Can preprocessor directives be used to import different header files for Mac and iOS?

Question

I am writing a class library for Mac OS X and iOS to be released as a Cocoa Framework for OS X and a Static Library for iOS. To simplify matters, I intend to use multiple targets in Xcode. However, the classes on Mac OS X link against Cocoa.h whereas on iOS they link against Foundation.h.

My questions basically are:

Could the Mac OS X framework link against Foundation.framework instead? Classes used within the framework are NSString, NSMutableString, and NSMutableArray.
Or could I use preprocessor directives within the header files to control framework inclusion, e.g.
```
#ifdef MacOSX
    #import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>
#else
    #import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
#endif
```

Take a look at this http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3181321/which-conditional-compile-to-use-to-switch-between-mac-and-iphone-specific-code. — detunized, Jan 25 '11 at 20:58

detunized · Accepted Answer · 2011-01-25T20:53:29.347

21

You can use these to separate platform dependent code (see TargetConditionals.h):

#ifdef TARGET_OS_IPHONE 
    // iOS
#elif defined TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR
    // iOS Simulator
#elif defined TARGET_OS_MAC
    // Other kinds of Mac OS
#else
    // Unsupported platform
#endif

Here's a useful chart.

edited Jan 25 '11 at 20:53

answered Jan 25 '11 at 20:14

detunized

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3

I did a bit of testing and corrected the code accordingly. Apparently `TARGET_OS_MAC` is defined for iOS as well. Best is really to look into `TargetConditionals.h` and see which macros suit your needs. There's quite a few of them. – detunized Jan 25 '11 at 20:55
1

I believe now you need to use `#if TARGET_OS_IPHONE`, instead of `#ifdef`. – Vincent Tourraine Oct 07 '13 at 07:52
3

This answer is wrong. There's a couple problems: First, `TARGET_OS_IPHONE` will always be defined. It's defined as 0 sometimes, but it's still defined. Same with `TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR`. But, also, `TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR` will never be 1 unless `TARGET_OS_IPHONE` is also 1. If you need to check for the iOS simulator specifically, you should do that check first, like: `#if TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR` / `#elif TARGET_OS_IPHONE` / `#elif TARGET_OS_MAC` / `#endif`. – Steven Fisher Dec 06 '13 at 20:20

score 8 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 26 '11 at 16:24

8

It works like a charm:

#ifdef __APPLE__
  #include "TargetConditionals.h"

  #if TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR  
  // ios simulator

  #elif TARGET_OS_IPHONE
  // ios device

  #elif TARGET_OS_MAC
  // mac os 

  #else
  // Unsupported platform
  #endif
#endif

answered Aug 26 '11 at 16:24

iuriimoz

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I think this is the only answer here that will actually work. – Steven Fisher Dec 06 '13 at 20:25

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 25 '11 at 20:08

2

Could the Mac OS X framework link against Foundation.framework instead? Classes used within the framework are NSString, NSMutableString, and NSMutableArray.

Try it and see. If the compile fails, no. If it succeeds, yes.

Or could I use preprocessor directives within the header files to control framework inclusion, e.g.

Yes, you can. In fact, I believe that is the only way to do that.

answered Jan 25 '11 at 20:08

Cajunluke

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Thank you. Thinking about it, Foundation is a framework, therefore I suppose there shouldn't be an issue. I'll give it a go and see! – BWHazel Jan 25 '11 at 22:22
Come to think of it, Core Plot does exactly what you want to do. If you have issues, check it out and see what they do. – Cajunluke Jan 25 '11 at 23:00

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 02 '12 at 09:12

1

This works perfectly for me:

#ifdef __IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED
//iOS 
#else
//Mac
#endif

answered Oct 02 '12 at 09:12

Tibidabo

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Can preprocessor directives be used to import different header files for Mac and iOS?

4 Answers4