3 Xcode Layout WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER? Identifying the basic workspace components Setting up your workspace style Customizing windows and panes Getting information about items in your project Now that you have a bird ’ s eye view of how Xcode is organized, drop a few hundred feet and look at the visual layout of Xcode. In this chapter, you learn how items are organized in the Xcode project window, how to choose a window layout style that you like, how to arrange and customize windows, and how to get information about your project. The project window, shown in Figure 3 - 1, represents your project and is your home base in Xcode. All of the components that make up your project are organized here. It is also the central means of browsing your project, allowing you to see the products that your project produces, symbols defi ned in your project, bookmarks you ’ ve saved, and other aspects. All other windows in your project are subordinate to your project window. Closing the project window closes the project and all other windows related to the project. ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ c03.indd 19c03.indd 19 1/22/10 12:11:07 PM1/22/10 12:11:07 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 20 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT Project content (source fi les, property lists, details, log output) is presented in individual windows or in one or more panes that share a single window. Some windows are always organized into multiple panes, like the project and debugger windows. Other windows, like editing windows, usually consist of a single pane, but can often be split into multiple panes if you like. You learn more about this later in this chapter and in Chapter 6. Broadly, content presented in Xcode can be divided into fi ve categories: the project window, editing panes, Info windows, fl oating windows, and utility windows. The project window is unique. It contains the Groups & Files pane and the details pane. These panes do not appear in any other window. Depending on your project layout style, the project window can also include editing panes and present the content of other utility windows. Editing panes edit the content of source fi les, and are where you will be spending much of your time during development. Editing panes are often contained in their own window. Info windows display detailed information about an item in your project. This is where you examine the details and options for each item. You can usually open an Info window by choosing Get Info, either by clicking the toolbar button or choosing View ➪ Get Info. Info windows vary depending on the type of item being inspected. Figure 3 - 2 shows a typical Info window for the project. FIGURE 3 - 1 c03.indd 20c03.indd 20 1/22/10 12:11:15 PM1/22/10 12:11:15 PM Download at getcoolebook.com Xcode also presents transient information in fl oating windows and tool tips. These include suggested code completions, API documentation, detailed error descriptions, and variable inspectors. An example of a Quick Help window is shown in Figure 3 - 3. FIGURE 3 - 2 FIGURE 3 - 3 Xcode Layout ❘ 21 c03.indd 21c03.indd 21 1/22/10 12:11:16 PM1/22/10 12:11:16 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 22 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT Utility windows are the catch - all category for all of the other kinds of windows that appear in Xcode. There are windows for browsing the documentation, building your project, debugging your executable, searching multiple fi les, and so on. PROJECT LAYOUT Xcode provides three different strategies for organizing your windows and panes, called a layout style . You can change the layout style as often as you like. It doesn ’ t have any material effect on the content or functionality of your project; it just defi nes its visual organization and navigation. You should have a basic understanding of the layout styles offered by Xcode, because they infl uence how the project window is organized and where information about its content is displayed. It also affects Xcode ’ s use of separate windows for various tasks. Xcode saves your layout preferences — open windows, window position, list order, table columns, and other display options — in a per - user, per - layout preference fi le stored in the project ’ s document. The window positions and display options you establish in one layout will be ignored by other layout styles. Similarly, your view preferences will be independent of those of other users working on the same project (assuming they have a different POSIX account name). Choosing a Layout Xcode offers the following three layout styles: STYLE DESCRIPTION Default All of the project groups and items are in a single browser shared with a combination details and editor pane. Source fi les may be edited here, or in separate windows. Build, debug, and other tasks open in separate windows. Condensed The project window contains only the project groups and items. All tasks, including editing, are performed in separate windows. There is no details pane. All - In - One The project and most tasks are confi ned to a single window. The Default layout style, which was shown in Figure 3 - 1, is the traditional Xcode windowing style. The project window contains all of the groups and items in a single browser. The window shares a split pane with item detail and editing panes on the right side. You can view and edit source fi les immediately in the right pane, or you can open them in separate windows. Build, Debugging, and other tasks appear in their own window. This is a good choice for general development on a moderate - sized screen. The Condensed layout style, shown in Figure 3 - 4, could also have been named the “ Everything - In - A - Separate - Window ” style. The project window contains only the project ’ s group and items. The c03.indd 22c03.indd 22 1/22/10 12:11:17 PM1/22/10 12:11:17 PM Download at getcoolebook.com groups are further subdivided by a tab control at the top of the window. The tab selects between the source groups, the target groups, and all other types of smart groups. This chapter shows you how you can customize this organization a little later. Everything else you work with, or open, appears in a separate window. This is a good style for complex projects and for developers with large monitors. The descriptively named All - In - One layout style, shown in Figure 3 - 5, is essentially the opposite of the Condensed style. The project, editing, and all tasks (build results, multifi le searches, source control) are contained in a single window. You can switch which view you are working with using one of several tab controls. The tab control in the upper - left corner of the window switches the entire window between the project and debugger views. While in the project view, another tab control above the right editor pane switches the upper portion of the pane between the Detail, Project Find, SCM Results, and Build Results. This is a good style for developers with small monitors or those who want to avoid the clutter of having many different windows open. It can be particularly useful when you ’ re working with multiple projects at the same time — it ’ s often diffi cult to identify to which project an auxiliary window belongs. This problem is explained in more detail in the “ Opening One or More Projects ” section in Chapter 4. FIGURE 3-5 FIGURE 3-4 Project Layout ❘ 23 c03.indd 23c03.indd 23 1/22/10 12:11:32 PM1/22/10 12:11:32 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 24 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT Despite its name, the All - In - One style does not force everything into a single window. You can still cause selected source fi les to open in separate windows for more convenient editing. Additionally, Info and Quick Help windows are always separate, regardless of the layout style you are using. Changing the Layout Xcode ’ s layout style is global. After you have set it, it applies to all projects that you open. To change Xcode ’ s layout style, choose Xcode ➪ Preferences, and click the General (leftmost) icon at the top of the window (see Figure 3 - 6). FIGURE 3-6 The global layout style is selected with the Layout pop - up menu. Other options control the behavior for edit panes, whether projects are automatically reopened when Xcode is launched again, and whether open windows are restored when a project is reopened. The layout style cannot be changed while there are any open windows that are infl uenced by Xcode ’ s layout style. If the Layout option in the preferences window is disabled, close all projects and utility windows until it becomes enabled. The next few sections explain the details of the project window and how the layout styles infl uence their layout and navigation. GROUPS & FILES All of the components of your project are represented as icons in the Groups & Files pane of your project window. Icons with a small grey expansion triangle next to them indicate a group of items. Groups contain items and sometimes other groups. c03.indd 24c03.indd 24 1/22/10 12:11:33 PM1/22/10 12:11:33 PM Download at getcoolebook.com . section in Chapter 4. FIGURE 3- 5 FIGURE 3- 4 Project Layout ❘ 23 c 03. indd 23c 03. indd 23 1/22/10 12:11 :32 PM1/22/10 12:11 :32 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 24 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT Despite its. shown in Figure 3 - 3. FIGURE 3 - 2 FIGURE 3 - 3 Xcode Layout ❘ 21 c 03. indd 21c 03. indd 21 1/22/10 12:11:16 PM1/22/10 12:11:16 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 22 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT Utility. Xcode ’ s layout style is global. After you have set it, it applies to all projects that you open. To change Xcode ’ s layout style, choose Xcode ➪ Preferences, and click the General (leftmost)