Xcode：与第3方框架的链接和编译

Question

In a nutshell

In order to compile and link my C++ iOS code with Amazon AWS SDK I had to modify the structure of the AWS framework directory. I'm trying to understand what I did incorrectly.

In detail

I have an Xcode C++ project for iOS that needs to be integrated with Amazon's AWS SDK. I downloaded the latest version of the SDK. The SDK is distributed as a framework. According to Amazon's article Getting Started with the AWS SDK for iOS , all I had to do was:

Control-click Frameworks Group, then click Add files to < project name >

From other Internet resources and my personal knowledge I knew that adding the framework to the project's "Build Binary With Libraries" build phase should work too.

None of the two methods worked. The compiler couldn't find the header files and the linker couldn't find the binary. Moreover, when the framework appeared in the project navigator, expanding the node showed nothing, while other frameworks usually contain their resources and include files.

Sniffing around I noticed that the directory structure of the framework is:

AWSiOSSDK.framework/
   Versions/
      A/
         Headers/
         Resources/ 
         AWSiOSSDK

Which is, as far as I understand, not exactly as Apple requires it to be. So, in a desperate attempt I removed the Versions/A part; ie, put all the content of the framework immediately under AWSiOSSDK.framework directory.

Surprisingly that solved all the problems - the headers are found, the binaries are linked, everything works. Now I wonder why. I assume a framework distributed by such a respected company as Amazon should have a correct form. Then why didn't it work? Why my modified structure works? Are there frameworks with different structures? How do I tell the compiler and the linker to accept the original form? Or does Amazon distribute a broken bundle?

Answer 1

Have you stored the unzipped AWS SDK for iOS on a Windows machine or a Windows based file server? If you unzip the SDK on a Mac, you should get extra symbolic links, but it seems like you don't have any of them. Using non Mac based filesystems may delete these symbolic links.

You should download the latest version of the SDK from AWS, unzip it on a Mac and see if you have extra symbolic links. Let me know if you have any issues.