Adding distinct Xcode resources for multiple executables using CMake

Question

Background: I'm using CMake to configure a project that builds a combination of libraries and applications. Each application uses resource files such as images and text files that are unique to that application. Xcode understands the concept of resource files and can correctly copy them into the application bundle. If I were creating a project with exactly one application, there would be no problem: I can use CMake's set_source_files_properties(... PROPERTIES MACOSX_PACKAGE_LOCATION Resources) to tell Xcode to put the files into the bundle's Resources directory, such that a later call to [[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:...] will correctly find them. (The pathForResource method searches the "Resources" directory by default.) The files also appear in the Resources group within the Xcode project.

Question: The problem appears when I include multiple applications in the CMake project. Each project needs to copy its own, distinct resource files into its own bundle's Resources directory. Therefore each application needs a distinct Resource group in Xcode in which to hold these files and from which to copy them. Yet these distinct directories must all be named "Resources." Ideally, each application-specific folder within Xcode would have its own unique "Resources" subdirectory with all of its needed resources. What actually happens is that the project has a single, shared Resources directory into which all the resource files are collected, and the project-specific "Resources" subdirectory contains only that application's info.plist file. Because all applications' resources are tossed into the same group, and because name collisions can occur (two projects with distinct files that have the same name), project bundles don't get the correct resource files.

Has anyone found a way to use CMake to setup an Xcode project that supports multiple applications with distinct resources? Or some other workaround?

Answer 1

My solution works for me but maybe this is not satisfying for you.

What I do is a simple copy files post build step where I copy my resources directly into the built Target.app.

The problem with my approach is that the files don't show up in the Xcode project.

Here is how I do it :

I override the ADD_EXECUTABLE macro. Inside, it evaluates the resource variable ${target}_RESOURCES.

So in my CMakeLists.txt for my target I collect some directories and resource files and store them as list in my target depending resource variable.

The following custom command is in my macro (could be anywhere, actually):

ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND( TARGET ${target} POST_BUILD 
                    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DFILES_LIST="${${target}_RESOURCES}"  -DDESTINATION="\${TARGET_BUILD_DIR}/\${FULL_PRODUCT_NAME}" -DEXCLUDE_EXT=".svn .git CVS .DS_Store" -P ${ROOT_DIR}/cmake/scripts/copyFiles.cmake
                    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}
                    COMMENT "Copying resource files and directories to iOS App Bundle..." )

It calls my copy files script (Maybe there is a better way to add that custom build step):

SEPARATE_ARGUMENTS( FILES_LIST )

FOREACH( ENTRY ${FILES_LIST} )
    MESSAGE( "copying: ${ENTRY} to ${DESTINATION}" )
    FILE( COPY ${ENTRY} DESTINATION ${DESTINATION} PATTERN "${EXCLUDE_EXT}" EXCLUDE )
ENDFOREACH( ENTRY )

It works for me. I don't really care if the resources show up in the XCode project.

But I still would like to know. Are there are any problems or issues when not having the files in Xcode?