Run a shell script before build in Xcode

Question

I need to adjust my build and version number for my project before build/archiving.
I tried multiple things, but so far to no avail.

I added a target with the script to update the numbers and added that as first dependency to my main target. But because I have multiple dependencies as I have extensions in my app and all dependencies are executed by Xcode in parallel (or at least in random order) this does not work.

I added a pre-action to my scheme with the same result. Xcode is not waiting for my pre-action to complete before continuing with the build (I added a sleep 100 to test).

As I'm altering build numbers it is crucial that the script can complete before anything else is started, but there is also one more side-effect: The build even stops due to the fact that the plist files have been altered while building the related target.

What makes it more difficult is, that I would like to use agvtools to set my version & build number. This obviously starts background processes that are out of my control to alter the plists.

Disclaimer: I have searched for other answers, didn't help.

Answer 1

Xcode has command line tools for build/archiving: https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/technotes/tn2339/_index.html

So, you can write shell script that at first runs your script for adjusting build/version number and then runs xcode build/archive as command line tool.

Answer 2

agvtools just does not work in an Xcode build. It will always stop the build. What works fine is PlistBuddy, although the setup is not as nice and neat.

I added a Pre-Action to the build in my main scheme to call a new target in my project:

xcodebuild -project "${SRCROOT}/MAIN_APP.xcodeproj" -scheme BuildNumberPreProcess

In the target BuildNumberPreProcess I have a Run Script:

VERSION=$(head -n 1 version.txt)
BUILD=`git rev-list $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD) | wc -l | awk '{ print $1 }'`

echo "${VERSION} (${BUILD})"

SCRIPT="${SRCROOT}/CLIENT/Supporting Files/set-version-in-plist.sh"

"${SCRIPT}" "${SRCROOT}/MAIN_APP/Supporting Files/Info.plist" ${VERSION} ${BUILD}
"${SCRIPT}" "${SRCROOT}/EXTENSION/Info.plist" ${VERSION} ${BUILD}
...

set-version-in-plist.h:

#!/bin/sh

#  set-version-in-plist.sh
#
# usage:
# set-version-in-plist LIST VERSION BUILD
# LIST:      Info.plist path & name
# VERSION:   version number xxx.xxx.xxx
# BUILD:     build number xxxxx
#

# Location of PlistBuddy
PLISTBUDDY="/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy"

echo "$1: $2 ($3)"

${PLISTBUDDY} -c "Set :CFBundleShortVersionString $2" "$1";
${PLISTBUDDY} -c "Set :CFBundleVersion $3" "$1";