Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Working with multiple versions of Xcode
SDKs are updated regularly, and you often need to have more than one version installed and available simultan-
eously. For example, you may have:
A production version of Xcode for production code
A newer beta version, used to explore the features in a forthcoming OS update
An optional alternative or preview SDK with broader changes
Apple doesn't force you to install beta SDKs, but it's commercially useful to offer updated or new apps with new
features as soon as the latest version of iOS is released to the public. Apple typically asks for new apps up to
two weeks ahead of the release, to allow for review time.
Xcode is modular, and it isn't difficult to work with multiple versions. The core tools change very slowly. The
biggest changes happen in the SDK folders and their supporting headers and binaries.
In practice, this means you can install multiple versions in separate folders. Use the /Developer folder for your
production version. Other folder names are arbitrary. In theory, you should reinstall your production version of
Xcode after installing a beta, but in practice, the order of installation rarely matters.
One caveat is that Xcode projects always run the most recently installed version of Xcode when you double-
click them. It's often easier to start the production version of Xcode manually and select a project for editing
than to load projects with a double-click in Finder. Xcode maintains a recent files list, so this isn't usually a
hardship—and it may be more convenient.
Uninstalling Xcode
