Xcode project how to detect target programmatically or how to use env vars

Question

I want to do an Application test that parses some json, stores to core data, and reads out some objects.

How can my code know if it's being run as part of a test or normal run? Just some way to know "are we in test target"? Because the app when it fires up now kicks off a bunch of requests to populate my coredata with info from the server. I don't want it to do this during my tests. I want to fire up the App, read HARDCODED json from a file and store this using the same methods as otherwise into coredata, and verify the results.

If someone could explain how to pass specific key-value pairs on a per target basis that can be read from within the app, I would be even more delighted.

Answer 1

Never mind... figured out that it is in "Schemes" that you set this.

For example if you want TARGET=TEST to be available during Test and TARGET=RUN to show during run, just set that in your Scheme > Environment Variables > Name/Value.

Then from your app you can do:

[[[NSProcessInfo processInfo] environment] objectForKey:@"TARGET"] 

Using build settings with preprocessor macros DID NOT work for me b/c my test target (for application/integration testing) is dependent on my main (not test) target, so the main target is built first and that's what runs, and you end up with main target preprocessor macros even though you are after the ones defined in the target you ran. If I missed something here someone feel free to explain please.