32 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT Delete this element and save the fi le. The next time you launch Xcode, it will recreate the default Implementation Files and NIB Files groups. All other user - created smart groups will be gone. DETAILS, DETAILS Now that you ’ ve learned to organize, customize, and navigate the top groups of your project, you ’ re going to start digging into the details of those groups and what they contain. Details about the content of groups are displayed in a table called the details list. The columns of the table display properties about each item. In the Default and All - In - One layout styles, the details list is displayed in a pane on the right side of the window, as shown in Figure 3 - 12. The Condensed layout style does not include a details pane in the project window. The details pane shares its side of the window with an editor pane. If the details list is not visible, choose View ➪ Detail or View ➪ Zoom Editor Out to reveal it. You can also drag the divider between the details list and the editor pane. FIGURE 3-11 To delete all of the smart groups saved for all projects, fi rst quit Xcode. Using the Property List Editor (you will fi nd this in the /Developer/Applications/Utilities folder), open the com.apple.Xcode.plist fi le in your account ’ s ~/Library/Preferences folder. Look for an element with the key com.apple.ide.smrt.PBXUserSmartGroupsKey.ver10 , shown in Figure 3 - 11. c03.indd 32c03.indd 32 1/22/10 12:12:01 PM1/22/10 12:12:01 PM Download at getcoolebook.com You can hide the details view and compact the window by double - clicking the expand/collapse control that sits between the Groups & Files list column header and the details list column header, also shown in Figure 3 - 11. Double - clicking the divider completely collapses the Groups & Files pane, leaving only the details list. There are some shortcut commands in the View ➪ Smart Groups submenu. Each brings the project window to the front and selects the chosen smart group. The details list always displays the set of source items encompassed by the current selection in the Groups & Files list. Selecting an item in the Groups & Files list displays that item. Selecting a group lists the details of all of the items contained in that group and any subgroups. Selecting a target lists all of the items used to build that target. Selecting combinations of groups and items displays the aggregate union of those sets. A few obscure exceptions to this rule exist. For instance, the content of frameworks and bundles are not included in the details list unless the framework or bundle is explicitly selected in the Groups & Files list. This avoids commingling the individual components of a framework, which might include hundreds of header fi les, with the source fi les of your project. FIGURE 3-12 Details, Details ❘ 33 c03.indd 33c03.indd 33 1/22/10 12:12:02 PM1/22/10 12:12:02 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 34 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT The details list is typically used to see the status of an item; for example, to see whether it contains any compiler errors, has been modifi ed, or needs to be built. Double - clicking an item in the list opens that item and is generally equivalent to opening the corresponding item from the Groups & Files list. A few properties can be edited directly in the details list; most notably, the Target column. An item with a check box in this column can be immediately added or removed from the current target by ticking its check box. Showing and Hiding Detail Columns The columns shown in the details list are dependant both on the type of items being listed and which columns you ’ ve elected to display. Each group contains only one kind of item: The Project group contains source fi les, the Find Results group contains search results, the Bookmarks group contains bookmarks, and so on. Some properties that apply to source fi les (Target membership, compiled size, and so on) do not apply to bookmarks and vice versa. Selecting a set of fi les displays only the detail columns appropriate to source fi les. Selecting one or more bookmarks displays columns appropriate only to bookmarks. Within the set of applicable columns, you are free to choose which are shown by enabling and disabling individual columns. To change the columns in a details list Right/Control+click any column header, as shown in Figure 3 - 13. A pop - up menu shows all the columns and which are currently displayed. Some detail lists have columns that you cannot hide. For example, the Role column in the Targets group cannot be hidden, and does not appear in the pop - up list. FIGURE 3-13 c03.indd 34c03.indd 34 1/22/10 12:12:15 PM1/22/10 12:12:15 PM Download at getcoolebook.com You can resize columns by dragging the divider line between column headers. Reorder columns by dragging the column header to a new position. The layout for each type of list is remembered separately, so changes to one type of list do not affect others. Showing Details in the Groups & Files List In addition to choosing the columns for the details list, you can add selected detail columns directly to the Groups & Files list. Right/Control+click any column header in the Groups & Files list. Not all details apply to all types