iOS 9 Universal Cocoa Touch Frameworks

Apple® is back at it and has released iOS 9! This is a welcome update packed with some awesome new features. But with this comes a few small changes that require an update to the Universal Cocoa Touch Framework process to keep our Cocoa Touch Frameworks modular, universal, and allow us to validate them successfully.

Here is the step by step process:

Creating a Framework

1. Fire up Xcode and start a new Cocoa Touch Framework project (Fig. 1)

   
   (Figure 1)
   

2. Go to the Build Settings of your project target and confirm or set the “Architectures” to “Standard Architectures.” These are arm64 and armv7, and are likely the default. (Fig. 2)

3. Set “Build Active Architecture” to “NO”. (Fig. 2)

4. Set “Valid Architectures” to arm64, armv7 and armv7s. (Fig. 2)

   
   (Figure 2)
   

5. Set “Defines Module” to “YES”

6. Add the script below to your project’s build Scheme as an Archive Post-action:

   1. Edit your projects build Scheme by selecting “Edit Scheme” from the Scheme drop down.

      
      
      

   2. Add the script below as an Archive Post-action, select your project from the “Provide build settings from” drop down, and click “Close.”

      
      
      

Archive Post-action script

 set -e

 BUILD_INTERMEDIATES="${OBJROOT}"
 BUILD_PRODUCTS="${SYMROOT}/../../../../Products"
 DEVICE_BIN="${BUILD_INTERMEDIATES}/UninstalledProducts/iphoneos/${TARGET_NAME}.framework"
 SIMULATOR_BIN="${BUILD_PRODUCTS}/Debug-iphonesimulator/${TARGET_NAME}.framework"

 ARCHIVE_PATH="${SRCROOT}/_Archive"
 rm -rf "${ARCHIVE_PATH}"
 mkdir "${ARCHIVE_PATH}"

 if [ "${CONFIGURATION}" = "Release" ]; then
 if [ -d "${DEVICE_BIN}" ]; then
 DEVICE_PATH="${ARCHIVE_PATH}/Release"
 mkdir "${DEVICE_PATH}"
 cp -r "${DEVICE_BIN}" "${DEVICE_PATH}"
 fi

 if [ -d "${SIMULATOR_BIN}" ]; then
 SIMULATOR_PATH="${ARCHIVE_PATH}/Debug"
 mkdir "${SIMULATOR_PATH}"
 cp -r "${SIMULATOR_BIN}" "${SIMULATOR_PATH}"
 lipo -create "${DEVICE_BIN}/${TARGET_NAME}" "${SIMULATOR_BIN}/${TARGET_NAME}" -output  "${SIMULATOR_PATH}/${TARGET_NAME}.framework/${TARGET_NAME}"
 fi
 fi

 exit 0;

Now you will simply develop.

Note that you will both have to build with your Simulator and Archive with your device to get a universal.

(Figure 3)

An example of a working framework template can be found on the kodmunki™ Github

Creating Dependent Frameworks

1. Perform steps 1-6 from above to create the Framework.

2. In the Build Settings of both the project Target and the test Target, set “Always Search User Paths” to “YES”. (Fig. 4)

   
   (Figure 4)
   

3. Add a /lib directory to your Framework that will contain all of your project’s custom Frameworks, i.e. kernel if this is data. (Fig. 5)

4. Put the desired Framework artifacts in this directory. When done correctly, the /lib directory will contain a /Debug and a /Release directory each containing your binary dependencies. (Fig. 5)

   
   (Figure 5)
   

5. Go to the Build Settings of your project target and set “Defines Module” to “YES”

6. In the “Framework Search Paths” of both your project Target and your test Target add “$(PROJECT_DIR)/lib/$(CONFIGURATION)” (Fig. 6)

   
   (Figure 6)
   

7. In the “Runpath Search Paths” of both your project Target and your test Target add the following paths: “$(inherited), @executable_path/Frameworks, @loader_path/Frameworks, $(PROJECT_DIR)/lib/$(CONFIGURATION)” (Fig. 7)

   
   (Figure 7)
   

All should be working successfully! Run your unit tests, build with both the simulator and device, and archive your project to verify.

An example of a working framework template can be found on the kodmunki™ Github

Adding Frameworks to an App

1. Create a /lib directory at the project root that will contain the custom Frameworks that you want to add.

2. Put the desired Framework artifacts in this directory. (Be sure to add both the Debug and Release bins at the directory level. This is just like in step #4 of the previous section

3. In the“Runpath Search Paths” and “Framework Search Paths” of your project target and test target add “$(PROJECT_DIR)/lib/$(CONFIGURATION)”

4. Navigate to the General section of your project Target and add the desired Frameworks to the “Embedded Binaries” section. Add the binaries that are found in Release! The ones in Debug will not pass validation with Apple®! This should automatically add the Frameworks to the “Linked Frameworks and Libraries” below. After this step, you should have see your Frameworks in both sections. (Fig. 9).

   
   (Figure 9)
   

Point of note: ensure that they aren’t duplicated in the “Linked Frameworks and Libraries” section!

An example of a working framework template can be found on the kodmunki™ Github

I hope that this post is as helpful as it’s predecessors

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Happy hacking! :{)}