How to build and debug with Xcode?

[anonymous_user_2f10bdf91 (anonymous_user_2f10bdf9)]

I’m trying to learn how to use UE 4 and I have read and gone through everything I can find but haven’t found an answer.

Lets say I create a new C++ project from one of the templates. Like the Flying example. How can I then build this game project in Xcode, set stop points for the debugger and all the usual things I would normally do with a project in Xcode?
Surely there must be a way to debug a UE4 game project?

[anonymous_user_10b2fd67]

Check out these instructions and see if they help you:

Compiling Game Projects

[anonymous_user_2f10bdf91 (anonymous_user_2f10bdf9)]

I have seen that page but I find it a bit confusing. The Xcode project has a number of different targets. Which one am I supposed to build? I now created a new project from a C++ template and in Xcode the default target is then MyProject iOS. So I change it to MyProject Mac and build it. The target builds ok. Then I try to run it and I get an error message saying “Could not launch MyProject-Mac-Debug”. Maybe there’s a bug in UE here since the built game binary is named “MyProject-Mac-DebugGame” but it’s looking for “MyProject-Mac-Debug”?

So I renamed the binary to “MyProject-Mac-Debug” and tried running from Xcode again. Now it starts running but then it complains about content not being cooked. It suggests I run the non cooked version but I have no idea how to do that or where or which version that might be. What does “cooking” mean in UE4?

I select “Cook Content for Mac” in the editor menu and then try to run from Xcode again. This time it launches properly and the game runs. Setting a break point in Xcode also works. Yay!

So I guess the problem is that it must be a bug with the naming of the built binary since it’s naming it one thing but then looks for another name during launch?

[anonymous_user_10b2fd67]

You should be able to run with uncooked content as long as you add a command line argument “-game” when you launch it.

See this section from that page:

When running the binary Editor,** it is important to add the -game flag if you rebuilt your project in any Uncooked configuration**, and the -debug flag if you rebuilt your project in any Debug configuration.

Changing the binary name sounds really iffy, although - apparently some other people have had this exact problem:

Xcode executable doesn't exist

So it could just be a bug in the project configuration generation. You might want to bump that question (or start a new one) in AnswerHub so Epic is aware and can provide guidance.

[anonymous_user_2f10bdf91 (anonymous_user_2f10bdf9)]

I added a comment to the one in AnswerHub. Hopefully Epic will fix this, meanwhile I’ll see if I can find the script that creates the Xcode project and make the change for my own install.

[gigapede]

@anonymous_user_10b2fd67

When running the binary Editor,** it is important to add the -game flag if you rebuilt your project in any Uncooked configuration**, and the -debug flag if you rebuilt your project in any Debug configuration.

Where do I add that flag?

I know this post is from long ago but 4.19.2 on an iMac running Xcode still runs into these issues.

I’ve been to the Epic docs and on the forums and I still can’t find a setup procedure that works so that I can get past Epic’s Twin Stick Shooter tutorial Episode 5.

There are a lot of ways for things to get screwy and there are a variety of methods to make things work like deleting the Intermediate folders, generating files, verifying the editor, etc. but there isn’t a simple series of steps to install it and make it run. Visual Studio has some semblance of this for the PC, where is the clear and complete method for Xcode?