of items; ones that don ’ t will be blank. This ability is particularly useful in the Condensed layout style, which does not have a details pane in the project window. For example, in multi - target projects I invariably add the Target Membership column to the Groups & Files list so that I can quickly see (and change) what fi les are members of the active target. INFO WINDOWS The Inspector and Info windows are the third, and fi nest, level of detail in Xcode. The details list shows basic properties about many items at once, but an Info window tells the whole story. It is where you can inspect and modify every aspect, property, and setting of each item. For some items, that ’ s a lot of information. You can view the information about an item either in an Info window or in the Inspector palette. Info windows are regular windows. One is shown on the left in Figure 3 - 14. You can have multiple Info windows open at a time, which is particularly useful for comparing the details of two items. To open the Info window for an item, select the item in the project window, or have an editor window active, and choose the File ➪ Get Info (Command+I) command, click the blue i icon in the toolbar, or Right/Control+click the item and choose Get Info from the contextual menu. Changing the properties of the project, target, or executable is such a common activity that Xcode provides additional shortcuts just for those. When you double - click the top - level project group, individual targets, and individual executables, Xcode opens an Info window — rather than expanding or collapsing their contents like other groups. The Project menu contains three commands: Edit Project Settings, Edit Active Target, and Edit Active Executable. All of these commands just open the appropriate Info window. Info Windows ❘ 35 c03.indd 35c03.indd 35 1/22/10 12:12:16 PM1/22/10 12:12:16 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 36 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT The Inspector palette, shown on the right in Figure 3 - 14, is a single fl oating palette that shows the information for the currently selected item or active window. Getting information about a different item is as easy as selecting the item. The Inspector is always on top of all other windows and disappears when Xcode is not the active application. You can use both the Inspector and Info windows at the same time. To reveal or hide the Inspector palette, hold down the Option key and select the File ➪ Show/Hide Inspector command (Option+Command+I). The Inspector and Info windows can display and alter the properties for more than one item at a time. Select multiple items and the Info window presents all of the properties that are common to those items. If you select disparate items, the Info window may only present one or two properties that are common to all, such as the item ’ s Comments. Radically different items result in an Info window that says “ Nothing to Inspect. ” For each property, Xcode displays the value that is common to all of the items or it presents an indicator that the value of the property varies between the items. Changing the value of the property changes it for all of the items. If the property cannot be logically applied to all items, it is disabled. FIGURE 3-14 c03.indd 36c03.indd 36 1/22/10 12:12:17 PM1/22/10 12:12:17 PM Download at getcoolebook.com Changes made in the Inspector and Info windows are immediate. There is no opportunity to cancel the change and most changes are not tracked by the Undo facility, so be mindful about making changes that you might want to retract, although there are actually very few changes that you could make in an Info window that aren ’ t easily reversed. The advantage is that you do not have to close the Inspector or Info window for the changes to take effect. This is particularly useful when you ’ re changing values like build settings, because you can edit the setting and build immediately with the new settings. The only exceptions are some text entry fi elds. You may have to tab out of a fi eld, or switch focus to another control or window, before the change is applied. TOOLBARS The toolbar is a standard Macintosh user - interface element. Toolbars can contain command buttons, pop - up lists, search fi elds, and other controls right at the top of each window, making them immediately visible and quickly accessible. Refer back to Figure 3 - 1, or almost any other fi gure of a window, for an example. The items you want in your toolbar are those functions that you use repeatedly and to which you want fast access, as well as settings and conditions that you want to refer to quickly. If you ’ ve been using OS X for any length of time, you are undoubtedly familiar with toolbars. If not, here ’ s a crash course on Mac OS X toolbars: Toolbars can be shown or hidden by clicking the elongated white button at the right side of the window ’ s title bar, or by choosing View ➪ Show/Hide Toolbar. Toolbars can be customized by choosing View ➪ Customize Toolbar or by clicking the toolbar button while holding down the Command and Option keys. Add, remove, or rearrange items in the toolbar customization sheet by dragging. Choose the icon mode and size at the bottom of the sheet. You can rotate through the toolbar ’ s icon modes and sizes by