Xcode 6: No Frameworks Folder in Project Navigator

Question

I am using Xcode 6 and following an Xcode version 4 tutorial so things are different here and there.

There doesn't seem to be a Frameworks folder in my project navigator and so when I downloaded some .framework files and added them manually in the build phase of my project editor, I had no Frameworks folder to save them in and just let them fall into the top of my project navigator. So they are there, just not in a special folder, and it doesn't look good.

So should Xcode 6 have a frameworks folder automatically, or do I need to create one myself? And if so, how can I do that? (I've only added new files so far).

Answer 1

In Xcode 6, the Frameworks folder is not added by default. You can drag and drop your .framework files into the project navigator (tick 'Copy items if needed'), then select them all > right click > "New Group from Selection" and name the folder 'Frameworks'.

Also, make sure the frameworks are added into the Project > Build Phases > Link Binary With Libraries. If not, drag them there from your newly created 'Frameworks' folder.

Answer 2

In short, no, you shouldn't need to create a Frameworks group yourself as Xcode is doing stuff automatically for you...

Apple are slowly, gently pushing developers in the direction of newer Clang features with the goal of making native iOS development more approachable for newbies who don't have previous experience of compiling and linking with C-based languages.

You'll find that Objective-C projects created with Xcode 6 have new build settings enabled by default including Link Frameworks Automatically (CLANG_MODULES_AUTOLINK) and Enable Modules (C and Objective-C) (CLANG_ENABLE_MODULES).

Suggested reading:

• Modules (Clang documentation)
• @import vs #import - iOS 7 (excellent Stack Overflow answer)