8/23/23, 12:51 PM A Step by Step Guide on XCFramework and Swift Package

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IOS

A Step by Step Guide on how to

Create a XCFramework and
Distribute it as a Swift package
 GABRIEL THEODOROPOULOS  16TH OCT '20  0

In WWDC 2019, Apple announced a brand new feature for Xcode 11; the

capability to create a new kind of binary frameworks with a special

format called XCFramework. That was fantastic news to anyone, since

an ongoing inconvenient situation that was lasting for years finally

came to its end. Up until then, a binary framework could be used in one

target platform only, and for a specific family of devices.

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For example, it was officially impossible to build a framework that ✕

Become
would contain code anon
aiming iOS developer
both in 30 days
real iOS devices and the Simulator;

unofficial solutions had come up of course with the so-called fat

frameworks, however such a framework usually didn’t make it all the

way to App Store; it was a Powered

good reason
by for rejection, so fat frameworks
RightMessage

were good just for development. Similarly, it was impossible to add a

single framework to multiple platforms, such as on both iOS and

macOS, so distributing different frameworks for different platforms

was the rule.

All that came to change with the XCFramework format, since it’s a type

of framework that provides a common roof for multiple variants of the

same framework. A XCFramework can wrap up a variant of a framework

that would be working on iOS devices, another variant that would be

working on Simulator, another one for macOS, one more for watchOS,

and so on. In short, XCFramework can bundle up any framework with

flavours for any platform or device that Xcode supports. Everything in

one single place, with one single item to distribute only.

However, all that is news from last year. This year, in WWDC 2020,

Apple announced something else regarding XCFrameworks that boosts

their distribution, starting in Xcode 12, Swift packages can be used to

distribute binary frameworks of the XCFramework format. That is really

amazing news, because so far a Swift package could be used in order to

distribute only open-source code. Now, it’s becoming feasible to

distribute binary code as well bundled up in a XCFramework. We had

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talked thoroughly about Swift packages in the past in this post, and ✕
you’re promptedBecome
to read itan
if iOS
you developer in so
haven’t done 30already.
days

This post is dedicated to all the above, and to be specific, it has a double

goal: Powered by RightMessage

1. To teach how to create a XCFramework binary framework

based on frameworks variants that provide similar

functionality for multiple target platforms.

2. To teach learn how to use Swift packages in order to distribute

a XCFramework, either those are local or remote.

Before I present the roadmap of this tutorial, I really recommend you to

watch the WWDC 2019 – Session 416, because it contains several

interesting stuff that won’t be discussed here, such as versioning or

framework author considerations. You should also watch this year’s

video about how to distribute binary frameworks as Swift packages as

it will give you an overview of how all this works. Finally, keep this help

page as it provides the outline on how to create a XCFramework.

Having said all the above, let’s have a quick look to what’s coming next,

and then let’s start working our way towards the creation of a

XCFramework binary framework.

Table of Content
1. An Overview Of What’s Coming Up
2. Creating The Two Binary Frameworks
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2.1. The XIBLoadable-iOS Framework ✕

2.2. The XIBLoadable-macOS Framework
Become an iOS developer in 30 days
3. Archiving The Frameworks
4. Building The XCFramework
5. Trying Out The Built XCFramework
6. Binary Framework In A Swift Package
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6.1. A Local Swift Package
6.2. Testing The Swift Package With The Local Binary
Framework
6.3. Remote Swift Package With Remote Binary
Framework
6.4. Testing The Remote Swift Package
7. Conclusion

An Overview Of What’s Coming Up

One could say that this tutorial is composed by two parts. The first one

is the place where we’re going to learn how to create a XCFramework

binary framework from the beginning. In order to do that, we’ll start

from scratch with two other frameworks that offer similar features for

both iOS and macOS platforms, and we’ll use Terminal (extensively in

this post) to archive them, to build the desired XCFramework, as well as

to perform other command line based tasks. The final goal here is to

make it possible to add the same binary framework only (the

XCFramework) to an iOS and a macOS application, and have everything

work properly in all possible devices; iOS devices, Simulator, Macs.

The second part of the tutorial focuses on how to use the XCFramework

that we’ll produce in the first step along with Swift packages. In fact,

we’ll meet two different variations of that; in the first one, we’ll see
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how to have a binary framework as a Swift package where both the ✕

Become
framework and the an exist
package iOS developer in 30
locally. In the days we’ll learn how
second,

to make both of them reside remotely, with the binary framework and

the package being stored in different locations but still being possible to

use them as one entity. Powered by RightMessage

Even though we’ll create various projects in Xcode in order to create the

base frameworks or the Swift packages, the demo applications that

we’ll use to try everything on can be downloaded from here. What you’ll

find in that starter pack is two projects, one for iOS and one for macOS,

that contain a view subclass (UIView and NSView respectively) along

with a counterpart XIB file. In the next part you’re going to understand

what these views are all about, and what we want to achieve with them.

