I've imported an iPhone app that I have developed for iOS and am now maintaining it. I've came across a couple of bugs when trying to add to the iPhone's calendar, which I'm happy to try and sort out myself with a bit of debugging.
One problem is that when I go to run the application on the iPhone simulator, it seems to run an older version of the app than the one I am running. I've removed and added another button since then and the old button is still showing when I run it in the simulator. However, when I compile and run this on a device, it loads the correct version and displays the correct version number in the 'about' view.
But... my main problem is that it doesn't seem to debug on the device properly. The app actually works fine except for the calendar problems, but if I put a few breakpoints in so I can see exactly where this is going wrong, it just doesn't seem to step through! The app pauses, and Xcode says the app has paused! I can press step over and continue execution etc and it appears to work, but I can't see it stepping over the code, nor can I hover over variables to see their values.
I've tried reinstalling Xcode multiple times (I did have a problem installing an older version, so I had to wait until the next version was available before Xcode would install).
The stress is: Today is my last day at work, and I'd really like to get this app ready for iOS 5 before I leave.
Has anyone seen these symptoms before? Is there a debug setting that I've missed? Or is it a corrupted installation?
I wish I could help people a bit with more information, but I don't even know where to start looking here. Any code I can post? any settings? (not too familiar with this, I'm a .NET guy usually).
Thanks!
Sorry you're going through a tough moment there Connell; as you said you're not too familiar with all this, I'm laying down a few steps which might help you out. Some are pretty basic, yes, but I've resolved to these steps myself several times when I've encountered similar scenarios;
If you're testing on the simulator, do a 'Reset Content and Settings' from the 'iOS Simulator' main menu. This will remove all old data and settings and give you a clean start.
Do a 'Clean All Targets' from the Build menu. Then go to your physical project folder and delete the Build folder from it altogether before starting to build again.
Restart both XCode and the Simulator (and your Mac too if possible)
Make sure the mode is set to Debug and not Release or Distribution
Even on the device, remove the old app before putting the new one in, and restart it for good measure.
Delete all Provisioning Profiles from the device and install just the one you need.
On the code;
I've noted that the app appears to 'pause' like this a couple of times when I had accidentally created an infinite loop in the code. Double check to see whether there's something which may cause this.
Unless you haven't already done so, throw an NSLog or two in there to see if its really not being executed beyond the breakpoint.
I've had the exact same problem with a project that I started on xcode 3 and then switched to xcode 4. What fixed it for me was changing the compiler in the project settings.
The default compiler up to xcode 3 was gcc, while the default compiler on xcode 4 is LLVM gcc.
Now, I don't know exactly what's the issue that gdb could have with LLVM gcc, but switching the compiler back to gcc in my project settings and doing a clean build fixed my debugging issues.
Might be worth a try.
Have you checked which debugger is being used GDB or LLDB? Select Edit Scheme from the Product menu, and see what the Debugger setting is under the Debug scheme. You could try switching between GDB, LLDB, and None and running in between.
Related
Today, after installing Xcode 4 with the 4.3 SDK, I attempted to launch my application. However, the application will build and the iOS Simulator will pop up, but I get a message in the window in Xcode that says "Attaching to YourApp" which stays there indefinitely. How can this problem be fixed?
I had the same problem, that is, when I launched my application in the simulator, Xcode was hung waiting for the simulator to start. The simulator showed a black screen - nothing at all.
Note this is a project that ran fine on Xcode 3 and is the exact set of files used to build the application that is currently for sale at the App Store.
Okay, so here's the underlying problem, and my solution:
My application name was "ultimateTimer.app", as seen in Xcode under the Products folder. However, this was NOT the name in the project file.
Here's how to found out:
Click on your project in Xcode (it's usually at the top, e.g. mine is called ultimateTimer.xcodeproj). Under "Build Settings" tab, look for the "Packaging" area and specifically for the "Product Name" variable. Under Product Name, I had three entries:
Debug
Distribution
Release
Under Debug, it had the value "TalkUltimateTimer" which was an old name of mine. When I changed this to "ultimateTimer" to match the "ultimateTimer.app" as above, I found the Xcode attached to the simulator correctly.
This happened for me for iPhone applications. I opened the simulator myself and switched the device to iPhone Retina Display and from then on it worked. I tried switching back, but it didn't work again, so I have had to keep it on the Retina Display simulator, and if I need to test non-Retina Display I'll use the iPad simulator.
I skimmed the post and these seem to be the two solutions thus far:
I think I figured out the problem:
I went to 'Edit Schemes', and for some reason, the scheme I was using was pointing at BumpDev.app as the executable instead of bumpdev.app. Changing this made things work. Perhaps there is an issue when converting from xc3 proj files?
Anyways, the app now boots in the simulator. Yay!
And the other solution in that post is:
Did your project by any chance have a folder reference with images in it?
For me the problem only happens when I have a folder reference in the project. When I remove the folder reference and instead add the folder as a group, clean the project, and hit launch things work fine. In the "Copy to Bundle" phase each image is then listed individually, whereas when I had a folder reference, the whole folder was listed.
