Question

I have a project in Xcode 4 (the latest non-beta version) that builds fine when built in Xcode itself. Specifically, the Ld command correctly uses the derived data directory (where build products, including a dependent static library, are placed).

However, when I build the same project from the command line, the Ld command fails, as it is trying to use the /build folder within the project, which is not being populated.

I’ve tried adjusting every build setting I know about, both in the parent and the dependent project.

Any ideas on where to start debugging this? I can provide more info as needed.

Edit 1: Full Xcode build command:

xcodebuild -project AppName.xcodeproj -target AppName -configuration "Config Name"

Where AppName and Config Name are both the correct values for the build.

Edit 2: Link (Ld) commands.

When built in Xcode (this works):

Ld /Users/james/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/AppName-apkmkuhwuccsbpblulxcsafyxkwa/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/AppName.app/AppName normal i386
cd /Users/james/Code/ClientName-Depot/NameOfProject/trunk/AppName
setenv MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET 10.6
setenv PATH "/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/usr/bin:/Developer/usr/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin:/opt/local/bin:/usr/local/git/bin"
/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/usr/bin/llvm-gcc-4.2 -arch i386 -isysroot /Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneSimulator4.3.sdk -L/Users/james/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/AppName-apkmkuhwuccsbpblulxcsafyxkwa/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator -L/Users/james/Code/ClientName-Depot/NameOfProject/trunk/AppName -F/Users/james/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/AppName-apkmkuhwuccsbpblulxcsafyxkwa/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator -filelist /Users/james/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/AppName-apkmkuhwuccsbpblulxcsafyxkwa/Build/Intermediates/AppName.build/Debug-iphonesimulator/AppName.build/Objects-normal/i386/AppName.LinkFileList -mmacosx-version-min=10.6 -lxml2 -all_load -ObjC -licucore -Xlinker -objc_abi_version -Xlinker 2 -lMyClientLibrary -lxml2 -lsqlite3.0 -framework Security -framework MessageUI -framework QuartzCore -framework MediaPlayer -framework MapKit -framework CoreLocation -framework AudioToolbox -lz.1.2.3 -framework MobileCoreServices -framework SystemConfiguration -framework CFNetwork -framework UIKit -framework Foundation -framework CoreGraphics -o /Users/james/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/AppName-apkmkuhwuccsbpblulxcsafyxkwa/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/AppName.app/AppName

When built from command line using build command above (this fails):

Ld "build/AppName.build/Prod Ad Hoc-iphoneos/AppName.build/Objects-normal/armv6/AppName" normal armv6
cd /Users/james/Code/ClientName-Depot/NameOfProject/trunk/AppName
setenv IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET 4.0
setenv PATH "/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/usr/bin:/Developer/usr/bin:/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/git/bin:/usr/X11/bin:/opt/local/bin"
/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/usr/bin/gcc-4.2 -arch armv6 -isysroot /Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneOS4.3.sdk "-L/Users/james/Code/ClientName-Depot/NameOfProject/trunk/AppName/build/Prod Ad Hoc-iphoneos" -L/Users/james/Code/ClientName-Depot/NameOfProject/trunk/AppName "-F/Users/james/Code/ClientName-Depot/NameOfProject/trunk/AppName/build/Prod Ad Hoc-iphoneos" -filelist "/Users/james/Code/ClientName-Depot/NameOfProject/trunk/AppName/build/AppName.build/Prod Ad Hoc-iphoneos/AppName.build/Objects-normal/armv6/AppName.LinkFileList" -dead_strip -lxml2 -all_load -ObjC -licucore -miphoneos-version-min=4.0 -lMyClientLibrary -lxml2 -lsqlite3.0 -framework Security -framework MessageUI -framework QuartzCore -framework MediaPlayer -framework MapKit -framework CoreLocation -framework AudioToolbox -lz.1.2.3 -framework MobileCoreServices -framework SystemConfiguration -framework CFNetwork -framework UIKit -framework Foundation -framework CoreGraphics -o "/Users/james/Code/ClientName-Depot/NameOfProject/trunk/AppName/build/AppName.build/Prod Ad Hoc-iphoneos/AppName.build/Objects-normal/armv6/AppName"

Which returns:

ld: library not found for -lMyClientLibrary
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
Command /Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/usr/bin/gcc-4.2 failed with exit code 1

Answer 1

Ok, so nearly 6 (billable) hours later, I’ve gotten the build to work correctly in Xcode and on the command line (and on the build server, the whole point of this exercise).

Along the way I would fix one problem just to cause another – I would apparently fix the linker/Ld problem, only to cause problems in compilation (“SomeClass undeclared (first use in this function)” or “SomeHeader.h: No such file or directory” errors were common).

It was one of those times that I adjusted nearly every setting I could find, so it’s hard to say what exactly what wrong and what exactly fixed it.

Things I think might have helped are are as follows:

• Converted build to use an Xcode workspace & scheme (instead of project & target)
• Rearranged workspace to have the App project and static library as siblings (not as parent/child)
• Changed Xcode and workspace settings to use build locations specified in targets
• Change Build Products Path for App and Library to use ../build (both project files are contained in sibling subfolders of a master directory, so having them build into the same folder solved the original linker/Ld command problem, I think)
• Edited the App scheme to explicitly build the Library target, and build it before the App target
• In the Build Phases for the App target, explicitly add the Library under “Link Binary With Libraries”
• Change the location type of the Library’s .a file reference to “Relative to Build Products”
• Added a “Copy Headers” build phase to the Library project, added the appropriate headers to the Public section
• Changed the Public Headers Folder Path of the Library project to “/include”
• Changed the Installation Directory of the Library to $(BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR)
• Changed the Library Search Paths and the User Header Search Paths of the App target to $(BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR) (recursive)
• Added a Clean command before the build on my Jenkins build server
• Added explicit SDK and Arch arguments to the build command
• Removed spaces from build configuration name

Final build command looks like this:

xcodebuild -workspace ClientName.xcworkspace -scheme AppName -configuration "ProdAdHoc" -sdk iphoneos -arch "armv6 armv7"

Some useful resources I used while debugging this issue:

• http://blog.carbonfive.com/2011/04/04/using-open-source-static-libraries-in-xcode-4/
• https://devforums.apple.com/thread/91711?start=25&tstart=0

Anyway, I hope I’ve peppered enough keywords above that anybody who has any similar build issues in the future stumbles upon this and finds it useful. I have no clue how a workflow I did many times in Xcode 3.x got so messed up when I moved to Xcode 4, here’s hoping Apple is able to clean this up in future releases.

This was a heck of a learning experience for me, and going through all of this did seem to clear up issues with autocomplete I was having beforehand. I will say things could have been much worse; I could still be developing for SharePoint.