daily-notification-plugin/test-apps/daily-notification-test/docs/IOS_BUILD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md

iOS Build Process Quick Reference

Author: Matthew Raymer
Date: November 4, 2025

Two Different Test Apps

Important: There are two different iOS test apps:

1. Native iOS Development App (ios/App) - Simple Capacitor app for quick plugin testing
2. Vue 3 Test App (test-apps/daily-notification-test) - Full-featured Vue 3 Capacitor app

---

Vue 3 Test App (test-apps/daily-notification-test)

🚨 Critical Build Steps

# 1. Build web assets
npm run build

# 2. Sync with iOS project
npx cap sync ios

# 3. Build iOS app
cd ios/App
xcodebuild -workspace App.xcworkspace \
    -scheme App \
    -configuration Debug \
    -sdk iphonesimulator \
    -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15 Pro' \
    CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY="" \
    CODE_SIGNING_REQUIRED=NO \
    CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO

# 4. Install and launch
APP_PATH=$(find build/derivedData -name "*.app" -type d | head -1)
xcrun simctl install booted "$APP_PATH"
BUNDLE_ID=$(plutil -extract CFBundleIdentifier raw App/Info.plist)
xcrun simctl launch booted "$BUNDLE_ID"

🔄 Using Capacitor CLI (Simplest Method)

cd test-apps/daily-notification-test

# Build and run in one command
npx cap run ios

# This handles:
# - Building web assets
# - Syncing with iOS
# - Building app
# - Installing on simulator
# - Launching app

🛠️ Automated Build Script

cd test-apps/daily-notification-test
./scripts/build-and-deploy-ios.sh

---

Native iOS Development App (ios/App)

🚨 Critical Build Steps

# 1. Build plugin
cd /path/to/daily-notification-plugin
./scripts/build-native.sh --platform ios

# 2. Install CocoaPods dependencies
cd ios
pod install

# 3. Build iOS app
cd App
xcodebuild -workspace App.xcworkspace \
    -scheme App \
    -configuration Debug \
    -sdk iphonesimulator \
    -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15 Pro' \
    CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY="" \
    CODE_SIGNING_REQUIRED=NO \
    CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO

# 4. Install and launch
APP_PATH=$(find build/derivedData -name "*.app" -type d | head -1)
xcrun simctl install booted "$APP_PATH"
BUNDLE_ID=$(plutil -extract CFBundleIdentifier raw App/Info.plist)
xcrun simctl launch booted "$BUNDLE_ID"

🛠️ Automated Build Script

cd /path/to/daily-notification-plugin
./scripts/build-and-deploy-native-ios.sh

---

⚠️ iOS-Specific Requirements

Prerequisites:

• macOS (required for iOS development)
• Xcode installed (xcode-select --install)
• CocoaPods installed (gem install cocoapods)
• iOS Simulator runtime installed

Common Issues:

• Simulator not booted: xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 15 Pro"
• CocoaPods not installed: sudo gem install cocoapods
• Platform components missing: xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS

🔍 Verification Checklist

After build, verify:

For Vue 3 Test App:

• Simulator is booted (xcrun simctl list devices | grep Booted)
• CocoaPods dependencies installed (cd ios && pod install)
• Web assets synced (npx cap sync ios)
• App builds successfully (xcodebuild ...)
• App installs on simulator (xcrun simctl install)
• App launches (xcrun simctl launch)

For Native iOS App:

• Simulator is booted (xcrun simctl list devices | grep Booted)
• Plugin built (./scripts/build-native.sh --platform ios)
• CocoaPods dependencies installed (cd ios && pod install)
• App builds successfully (xcodebuild ...)
• App installs on simulator (xcrun simctl install)
• App launches (xcrun simctl launch)

📱 Testing Commands

# List available simulators
xcrun simctl list devices available

# Boot simulator
xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 15 Pro"

# Check if booted
xcrun simctl list devices | grep Booted

# View logs
xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream

# Uninstall app
xcrun simctl uninstall booted com.timesafari.dailynotification.test  # Vue 3 app
xcrun simctl uninstall booted com.timesafari.dailynotification       # Native app

# Reset simulator
xcrun simctl erase booted

🐛 Common Issues

Issue	Symptom	Solution
Simulator not found	Unable to find destination	Run xcrun simctl list devices to see available devices
CocoaPods error	pod: command not found	Install CocoaPods: gem install cocoapods
Build fails	No such file or directory	Run pod install in ios/ directory
Signing error	Code signing required	Add CODE_SIGNING_REQUIRED=NO to xcodebuild command
App won't install	Could not find application	Verify app path exists and simulator is booted
Vue app: assets not syncing	App shows blank screen	Run npm run build && npx cap sync ios

---

Remember:

• Native iOS App (ios/App) = Quick plugin testing, no web build needed
• Vue 3 Test App (test-apps/...) = Full testing with UI, requires npm run build

Use npx cap run ios in the Vue 3 test app directory for the simplest workflow!