This took me a really long time to figure out. It was quite frustrating, but I'm glad I have a workaround until the bug is fixed.
I had the same problem after swapping the mouse for a new one. restarting my iMac resolved the issue.
I just upgraded to Xcode 4.3.2 and had the same issue with new projects. After poking around and comparing projects, I found out that new projects were set to the LLDB dbugger and the projects that worked were using GDB.
After changing the debugger for the new project to GDB, it worked. I am yet to research what the differences are, but at least I can now run my new projects.
Ensure you are starting a proper scheme.
I. e. when using CocoaPods, running Pods scheme would not start emulator.
It's a known issue. Have a look at this thread in the official forum.
Hey, update Xcode to 4.0.2. Problem solved :)
I had the same problem, I tried every solution here, but no works. Finally, after I rebooted my computer, the problem was gone.
Restarting the simulator worked for me
Usually I use gdb backtrace to debug my application, but recently I can no longer do it when testing on iPhone simulator. The blue gdb word stops being displayed on console, and nothing happens when I type "bt" or "backtrace". I can still build and debug properly on the device though.
My XCode version is 3.2.3. Is there any way to manually activate the gdb (more importantly the backtrace)?
As Jack points out, the Pause button will manually activate gdb & the back trace, which is what you asked. You may have a bad install -- it happens, sometimes, try deleting your /Developer folder & re-installing. XCode 3.2.3 and the debugger work just fine, I use it several times a day.
In particular, CMD-Y is "build & run with debugger", whereas CMD-R is just "build & run" (no debugger, by default), so make sure you're using CMD-Y.
Aside: An issue I keep running into is, after the app quits, the red-stop-sign icon doesn't recognize that the app has finished, so I have to "stop" it again. I believe this is due to iOS-4's keeping apps running in the background.
If the program is hanging, which is what this sounds like. You can press the 'Pause' button on the Debugger Console or in the Debugger window to interrupt the app and see where it is currently executing.
Also, check and make sure your home folder .gdbinit file is in good order. Move it aside if it exists and see if the problem goes away.
Don't know if this is the exact same situation, but it may help. My iPhone was at firmware 4.0.2, but my Xcode SDK was for firmware 4.0.1. Normally Xcode would complain that I would need to upgrade to a newer Xcode that supported 4.0.2, this time it didn't.
Was banging my head why breakpoints could be set but the debugger did not stop at my breakpoint (the breakpoints were orange - signalling that symbols were not loaded). I decided to reboot my iPhone and now Xcode showed the warning (when it didn't before). Upgrading to Xcode for 4.0.2 fixed my problem of course. So perhaps your Xcode is not updated for newer firmware?
Had similar issue, but can't remember the exact circumstances. Turned out the Base SDK (in the project info build tab) was set to the device and not the simulator. Bit of a shot in the dark, but probably worthwhile verifying.
A project i'm working on is crashing when built with release configuration.
We need to send the application to apple for review and it is crashing before even entering the app.
Any idea how that could happen?
In last ressort, is it possible to send to apple a debug version of the app with some optimizations?
thanks.
The same thing happened to me when building my first iPhone app - after working on the project for a while when switching from debug to release the app would crash. I did a full clean rebuild of the project, deleted the app from the test phone and reinstalled it, and the app ran. It looked like XCode sometimes does not clean up/rebuild everything it needs to.
In my experience, 9 times out of 10 annoying, hard to track down crashes in a non-debug vs. debug build of anything, iPhone or otherwise, is caused by a memory management bug. I'd put money on your issue being caused by an improperly placed release or retain message, or lack thereof. If you haven't tried it yet, turn on the static analyzer in your debug build configuration (my XCode is updating right now, but I believe if you search for "analyzer" or "clang" in your build properties you should find the appropriate setting) and see if it points to anything telling. If it doesn't, you can use Instruments to help you check for problems, as well as attempting to isolate the problem area in the debugger.
It might help you to reproduce the problem in a not-actually-a-release-build by modifying your debug configuration or duplicating it to use a different set of compiler flags that more closely aligns with what happens in the release build (I don't recall what the differences are off the top of my head, but I would assume adding a "-O2" to your compiler flags would get you most of the way there).
If you build with Release configuration, make sure you keep a copy of the .dSYM file and the application bundle.
Then when the application crashes on the device, plug it into Xcode and download the crash reports.
Open Xcode and then open the Organizer from within Xcode. From there you can view crash reports from a device.
The crash reports will be symbolicated if (and only if) you saved the .dSYM file and the application bundle.
You can then use the crash reports to find out why it is crashing, and fix it.
You should look at your Crash Logs. Open Organizer, select your device, then the "Crash Log" tab. Scroll down to find your app's logs. The should be symbolicated, so you can see the stack trace.
Without actually debugging your app, it's really hard to say more. Are you using an #ifdef DEBUG macros? Are you using more than one thread? If you have a bunch of NSLog statements that slow down execution in debug mode, this can introduce subtle timing differences that can impact multi-threaded apps.
