The issue is that the application which uses the dylib cannot find it at runtime. When an application is built that uses a dynamic library, it copies the install_name of the dylib into the output binary.
Creating a copy files phase and copying the dylib to the Frameworks subdirectory of the app's bundle is the right thing do do.
However, you need to do an additional step. You need to compile the dynamic library with an install_name appropriate for a bundle app. By default, a dynamic library is created with an install_name of /usr/local/lib. The app can't find your library there because it doesn't exist. Even if you put the library there, your users certainly won't have it, so that would be the wrong solution.
The right solution is bundling the library with the app. To set the install name for the dynamic library, go into the dynamic library project and set the "Dynamic Library Install Name" option to: #executable_path/../Frameworks/libmydynamiclibrary.dylib
Xcode is looking in /usr/local/lib/ for the library. If the library is in another location, add that location to your Library Search Paths:
Select project file in Xcode 4
Select the target, then click the Build Settings tab
Make sure All is selected in the filter bar (not Basic)
Scroll down to the Search Paths section and you'll find Library Search Paths in there
I have a project with two targets, one is a Cocoa Static Library, the other is the accompanying test project. Despite building the main project in different ways over and over again, I cannot find the .a file that I expect it to produce.
In fact, I cannot find the build folder associated with the project. I need to link to the library in an app, but cannot do so if I can't find the file to link to.
These properties are correctly set:
(Build Products Path) SYMROOT = build
(Intermediate Build Files Path) OBJROOT = $(SYMROOT)
All tests pass (which means the code MUST be building right?)
Breaking the code causes the build to break - again suggesting that it is building.
Also, the "Products > libproject.a" file is red in the xcode project navigation
I also checked the DerivedData directory, but all the seems to get created is the objects fot the OCunit stuff. Still no .a file against which I can link.
Where is my .a file?
Any help would be much appreciated.
It's probably in ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/ somewhere.
This question already has answers here:
Closed 13 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
using frameworks in a command line tool
Hey,
I've written a command line 'foundation tool' that uses the RegexKit.framework extensively. Everything works when run in Xcode but if I compile the release build and try to run it in Terminal I get the following error:
dyld: Library not loaded: #executable_path/../Frameworks/RegexKit.framework/Versions/A/RegexKit
Closer inspection reveals that the RegexKit.framework bundle is sat in the same directory as my executable file... I've done some research and I'm thinking that as command line tools don't use application bundles there's no where for Xcode to copy the framework to. So I'm guessing that I need to compile the framework as a static library and include it in my code... am I right? If so, how do I go about doing this? Is there anything I can do in Terminal to point to the framework externally?
Any help would be very greatly received, I've been banging my head against this for a few days now!
Thanks in advance,
Tom
So... What I did in the end was to recompile the framework with a different Installation Directory (in the Deployment section, under the Build tab in the Target's Info) - I set it to just #executable_path.
I then compiled the framework and replaced the one in my Utilitie's project, I also changed the Copy Files build phase to copy the framework to "Executables" rather than Frameworks.
The good news is that this fixes my original problem - but obviously the framework has to be in the same directory as the executable.
So this got me unstuck but I'd still love to know how to compile RegexKit.framework statically!
You shouldn't be installing the framework in the Executable folder of your bundle. It should be in the Frameworks folder. You need a Copy Files phase in your project that copies the framework and you need to set the Destination to "Frameworks". "Copy only when installing" should be unchecked.
When testing this, you should make sure you perform a clean build. I typically delete the build folder rather than using Xcode's Clean menu option since it's quicker and more comprehensive.
Also: you cannot statically link to a framework. If you want to statically link to something, it needs to be a static library so in this case, you'd need to hack about with RegexKit. Bear in mind that static libraries cannot contain resources, whereas Frameworks, being bundles, can.