Project Window in Xcode

An Xcode project embodies a lot of information about what files constitute the project and how they are to be used when building the app, such as:

• The source files (your code) that are to be compiled
  
• Any .storyboard or .xib files, graphically expressing interface objects to be instan‐ tiated as your app runs
  
• Any resources, such as icons, images, or sound files, that are to be part of the app
  
• All settings (instructions to the compiler, to the linker, and so on) that are to be obeyed as the app is built
  
• Any frameworks that the code will need when it runs
  A single Xcode project window presents all of this information, as well as letting you access, edit, and navigate your code, plus reporting the progress and results of such procedures as building or debugging an app and more. This window displays a lot of information and embodies a lot of functionality! A project window is powerful and elaborate; learning to navigate and understand it takes time. Let’s pause to explore this window and see how it is constructed.
  A project window has four main parts (Figure 6-1): 
  
  
  
  
  
  1. On the left is the Navigator pane. Show and hide it with View → Navigators → Show/ Hide Navigator (Command-0) or with the first View button at the right end of the toolbar.
     
  2. In the middle is the Editor pane (or simply “editor”). This is the main area of a project window. A project window nearly always displays an Editor pane, and can display multiple Editor panes simultaneously.
     
  3. On the right is the Utilities pane. Show and hide it with View → Utilities → Show/ Hide Utilities (Command-Option-0) or with the third View button at the right end of the toolbar.
     
  4. At the bottom is the Debugger pane. Show and hide it with View → Show/Hide Debug Area (Command-Shift-Y) or with the second View button at the right end of the toolbar.