Beginning Xcode®

Chapter 4. The Project

Now that you can navigate around the Xcode interface and organize your project, it's time to learn how projects are created, stored, opened, and closed.

There are two essential parts of every project: the project document and the project folder. The project document, Sample.xcodeproj in Figure 4-1, contains all of the structure, references, layout, settings, and other attributes that define the entire project.

Figure 4-1. Figure 4-1

The folder that contains the project document is the project folder, in this case the Sample folder. This is the root location for the project. The project document and project folder usually have the same name, but that is not a requirement.

Creating a New Project

You create a new, empty, project using the File

Figure 4-2. Figure 4-2

"Empty" is a bit of a misnomer. The New Project Assistant creates a new project using one of the many project templates that are built into Xcode. So this so-called "empty" project might actually have quite a lot in it before you even begin. The templates try to provide the basic framework—a main() function, an empty subclass of NSDocument, a menu bar with the standard items, required driver entry points, and ...