This seems pretty straight forward but how do I update a build or maybe whats it called "clean"? Basically sometimes I will move a .H and .M file to a new folder in xcode project navigator. In xcode it shows the files have moved but in Finder the are not moved into the new folder thus in xcode I still have to reference files (like #import "blank") as if it was in the original location even though it shows the files are moved in Xcode. This seems to be the case if I delete files xcode fails cause it is say the file is still there. Does cleaning update the build references??
xcode groups and the filesystem are not 'connected'
moves of files in xcode don't affect where files are / need to be on the filesystem and vice versa.
what I always do is move files on disk, then REMOVE and READD them in xcode
I deleted some files from my project (a pair of .m/.h).
However now every time I build Xcode warns that the files are missing (though the build is otherwise successful).
I can't see where/how Xcode thinks the files are needed, it must have some reference to them somewhere but I can't find it - the files are not listed in either the compile sources section nor the copy bundle resources section. Where else might they be listed such that Xcode feels the need to warn about them not being physically present?
To delete them try this:
create a file named like the missing one
copy this file into your project folder, so that Xcode recognizes it
right click on the file inside Xcode in the project view
select delete
select move to trash, when Xcode asks
This worked for me for files, however I have the same problem with empty folders. If somebody knows a way to get rid of the missing warning for them, please comment.
If the files are missing from the project navigator or your checkout, but not included in the build for the current target, then the build might succeed despite the warnings.
XCode's Project Navigator keeps track of files, the directory they're in, and the state in git or svn. The project warnings when opening a project are shown in the status view at the top of the window. You can review these warnings when you press command-4.
The project navigator marks files that it tracks, but that it cannot find, in red in the folder view (press command-1 for that view). If you see red file names it might be that you deleted or moved them into another folder without XCode knowing about that. Then select the red filename and delete it.
On top of this the files might be "missing from your work copy", but still present in the repository. You can do two things in the terminal to sync with or delete the file from subversion.
svn up file
svn rm --force file
I have a couple of projects that I had started under Xcode 3.2.x some time ago. I switched to Xcode 4 a few days ago and want to make use of the Workspace feature as both projects. Basically, my plan is to extract some common features out of the two projects and make them a common library that both projects depend on. However, before I even get to the tricky bit of dependencies I get stuck just adding my two projects to the workspace.
I tried creating a new workspace and selecting "Adding files to " from the context menu; I then select the .xcodeproj file from my first project and it appears in the left-hand side tree browser in my workspace. However, it's just the file, not the project that I get. That is, rather than getting a two-line entry in the tree browser where the first line states the project name and the second line says something like "1 target, iOS SDK 4.3" like in the Apple documentation, I get a single line simply stating the name of the .xcodeproj file including the extension. There is also no triangle on the left to expand the node. It's like I just dragged some file in the workspace, not a project. The same goes for the second project.
I have also created a new Project "Foo" from scratch in Xcode 4 and added it to my workspace, with the same result. I looked at Apple documentation and watched the 16 second video about a dozen times now, but cannot work out what I am doing wrong (if the problem is indeed in the chair and not in the computer).
I had this exact same problem. I think it stems from having another workspace already open referencing the project you want to add. I got it working by:
shutdown xcode completely
double-click the workspace to launch Xcode and open just that workspace
drag and drop the project file from the Finder
Worked fine. I have many workspaces all referencing an openssl project, and it seems to work OK when you only have one workspace open at a time in Xcode.
Actually, I made it work without exiting Xcode.
All you have to do is make sure the projects you want to add are closed, since Xcode is having trouble adding open projects to a workspace.
So:
Close the projects you want to add
In the Workspace window, choose "Add Files to MyWorkspace"
Add the .xcodeproj file of the project you want to add
I had the same problem. SO I just exit xcode, restart it. Then I can see the files under the project.
Exiting Xcode completely and then double-clicking the .xcodeproj file to open the project.
It works but when you add an activity to the project than r.java file is automatically removed and errors are coming.
This is probably a very easy question, but I'm having trouble deleting resources from my XCode project. I added them using "Create Folder References for any added folders" so that I could import a whole offline HTML site with its correct folder structure.
Unfortunately, now it has been added like this I don't seem to be able to delete individual files in the structure (it's not available from the Edit menu).
Can anyone help please? Thanks!
That isn't how folder references work. The idea is that its only a reference, you can open files within it and save it from those editors, you can delete or move the entire reference throughout the xcode project, but you can't actually edit it - its read only as far as xcode is concerned. Likewise, you cannot restructure it (move internal files around).
I'm not to sure why apple decided to make this the case, but apparently they have.
