Flutter iOS build on the App Center fails with error: "Invalid Podfile file: Generated.xcconfig must exist

Question

I've just set up my app to be built on the App Center, by following the article here.

Although the Android version builds and deploys fine on App Center, I'm getting an error with the iOS build, shown in the excerpt from the build output below:

==============================================================================
Task         : CocoaPods
Description  : Install CocoaPods dependencies for Swift and Objective-C Cocoa projects
Version      : 0.151.1
Author       : Microsoft Corporation
Help         : https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/devops/pipelines/tasks/package/cocoapods
==============================================================================
[command]/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/bin/pod --version
1.9.1
[command]/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/bin/pod install --repo-update

[!] Invalid `Podfile` file: Generated.xcconfig must exist. If you're running pod install manually, make sure flutter pub get is executed first.

 #  from /Users/runner/runners/2.165.2/work/1/s/bdstories/ios/Podfile:51
 #  -------------------------------------------
 #      unless File.exist?(generated_xcode_build_settings_path)
 >        raise "Generated.xcconfig must exist. If you're running pod install manually, make sure flutter pub get is executed first"
 #      end
 #  -------------------------------------------
##[error]The process '/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/bin/pod' failed with exit code 1
##[error]The 'pod' command failed with error: The process '/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/bin/pod' failed with exit code 1
##[section]Finishing: Pod install
##[section]Starting: Xcode build (signed)

My build script is:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Place this script in project/ios/.

# Fail if any command fails.
set -e

# Debug log.
set -x
cd ..

git clone -b beta https://github.com/flutter/flutter.git
export PATH=`pwd`/flutter/bin:$PATH

flutter channel beta
flutter doctor

echo "Installed flutter to `pwd`/flutter"

# Build the app.
flutter build ios --release --no-codesign

I did add the flutter pub get as mentioned in the error, but that didn't make a difference. Also worth noting that the build works fine when I do it in Xcode locally. I can also deploy the built archive to Testflight with no problems. It's just the App Center build process I'm having issues with.

I'm a bit lost now and I can't find any information on how to resolve this. I'm also new to CI/CD, so any help appreciated!

Update

I've also tried adding the following to the script to force App Center to run the same version of Cocoapods as my local machine, but it didn't make a difference to the error.

sudo gem uninstall cocoapods
sudo gem install cocoapods -v 1.9.1
pod setup

Answer 1

I had the same issue. It happens when the appcenter-post-clone.sh fails to run, so, the flutter is not installed and the command flutter build ios does not run to generate the Generated.xcconfig.

To fix it, I just:

• Deleted the appcenter-post-clone and pushed this commit
• Opened the configuration of the branch, on Build section. Now the post-clone tag has gone. Save it.
• Push another commit with the appcenter-post-clone.sh again.
• Configure the branch again, now with the post-clone tag back.
• Save & Build.

Answer 2

I did this to my post-clone script and it worked:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
#Place this script in project/ios/

echo "Uninstalling all CocoaPods versions"
sudo gem uninstall cocoapods --all --executables

COCOAPODS_VER=`sed -n -e 's/^COCOAPODS: \([0-9.]*\)/\1/p' Podfile.lock`

echo "Installing CocoaPods version $COCOAPODS_VER"
sudo gem install cocoapods -v $COCOAPODS_VER

# fail if any command fails
set -e
# debug log
set -x

pod setup

cd ..
git clone -b beta https://github.com/flutter/flutter.git
export PATH=`pwd`/flutter/bin:$PATH

flutter channel master
flutter doctor
flutter pub get

echo "Installed flutter to `pwd`/flutter"

flutter build ios --release --no-codesign

The trick seems to have been moving the "fail if any command fails" section to after the pod re-installation