For now download that starter material, take a quick look if you want,

and then get ready for some really interesting work.

Creating The Two Binary Frameworks

We’ll start off by creating the two frameworks mentioned in the

previous part from scratch. One for the iOS platform, and one for

macOS. We’ll add similar source code to both of them that will be

performing the exact same functionality on both platforms, which will

be no more than just loading a view’s contents from a XIB file. That

simple functionality is more than enough in order to demonstrate the

topic of this post, and it has the least importance in the overall process.

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Focusing for a moment on the source code, both frameworks will ✕

Become
implement a protocol an XIBLoadable
called iOS developer
. It in 30contain
will days two required
methods; one for loading the XIB contents, and one that will be adding

the view object using XIBLoadable to its parent view by setting the

necessary auto layout constraints.

Powered by A RightMessage
default implementation of both

methods will be provided in a protocol’s extension, so they can be used

out of the box on each platform. Obviously, their implementation will

depend on the UIKit framework on iOS, and on the AppKit framework

on macOS. However, the way they’ll be used eventually is going to be

identical for both platforms. The best thing above all is that the same

framework (XCFramework) will be used in both cases!

Before we begin, you are advised to store both framework projects we’re

just about to create in the same subfolder. This will help you get along

smoothly later with the commands that we’ll need to write on Terminal.

With that said, it’s about time to bring the iOS based framework to life.

The XIBLoadable-iOS Framework

In Xcode, go to the File > New > Project… menu in order to start a new

project. Choose the iOS platform, and the Framework template in the

Framework & Library section.

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✕
Become an iOS developer in 30 days

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In the next step name the framework as XIBLoadable-iOS. We’ll call the

macOS version XIBLoadable-macOS respectively, and that naming will

help perform common operations on both frameworks, making possible

to easily distinguish them later on.

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Finally, find a proper place to save the new project in your disk and get ✕
Become
finished with that anprocess.
creation iOS developer in 30 days

Right after the project gets ready and lies just in front of your eyes,

press Cmd+N in your keyboard and choose

Powered by
to create a new Swift File for
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the iOS platform. We need a source file in order to add the XIBLoadable

protocol implementation.

It doesn’t really matter how that file will be named. For convenience

though, let’s give it the name of the protocol we’ll implement right

next; XIBLoadable.

Once the new file is created, start by replacing the existing import

statement with the following:

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import UIKit ✕
Become an iOS developer in 30 days

Next, let’s define the protocol along with the two required methods:

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public protocol XIBLoadable {

func load(from xibName: String) -> Bool
func add(to view: UIView)
}

See that the protocol is marked as public in order to be accessible from

any other module that will be using it (such as the demo project you

downloaded). The two methods will also be marked as public in the

default implementation that is coming right next.

Note: Want to know more about access levels in Swift? Take a look at

this tutorial.

Right after the protocol’s closing, add its extension:

extension XIBLoadable where Self: UIView {

The Self: UIView condition limits the use of the protocol methods to

UIView types only; what they’re supposed to do is meaningful just to

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views, so no other type should be able to use the default ✕

implementation.Become an iOS developer in 30 days

Next, here’s the default implementation for the first method:

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@discardableResult
public func load(from xibName: String) -> Bool {
guard let xibContents = Bundle.main.loadNibNamed(x
let view = xibContents.first as? UIView
else { return false }

self.addSubview(view)
view.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = f
view.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: self.leadin
view.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: self.trail
view.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: self.topAnchor
view.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: self.bottomA

return true
}

Describing the above shortly, the method first tries to load the contents

of the XIB file given as an argument. If for some reason that fails, it

returns false. Otherwise, is adds the top level view loaded from the XIB

as a subview to the current view object that adopts the XIBLoadable

protocol, and sets the necessary auto layout constraints. It’s marked

with the @discardableResult attribute in case the result value of the

method is not necessary to be used.

The next method now:

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✕
public func add(toanview:
Become UIView) {in 30 days
iOS developer
view.addSubview(self)
self.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = f
self.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.leadi
self.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.trai
self.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo:
Powered by RightMessage view.topAnchor
self.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.bottomA
}

This one simply adds the view using the XIBLoadable protocol to the

given view as a subview, and snaps it to all of the parent view edges by

setting the auto layout constraints using the matching anchors as

shown above.

