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MultipleTargets

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Building multiple iOS apps from a single project using multiple targets

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# Multiple Targets

## Building multiple iOS apps from a single project using multiple targets

Often apps are sold in the App Store and after making some money the app maker decides that they would like to use the [Freemium model](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemium) to boost their user base but disable some features which can be activated with in-app purchase or to simply purchase the paid app instead. A popular model used most often with games is to tell items used in the app which users will purchase as regular intervals to generate revenue continually instead of a single point of revenue when the app is purchased.

There are also white label apps which an OEM would purchase with potentially different features than the free or premium version. You can see lots of canned apps in the App Store which service a specific organization or brand which have identical features to other apps. Several companies sell white label apps in this way.

This sample project shows how you can support multiple apps from a single Xcode project so that you do not have to mess with branching or copying source files around to keep things current. You will always have the current code base with each app and can push out updates to every app for bug fixes or performance improvements with minimal effort. But to do so you will need to understand how to set up multiple build targets, manage assets which are unique to each target (launch images, icons), unique code paths and the application identifier used for code signing and the product name as well. The list of instructions below show how that is done along with a sample project for a Lite, Pro and EOM target which illustrates how this is done.

Please try to recreate this sample project with 3 targets so that you understand it before you attempt to do it with a live project. I also strongly encourage you to experiment with changes like these in a new branch for your code base in case you run into trouble. It can be difficult to get every setting just right. And if you feel these instructions could be more clear please contact me on ADN or Twitter with my contact information below.

Creating multiple applications with a project in Xcode means creating multiple targets. This will allow the same code to be used across all targets with specific content and functionality enabled or disabled as appropriately using build flags and settings for the build target.

Differentiating between applications is done with different graphics. The application icon, launch screen and optional other graphics in the application will visually show a difference. The way that these media files are handled are not consistent. What is important to know is that the application icon must be in the root folder with the project file but can be named whatever you choose. Meanwhile the launch screen  must be named Default.png and can be in any folder you choose. You can also put the property list document in any folder you like.

Each application will also have a unique Build Identifier which is used with code signing. This value usually uses the Product Name value from the Build Settings available as ${PRODUCT_NAME} which is used as the display name below the application icon on the iOS springboard where a user launches the application. It is possible to access the Info Dictionary at runtime to read the Bundle Identifier. In this example the value of the Bundle Identifier is checked at the runtime and matched to the related C flag to assert that the proper value is defined as a sanity check to ensure the build process is aligned properly with the build target settings. These settings are in multiple places and managing multiple targets can be difficult to manage once there are many targets. This precautionary test will safeguard from making simple mistakes.

The following steps will help you create unique targets so that your applications will have unique graphics as well as C flags which can be used to include behavior which is unique to each target.

1. Create a project or start with an existing project
2. View the project settings from Xcode Navigator (click the project icon)
3. Rename the target if you like (Lite, Pro, OEM)
4. Duplicate the target to another and rename it as you choose
5. See there are now multiple .plist files
6. Place the .plist files where you want them and name them appropriately
7. Return to each target and select the related .plist
8. Notice the Project Name does not look as you intended
9. Go to the Build Settings and search for Product Name which you can change
10. Update the Build Identifier under the Summary for each Target to make it unique
11. Notice you only have one Default.png and other resources for all targets but you want unique images
12. Add launch images (Default.png, Default@2x.png) in seperate folders for each Build Target
13. Icons are required to be in the root folder so create them with names specific to each target
14. Add the images to the project in and do not add them to a target yet
15. Organize the images into groups and select a group of files at a time and set the Target Membership using the Utilities view
16. Now go to Build Phases and see Copy Bundle Resources to verify the right files are with each target
17. Search for flags in Build Settings and C Flags and Other C++ Flags
18. Add -DBUILD_TARGET_IDENTIFIER as a flag for both C Flags and Other C++ Flags for Debug and Release (Change BUILD_TARGET_IDENTIFIER appropriately)
19. Ensure that -DNS_BLOCK_ASSERTIONS=1 is still in place for Release
20. Use #ifdef for code specific to a build target
21. Edit schemes, delete all schemes and autocreate them so the titles match your targets
22. See sample code for an example and try running each target

Organizing resources for multiple targets is done in an inconsistent way. Image files which are used for the app icon must be in the root folder and can be named whatever you like. The launch image can be in any folder but must be named Default.png and the releated files named Default@2x.png and Default-568h@2x.png. The property lists files can be named whatever you like.

See StackOverflow for tips on working with multiple build targets. That is how I pieced together these details.

If you have any suggestions on how to improve this sample project please fork and send a pull request.

## License

MultipleTargets is available under the MIT license. See the LICENSE file for more info.

## Contact

Brennan Stehling  
[SmallSharpTools](http://www.smallsharptools.com/)  
[@smallsharptools](https://twitter.com/smallsharptools) (Twitter)

![Screenshot](https://github.com/brennanMKE/MultipleTargets/raw/master/MultipleTargets.png)

MultipleTargets

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