If you want to know how one might use the xcode folder system, here's how I tend to use them with my projects:
Whenever I subdivide code into folders, when I drag them into my project I click "recursively create groups for any added folders". If you do this, you any changes you make within xcode will not reflect the actual file itself. As far as I know, there is no way to do this. What does happen then is that when you add a new code file to it, the directory starts off in that file by default. ie, you don't need to navigate to it manually when you create a new file.
I use folder references whenever I'm working with content for an application I'm using. This way, I add all my images, folders, configuration files, whatever - and xcode immediately lists them. The reason I have it within xcode, I can I copy the files into the executables directory by dragging the folder reference into a "Copy Files" build phase.
Thats basically (to my knowledge) how one uses the folder types within xcode - sadly, I don't know how to achieve the functionality you want. You may have to manually delete the folders in finder, which if you do use folder references will update xcode to the change.
I ran into the same issue by using "Create Folder References for any added folders". I wanted to change some of the times but that's not possible. I had added a main folder that had other directories under it. I just had to select the main directory and deleted it and then just add the subdirectories that I needed. You can't make any location or removal changes to the directories that are added this way. -- Jeff
In the project browser, where you're looking at files, right click and choose "Delete". It'll prompt you to either remove the file from the project (leaving the underlying file on the filesystem) or to also move the underlying file to the trash.
I ran into the same issue. Delete the files from the folder directly as opposed to from within Xcode. You'll see the entries turn red under your project. Restarting Xcode should make these red entries vanish.
When I started my project I was happy to use Groups in Xcode rather than literal folders: Since I'm using the browser in Xcode to access everything, stuff was nicely organized and I was happy.
However, now that the project is about to be shared for version control, the project folder itself is a horror show for those trying to scan it via a terminal, about 300 files, over half of which are graphics.
I'm trying to now reorganize things, creating real folders and importing them into Xcode. Unfortunately Xcode doesn't let me work with them the way it does with groups. For example, if I right-click on an actual added folder (blue, not yellow) and choose to add existing files, it doesn't actually put them in that folder, it puts them in its root.
Similarly, I can't move a file from a faux-folder (a group) into a real folder: Xcode doesn't consider the real folders to be valid places to move stuff to.
What am I missing? How can I convince Xcode to let me use the folders the way I use groups? There's an answer here to a somewhat similar question, but it doesn't actually solve my problem since I'm working with existing files.
A modern (and dead simple!) approach for 2017 (Xcode 6, 7, 8, and sometimes 9, since it does it automagically some of the time):
If you're moving a bunch of files into a new folder and are keeping the child hierarchy, it's actually a lot easier than moving each file individually:
Create new groups in the Xcode folder tree and organize your files into them however you like.
Create a matching physical folder tree in Finder and organize your physical files into them to match what you did in step 1.
All the references in Xcode should now be red (that's OK!).
From the Identity and Type manager, select the Group in Xcode that you want to relocate, then click the folder icon from the info pane:
In the Finder selection dialog, locate the equivalent new folder you created for this group in step 2. All the files inside that group will now be automagically rediscovered!
Isn't that nice? At most you'll have to repeat these 5 steps once for each new group you've created (which beats relocating each file individually!)
Bonus Points!
Say you accidentally screwed up the move and now a bunch of your files are red and can't be found: select multiple files that are broken, and using the same folder icon in the screenshot from step 4, find the correct folder that contains these files and they'll automatically resolve the missing paths.
FURTHER EDITED JUNE 2017: Xcode 9 does this automatically, no special effort required. This answer and Brandon's only apply to Xcode 8 and earlier.
EDITED DECEMBER 2016: Brandon's answer below is a better solution now. Back when this answer was created in 2010 this was the only option I could find. I now suggest Brandon's answer, below.
It turns out that moving files into real folders is certainly possible, though not as simple as it should be.
I got the basic information from a question here, Xcode organising files and folders (core data model objects - iPhone), but learned important things along the way.
##The Process
Moving the files is a two-step process with multiple sub-steps:
Tell Xcode where you want the files to be:
Right/Control-click on the file or file group that you'd like to move and choose Get Info from the contextual menu that appears. The Group Info or File Info window appears.
Click the Choose button on the far right side of the window in the Path area. A dialog box appears.
Navigate to the folder you want the files to be moved to. Create a New Folder if needed. Click the Choose button in the bottom-right corner of the dialog box, then close the Group Info/File Info window.
The names of the file/files in the group will turn red to indicate that Xcode can't find them in the place you specified.
Move the actual files
In the Finder (or Git) move the files you selected in step 1 into the actual folders you want them in.