The implementation of the source code in the XIBLoadable-iOS

framework is now done. With all the above now in place, let’s do the

same in a new framework that will be targeting the macOS platform.

The XIBLoadable-macOS Framework

We’re going to repeat the above steps here in order to create the

macOS-based framework, but since they have all already been

presented, this part is going to be faster than before.

So, start with another new project in Xcode, but this time make sure to

choose the macOS platform, and then the Framework template in the

Framework & Library section.

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✕
Become an iOS developer in 30 days

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In the next step fill in the product name field with the XIBLoadable-

macOS value.

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Eventually, save the new project in the disk, in the same subfolder ✕
Become
where you stored an iOS developer
the XIBLoadable-iOS in as
project 30well.
daysDoing so will
better help follow the steps coming up next.

With the new project ready, press Cmd+N

Powered by
and create a new Swift file.
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Once again, even though the file name is not important, name it

XIBLoadable just for convention and to be in align to what we’ve already

done.

Similarly to what we previously did, start by replacing the default

import statement with the following:

import AppKit

AppKit is the counterpart framework of UIKit on macOS, and as we were

needing UIKit in order to work with UIView, here we need AppKit to

work with NSView.

Let’s add the XIBLoadable protocol definition now, with the exact two

methods as before:

public protocol XIBLoadable {

func load(from xibName: String) -> Bool
func add(to view: NSView)
}

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Passing to the default implementation of the methods, first let’s define ✕

Become an iOS developer in 30 days
the protocol’s extension:

extension XIBLoadable where Self: NSView {

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Here’s the implementation of the first method:

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@discardableResult ✕
public func load(from
Become xibName:
an iOS String)
developer -> Bool {
in 30 days
var xibObjects: NSArray?
let xibName = NSNib.Name(stringLiteral: xibName)

if Bundle.main.loadNibNamed(xibName, owner: self,

guard let Powered
nibObjects
by = xibObjects else { retu
RightMessage

let viewObjects = nibObjects.filter { $0 is NS

if viewObjects.count > 0 {
guard let view = viewObjects[0] as? NSView
self.addSubview(view)
view.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstra
view.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: sel
view.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: se
view.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: self.to
view.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: self

return true
}
}

return false
}

The way to load XIB contents on macOS is slightly different comparing

to iOS, but the final result remains the same; this method loads the first

top level view it finds along with its contents in the given XIB file, and

adds it as a subview to the view object that adopts the XIBLoadable

protocol.

Note: To find out more about this method and about how to create

custom views on macOS, please read this macOS tutorial.

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The implementation of the second protocol’s required method is ✕

Become an
identical to the equivalent iOS
one in developer inpart.
the previous 30 days
The only difference

is that instead of using the UIView class, we’re using the NSView:

Powered by RightMessage
public func add(to view: NSView) {
view.addSubview(self)
self.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = f
self.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.leadi
self.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.trai
self.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.topAnchor
self.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.bottomA
}

The source code implementation is now complete on the macOS-based

framework too. In the next step we’re going to archive both frameworks

using Terminal, and after that we’ll eventually build the single

XCFramework that will contain all the above.

Archiving The Frameworks

As just said, the next step in the flow is to archive both frameworks

created previously like any other project that we usually archive in

Xcode. However, we’ll use Terminal for doing that; it’s the

recommended way for being possible later to build the XCFramework.

Regarding the iOS-based framework, we’re going to create two

different archives. One that will be working on real iOS devices, and one

that will be working in the Simulator. The process will be almost

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identical in order to create the archives; as you’ll see, there will be only ✕
Become
minor changes that anusiOS
will let developer
generate in 30 days
the Simulator archive.

In Finder, select the XIBLoadable-iOS project folder and right click on

it. Then go to menu Services > New Terminal

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at Folder as the following

image shows:

This will open a new Terminal window with the path already specified

to the iOS-based framework folder.

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Before archiving the framework, let’s create another folder where we’ll ✕
Become
output the archived an iOS developer
frameworks, in 30
as well as the days
final XCFramework.

Normally that’s not mandatory to do. All new archives are saved in the

/Users/username/Library/Developer/Xcode/Archives folder by default.

However, working with custom

Powered folders
by here we’ll help the overall
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educational purpose of the tutorial and the easier usage of the Terminal

commands.

We’ll create that new folder as a subfolder of the one that contains the

XIBLoadable-iOS and XIBLoadable-macOS projects. You can do that

either in Finder, or with the following command in Terminal:

mkdir ../output

The “../” points to the parent folder in folders hierarchy, and the

“output” name is following right after. You should be seeing the

following folders now:

Now we can use the xcodebuild archive command to create the

archive meant for actual iOS devices. In the series of options given to

the command following next, notice that:

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The destination option specifies the target platform and ✕

devices.Become an iOS developer in 30 days

The path to the folder that the archive will be stored into is

specified with the archivePath option.

