I zipped up my project folder in xcode and moved it to a new computer. When I open up the project it has missing files (file appears red).
How can I add all these files back or re-link them. It is like 20+ files?
Why didnt xcode store the relative path?
Xcode may not update location for some files of your project when you copy/move it from one environment to another. The easiest way I found is something like this:
1-Select your files like this, if they are in different groups, then repeat the flow on each group separately:
2- Show the file inspector:
3- You may notice Xcode has an absolute path for them, which is something not useful, so click on the little icon near Multiple Values. navigate to the folder where your selected files are stored in the finder and click "Choose".
Also, don't forget to change the Location to Relative to Project. Now you will get something like this:
• Select all the missing files that are in one folder in Finder.
• Change Location to Relative to Group ( that's in the File Inspector View -> Utilities -> Show File Inspector )
• Click the choose file button; it is under the Location drop down menu; it is an image that looks like a very small window with a document inside it.
A Choose folder containing the selected references sheet should appear.
• find and select the folder containing the missing files in the finder, then click Choose
(Tested in In xCode v4.3.2)
I normally keep all my files related to the project inside one folder (nested where necessary) and yeah I frequently exchange project files (zip and move) with my peers and nothing like that has ever happened to me.
You can always just drag the files en masse back onto the XCode window, and they'll get re-added. If you have file-system folders that match your Xcode internal organization that makes it even easier.
The UI has changed. In Xcode 10, there's a tiny dot with an arrow in it next to the file path. This does nothing as far as I can tell.
There's an obscure folder icon offset up and to the right of that non-functional arrow... this actually is a button, and it DOES allow you to relink the file.
Related
How do I rename a project in Xcode 5?
What steps do I need to take?
In the past this was always a very tricky manual process.
Well, the answer is very very very Apple simple in Xcode 5!
In the Project Navigator on the left side, click 2 x slowly and the Project file name will be editable.
Type the new name.
A sheet will appear with a warning and will list all the items Xcode 5 believes it should change.
You can probably trust it, but you should inspect it.
The list will include the info.plist and various files, but also all the relevant strings from nib/xib files like MainMenu menus.
Accept the changes and you will get the prompt to save a snapshot of the project.
Always make a snapshot when Xcode asks, it will be useful to restore if something does not work.
Change the project name:-
Click on the target in xcode, on the right in "Identify and Type" under name change the name and press the ENTER button on your keyboard.
A window will appear confirming the change and what it will change. Once you confirm it will make the changes.
Change the root folder name:-
Go to the project directory and rename the root folder,
Open the project and u will find all the file are missing, u need to add all the files of project again
Right click the project bundle .xcodeproj file and select “Show Package Contents” from the context menu. Open the .pbxproj file with any text editor.
4>Search and replace any occurrence of the original folder name with the new folder name.
5>Save the file.
Change the Scheme name:-
rename .xscheme file
If your Project is static framework then make sure your header file has public target membership
I really recommend just opening the folder in a general editor such as Sublime Text, and doing a find/replace across the whole folder. The other methods I found were unstable, particularly when combined with .xcworkspace and cocoapods.
In Xcode 8.0, to rename your project, just go through the following instructions as described in Xcode help:
1- Select your project in the project navigator.
2- In the Identity and Type section of the File inspector, enter a new
name into the Name field.
3- Press Return.
A dialog is displayed, listing the items in your project that can be
renamed. The dialog includes a preview of how the items will appear
after the change.
4- To selectively rename items, disable the checkboxes for any items
you don’t want to rename. To rename only your app, leave the app
selected and deselect all other items.
5- Click Rename.
Source: http://help.apple.com/xcode/mac/8.0/#/dev3db3afe4f
Xcode 6 (beta 6 as of now) seems to be not very reliable with renaming projects. For me it didn't rename several of the files and groups. It also doesn't rename the physical folder the project is in. To rename my project to be sure that everything is clean I went the extra length to create a new project with the new name and copy over all the files. The assets are easy to copy but groups have to be recreated. The biggest issue with this however are CoreData data model files. Trying to simply copy this will result in a corrupt model file, even though everything looks like it is alright.
