How To Install Xcode & Start Your First Project

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Author

Benjamin Fisher

Installing Xcode requires access to an Apple ID account. Xcode and the Xcode Command Line Tools can only be accessed via this means on Mac and other iOS devices.

NOTE: An Apple ID account is required; go here to create one. Xcode and Command Line Tools are only available on Macs and iOS devices for this strategy.

What is Xcode on Mac?

Xcode is an all-inclusive development environment for creating applications for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Xcode streamlines the process of designing user interfaces, writing code, testing, debugging, and submitting apps to the App Store.

Apple supplies Mac developers with Xcode and Command Line Unix Tools, but in order to access them, you must first connect to Apple’s servers.

Install Xcode Mac- Open the Terminal Application or Console on your Mac; anything typed into this terminal is transferred directly to your device’s operating system:

  • Press “Command + Spacebar” to launch Spotlight Search;
  • This should launch your Mac’s Terminal application;
  • Enter “gcc” and press “Enter” in the terminal (gcc is a compiler that turns source code into executable applications). Alternatively, “xcode select install” can be typed into the terminal to get the same result. Before installing Xcode Command Line Tools, click the “Get Xcode” button;
  • Install Xcode from the App Store requires you to first sign in with your Apple ID. If you haven’t already, you can create one by clicking here.

The installation may not begin until certain software upgrades have been finished. To check, select Update All from the Updates tab

To watch the installation’s progress, launch Launchpad in Spotlight Search by pressing “Command + Spacebar.”

[Also read: Why Should Android & iOS App Developers Consider Flutter?]

Creating your initial work

When you launch Xcode, you will get this screen. Click the “New Xcode Project” button.

On the right, you can find an assortment of app template options. Click Next after choosing “Single-View Application.”

  • Product Name: In the app store, this is the name that consumers will see, so make sure it’s similar to the app name you’ll submit into iTunes later on. This will be known as MyFirstProject.
  • Organisation Name: Affects not only the Bundle Identifier but also the bundle Identifiers of all other applications. Leave it as-is for the moment. Your name will likely appear at the top of each of your files, but if necessary, we can remove it.
  • Organization Identifier: Set this property to “com.example.[Your Name]”, where [Your Name] reflects your Organisation Name after it has been shortened: the Organisation name David Murphy is converted to dmurphy.

The Devices page lists the number of devices on which you want your application to run. Leave the Universal option selected and click Next for now. After selecting the appropriate place, click Create in the subsequent box; by default, the Desktop is assigned as the default destination.

Congratulations! Your first Xcode project has been completed!

[Also read: Swift Is the Future for iOS App Developers]

Installing Command Line Tools- Xcode for mac

However, most developers will be developing more than simply iOS applications, and most Macs do not come equipped with the Unix tools that would otherwise allow developers to branch out into other programming domains. As Unix Tools were regarded as essential for iOS app developers, the decision to omit them was taken to conserve storage space and prevent excessive storage utilization.

To install Xcode Command Line Tools, return to the Terminal app on your device using Spotlight Search. Then, in your terminal, type “xcode-select –install” and press Enter. Instead of clicking “Get Xcode” as previously, locate the Install button in the bottom-right corner of the new window and click it.

NOTE: An error warning will pop up if you already have Xcode Command Line Tools installed on your device.

  • A Terms & Conditions display will: Read (or don’t) it; If you agree to Apple’s terms, click Agree to continue the installation;
  • Click Done when the installation is complete;
  • Check Xcode version: To verify that you’ve xcode downloaded the correct version, put “gcc – version” into the terminal and it will return the installed version.

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