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We set SKIP_INSTALL and

BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION settings to NO and YES

respectively, and it’s really crucial not to skip them. The first

one will install the framework to the archive that will be

created, while the second one will make all the necessary

configuration so the framework that will be written in the

archive to be distributable. Note that both of these settings

can be also set in Xcode, in the Build Settings tab of the project

target, but specifying them here guarantees that they’ll work

as expected.

xcodebuild archive \
-scheme XIBLoadable-iOS \
-destination "generic/platform=iOS" \
-archivePath ../output/XIBLoadable-iOS \
SKIP_INSTALL=NO \
BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES

Press the Return key once you type or paste the above in Terminal to

execute the command. The backslash character (“\”) makes it possible

to break the command parameters in multiple lines, making it more

readable that way.

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After a few moments and a bunch of output to Terminal, you should be ✕

Become an iOS
seeing the XIBLoadable-iOS developer
archive in the
created in 30 days
output folder.

Now let’s create the archive for the iOS Simulator destination. The

Terminal command is pretty much the

Powered by
same; the destination and the
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archive path are the two things changed here:

xcodebuild archive \
-scheme XIBLoadable-iOS \
-destination "generic/platform=iOS Simulator" \
-archivePath ../output/XIBLoadable-Sim \
SKIP_INSTALL=NO \
BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES

Now you should be seeing two archives in the output folder:

Let’s do the same for the macOS-based framework. Here we’ll generate

one archive only. First though, let’s change the working folder and let’s

jump in the XIBLoadable-macOS that contains the respective

framework:

cd ../XIBLoadable-macOS

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Similarly as before, the following command creates the archive for this ✕
framework. OnceBecome anchange
again, we iOS developer in 30 days
the destination and archive path as

necessary:

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xcodebuild archive \
-scheme XIBLoadable-macOS \
-destination "generic/platform=OS X" \
-archivePath ../output/XIBLoadable-macOS \
SKIP_INSTALL=NO \
BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES

When archiving is finished, the archives folder should be containing

three archives:

With the archives generated, we can now move on to building the

desired XCFramework. But first, let’s examine them a bit.

Building The XCFramework

An archive is a package of files, and it can be opened in order to see what

it contains. You can choose any of the three archives we created, right

click on it, and select the Show Package Contents option from the

context menu.

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✕
Become an iOS developer in 30 days

The framework we want toPowered each package is under the Products

reachbyon RightMessage

> Library > Frameworks folder. And guess what; a framework is actually

a folder that contains other files and subfolders.

In Terminal, accessing the framework inside a package is like accessing

any other normal folder. For example, the following will list the

framework’s contents in the XIBLoadable-iOS archive:

ls -l ./XIBLoadable-iOS.xcarchive/Products/Library/Fra

The above command assumes that we’re already inside the output

folder, so before writing the above in Terminal, change the working

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directory to the output directory. Anyway, we’d need to do so in order to ✕

Become an iOS developer in 30 days
build the XCFramework:

cd ../output
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Creating the XCFramework is just a matter of a simple command in

Terminal; the xcodebuild -create-xcframework . Provided options

must contain two things:

The path to each framework; in this case it’s going to be the

path to the framework inside each package as just said right

above.

The output folder where the XCFramework is going to be

written to. Here it’s going to be the output folder.

With that information in mind, here’s the full command that will create

the XCFramework:

xcodebuild -create-xcframework \
-framework ./XIBLoadable-iOS.xcarchive/Products/Libra
-framework ./XIBLoadable-Sim.xcarchive/Products/Libra
-framework ./XIBLoadable-macOS.xcarchive/Products/Lib
-output ./XIBLoadable.xcframework

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A few moments later after pressing the Return key on the keyboard, the ✕
Become
XCFramework will anin
show up iOS
thedeveloper in 30along
output folder, dayswith the archives
created previously. If you expand or open it, you’ll see that all three

frameworks for each destination are contained in it:

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After a small number of steps we eventually managed to achieve our

first goal in this post; to create the XCFramework that contains the

other two frameworks for three different destinations; iOS devices, iOS

Simulator and macOS systems. With the XCFramework being now

available, let’s give it a spin before we pass to the creation of a Swift

package that we’ll use to distribute and share that new framework.

Trying Out The Built XCFramework

Time to use the starter projects you downloaded earlier. Open the

LoadableViewDemo-iOS project in Xcode first, in order to test the

XCFramework we just built on the iOS platform.

