Is it possible to have more than one version of Xcode installed at the same time?
If so, please post any tip, tricks, or potential issues to watch out for.
EDIT:
The reason I want to install multiple versions is to try out the new sdk beta, but if the new Xcode is buggy I want to be able to use the older version for my existing projects.
Yes, you can install multiple versions of Xcode. They will install into separate directories. I've found that the best practice is to install the version that came with your Mac first and then install downloaded versions, but it probably doesn't make a big difference. See http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Xcode/Conceptual/XcodeCoexistence/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/Details/Details.html this Apple Developer Connection page for lots of details. <- Page does not exist anymore!
It seems that Xcode really likes to be in the Applications folder and be called Xcode, especially when using xcodebuild (when building for Carthage for example) - and xcode-select doesn't always seem to cut it.
I have a client project that's still using Swift 2.2, and I'm stuck on Xcode 7 for that and using Xcode 8 for anything else.
So, in my Applications folder, I have Xcode 7 (renamed to Xcode_7) and Xcode 8 (renamed to Xcode_8). Then I rename whichever one I need to simply Xcode, and back again when done. It's a ball-ache, but seems to work.
This shell script simplifies it a bit…
xcode-version.sh
cd /Applications
if [[ $1 = "-8" ]]
then
if [ -e Xcode_8.app ]
then
mv Xcode.app Xcode_7.app
mv Xcode_8.app Xcode.app
echo "Switched to Xcode 8"
else
echo "Already using Xcode 8"
fi
elif [[ $1 = "-7" ]]
then
if [ -e Xcode_7.app ]
then
mv Xcode.app Xcode_8.app
mv Xcode_7.app Xcode.app
echo "Switched to Xcode 7"
else
echo "Already using Xcode 7"
fi
else
echo "usage: xcode-version -7/8"
fi
xcode-select --switch Xcode.app
Install and update your Xcodes automatically.
You can greatly simplify this process by using the Xcode::Install Ruby Gem.
You should already have a working installation of the Xcode Command Line Tools and a version of Ruby that supports building native extensions.
I'd suggest using Homebrew for installing rbenv and use rbenv to install Ruby. A guide for this can be found here and many other places.
But it should work with the stock Ruby supplied by newer macOS versions as well, if you install the gem either using sudo (not recommended) or using --user-install when installing the gem.
Basically:
# Install the Ruby Gem (I'm using rbenv, so no sudo or --user-install)
$ gem install xcode-install
# To list available versions:
# PS!You will get prompted for your Apple Developer / iCloud credentials)
# It's using Apple's own API's so 2FA are supported if enabled
$ xcversion list
6.0.1
6.1
6.1.1
6.2 (installed)
6.3
# To update the list of available versions, run:
$ xcversion update
# To install a certain version, simply:
$ xcversion install 8
##################################################################### 100.0%
Please authenticate for Xcode installation...
Xcode 8
Build version 6D570
This should download and install and activate that version of Xcode. You can start it from /Applications as usual.
The new version will also be automatically selected for CLI commands To select a different version as active, you'll run:
xcversion select <version_number>
from the list of installed versions, marked as (installed) like:
# To see the active version in use:
$ xcversion selected
# To select and activate an installed version:
$ xcversion select 8
# To select, activate and change the symlink in /Apllications
$ xcversion select 8 --symlink
Xcode::Install can also install Xcode's Command Line Tools by calling
xcversion install-cli-tools
and can also manage your local simulators using the simulators command.
But instead of repeating more information that is probably going to change over time, head over to the project's GitHub page for more about this gem.
The beta and stable releases can be taken from the Developer Software downloads Application tab, here), but older versions can be taken from here. Just extract the .xib and put Xcode-beta.app in your Applications folder.
sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode-beta.app/Contents/Developersudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/DeveloperYou can validate the version has changed by running xed --version, and it will output the correct version: e.g. xed version 12.5 or xed version 13.0