Simple XCTest Log Formatter in Swift

The raw output from xcodebuild is very detailed and hard to read. The community go-to tool for fixing this is xcpretty. Unfortunately, it happens to me regularly, that the formatted log xcpretty produces doesn’t contain the details I consider important. For example, I’d like to see the raw console output when a test case fails.

I realized recently that I tend to build more and more parts of the tooling I need myself. Especially, when the functionality I usually need is trivial, and writing scripts in Swift is so easy! So I decided to write my own XCTest log formatter; because why not?

Fastlane + Travis + TestFlight Tutorial

This blog post is different from other ones. I write it mostly for my future self. I worked on setting up the CI pipeline for a new project recently. If you’ve ever done it, you know it’s usually a painful experience.

The biggest problem is that this kind of work is not something an average developer would do every week; not even every month. I write this blog post to capture my experience so I have a step-by-step tutorial to use in the future.

Building an iOS App Without Xcode's Build System

A build system, despite its scary-sounding name, is just a regular program, which knows how to build other programs. As an iOS developer, you’re certainly familiar with how to build a project using Xcode. You go to the Product menu and select Build, or you use the ⌘B keyboard shortcut.

You may have also heard about Xcode Command Line Tools. It’s a set of tools which allows you to build Xcode projects directly from the terminal using the xcodebuild command. A very convenient thing for automating your processes, for example on your CI.

No matter how you’ve initiated it, the building itself is orchestrated by Xcode’s build system.

Can we replicate the building process and build the app “manually”, without Xcode’s build system?

Is it possible to sign the resulting app? Or even deploy it to an actual iOS device?

What's inside the Derived Data folder?

Deleting derived data - a well know trick that comes in handy every time Xcode behaves strangely for no obvious reason. I still clearly remember when my senior told me about this basic iOS dev trick for the first time.

As years went by, and with more experience gained, I started to understand what kind of errors can be fixed like that. However, I never really understood what exactly is inside the DerivedData folder. I decided to change that and here are my findings.

Namespacing UITableView and Where to Draw the Line

Objective-C was the first programming language I learned and used professionally. One of the first things you need understand, when working with ObjC, is the lack of namespaces. The whole Objective-C runtime acts like one namespace. To prevent name collisions, Objective-C uses name prefixes. You simply create your own pseudo-namespace by prefixing all your class’ names. That’s the reason why we have names like UIView, NSObject and MKMapView.

Swift has module defined namespaces so name prefixes are not needed anymore. I have to say I miss them. Having your initials as a part of your class’ name brings a strangely satisfying feeling of ownership.

Let’s do a little thought experiment. UITableView is one of the cornerstones of iOS development. Introduced in iOS 2.0, it’s one of the oldest API we still actively use. What could UITableView API names look like if it was introduced in 2017 with Swift only support? Let’s play around with namespacing.

How I didn't become a SoundClouder

At the end of March 2017, I decided to leave Concur. I had been working there for a year and I had a lot of fun with great teammates around me. However, the project I was working on was canceled in the beginning of the year. The new assignment we got was completely different from the one I joined the company for in the first place. So I started to look around for new opportunities.

I sent my CV to SoundCloud in April and got an immediate response from a recruiter. We had a 20-minute Skype call when she asked me basic questions about my history and motivation. I asked her specifically about the financial stability of the company, since in the beginning of the year, SoundCloud announced it might run out of money. She told me the situation was bad but it was solved. She said: “if I didn’t believe in the future of the company, I wouldn’t work here”. I believe she wasn’t lying. She had no idea what was about to come.

Organize your errors

There are two types or programmers: Those who handle errors properly, and those you don’t want to work with.

It’s happening over and over again. Something has stopped working and I need to fix it. After tens of minutes of debugging and diving deeper into the code base, I finally find it. Someone (including several-years-ago myself), ignored an error and left it unhandled.

CocoaHeadsCZ officially started 🎉

The CocoaHeadsCZ opening party happened on 6.4.2017 and we had a lot of fun!

We met at a lovely place called Bistro Arte. We managed to discuss a lot of important things for the future of CocoaHeads in Prague, and also had a couple of beers.