At first, select the project in the Project navigator, and then open the

General tab. Place Finder next to Xcode, and then drag and drop the

XIBLoadable.xcframework folder in the Frameworks, Libraries, and

Embedded Content section in Xcode.

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You’ll notice that a new group called Frameworks has been created in

Xcode automatically, and it contains the framework that we just

dragged in it.

Next, press Cmd+B to build the project once, and then open the

DemoView.swift file. Right below the existing import statement, add

the following:

import XIBLoadable_iOS

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While typing it, you’ll see that Xcode suggests it automatically. ✕

Become an iOS developer in 30 days
Note: If there’s no auto-completion in Xcode, then you might need to

close and restart it.

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Then, update the DemoView class header so it adopts the XIBLoadable

protocol:

class DemoView: UIView, XIBLoadable {

...
}

The DemoView class has a XIB counterpart file that we want to load

contents from. Let’s do so in the init() method using the

load(from:) protocol’s method:

init() {
super.init(frame: .zero)

load(from: "\(Self.self)")
}

The "\(Self.self)" argument provides the name of the current class

a String value. Instead of that, we could have written the following:

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load(from: "DemoView") ✕
Become an iOS developer in 30 days

In this case we explicitly specify the XIB name to use.

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Switching to the ViewController.swift file now, let’s go to the

viewWillAppear(_:) method to initialise the demoView object that’s

already declared in the ViewController class. In fact, not only we’ll

make the initialisation, but we’ll also call the add(to:) protocol’s

method through demoView in order to add that view to the root view of

the view controller and set its constraints automatically.

override func viewWillAppear(_ animated: Bool) {

super.viewWillAppear(animated)

if demoView == nil {
demoView = DemoView()
demoView?.add(to: self.view)
}
}

The moment of truth has finally come. For starters, let’s run the app in

the Simulator and see if the DemoView contents will appear on screen.

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Seeing that it’s working in Simulator, let’s run to an actual device to see

if it’ll work there too. And yes, it works on the device as well!

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Finally, we’re left to test it on the LoadableViewDemo-macOS demo app ✕

Become
too. Open it in Xcode, andan iOS the
follow developer in 30
procedure days above to add
described

the XIBLoadable.xcframework to the Frameworks, Libraries, and

Embedded Content section, in the General tab of the project target. After

doing so, press Cmd+B to Powered

build the
by project once.
RightMessage

Then, open the DemoView.swift file, and add the following import

statement right below the import Cocoa :

import XIBLoadable_macOS

As it happened in the iOS project, Xcode recognises and auto-suggests

the proper framework to use; in this case the XIBLoadable_macOS.

Then, adopt the XIBLoadable protocol:

class DemoView: NSView, XIBLoadable {

...
}

Finally, in the init() method load the XIB file’s contents:

init() {
super.init(frame: .zero)

load(from: "\(Self.self)")
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} ✕
Become an iOS developer in 30 days

Open the ViewController.swift file and in the viewWillAppear()

method initialise the demoView object exactly as before, and then add
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it to the root view of the view controller:

override func viewWillAppear() {

super.viewWillAppear()

if demoView == nil {
demoView = DemoView()
demoView?.add(to: self.view)
}
}

Press Cmd+R to run the app. Here’s what you should see:

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The XCFramework is working as it supposed to, so let’s focus on the ✕

Become
second goal of this ancreate
post; to iOS developer in 30 that
a Swift package dayswill be used to
easily distribute the XCFramework and add it as a dependency to a

project.

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Binary Framework In A Swift Package

We’ve already talked about Swift packages a couple of times in the past.

In particular, we’ve posted a hands-on tutorial on how to create a Swift

package (which I recommend you to read if you haven’t done so), and

how to reuse SwiftUI views with Swift packages. So here I won’t stick to

the details of making a Swift package, instead I’ll take as granted that

you have a basic knowledge about it. In case you want to make yourself

comfortable with Swift packages, then check out the first link I just

provided and then keep reading here.

Up until Xcode 12, Swift packages had been useful for distributing and

sharing source code that was visible to everyone. A Swift package was

definitely not the ideal way to distribute closed-sourced projects and

binary code, but all that have changed with Xcode 12. As of that version,

packages can be the vessel for distributing binary code, and to be

precise, binary frameworks in the XCFramework format, just like the

one we created right above.

Usually Swift packages exist in remote repositories, such as on GitHub.

Now that binary frameworks can be contained in them, a package’s

checkout time might increase considerably depending the size of the

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framework. In order to avoid that, frameworks can be hosted in other ✕

Become
servers compressed as zipan iOS developer
archives. in 30
URL to the days is what is
framework

actually needed in such cases, without being necessary for it to be

contained in the package.

