Xcode 7: What is New for iOS App Developers?

As an integrated development environment (IDE), Xcode provides developers with the resources required for building apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV or Apple Watch.  Apple keeps updating Xcode at regular intervals to help developers write better and high-performing applications for a variety of devices powered by iOS, OS X, tvOS or watchOS. The current version of Xcode also comes with a number of new features and enhancements. So it is important for developers to understand the new features includes in Xcode 7.

Overview of New Features included in Xcode 7

Swift 1.2 to 2.0 Migrator

Apple has made several changes to Swift programming language since its initial release. In addition to being open source, Swift 2.0 also comes with several new features including a new error handling model, focus on using protocol extensions, and a compiler to check the compatibility of an API with the version of targeted OS. The Swift 1.2 to 2.0 migrator included in Xcode 7 makes it easier for programmers to upgrade their code from Swift 1.2 to Swift 2.0. At the same time, the latest version of Xcode further enables programmers to work efficiently with Swift and Objective-C together.

Playgrounds

Apple released Xcode 6 with an interactive Swift coding environment called Playgrounds. The coding environment allows users to visualize code without building the project. The latest version of Xcode comes with several updates from Playgrounds. The programmers now have option to see in-line results displayed beside the relevant source code. Also, they can add comments or convey information about the code using markup. Also, the embedded resources and images can be accessed through both code and comments.

Interface Builder

The interface builder provided by Xcode 7 helps programmers to create a flexible interface by taking advantage of the latest features of iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV or Apple Watch. Also, the same interface can easily adapt to the varying screensizes, orientation, and features of individual Apple devices. The developers can further use stack views to group identical or related views and make their work together and consistently.

On-Device Development

While developing Android apps, programmers have option to run test builds of the project on any connected device without getting the devices certified. Xcode 7 allows developers to test iOS apps in a manner similar to Android. The developers now have option to test their iOS solutions on iPhones, iPads and iPods physically.  The feature will make it easier for programmers to assess the solution frequently without putting extra time and effort.

App Thinning

Apple always recommends developers to keep apps and games small and lightweight. Also, the company has imposed restriction on the size limit for each type of app. Hence, developers often find it daunting to keep the app small and meet the size limit set by Apple. Xcode 7 makes it easier for developer to optimize the app for each targeted device. The developers can take advantage of the app thinning feature to remove assets like images. However, the users still have option to install these resources on demand.

IOS Energy Gauge Alerts

The latest version of iOS comes with features to help users indentify the apps that consume additional battery. Xcode 7 enables developers to assess the amount of energy consumed by their apps through iOS energy gauge alerts. The energy gauge can further analyze the energy consumption pattern of the app, and identify the flaws that increase battery consumption.

New Game Development Tools

Xcode 7 comes with several new design tools for iOS and Mac games. Also, it included a built-in debugging tool to assess various aspects of the game. The iOS app developers can also use the SpriteKit editors embedded into Xcode 7 to define animations with timelines, and edit events directly from the IDE. At the same time, the current version of Xcode also allows developers to control 3D animations using a new scene editor called SceneKit.

User Interface Testing

Xcode 7 introduces a new user interface (UI) testing approach. The new features helps programmers to check if the changes made to the code impacts the application’s functionality and user experience. The latest version of Xcode automatically generates test code based on the usage and access of the application. It further allows developers to make changes to the code to obtain desired test results. The testers can further execute the code repeatedly on the Xcode server to identify all flaws without any delay.

Code Coverage

Often mobile app developers find it daunting to enhance the test coverage. They also need to track the tests to check if any code remains untested. Xcode 7 is designed with built-in features to enhance test coverage. It allows developers to track the code that is being tested currently by displaying icons besides the specific block of code. Also, it displays a missing coverage symbol next to the block of code that remains untested.

Apple has already releases several updates for Xcode 7.0. Some of these updates include bug fixes and maintenance issues, while others support the latest versions of iOS, OS X, tvOS and watchOS. That is why; developers must know the new features included in Xcode 7, while keeping track of the latest updates released by Apple.