Switch back to Xcode. The files/groups should all have turned black again. If any are still red then you've missed moving something to the right folder.
##Tips
I learned a couple of important things while adjusting the ~300 files in this project:
Some files refuse to move this way; that is, when you navigate to the new destination the Choose button is disabled, as is the New Folder button. The solution, though I don't know why it makes a difference, is to first use Xcode to put those files in a Group (right/control-click the files and choose Group, and give the group a name) and then move the group to the new location. After you're actually moved the files in the Finder you can remove them from the group (by dragging them into the new parent group/folder and deleting the group).
Stop and build every few minutes, after completing step 2 for a number of files. The build will tell you if you've screwed anything up so far, making it easier to go back and fix it before you've done too much damage.
If the files won't move to where you want them to — I had a devil of a time moving some files that had been created early-on in the Classes folder — you can simply drag them out of their old place in the finder to someplace handy like the desktop, delete references to them in Xcode, and then re-import them via the right/control-click Add Existing Files option.
If in the past you've used Xcode to delete references to files without also moving them to the trash in this project, you'll find files that don't have to be moved but at just sitting there. Be careful that you don't do what I did, confusing the names of a current group of files I was moving and the older, no-longer-linked files, insisting that Xcode import them because you thought it was being dense.
In Xcode 5 or Xcode 6:
Create the folders that map to your Groups in Finder
Move the files into those folders in Finder
Select each file that is red in the Xcode sidebar on the left
Click the button "Show/Hide Utilities" to reveal the right sidebar (see figure)
In "Identity and Type", click the tiny button and select the file location (see figure)
Cheers.
I've found the most reliable way to work around XCode's appalling design here is to organize ALL your files in Finder, for two reasons:
Finder doesn't make "mistakes", unlike XCode's GUI
Once things are organized in Finder, you can drag/drop entire Finder folders into XCode, and ... it does exactly what you wanted, with no effort
Even when moving existing XCode files around, it is quicker to do this:
Select the files in Finder
Create a folder in Finder for them
Drag/drop them to the folder (automatically Moves them)
Drag/drop the Finder folder into Xcode (automatically: creates the Xcode folder, adds every file in the Finder folder)
cmd-select every "red" file you now see in Xcode (because you moved them) and hit the delete key
NB: I never use the "create dragged folders with sub-groups" option, because in XCode 3 that was often hopelessly buggy and could corrupt projects. Apple clearly (IMHO) does NOT use this feature internally, otherwise it would never have been allowed to be so buggy; if Apple doesn't use a thing, it's generally not safe to use it either - they aren't good at testing :)
There is a simple to setup and use Command Line Tool - "synx"
available in github that do exactly what is needed here.
It reorganizes Xcode project folder in finder to match Xcode groups in project.
You can find it here:
https://github.com/venmo/synx
UPDATE:
XCode 9 supports this feature by default. So, no need to use other tools anymore!
Xcode 9
It seems Xcode 9 now supports it by default. When you move files from a group to another, the file will also be moved from the old folder to the new folder. This was announced in WWDC 2017.
I used the following tool to achieve it.Organize Folders in Groups Xcode
--no-default-exclusions
I'm usually move files to the directory directly in the Finder, then fix the files with red-color names in XCode in their "Get Info" dialog: click the "Choose..." button and select file's new locatoin. That's the first response when I want to move files in XCode, and it works.
As of Xcode 4.5 when you drag in a folder structure it is automatically turned into nested groups in the Project Navigator. Then, if you look on disk (e.g. right click and choose Show in Finder), the folder structure has been retained.
I found trying to fix things from an older project was just a pain. It turned out much easier to just delete these files and drag them in again.
To move a folder in xcode 4.5 I just...
Delete the files/groups from xcode and select "Remove Reference".
Go into finder and move the folder/files as needed.
Once done I go back into Xcode and choose File->Add Files to {ProjectName}.
Make sure "Copy Items into Destination Group's folder (If needed)" is checked
Make sure "Create Group for any added folder" is checked
Make sure "Add to Target" is checked for your project
Easiest technique for XCode 8....
Assuming you have files A,B,C in a logical group, but want them moved into a folder on your hard drive.
Create a destination folder via Finder
Add the folder in XCode (File -> Add Files ) using the Options pane to select a Folder Reference (not a group)
Drag files A,B,C from the (old) group to the (new) folder reference in the project navigator. XCode will move the files into the folder, both in the the project, and on disk.
Done.
On XCode 11 (I just validated this on XCode 11.6), you can select the files you would like to move under the project navigator, right click on the selected files, and click "New Group From Selection". This will create a folder on disk and move the files appropriately.