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All that regard remote packages with binary frameworks residing

remotely as well. However, it’s also possible to keep and use both the

Swift package and the framework from a local path, and that usually is

the preferred approach while still being in the development stage. In

that case things are a bit different; the binary framework must be

included in the package, on top of any configuration required to be done

in the package’s manifest file.

A Local Swift Package

We’ll start from the second case that was just described above, and we’ll

see how to configure a Swift package that uses the binary framework

from a local path. Before creating the package though, let’s begin from a

different point; let’s make a copy of the XIBLoadable.xcframework first.

Although not mandatory, we’ll do it deliberately here for one simple

reason; to keep the original instance of the binary framework in the

output folder. By adding the framework to the package right next, the

entire framework folder will move to the package’s folder and will no

longer exist under its current location. However, I’d like us to have it in

the output folder as well, because we’ll need it again in order to

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demonstrate the steps for creating a remote Swift package and ✕

framework. Become an iOS developer in 30 days

So, back in Terminal make sure that you’re still in the output folder.

Then type the following command

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create a copy of the

XIBLoadable.xcframework folder:

cp -r XIBLoadable.xcframework XIBLoadablePackage.xcfra

We’re duplicating the XIBLoadable framework and we’re temporarily

give it the XIBLoadablePackage.xcframework name. We’ll rename it

properly when we’ll add that to the Swift package next.

Let’s return to Xcode. Go to the File > New > Swift Package… menu to

initiate the creation of a brand new Swift package, and name it

XIBLoadableLocal. You are strongly advised to store it in the same

subfolder where you have the output folder, as well as both

XIBLoadable-iOS and XIBLoadable-macOS framework projects. This

will help a lot to work with paths in Terminal later.

Once it’s ready, and before we add the binary framework to it, we can

delete almost all files created by default; we don’t need them, but it’s

okay even if you leave them untouched. I choose to delete them here so

we have a clean package, so select the Tests folder and delete it entirely.

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Then, delete the XIBLoadableLocal folder under Sources, and let

Sources be the only folder you are seeing in the package.

After that, drag and drop the XIBLoadablePackage.xcframework from

the output folder in Finder under the Sources folder in Xcode. Then

rename it to its original name, XIBLoadable.xcframework.

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Now open the Package.swift file; the package’s manifest file where we’ll

specify the binary framework as a target. At first, go to the targets

array, and delete all the default content you’ll find there. Then add the

following:

targets: [
.binaryTarget(name: "XIBLoadable", path: "./Source
]

See that the path to the XCFramework is in relation to the root path of

the package.

Besides that, it’s also necessary to update the targets argument in

the library(name:targets:) method right above, and provide the

XIBLoadable as the target name for the library that the package will

produce.

library(
name: "XIBLoadable",
targets: ["XIBLoadable"])

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Here’s how the entire Package.swift file should look like: ✕

Become an iOS developer in 30 days

// swift-tools-version:5.3
// The swift-tools-version declares the minimum versio
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import PackageDescription

let package = Package(

name: "XIBLoadablePackage",
products: [
// Products define the executables and librari
.library(
name: "XIBLoadablePackage",
targets: ["XIBLoadable"]),
],
dependencies: [],
targets: [
.binaryTarget(name: "XIBLoadable", path: "./So
]
)

Testing The Swift Package With The Local

Binary Framework

Open the LoadableViewDemo-iOS project in Xcode, and at the same

time close the XIBLoadableLocal Swift package. Select the project name

in the Project navigator, go to the General tab, under the Frameworks,

Libraries, and Embedded Content section select the

XIBLoadable.xcframework framework and then click to the minus

button to remove it. In addition, delete the XIBLoadable.xcframework

item from the Project navigator, under the Frameworks group. When

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asked, click on the Remove Reference button so the binary framework ✕

won’t be deletedBecome
from its an iOS developer
original location. in 30 days

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Once you do all that, place Finder and Xcode one next to another, and

drag and drop the XIBLoadableLocal package folder onto the Project

navigator.

Then, in the General tab again press the plus button in the Frameworks,

Libraries, and Embedded Content section, and in the sheet that appears

choose to add the XIBLoadable library.

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Without making any other change, either build the project to ensure

that no errors exist, or run it straight either in the Simulator or on a

device. If everything runs as before, then congratulations, you just

managed to use the local Swift package as a dependency with the binary

framework embedded in it, instead of having the framework added to

the project alone.

Feel free to follow the same steps as above and use the Swift package in

the LoadableViewDemo-macOS project as well.

