Xcode 4 target build setting "Skip install". What is it?

Question

The tile basically says it all.

I'm developing a mac app which has the normal app target, but also has two more command-line tool targets whose products are copied to the app when building. I remember seeing somewhere that the "Skip install" was important in these cases, but I remember nothing of what I read, so this might be incorrect.

Anyway, I just wanted to know what this option affects.

Inclination

I would argue 90% of Xcode's "Build Settings" are so poorly named that Apple's own engineers probably don't even know what they do! They are all so nebulous and idiotically phrased... I struggle with them dearly. I can't imagine the utter confusion non-english speakers must encounter trying to figure out what most of them mean! – Kuska

@alexgray I agree... Admittedly, it could be worse, but not much more than it already is. – Inclination

@alexgray In Xcode's defense, most of these were taken more or less directly from Unix and GCC. There the configure/make/make install incantation has a defined meaning that everybody is aware of. The issue is more that most things developed with Xcode are likely Mac GUI apps and as such a lot of this stuff can be misleading. – Freighter

Answer 1

I believe this only matters when you're developing for the App Store. If you archive your app target and this includes building other targets (command line tools, static libraries, ...), all the targets' products are copied into the archive, unless SKIP_INSTALL is set to YES.

You can verify this: Archive your application, find the archive in the Organizer, Option-Click --> "Show in Finder", go into the archive (Option-Click --> "Show Package Contents"), and in /Products you will find multiple files/folders. However, App Store builds only allow one product within the Products directory. Xcode warns you about this if you "Validate" your archived app in the Organizer:

Revelationist

Thanks, I found out other sources that confirm this, and my own experience agrees as well. Since I'm developing for the MAS, this does matter. – Inclination

It also matters when building an xcframework, where you "tell Xcode to install your framework in the resulting archive." I understood this from developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2019/416 – Arlindaarline

Answer 2

When you set SKIP_INSTALL=NO (which is the default), the build target will be installed to $(DSTROOT)$(INSTALL_PATH) during the build phase. Setting SKIP_INSTALL=YES causes the target to be built but not installed.

Setting SKIP_INSTALL=YES can be useful for static archives (libsomething.a) that will be later linked into other targets or bundles that will be installed by another target's copy-files build phase.

Baba

It's not clear what 'This' refers to in your 2nd paragraph. Do you mean setting it to NO is needed for static archives or setting it to YES? Can you make an edit? – Anorak

The opposite. You probably DON'T want to install intermediate static archives. – Baba

I think the usage of 'intermediate' here was key. Because a static archive's symbols get added to the app's main binary. Having it installed 'again' into the final app bundle only consumes useless space – Anorak

Answer 3

Skip Install (SKIP_INSTALL)

In case with archive

xcodebuild archive SKIP_INSTALL=NO

NO - allows to put data into <some_path>/<some_name>.xcarchive/Products or install a framework in archive

Commandeer