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Target properties "Executable" field
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Target properties "Executable" field


  • Subject: Target properties "Executable" field
  • From: Brock Brandenberg <email@hidden>
  • Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 16:35:09 -0600

Can anyone on the XCode team explain what purpose the "Executable" field has in the target inspector in XCode for a Carbon or Cocoa app? Changing this value doesn't affect the file name of the executable at all - it only serves to change the CFBundleExecutable value in the Info.plist which puts it out of sync with the name of the executable that's generated from the PRODUCT_NAME, causing the build product not to launch. And you've hidden the actual EXECUTABLE_NAME build setting which will change the executable file name, then you auto-generate this hidden EXECUTABLE_NAME setting somehow from the PRODUCT_NAME setting. But, you fail to use the proper setting for a "Build ResourceManager Resources" build phase because the resulting resource uses the PRODUCT_NAME while the executable uses EXECUTABLE_NAME, which in turn causes resource loading to fail at runtime (can't find resources... well no wonder when the file name is wrong).

Users more commonly want to rename the app bundle, yet rather than present a nice UI field to do that, you make them edit key/value pairs in build settings and instead give them a non-functional UI field for the less-used executable name (in at least Carbon and Cocoa targets)? Why is there no "Product Name" or "Bundle Name" field in the UI to change the PRODUCT_NAME? And why is the new XCode UI so much worse than the old PB one for editing things like Info.plist entries? You'd think that a self-documenting inspector for editing most Info.plist values would be important since it's something that's EVERY Carbon and Cocoa app requires. It takes a trip to the property list key reference and a look at other apps just to get the right keys to make things like your app menu name and help file work. And you don't even make the Property List Editor the default editor for plist files in XCode, but rather dump just the user into an XML text file instead. Whose idea was that? It's fine to use a text editor for experts, but at least default the IDE to an existing editor that helps insure file integrity.

This is just goofy UI design that apparently needs continuous bug reports to get right because it doesn't seem to be happening from within. Either remove the fancy inspectors and make it all key/value pairs in build setting windows so that we don't have out-of-sync confusing behavior, or do the UI properly.

Brock Brandenberg

----- industrial design @ bergdesign.com ------


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