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Remote Swift Package With Remote Binary ✕

FrameworkBecome an iOS developer in 30 days

As I’ve already said, the Swift package and the binary framework don’t

have to exist in the same remote location

Powered by
when they’re not meant to
RightMessage

exist locally. XCFramework can be hosted on a server, and the Swift

package to exist in a remote repository.

Let’s see that case, so let’s work our way towards that direction. After

all the necessary configuration to the Swift package is made, we’ll

upload it in a private repository on GitHub so we can add it as a remote

dependency later. The binary framework will also be uploaded to a

remote server. The recommended choice is your own personal or

company server, but for testing purposes you can even store it to a local

server, if you’re running one.

There’s a particularity we have to watch out for here. The remote server

should not contain the framework’s folder as is, but compressed as a zip

file. Actually, and in order to avoid encountering any errors in Xcode

later on, don’t use cloud services that they don’t return a share link with

the zip extension at the end of the URL. That’s why a custom server is

usually the best approach.

Having said that, bring Terminal in front, and supposing that you’re

still in the output folder type the following command to compress the

XIBLoadable.xcframework folder into a zip archive:

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✕
zip -r XIBLoadable.xcframework.zip
Become an iOS developer inXIBLoadable.xcframe
30 days

The XIBLoadable.xcframework.zip file should be listed along with

everything else in the output folder

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Let’s create a new Swift package now which we’ll call

XIBLoadableRemote. Since we’ve already done that in the previous part,

please follow all steps described there, including the default files clean

up as well as deleting the predefined targets in the Package.swift file,

and updating the library(name:targets:) parameter values with the

XIBLoadable value.

In the targets array now we’ll add another method called

binaryTarget(name:url:cheksum) . There are three parameter values

we have to provide here:

1. The name of the framework. This will be the same as before,

XIBLoadable.

2. The URL to the remote framework zip file.

3. The checksum of the framework zip file. Using it, Xcode will

be in a position to verify the downloaded framework’s

archived file.

To calculate the checksum, go one last time to Terminal and first

change the working directory to the root folder of the Swift package
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(that’s why I advised you earlier to save Swift package along with ✕
Become
output and the other an iOS
folders, developer
so as to make itin 30 here):
easy days

cd ../XIBLoadableRemote
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Then, type in the following command to generate the checksum of the

zip file. Note that we provide the relative path to it:

swift package compute-checksum ../output/XIBLoadable.x

A few moments later you will see checksum showing up on Terminal.

It’ll be something like that:

8580a0031a90739830a613767150ab1a53644f6e745d6d16090429fbc0d7e7a

Now it’s a good time to upload the XIBLoadable.xcframework.zip file to

the server. Do that and come back to keep reading. Don’t forget to have

the URL to the remote location of the archived framework handy when

come back.

Having at this point the remote URL and the checksum available, let’s

head back to Xcode in order to specify what the remote binary target is.

This time we’ll use the binaryTarget(name:url:checksum) method in

the targets array:

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✕
.binaryTarget(name:
Become an "XIBLoadable",
iOS developer inurl: "https://SERV
30 days

As a reminder, make sure that the above URL ends with the zip

extension, otherwise you’ll encounter

Powered by errors in Xcode.
RightMessage

The new Swift package has been configured, so now we’ll push it to a

remote, private repository on GitHub. To continue, it’s necessary to

have a GitHub account, or alternatively, a Bitbucket account to use

instead.

The detailed steps to do that task in Xcode have been thoroughly

described in this tutorial, even though Xcode 12 introduces some

changes to the naming of certain functionalities. Regardless, the overall

process remains the same, and here I’m going to present them really

shortly.

So, let’s walk through these steps.

At first, go to Source Control > New Git Repositories… menu in Xcode. In

the window that shows up make sure that the XIBLoadableRemote

package is selected and click Create. This action creates a local

repository and commits the package.

Then, to create the remote repository:

1. Open the Source Control navigator (Cmd+2).

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2. Right click on the XIBLoadableRemote repository to show the ✕

contextBecome
menu. an iOS developer in 30 days

3. Select the New “XIBLoadableRemote” Remote… menu option.

Powered
4. In the new window thatbyappears,
RightMessage
either select an existing

GitHub account or create one. Also, select the Private radio

button to keep it private. Leave the repository name as is and

click Create.

To push the package version in the remote repository:

1. In the Source Control navigator again right click on the

XIBLoadableRemote repository to show the context menu.

2. Select the Tag “main”… option.

3. In the next window set the version number; 1.0.0 here is okay.

No need to type a message so click Create.

