cocoapods-user-defined-build-types

Allow CocoaPods to mix dynamic/static libaries/frameworks.

This plugin allows for a Podfile to specify how each Pod (or multiple Pods) should be built (ex. as a dynamic framework).

Installation

$ gem install cocoapods-user-defined-build-types

Usage

plugin 'cocoapods-user-defined-build-types'

enable_user_defined_build_types!

target "CoffeeApp" do
    pod 'Alamofire'
    pod "SwiftyJSON", :build_type => :dynamic_framework

• Add plugin 'cocoapods-user-defined-build-types' to the top of your Podfile
• Add the enable_user_defined_build_types! directive to the top of your Podfile (removing use_frameworks! if present)
• Add a build_type option to one or more Pods to direct how they're built (ex. :build_type => :dynamic_framework)
• pod install

Based on this configuration, CocoaPods will build your project such that Alamofire stays a static library (CocoaPods default) and is part of the umbrella Pods-CoffeeApp static library generated by CocoaPods. SwiftyJSON will become a dynamic framework and dynamically linked in CoffeeApp.

SUPPORTED BUILD TYPES
dynamic_library
dynamic_framework
static_library
static_framework

Why

Cocoapod's use_frameworks! directive makes all integrated Pods build as dynamic frameworks.

This can cause issues with certain Pods. You may want some pods to be static libraries and a single Pod to a dynamic framework. CocoaPods currently does not support this. The cocoapods-user-defined-build-types plugin allows for build types to be changed on a Pod-by-Pod basis, otherwise defaulting to CocoaPods default build type (static library).

This plugin was specifically built for React Native projects to be able to incorporate dynamic Swift Pods without needing to change other Pods.

Verbose Logging

Having issues? Try enabling the plugin's verbose logging from the Podfile:

plugin 'cocoapods-user-defined-build-types', {
  verbose: true
}

...

For even more detailed logging, the development flag can be set in your terminal env: export CP_DEV=1.

How

By overriding Pod::Podfile::TargetDefinition's build_type function (from cocoapods-core) to return the specifed linking (static/dynamic) and packing (library/framework), we can change how Cococpods builts specific dependencies. Currently in core, there is support for multiple build type but the use_frameworks! directive is the only way to enable framework builds, and it is an all-or-nothing approach.

License

Available under the MIT license. See the LICENSE file for more info.