When you re-name the project name in XCode5 then info.plist entry removed from Targets --- > General ---> identity. You just need to mention it again.
In Xcode 7, renaming a project can still break your app. Make sure you backed it up before trying it.
Click on the project icon and find the project name in the inspector pane. If you change it there, Xcode will ask you if you want to rename related files. Might work. But if not, try this brute force approach:
Close Xcode
Using an advanced text editor like Sublime Text or Atom, open the
root folder. It will open the folder structure.
Perform a Global Search and Replace (it's probably cmd + shift + f), and
replace My Wrong App Name with New App. If your project name contained spaces, also search for My_Wrong_App_Name and replace
with
New_App. This changes all file contents.
Now you need to find all
the files inside the project with your old app name. Rename them
all, also the folders.
Important: Open the project file with
right click > Show Package Contents, and rename all files in there.
Reopen your Xcode project or workspace. Compile.
If you use Pods, you need to open the pods project as well and change the files in there.
Here is another great example which works well with xcode 5
How do I rename a project in Xcode 5?
What steps do I need to take?
In the past this was always a very tricky manual process.
Well, the answer is very very very Apple simple in Xcode 5!
In the Project Navigator on the left side, click 2 x slowly and the Project file name will be editable.
Type the new name.
A sheet will appear with a warning and will list all the items Xcode 5 believes it should change.
You can probably trust it, but you should inspect it.
The list will include the info.plist and various files, but also all the relevant strings from nib/xib files like MainMenu menus.
Accept the changes and you will get the prompt to save a snapshot of the project.
Always make a snapshot when Xcode asks, it will be useful to restore if something does not work.
Change the project name:-
Click on the target in xcode, on the right in "Identify and Type" under name change the name and press the ENTER button on your keyboard.
A window will appear confirming the change and what it will change. Once you confirm it will make the changes.
Change the root folder name:-
Go to the project directory and rename the root folder,
Open the project and u will find all the file are missing, u need to add all the files of project again
Right click the project bundle .xcodeproj file and select “Show Package Contents” from the context menu. Open the .pbxproj file with any text editor.
4>Search and replace any occurrence of the original folder name with the new folder name.
5>Save the file.
Change the Scheme name:-
rename .xscheme file
If your Project is static framework then make sure your header file has public target membership
I really recommend just opening the folder in a general editor such as Sublime Text, and doing a find/replace across the whole folder. The other methods I found were unstable, particularly when combined with .xcworkspace and cocoapods.
In Xcode 8.0, to rename your project, just go through the following instructions as described in Xcode help:
1- Select your project in the project navigator.
2- In the Identity and Type section of the File inspector, enter a new
name into the Name field.
3- Press Return.
A dialog is displayed, listing the items in your project that can be
renamed. The dialog includes a preview of how the items will appear
after the change.
4- To selectively rename items, disable the checkboxes for any items
you don’t want to rename. To rename only your app, leave the app
selected and deselect all other items.
5- Click Rename.
Source: http://help.apple.com/xcode/mac/8.0/#/dev3db3afe4f
Xcode 6 (beta 6 as of now) seems to be not very reliable with renaming projects. For me it didn't rename several of the files and groups. It also doesn't rename the physical folder the project is in. To rename my project to be sure that everything is clean I went the extra length to create a new project with the new name and copy over all the files. The assets are easy to copy but groups have to be recreated. The biggest issue with this however are CoreData data model files. Trying to simply copy this will result in a corrupt model file, even though everything looks like it is alright.
When you re-name the project name in XCode5 then info.plist entry removed from Targets --- > General ---> identity. You just need to mention it again.
In Xcode 7, renaming a project can still break your app. Make sure you backed it up before trying it.
Click on the project icon and find the project name in the inspector pane. If you change it there, Xcode will ask you if you want to rename related files. Might work. But if not, try this brute force approach:
Close Xcode
Using an advanced text editor like Sublime Text or Atom, open the
root folder. It will open the folder structure.
