

- #Xcode file comparison tool how to#
- #Xcode file comparison tool software#
- #Xcode file comparison tool code#
I have to say in advance that during the tutorial I presume that you possess the minimum required knowledge about version control systems and what git is about, as we are going to take them for granted and focus mostly on how Xcode manages all that. If you feel unfamiliar with all that stuff, or if you need to acquire some more knowledge before we begin, then please be my guest and search around the web for more information.
#Xcode file comparison tool how to#
As you’ll see later on, working with git and version control is pretty easy and fast, and after you’ll have the tutorial finished there will be no excuse for not using it.Ĭoncluding this introduction, as you have already understood our mission is to learn how to work with git and version control through Xcode, and all this will be achieved by getting to know each related feature that Xcode provides. Xcode, since version 5, incorporates an enriched capability for working with git, and there’s implemented an entire menu with various options and submenus in it for managing source control. If git sounds new to you, then I would suggest to read a few more about it on the web, as discussing about it any further would be out of the scope of the tutorial. It can be used either as a command line tool, or through desktop applications designed exactly for it. Git organizes everything in virtual directories, named repositories, and any version tracking actually applies to them. One of the most well-known (if not the most famous) version control systems, is the git, and it was originally developed by the creator of Linux, Linus Torvalds. That’s a really bad habit, as a source control system does all that much better and efficiently, providing at the same time all the extra capabilities previously described. The truth is that a great number of lone-rider programmers, especially the new ones, do not use such a system at all, and is common to manually keep copies of their projects when they are about to add new features or generally modify them.
#Xcode file comparison tool software#
Actually, that fashion of work is mandatory in teams of developers and software companies, where each one if responsible for a project’s part, and at the end everything must be gathered up and put in one place.įor single developers it is not required to use a version control system, however is highly recommended, as with it’s much more easier to track down bugs or going back to stable and working versions of code, once a dead end appears or for some reason everything is messed up.

This process is called merging, and it consists of a special characteristic of version control systems. Using a version control system, developers can work on different paths of a project, commonly named branches, and when their piece of project is ready, everything is put together so the final release of the application can be built. Moreover, such a system provides the ability to compare various versions of the code, revert to a previous version of either specific files or a whole project if needed, and eventually implement a bug-free product by tracking down any malicious code. Besides that, it can also save extra essential data, such as the developer who made the changes, when did they happen, what was actually modified, and other kind of historical and not only data.
#Xcode file comparison tool code#
Fortunately, developers don’t have to discover their own way to do all that, as there are special software solutions, called Version Control Systems.Ī version control system, or in other words a revision control system, is actually a (software) mechanism that is capable of monitoring changes performed to code files over time and storing them for future reference. Even more, when a number of programmers work at the same project, keeping track of all changes is a one-way path.

It really consists of a necessary need to be able to store and handle copies of working code versions in various stable stages, and revert back to them when bugs or problems arise. During an application development process, a quite significant part is the way developers manage to keep track of the changes been made over time.
