Why AppCode is Nice

An ode to AppCode, by: Jonathan Sibley @jonsibs, Ray Lillywhite @raylillywhite, Jake Jennings @jakej Follow @jonsibs !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Follow @raylillywhite !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Follow @jakej !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

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AppCode check for you to see if resources exist.

via reader @fpillet:

https://twitter.com/fpillet/status/466497911095050241

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AppCode's got semi-automatic property synthesis for you when you need it most!

To activate the popover menu as seen in the screenshot, place the cursor inside the property name and press Option-Return

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AppCode 3.0 Early Access Program

Hi everyone! Spring is already here and, since it’s the time for renewal and growth, we are excited to tell you that the AppCode 3.0 Marocchino EAP is open now. We have prepared quite a lot for thi...

[whyappcodeisnice]

Don't overexpose yourself

AppCode makes it easier to make your models mutable.

This shortcut will put a readonly property definition in your interface file, and a readwrite definition in a private category in your implementation file. It'll even create the private category if one doesn't already exist!

Just place your cursor inside a property definition and press Option-Enter to bring up this menu.

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Built-in autocomplete for image assets.

No janky/fragile plugins needed.

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Oh, hello there!

AppCode is checks the spelling of your variable names.

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When searching text in a file, use a pipe character to match multiple strings.  (For example, you could use the text "emailButton|photosButton" to do a Find & Replace on all instances of the text "emailButton" or "photosButton")

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External Documentation App Support

If you're as much a fan of Dash as we are, you'll love this feature.  It opens a documentation browser, searching for whatever symbol your cursor is currently pointing at.

The default shortcut is Shift-F1.

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Adopt protocols naturally when you assign delegates

Option-enter when you set a delegate to automatically adopt a protocol.  You also normally get the option to adopt it in your 'private header' category.  Nice.

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Run inspections across your codebase

Some of the 'inspections' in appcode go above and beyond normal warnings or LLVM analysis.  Run them per file or across your codebase by going to Code -> Run inspection by name…

Specify a scope, single file or otherwise

Select an inspection, and that's it.

Nice.

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Tidy up your imports with automatic optimization

Excessive outdated imports can affect compile time.  Clean them up automagically with this:

You can run it per file or on your entire project.  Nice.

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Honor camel case words when selecting with double click

This makes the double-click-select feature work identically with Xcode's, which I think is better.  It's the difference between selecting initWithDictionary here,

and just 'With' like this:

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Git - Compare current to any branch, any time.

From the context menu here,

Git->Compare with branch and select a branch to compare to.

From there you get a modal with a really great compare tool.

I set a keyboard shortcut to the 'compare to…' action since it's so useful.

[whyappcodeisnice]

Navigate failing tests easily

That down arrow in the middle navigates your main editor to the failing test and highlights the assertion that failed.  Nice.

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Preserve case, like a gentleman should

Here, we select some text and want to replace all instances of "Like" with "Unlike".  We also care about case, so "like" should be replaced by "unlike" (and even "LIKE" by "UNLIKE", and so on).

AppCode's Preserve Case also happens to preserve a few keystrokes.

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AppCode lets you know when you've assigned, but never accessed a property

In this example, we have a property called "changeInProgress" that is set at one point, but never accessed, so never truly used.

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Usage Tip: try using your F-keys as standard function keys

If you're already remapping all of the AppCode key bindings to suit your needs, ignore this tip.  But if you're struggling to use the default three-key "Build..." keyboard shortcut (fn-command-F9), try this setting in your OS X Keyboard preference pane.