Question

How can I release a library for my XCODE project? I have a project which I wanted to expose to others as a library.

Answer 1

You must make a Cocoa Touch Static Library That contains all of the header and implementation files that you want to ship, and then use a script similar to the following:

#!/bin/bash
#build the device
echo building for ARM architecture
xcodebuild -sdk iphoneos4.2 "ARCHS=armv6 armv7" build > /dev/null
#build the simulator
echo building for the i386 architecture
xcodebuild -sdk iphonesimulator4.2 "ARCHS=i386 x86_64" "VALID_ARCHS=i386 x86_64" build > /dev/null
#make the folder
mkdir "Fat Binary"
#lipo suck it together
echo lipo binaries together
lipo -output Fat\ Binary/libMyLib.a -create build/Release-iphoneos/libmyLib.a build/Release-iphonesimulator/libmyLib.a
echo lipo binary saved at $./Fat Binary/libmyLib.a
echo coping headers
cp -R build/Release-iphoneos/usr "Fat Binary"
echo [COMPLETE]

This, in a nutshell, creates a folder that contains a library (libmyLib.a) and a folder of headers (usr) that must be added into the target project, the headers by Add->Existing Files and the Library by Add->Existing Framework->Add Other.

Also note that the role of the headers in your library must be public, or they will not copy, and that you must replace instances of libmyLib.a with the name of your library.

I have used this process many times, and it is the best you can get to making a framework for the iOS at this time, sadly.