Did you try a 'make clean' on your debug version? Sometimes obscure bugs can be hidden when parts of your project are rebuilt while other parts are unchanged.
Is it possible to actually use the Xcode debugger when running an iPhone app on the device rather than the simulator? i.e., can I have the device stop at breakpoints that I set in my code and step through the code as it runs on the device?
EDIT: I should mention that I am a registered developer with Apple and have a valid certificate. In fact, I can build and run iPhone applications on my device just fine. However, even in Debug mode, my application will not stop on breakpoints or output to the console when I run it on my device. If it helps, my application will function normally in debug mode (e.g., stopping at breakpoints) when I run in the simulator.
EDIT 2: I've tried resetting my phone, completely removing and reinstalling Xcode, creating a new project, changing all the settings mentioned in the answers on this page (as well as others), cleaning and building my project, Build and Debug... If I click Pause, it says "Error from Debugger: Quit". :( Maybe I'll try to debug on this device using Xcode on another computer and see what happens.
EDIT 3: Well, I tried using another computer using a fresh install of Xcode in a new project, and I still can't get device debugging to work. I have a suspicion that it's my iPhone or cable perhaps? I'd like to think that I'm not so incompetent that I've missed something so embarrassingly obvious, but I've double- and triple-checked all of the suggestions mentioned here.
EDIT 4: FINALLY got device debugging to work. I have a feeling that something low-level on my device was causing issues...nothing I did worked on my system. However, I installed Xcode on another system and device debugging on the same device (with the same cable) worked flawlessly. Directly after that, device debugging began working on my original machine, leading me to believe that some strange hardware flag was screwed up and somehow "reset" on the second machine. In any case, it works now... Thanks for all the help. :)
Also, I'm unsure if it's better to leave this question unanswered or pick the most "helpful" answer...
Yes -- just use a device build. You have to get certificates and provision it.
This is a good description:
http://boga.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/debugging-ipod-provision-profilescertificates/
Make sure to start debugging by pressing "Cmd-Y"... and not "Cmd-R" :-)
You may try last trick in case nothing can help.
If your application launched successful on your device from XCode but did not stop at breakpoints - try press "pause" button after start in debug mode. If you will see application paused properly (do not react to user's action) add new breakpoint then press "run" to continue application execution. In some cases it may helps to stop at new breakpoint.
Yes, just set your project to build for the Device.
If you need to setup debugging for jailbroken iPhone (up to 2.2.1) (not pay 99 to Apple yet) follow next steps:
Install MobileInstallationPatch for your iPhone via Cydia (use Search Tab)
Switch off PROVISIONING_PROFILE at XCode: Go to /Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Info.plist, add next keys:
<key>PROVISIONING_PROFILE_ALLOWED</key>
<string>NO</string>
<key>PROVISIONING_PROFILE_REQUIRED</key>
<string>NO</string>
You may also add these keys to any
project particularly at XCode, Project
Build Settings, User-Defined
variables.
Add key to your project Info.plist at XCode
SignerIdentity = Apple iPhone OS Application Signing
Don't forget to install and add to your project settings self-signing certificate from Apple
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Security/Conceptual/CodeSigningGuide/Procedures/Procedures.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40005929-CH4-SW2
"Build and Go", you can connect iPhone and start debugging.
Important! You may need to install and launch at least one legal app (any free one) from App Store first (before "Build and Go" step). Otherwise your application will be successfully installed by XCode to your device but may not be launched. Try this troubleshoot first in case of problem with app launching.
Yes. Debugger and performance tools work fine on the device. That's where I do most of my debugging.
Xcode>preferences>debugging uncheck load symbols lazily
fixed the breakpoints not holding in device problem for me.
Today has been a headache - first my upgrade to xcode 3.1.3 trashed all my certs/provisions. After two attempts, I got them fixed.
Now, I'm dealing with the issue in the subject, no console output.
Absolutlely nothing is getting printed to the console - No startup info, not when I "print" a variable from xcode when stopped on a breakpoint,
not NSLog() either.
Nothing.
I've restarted my Mac, restarted Xcode, etc. I've made it so clears the console and opens it on project build. I had GDB log to a file,
and that works, so the plumbing is cool. Its just the console itself is dead.
Image: (and this is after attempting to print the contents of a variable while the app is running)
http://mr-sk.com/iphone/screen-capture-2.png
It doesn't seem to matter if I'm on the device or the simulator ...
That looks like the split bar is pinned all the way to the right side. Look for the dimple and drag it back toward the right.
I'd also try asking in the iPhone developers portal forum, since you can ask about beta versions of stuff there...
This is an older post, but I just recently ran into this with 3.2.3, so if someone happens upon this the answer by cdespinosa was spot on, however many of us "noobs" may not know exactly where to find those files, so just in case...
Go to Finder, find the folder where you have your .xcodeproject file and right click on it and click on show contents of this package. When the new window appears, move the .perspective, .mode, .pbxuser files to trash. (Make sure XCode is closed when you do this...I happened to do this while the project was open like an idiot and didn't think it worked the first time)
Now reopen xcode and your project. Your console should now be fixed.