repeatedly clicking the toolbar button while holding down the Command key. All like windows share the same toolbar. Customizing the toolbar of an editor window changes the toolbar for all editor windows. Almost all toolbar controls implement a command, setting, or function found elsewhere in the Xcode system. Toolbars do not add functionality — they merely add convenience. Some toolbar items are specifi c to certain windows. For example, the Debugger ’ s toolbar can be populated with all kinds of debug - specifi c items, which do not appear in other toolbars. Explore the toolbars for each window type to discover what items you can use there. Although most of the controls you can place in the toolbar are self - explanatory, the following table lists three that might need a little more explanation. ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ Toolbars ❘ 37 c03.indd 37c03.indd 37 1/22/10 12:12:18 PM1/22/10 12:12:18 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 38 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT TOOLBAR CONTROL FUNCTION Project An oft - overlooked toolbar shortcut that simply brings you back to your project window, equivalent to View ➪ Project (Command+0). If you have a lot of editor windows obscuring your screen, it ’ s a quick way back home. Tasks The “ stop sign ” item is used to stop running tasks. Tasks include building, running, and debugging. Click once to stop the most recently started process or application. Hold down the button to reveal a list of running tasks and choose the task you want to terminate. Overview The Overview pop - up menu is a combination of the Active SDK, Active Build Confi guration, Active Target, Active Executable, and Active Architecture tools. If you work with multitarget projects that produce several executables or have more than three build confi gurations, this is probably the most useful tool to have in your toolbar. The project window ’ s toolbar (in the Default and All - In - One layout style) has one oddball tool that you can only add or remove using the View ➪ Layout ➪ Show/Hide Page Control command. It adds a tool to the left side of the toolbar that performs the same function as the expand/ collapse control that sits between the Groups & Files list column header and the details list column header, as shown in Figure 3 - 15. STATUS BAR AND FAVORITES BAR The thick portion at the bottom of the window ’ s frame (which was visible in Figure 3 - 1) is not merely decorative — it ’ s the status bar. The status bar displays various progress and status messages for processes like builds and multifi le searches. You can hide or show the status bar in most windows using the View ➪ Layout ➪ Hide/Show Status Bar command. You can reveal the Favorites bar in the project window, shown in Figure 3 - 15, using the View ➪ Layout ➪ Show/Hide Favorites Bar command. Here you can place fi les and bookmarks to which you want convenient access. Drag a fi le or bookmark into the Favorites bar to add it. Drag it out to remove it. c03.indd 38c03.indd 38 1/22/10 12:12:21 PM1/22/10 12:12:21 PM Download at getcoolebook.com Clicking once on a favorites item selects that item in the project window. Double - clicking opens the fi le. In the case of a bookmark, it jumps to that bookmark location. If you add a source group to the Favorites bar, click and hold on the folder to get a pop - up menu of the fi les in that group. ACTIVITY VIEWER WINDOW The Activity Viewer window is a bit of an odd duck. It ’ s the only window that doesn ’ t really belong to any specifi c Xcode function, tool, or item. It simply displays the progress of various Xcode tasks. Open it using the Windows ➪ Activity command. It displays the status of background processes such as builds, re - indexing, batch fi nds, predictive compilation, and similar behind - the - scenes activity. It is most useful for observing Xcode itself. If you ’ re wondering whether the project indexer is fi nished indexing your project, a quick trip to the Activity window will tell you what ’ s going on. Or, maybe you just want something interesting to look at while building a large project. SUMMARY You should now have a good feel for how to get around in Xcode. You know how to choose the visual style that fi ts your needs, customize the interface a little, organize the items in your projects, and get varying degrees of information about items in a project. You are now ready to create a working project. FIGURE 3-15 Summary ❘ 39 c03.indd 39c03.indd 39 1/22/10 12:12:22 PM1/22/10 12:12:22 PM Download at getcoolebook.com c03.indd 40c03.indd 40 1/22/10 12:12:24 PM1/22/10 12:12:24 PM Download at getcoolebook.com . les of your project. FIGURE 3- 12 Details, Details ❘ 33 c 03. indd 33 c 03. indd 33 1/22/10 12:12:02 PM1/22/10 12:12:02 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 34 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT The details list. Windows ❘ 35 c 03. indd 35 c 03. indd 35 1/22/10 12:12:16 PM1/22/10 12:12:16 PM Download at getcoolebook.com 36 ❘ CHAPTER 3 XCODE LAYOUT The Inspector palette, shown on the right in Figure 3 - 14,. create a working project. FIGURE 3- 15 Summary ❘ 39 c 03. indd 39 c 03. indd 39 1/22/10 12:12:22 PM1/22/10 12:12:22 PM Download at getcoolebook.com c 03. indd 40c 03. indd 40 1/22/10 12:12:24 PM1/22/10