A highly-effective debugging technique is to create a test project focused on your issue, and iterate on solutions using only the test project. We often ask developers to provide us with a small Xcode test project because it helps focus a discussion on the relevant Apple APIs.
An ideal test project:
- Focuses only on specific Apple APIs
- Uses the minimum amount of code possible (usually just a few files)
- Reliably demonstrates the problem for anyone who builds the project
- Contains no third-party libraries
- Builds with no warnings using Xcode's default build settings
- Does not require any third-party build tools
There are two approaches to creating a focused Xcode project:
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Create a new project starting from one of Xcode's built-in templates, and add code to demonstrate the issue.
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Start with a copy of your existing project, and remove code not essential to the issue. Remove code iteratively, re-testing after every removal. If you find that you can no longer demonstrate the issue after removing a particular piece of code, it’s likely that the issue is within the last-removed code. After restoring this code to the project, keep reducing the surrounding code until everything remaining is essential to the issue.
The first method is often faster if you can quickly find the right functionality to add. If that doesn't work out, the second method is usually a reliable approach.
In many cases, creating the test project will help you locate and solve the issue by yourself. Even if it doesn't, the test project still has value! It provides a smaller starting point for others to look into your issue. And if the test project helps identify a bug, then you can attach it to a bug report; the engineer looking at your report will appreciate the effort.
Sharing a link to a test project
We're always willing to take a look at your test project when it satisfies the characteristics listed above. Just share a link to where we can find it as part of your post. The forums have a list of websites you can link to. If you find that your link isn't visible in the preview of your post, just include the URL without using Markdown link syntax. For example, this link with Markdown won't appear:
Apple is based in [Cupertino](https://www.cupertino.org).
but this version will:
Apple is based in Cupertino.
https://www.cupertino.org
Revision History
- 2024-05-30 Initial version.