Perform a Global Search and Replace (it's probably cmd + shift + f), and
replace My Wrong App Name with New App. If your project name contained spaces, also search for My_Wrong_App_Name and replace
with
New_App. This changes all file contents.
Now you need to find all
the files inside the project with your old app name. Rename them
all, also the folders.
Important: Open the project file with
right click > Show Package Contents, and rename all files in there.
Reopen your Xcode project or workspace. Compile.
If you use Pods, you need to open the pods project as well and change the files in there.
Here is another great example which works well with xcode 5
I put some files on the same level of *.xcodeproj file carelessly. When I move these files into the right location in Finder， Xcode tells me that these files are missing. So I delete the group which contains these files whose names have been read (I realize it is a mistake). And I drag these files from Finder into the xcode to build a new group. But when I try to run the project, Xcode still can't find these code. How can I solve the problem?
When you see a file that is red (or in the wrong place), you can easily correct the location of these files by using the file inspector (which appears along the right side panel of your Xcode window).
It looks like this:
Clicking on the Folder icon next to the name will bring up an open panel from which you can choose the correct location of the file.
There is an easier way to re-organize files through the Xcode project. You can use Synx, it automatically fixes file paths, through the Xcode project groups.
You can check Github page for Synx
Synx
After intalling Synx just run the command below
synx path/to/my/project.xcodeproj
I found the answer.
3 things
1
removed the reference to the red files
then dragged them back into the project
relinked all my .m and .h files just incase
2
then removed the .app reference and dragged it back in to the project.
3
removed any duplicates or red files in the build phases
Fixed
Thanks everyone for your suggestions and help
From my point of view i would definitely avoid the virtual folders in the Xcode.The disadventage of this approach is whe nthe project gets bigger and bigger you can not find corresponding files in your filesystem easy.Even you click on "Show in finder" you need to look for the file among tens of files.
My approach is creating the folder in the finder and then dragging it to project.when i need to create a new file in this subfolder is will be added there anyhow.
Drag the new files from the finder to the Xcode project file structure.
Remove the old files.
I had a lot of class and find a good solution for solve this problem :)
1- Select a file that you want to change the location (Red)
2- Select "show the file inspector" from right side in Xcode
3- Select wrong path or unexpected path and copy like this screenshot
4- Close your project
5- Go to your root project and right click on "project *.xcodeproj" and select "Show package contents"
6- Right click on "project.pbxproj" and open with TextEdit
7- In the file select "Find and replace" or click on " Option+Command+F " and find location that you copied and replace with "" empty
8- Save and open the Xcode :)
Not crazy about the way Xcode 4.2 has laid out the files on disk. It creates a project file, then a single subfolder next to it that has all the code. We want the project file to be in that same folder, then the workspace file (if any) to be the folder's sibling. Makes for more portable layouts.
However, I can't STAND the lack of Save-as in Lion, and now, apparently Xcode 4.2 as well. At least with TextEdit I just grabbed the version from SL and it works. No such luck with Xcode as as you know, it's a completely different animal than Xcode 3.x.
So... how does one move/rename the project file relative to the source code?
Here is how you do it (I'm using in Xcode 4.3):
First, move your project file
1. Start out by closing the Xcode project
1. Move ProjectName.xcodeproj into the folder with all your code
1. Open the XCode project by clicking ProjectName.xcodeproj
Second, re-map your files
1. You do not need to remap the files one by one, you only need to map the groups
1. Open the "File Inspector" with ⌥⌘1 or View->Utilities->Show File Inspector
1. Click each group, then click the square icon (see screenshot below) and choose the folder your project file is in.
Icon to click:
"None" will show up when you choose the same folder your .xcodeproj file is in.
Conclusion:
I have a large project which contains ~650 files, but only 12 groups, so it takes just a few minutes to re-map everything.
Note:
Sometimes when mapping the files it doesn't recognize a folder change if the name is the same (ie. two folders with the same name). You may have to pick any other folder temporarily, then choose the actual project folder and the None indicator will appear.
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.