avatarNana Bonsu

Summarize

3 Xcode Features To Level Up Your Development Fast

Supercharged Swift Logo from HackingWithSwift

When I started learning how to develop iOS applications with Xcode I was both happy and sad.

Happy, because the Xcode IDE seemed much easier to manage than Android Studio (when you first open up Android Studio all the buttons and menus make you feel even scared to program 😂 )

However, I was sad because of my initial worry about how I would learn to use the tools and features of Xcode.

But as time went on I began to realize how much easier all the tools can make developing, even for relatively new programmers

Let me share with you three of these useful features in Xcode.

1. Code snippets

Xcode comes equipped with a vast library of code snippets to accelerate your code. These snippets are written for common tasks such as creating closures and making do catch statements and can save you time from typing a lot of boilerplate code. You can even create your code snippets for custom code that you likely will reuse.

Access code snippets by typing control + option + command +2

or do as shown in the following gif.

Accessing code snippets in Xcode

2. Cold Folding

Have you ever found yourself doom scrolling through your code just to find one small section that are working on?

Then you need cold folding.

Cold folding allows you to hide portions of your code that you aren't currently working on. This helps you quickly find the cold you need at the moment.

Access the cold folding by pressing option + ommand+ left arrow key

or look at the following gif

Cold Folding in Xcode

3. Custom Breakpoints

As you code, you quickly find a rather annoying principle to be true

As code increases, the number of possible locations for software bugs increases

That’s the law of growing bugs

Ok, that's not exactly a real law but you get the point.

Xcode, along with many other IDEs, provides an invaluable tool to help us deal with his law — breakpoints.

Breakpoints allow you to stop execution at various parts of your code, but did you know that you can also customize your breakpoints in Xcode?

Double click on a row number in your editor and you’ll see a dialog that gives you various options like naming a breakpoint, adding a condition, or the option to add a custom action, or a simple message.

Or.. look at the following gif

Breakpoint.

These customizations enhance the already powerful capability of breakpoints for use in debugging.

The features of Xcode discussed here are only scratching the surface, but they are invaluable if you are just starting to use Xcode.

Learn them and continue to grow in your knowledge of Xcodes features and they will take your skills to new heights.

As the saying goes, a man is only as good as his tools!

iOS
App Development
Apple
Programming
Xcode
Recommended from ReadMedium