Learning to program Mac or iOS applications can be a bit overwhelming. On top of that, Xcode can be tricky and takes a little getting used to. But the following tweaks to Xcode’s preferences help tame Xcode and dial in an optimized user experience when it comes time to build (compile) projects. Beginners and advanced users alike can benefit from these settings.

Save Files Automatically When Building

The first recommended tweak is to set Xcode so it saves the project source files automatically when a project is built. Since Xcode requires source files to be saved before building anyway, setting this preference avoids the potentially annoying confirmation message (Figure 1) that pops up every time a project is built.

Figure 1: Potentially Annoying Confirmation Message

Instructions:

In Xcode’s Building Preferences (Figure 2), set the “For Unsaved Files” setting to “Always Save”.

Figure 2: Xcode’s Building Preferences

Show and Clear the Console When Building

The second tweak is to set Xcode so it shows and clears the console automatically when a project is built. Since the console is referenced so often during development, it makes sense to always show it when a project is built. And setting it to clear automatically will avoid seeing console messages from previous builds.

Instructions:

In Xcode’s Debugging Preferences (Figure 3), set the “On Start” setting to “Show Console”. And also make sure that the “Auto Clear Debug Console” setting is turned on (checked).

Figure 3: Xcode’s Debugging Preferences

You’re All Set!

Armed with these optimized preferences, Xcode is primed to build (compile) your killer applications. Have fun!