17 must-have tools to improve iOS development efficiency

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Time is money. Improved coding efficiency means more income. But when our development skills have reached a certain level, how can we take development efficiency to the next level? The answer is to use development tools! In this article, I will introduce you to some tools that help me improve my coding speed and work efficiency.

Xcode Plugin

Almost all developers know that Alcatraz is an open source package management tool that allows us to manage various plugins more easily. Next, I will introduce my top 10 recommended plugins:

10. HOStringSense

When editing a string, it will generate a word count prompt box above the code. When you need to edit multiple lines of text, you can edit the string content in the pop-up text box, and the plug-in will automatically escape the characters and update them in the code in real time.

Image courtesy of Dirk Holtwick

9. OMColorSense

A simple visual color plugin. When you edit the RGB value of a color, a small color block will appear above the code to show the corresponding color. Clicking the color block will also pop up a color editor, and the color value obtained in the editor will be automatically filled in the colorWithRed:green:blue:alpha: method, which is thoughtful!

8.Derived Data Exterminator

Have you ever been racking your brains for a strange error that Xcode popped up when you were compiling a project? I think the answer is yes, and we all know that one of the wrong solutions is to delete DerivedData! Although there are many ways to solve this problem, Derived Data Exterminator is undoubtedly the most convenient one. After we integrate it into Xcode, you can clean up Derived Data with one click.

7. QuickLocalization

Are you tired of writing NSLocalizedString over and over again? If so, the QuickLocalization plugin can help you. When you are editing a string, just press option+shift+d to convert @"Any String" to NSLocalizedString(@"Any String", nil). And you can also modify the configuration to define what to appear in the comment field. I can't live without it anymore!

6.KSImageNamed

In the past, I had to frequently check the resource folder to find the name of the appropriate image. After using the KSImageNamed plug-in, a list of image names will automatically pop up for selection, and there are thumbnails, which is very convenient.

Image courtesy of Kent Sutherland

5.ShowInGithub

Code review is part of the Netguru lifestyle. Although most bugs are found at this stage, we still find problems when using other people's code. This is where ShowInGithub comes in handy. Just press ctrl+C or ctrl+G to open the commit or file page immediately. It supports both Github and BitBucket, which is great!

4.SCXcodeSwitchExpander

The switch statement is quite cumbersome. Although it clearly lists the way to handle each case, it is a waste of time to fill in the enumeration values ​​one by one. The SCXcodeSwitchExpander plug-in can help us complete this task. It can automatically get all the enumeration values ​​and fill them in the corresponding positions. We only need to fill in the corresponding logic under each enumeration value. It is very convenient!

Image courtesy of Stefan Ceriu

3. VVDocumenter-Xcode

Although it feels great to comment all your files, have you ever thought about how much time it takes? In fact, thanks to VVDocumenter-Xcode, it doesn't take that much time. It can automatically parse method parameters and return values ​​and generate Javadoc-style comments. All the open source code we write uses this plugin.

Image courtesy of Wei Wang

2. FuzzyAutocomplete

This plugin can automatically complete the code while coding. Its power lies in that it uses the same algorithm as the "Open Quickly" function. For example, when you want to use the "tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath:" method, you used to need to enter the lengthy "- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView ce" to match the method, but now you only need to enter "- cellFor", which is much easier.

Image courtesy of FuzzyAutocomplete

1.XcodeBoost

This is my favorite plugin, I can't imagine coding without it. Through configuration, we can cut or copy lines of code using the cursor or imprecise selection, paste code without triggering code formatting, copy methods from .m files and paste them into .h files to get method declarations automatically formatted, and many other features can be realized. XcodeBoost is worth having!

Image courtesy of Michael Fortin.

Recommended applications

Most of the time I code in Xcode, but I also use a few other apps quite frequently.

7. Status Barred

According to the iTunes Connect Guidelines, screenshots should not include the status bar, and this tool can help us remove the status bar smoothly, while supporting iPhone and iPad screenshots. This small app does only one thing, but it does it well.

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6. MacDown

Are you tired of writing markdown files without preview? Or the editor you use requires pressing a button to show the preview? MacDown is a convenient markdown editor that can show the preview in real time to the right of the markdown code.

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5.SimPholders

SimPholders is a simple and convenient little application that sets a shortcut button on the Mac toolbar, allowing developers to quickly open the simulator or recently used applications. Especially when you need to deal with the contents of the application folder, you no longer need to click on the simulator and application folders again and again, just use SimPholders.

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4.Network Link Conditioner

This is an official tool from Apple. It can simulate any network environment, such as 3G, Edge, etc. It can also redefine the current network environment, such as network latency, bandwidth or packet loss rate. Network Link Conditioner can also be applied to real devices, but you need to be careful when using it. Using this tool will not only affect the user, but also the entire network.

3.Rest Console

Rest Console is a Google Chrome plugin that provides an easy-to-use REST visualization interface, making debugging APIs more interesting. Rest Console can format the returned results to make them easier to read. It also supports oAuth.

2. Chisel

Using LLDB can significantly reduce developers' debugging time. Facebook has developed a set of commands for LLDB that are very effective, especially when there are some hard-to-reproduce problems. Although it takes some time to get familiar with it, it is definitely worth it.

1.SQLiteManager

SQLiteManager is a small plugin for Firefox that manages SQLite. It is very convenient to use with CoreData. I always think that Xcode should integrate this function. It is very simple and I like it.

Conclusion

As you can see, I use a lot of tools in development, and each tool can help me save a lot of time. With them, I can focus more on the project and write better code. Do you use some good tools in your work? If you think it is worth recommending and it is not in the article, please share it in the comments!