4. Open the Source Control > Push… main menu in Xcode.

5. Check the Include tags checkbox and click Push.

The Swift package now exists remotely on GitHub (or any other service

you might be using), so we can finally test whether it’s working

properly or not.

Testing The Remote Swift Package

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While being in Xcode, close the XIBLoadableRemote package and open ✕

Become an iOS
the LoadableViewDemo-iOS developer
project. in 30
If you still days
have the

XIBLoadableLocal package added to the project, then simply right click

on it in the Project navigator and choose the delete option. However, in

the confirmation alert, make sure

Powered click on the Remove Reference
by to RightMessage

button, so the Swift package won’t be deleted from the disk too.

Next, let’s add the remote package we configured right above as a

dependency to the project. Go to the File > Swift Packages > Add

Package Dependency… menu option, and either choose the new package

repository if it’s automatically listed there, or just type the URL to it so

it’s fetched.

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Continue to the next steps until the overall process is finished, just ✕
Become
make sure that the an iOSpackage
XIBLoadable developer in 30isdays
product selected in the last

step.

In the end, you’ll see that Powered

a new bysection named Swift Package
RightMessage

Dependencies is showing up in Project navigator. In it you’ll see the

XIBLoadableRemote Swift package that contains the XIBLoadable

binary framework under a special group called Referenced Binaries.

At this point we’re all set, and we can run the app once again to make

sure that it’s working. In case you get any error messages, make sure

that the XIBLoadable protocol is listed under the Frameworks,

Libraries, and Embedded Content section in the General tab of the

target settings. Otherwise, go through all presented steps above and

ensure that you haven’t skipped any.

Conclusion

Getting to the end of this post, there’s a confession I’d like to make; this

is one of the tutorials that I enjoyed writing the most, as it’s about stuff

that’s not only interesting, but also quite useful. If you ever tried to

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8/23/23, 12:51 PM A Step by Step Guide on XCFramework and Swift Package

create a binary framework that was supposed to be working in both iOS ✕

Become anthen
devices and the Simulator, iOSyou
developer in 30 days
can definitely appreciate the

significance of the XCFramework format. But even if you did not, you

can still recognise how important the ability to bundle up framework

variants in one single place is, and

Powered by eventually
RightMessage use and distribute just

that.

And if you’re a Swift package fan like I am, then you have all the reasons

to feel happy with the marriage of XCFrameworks and Swift packages,

regardless of whether you’re sharing code with others or you’re

creating your own, personal library of reusable components. I really

hope you found this post helpful, and that there’s something new you

learnt here today. And with that I leave you, so, take care!

For reference, you can download the full project on GitHub.

Learn how to
build UI with the
brand new
SwiftUI
framework
Enter your email below and
download the sample book of
Mastering SwiftUI. You will
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learn the basics of SwiftUI and ✕

start building cool UI with this
Become an iOS developer in 30 days
powerful framework.

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SWIFT PACKAGE MANAGER XCFRAMEWORK XCODE

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@gabtheodor
Gabriel Theodoropoulos

Gabriel has been a software developer for almost about two decades
and he’s got long experience in programming using various
languages. iOS development is what he’s being doing since 2010. On
top of that, he’s added macOS programming to his repertoire over
the last few years. Using Swift of course! Follow Gabriel at Google+
and Twitter.

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  ✕
Become an iOS developer in 30 days

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Become an iOS
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ALSO ON APPCODA

2 months ago 6 months ago • 1 comment

Building Pie How to Create a
Charts and Donut Checkbox in
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What do you think? ✕

2 Responses
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M
Mahesh Testing − ⚑
2 months ago

Very nice Article. This works fine for Frameworks.

I have a static library, with which I have created as a

XCFramework. Problem is I am not able to bundle
the resources along in the package. No options.
Please let me know if you have any solutions?
Thanks!

0 0 Reply • Share ›

J
john smith − ⚑
3 years ago

M app crashes on de ice(not on sim lator nor

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8/23/23, 12:51 PM A Step by Step Guide on XCFramework and Swift Package
My app crashes on device(not on simulator nor
macos) when i embed xcframework and run it. Can ✕
Become
anyone please givean
meiOS developer in 30 days
solution
Thanks

0 0 Reply • Share ›

A
Alex Green
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3 years ago

Great article. To be fair I'm not the developer. I have

no clue about coding, frameworkes etc I am a
business owner in process of creating app for my
customers. I am thinking of creating 2 apps. One for
iOS, one for Android. But I was informed that I can
use this technology for my app https://itmaster-
soft.com/e.... That it will save time and money as I
will need not 2, but 1 app. Please let me know your
thoughts

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