Introduction to SPM artifact bundles

XCFrameworks and SPM

Earlier than the introduction of the brand new format we needed to fiddle with FAT binaries to assist a number of platforms. I’ve a deep dive article about frameworks and instruments that you need to use to assemble a FAT binary, however I not advocate it since XCFrameworks are right here to remain. 🔨

With the intention to construct an XCFramework, it’s a must to use Xcode and a course of may be very easy. You simply have to pick out the Framework sort underneath the iOS tab if you create a brand new challenge. Be at liberty to call it, add your Swift supply code and that is it.

You’ll be able to construct this challenge utilizing the command line for a number of platforms by way of the next script.

xcodebuild archive 
  -scheme MySDK 
  -sdk iphoneos 
  -archivePath "construct/ios_devices.xcarchive" 
  BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES 
  SKIP_INSTALL=NO
  

xcodebuild archive 
  -scheme MySDK 
  -sdk iphonesimulator 
  -archivePath "construct/ios_simulators.xcarchive" 
  BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES 
  SKIP_INSTALL=NO


xcodebuild archive 
  -sdk macosx MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=11.0 
  -arch x86_64 -arch arm64 
  BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION=YES 
  -scheme "MySDK" 
  -archivePath "construct/macos_devices.xcarchive" SKIP_INSTALL=NO


xcodebuild -create-xcframework 
  -framework construct/ios_devices.xcarchive/Merchandise/Library/Frameworks/MySDK.framework 
  -framework construct/ios_simulators.xcarchive/Merchandise/Library/Frameworks/MySDK.framework 
  -framework construct/macos_devices.xcarchive/Merchandise/Library/Frameworks/MySDK.framework 
  -output MySDK.xcframework

You’ll be able to even construct variations for Catalyst and different working techniques, if you perform a little search you may simply work out the required parameters and configuration. Lengthy story quick, it’s totally simple to create an xcframework output together with all form of platform slices for particular gadgets. 😊

Now if you wish to use this XCFramework, you may merely drag and drop it to your Xcode challenge and it ought to work with out additional points (if it comprises the required slices). Alternatively you need to use Swift package deal supervisor and create a binary goal an hook up your exterior framework bundle by way of SPM. That is how a quite simple configuration file seems to be like.

import PackageDescription

let package deal = Package deal(
    identify: "MySDK",
    merchandise: [
        .library(name: "MySDK", targets: ["MySDK"]),
    ],
    dependencies: [
        
    ],
    targets: [
        .binaryTarget(name: "MySDK", path: "./MySDK.xcframework")
    ]
)

In your challenge you need to use the library product as a typical dependency, and the underlying binary goal will deal with importing the required header recordsdata and linking the precise library. The one downside with this method is that it’s macOS (or to be much more exact Apple OS solely).

Say hey to artifact bundles for Swift PM

All proper, so XCFrameworks cannot be used underneath Linux, however folks like to put in writing command line scripts in Swift and use them for server aspect initiatives. In some instances these scripts (or plugins), want to name exterior scripts that aren’t put in on the system by default. That is the place artifact bundles may also help, as a result of it makes potential to ship a number of variations of the identical executable binary file. 🤔

Artifact bundles will not be a alternative for xcframeworks, however extra like an addition, or enchancment because the proposal title signifies this, for the Swift package deal supervisor plugin structure. They permit us to ship precompiled binary recordsdata for a number of platforms, this manner plugin authors do not need to compile these instruments from supply and the plugin execution time might be closely diminished.

There’s a nice weblog publish about wrapping the SwiftLint executable in an artifact bundle, so I do not actually wish to get into the small print this time, as a result of it is fairly simple. The proposal itself helps rather a lot to grasp the fundamental setup, additionally the older binary dependencies proposal comprises some associated data good job Swift staff. 👍

I would like to present an honorable point out to Karim Alweheshy, who’s actively working with the brand new Swift package deal supervisor plugin infrastructure, he has an wonderful repository on GitHub that demos artifact bundles so please have a look in case you have time. 🙏

Anyway, I’ll present you the right way to wrap an executable into an artifact bundle. At present there is no strategy to wrap libraries into artifact bundles, that is going to be added in a while.

mkdir MyApp
cd $_
swift package deal init --type=executable


swift construct -c launch


cp $(swift construct --show-bin-path -c launch)/MyApp ./myapp



mkdir MyPluginExample
cd $_
swift package deal init 

mkdir myapp.artifactbundle
cd $_
mkdir myapp-1.0.0-macos
cd $_
mkdir bin

Now the file construction is prepared, we should always create a brand new data.json file underneath the artifactbundle listing with the next contents. This can describe your bundle with the out there binary variants, you may check out the proposals for the out there triplets variations.

{
    "schemaVersion": "1.0",
    "artifacts": {
        "myapp": {
            "model": "1.0.0",
            "sort": "executable",
            "variants": [
                {
                    "path": "myapp-1.0.0-macos/bin/myapp",
                    "supportedTriples": ["x86_64-apple-macosx", "arm64-apple-macosx"]
                }
            ]
        }
    }
}

Copy the myapp binary underneath the myapp-1.0.0-macos/bin/myapp location, and at last we will make a quite simple command plugin to take advangate of this newly added instrument.

import PackagePlugin
import Basis

@major
struct MyDistCommandPlugin: CommandPlugin {
    
    func performCommand(context: PluginContext, arguments: [String]) throws {
        let myAppTool = strive context.instrument(named: "myapp")
        let myAppToolURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: myAppTool.path.string)

        let course of = strive Course of.run(myAppToolURL, arguments: [])
        course of.waitUntilExit()
    }
}

Watch out with the paths and file names, I used lowercase letters for all the pieces on this instance, I like to recommend to observe this sample if you create your artifact bundle binaries.

swift package deal plugin --list
# ‘hey’ (plugin ‘HelloCommand’ in package deal ‘MyPluginExample’)
swift package deal hey
# Howdy, world!

That is it, now we have got a working artifact bundle with a customized made executable out there for macOS. We are able to use this artifact bundle as a dependency for a plugin and run the instrument through the use of the plugin APIs. I would actually love to have the ability to cross compile Swift libraries and executable recordsdata in a while, this might make the event / deployment workflow a bit easier. Anyway, artifact bundles are a pleasant little addition, I actually like the best way you may ship binaries for a number of platforms and I hope that we’re going to have the ability to share libraries as nicely similarly. 😊