Become More Senior iOS Developer with these 4 Xcode Tips & Tricks

Xcode is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for iOS development. It offers a variety of features and tools to help you create, test, debug, and deploy your iOS apps. However, Xcode can also be overwhelming and complex, especially for beginners and intermediate developers.

If you want to become a more senior iOS developer, you need to master Xcode and use it to your advantage. In this article, I will share with you five Xcode tips and tricks that can help you improve your productivity, efficiency, and quality of your iOS development.

1. Understand OSLog Available in Xcode 15

OSLog is a framework that allows you to log messages and data from your app to the system log. OSLog supports different levels of logging, such as default, info, debug, error, or fault. OSLog also supports structured logging, which means you can add metadata and context to your logs, such as subsystem, category, or privacy.

To use OSLog, you can do the following:

• Import OSLog in your project by adding import OSLog to your code.
• Create a logger instance by using Logger(subsystem:category:), where subsystem is a unique identifier for your app, and category is a label for a specific part of your app.
• Use the logger instance to log messages or data by using one of its methods, such as log(level:message:), debug(_:), error(_:), or fault(_:).
• Use string interpolation to format your messages or data, and use privacy: modifier to specify the privacy level of your data, such as public, private, or auto.
• Use the signpost methods to mark the start and end of a specific operation or event in your app, such as signpost(_:name:id:) or signpostEnd(_:name:id:).

OSLog has several advantages over other logging methods, such as print or NSLog. OSLog has low performance overhead, supports localization and accessibility, adapts to different platforms and environments, and archives logs on the device for later retrieval.

You can view and filter your logs by using the Console app on your Mac, or by using the new logging console in Xcode 15. You can also use the oslog command-line tool to access your logs from the terminal.

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2. Use Fastlane to Automate Build Process

Fastlane is a tool that helps you automate the most time-consuming tasks in your iOS development workflow, such as building, testing, signing, and deploying your app. Fastlane can help you save time, avoid errors, and streamline your release process.

To use Fastlane, you can do the following:

• Install Fastlane by running sudo gem install fastlane -NV in your terminal.
• Navigate to your project folder and run fastlane init to set up Fastlane in your project.
• Provide the package name and the path to your JSON secret file for your app when asked.
• Choose whether you plan to upload your app to Google Play via Fastlane or not.
• Edit the Appfile and Fastfile that Fastlane generates for you, to customize your configuration and actions.
• Run fastlane [lane_name] to execute the lane that you want, such as fastlane beta or fastlane release.

Fastlane will then perform the actions that you defined in your lane, such as building your app, running tests, signing your app, uploading your app to TestFlight or App Store, and sending notifications.

You can also use Fastlane plugins to extend its functionality and integrate with other services, such as Firebase, Slack, or Sentry.

3. Use Breakpoints and Debugging Tools

Debugging is the process of finding and fixing errors or bugs in your code. Debugging can be challenging and frustrating, especially if you have to rely on print statements or guesswork. However, Xcode provides some breakpoints and debugging tools that can help you debug your code more effectively and efficiently.

Breakpoints are markers that tell Xcode to pause the execution of your code at a specific point, so you can inspect the state of your app and the values of your variables. To use breakpoints, you can do the following:

• Click on the gutter next to the line of code where you want to add a breakpoint.
• Run your app and wait for Xcode to pause at the breakpoint.
• Use the Debug Area at the bottom of the Xcode window to view the Console output, the Variables view, and the Debug Bar controls.
• Use the Debug Bar controls to step over, step into, or step out of the code, or to resume or stop the execution.
• Use the Console to enter commands or expressions, such as po (print object), p (print), or e (expression).
• Use the Variables view to inspect or modify the values of your variables, or to add Watchpoints to monitor the changes of your variables.

You can also use different types of breakpoints, such as Exception Breakpoints, Symbolic Breakpoints, or Conditional Breakpoints, to customize your debugging experience.

4. Use Bookmarks to improve your code quality

Another useful way to use bookmarks is to use them to improve your code quality. You can create bookmarks for the parts of your code that you want to analyze, test, or debug. You can also use bookmarks to mark the start and end of a specific operation or event in your code, which can help you measure its performance or identify its issues.

For example, you can create bookmarks for the following scenarios:

• You want to analyze your code to check its complexity, readability, or style.
• You want to test your code to verify its functionality, usability, or reliability.
• You want to debug your code to find and fix its errors, bugs, or crashes.
• You want to measure your code’s performance, such as its speed, memory usage, or battery consumption.
• You want to identify your code’s issues, such as its leaks, deadlocks, or race conditions.

By using bookmarks to improve your code quality, you can enhance your skills, increase your confidence, and deliver better products.

I hope you enjoyed reading my article. Do you have any feedback or questions for me? 😊