Run/debug configurations
AppCode uses run/debug configurations to run, debug, and test applications. Each configuration is a named set of run/debug startup properties.
Run/debug configurations in AppCode are the equivalents of the Xcode schemes, and they are kept synced with them.
You can access all available run/debug configurations from the selector on the toolbar:
Scroll to the bottom of the list to find them:
There are two types of run/debug configurations:
Temporary – created every time you are running a test class or method using the gutter icons
/ 
. Permanent – created explicitly from a template or by saving a temporary configuration. Permanent configurations remain as part of your project until you remove them.
Permanent configurations have opaque icons while the icons of temporary configurations are semi-transparent.
Whenever you run/debug your application or tests, AppCode either uses an existing run/debug configuration or creates a new temporary one.
Change the maximum number of temporary run/debug configurations
By default, only 5 temporary run/debug configurations are allowed per project. When the limit is exceeded, the oldest temporary run/debug configuration is replaced by the new one. To change the limit:
From the main menu, select . Alternatively, press ⌥⇧F10 then 0.
From the list, select Templates, then in the right-hand pane, configure the Temporary configurations limit parameter.
Create permanent run/debug configurations
AppCode provides the following ways to create a permanent run/debug configuration:
For test classes and methods, you can create a permanent run/debug configuration right from the editor.
Create from a template or copy an existing configuration.
Create a permanent run/debug configuration from a test method or class
Place the caret at the declaration of a test method or class and press ⌥⏎. AppCode creates a permanent run/debug configuration of the corresponding type.
Set up the run/debug configuration parameters. For the detailed description of the template, see the respective section of run/debug configurations reference.
Save a temporary configuration as permanent
Select the temporary configuration in the run/debug configuration switcher and then click Save Configuration.
Create a run/debug configuration from a template
From the main menu, select . Alternatively, press ⌥⇧F10 then 0.
In the Run/Debug Configuration dialog, click
on the toolbar or press ⌘N. The list shows the run/debug configuration templates. Select the desired template. If you are not sure which template to choose, refer to Run/debug configurations dialog for more information on particular templates.
Specify the run/debug configuration name in the Name field. This name will be shown in the list of the available run/debug configurations.
Select Allow parallel run if you want to allow multiple instances of this program to run at the same time. If this option is disabled, attempting to re-run the application will terminate the active session.
Set the run/debug configuration parameters. The list of mandatory and optional parameters may vary depending on the selected run/debug configuration type.
For the detailed description of the selected template, see the respective section of run/debug configurations reference.
In the Before launch section, define whether you want to perform any specific actions before launching the application, for example, launch any external tool or another build configuration before run. To skip the build stage, remove Build from Before launch list.
For information on particular Before launch activities, refer to Before Launch
Apply the changes and close the dialog.
Share run/debug configurations
If you are working in a team, you might want to share your run/debug configurations so that your teammates could run the application using the same configuration.
For these purposes, AppCode provides a mechanism to store your run/debug configurations as project files and share them through VCS. The same mechanism can also be used when you want to send your configuration as a file to someone else. This saves a lot of time as run/debug configurations sometimes get sophisticated, and keeping them in sync manually would be tedious and error-prone.
Go to the properties of the run/debug configuration you want to share (), enable the Store as project file option, and specify the location where the file will be stored.
If compatibility with AppCode 2019.3 and earlier is required, store the file in the default location.
To learn how to use version control systems in AppCode, refer to the Version control topic.
Run/debug configuration templates
For a run/debug configuration of a particular type, you can set up the default values for one or more parameters and save them as a template. In this case, the next time when you create a new configuration of that type, the corresponding fields of the dialog will already contain the specified values.
Configure the default values for a template
From the main menu, select . Alternatively, press ⌥⇧F10 then 0.
In the left-hand pane of the run/debug configuration dialog, expand the Templates node and select the desired configuration type. The corresponding configuration template appears in the right-hand pane.
Specify the desired parameters and click Apply to save the template.
Compound run/debug configurations
Suppose you would like to launch multiple run/debug configurations simultaneously. For example, you may want to run several configurations of different types or a sequence of several test configurations. You can configure this behavior with a compound run/debug configuration.
When you run or debug your code using a compound configuration, you actually launch a sequence of configurations in the order they are listed.
Create a compound run/debug configuration
From the main menu, select . Alternatively, press ⌥⇧F10 then 0.
In the Run/Debug Configurations dialog, click
or press ⌘N, then select Compound. Specify the run/debug configuration name in the Name field. This name will be shown in the list of the available run/debug configurations.
Select Store as project file to make this run/debug configuration available to other team members.
To include a new run/debug configuration into the compound configuration , click Add
and select the desired one from the list. - If necessary, select a device or simulator on which the run/debug configuration will be executed:
If you've selected a specific device/simulator for each configuration, Multiple specified is shown in the selector:
If you haven't specified any devices/simulators, the minimal simulator version is selected by default. However, you can choose the desired device or simulator from the selector.
Apply the changes.
Run/debug configuration folders
When there are many run/debug configurations of the same type, you can group them in folders so they become easier to distinguish visually.
Once grouped, the run/debug configurations appear in the list under the corresponding folders.
Create a folder for run/debug configurations
In the Run/Debug Configurations, select a configuration type and click
on the toolbar. A new empty folder for the selected type is created. Specify the folder name in the text field to the right or accept the default name.
Select the desired run/debug configurations and move them under the target folder.
Apply the changes. If a folder is empty, it will not be saved.
When you no longer need a folder, you can delete it ⌦. The run/debug configurations grouped under this folder will be moved under the root of the corresponding run/debug configuration type.