Cocoapod Specs: App Specs and Test Specs

More Details on App Specs and Test Specs in Cocoapods

Appspec & testspec in cocoapods

Since we are discussing Cocoapods, the previous two blogs have discussed them. I considered going over a couple more significant things that we should be aware of when working with Cocoapods.

If you haven’t read the other articles, I urge you to do so because they are really beneficial if you’re building a modular app or your own pod.Let’s begin 🔰

Cocoapod Subspec

Cocoapod Subspec

App Specs

In CocoaPods, you can give an example app for your pod by using an app_spec. This is a fantastic way to demonstrate to users how to use your pod and to give a real-world illustration of how it may be used in a project.

Use app-spec to describe your example app’s specifications (app_spec does not generate an example app). It only provides a means of defining or configuring a certain configuration for your example app in your pod.

Your sample app’s source files as well as any other pertinent details, including its build settings and deployment target, can be specified in this block.

s.name = 'MyPod'
s.version = '1.0.0'

s.app_spec 'Example' do |app_spec|
  app_spec.source_files = 'Example/*.swift'
  app_spec.deployment_target = '13.0'
end

The following are some advantages of using app specs with CocoaPods:

• Showcase the utilization of your pod library: App specifications are a fantastic way to demonstrate how to use your pod.
• Enhance Usage Documentation: By giving a specific illustration of how to use your pod, app specifications may be utilized to enhance the documentation for your pod.
• Test your pod in a real-world setting by using the app specifications.
• It is really beneficial if your pod library contains numerous podspecs and subspecs, each of which has its own example app.

Test Specs

The test sources for a certain pod can be specified using a test_spec in CocoaPods. Test specs are configured differently in the generated pods than subspecs, but they are treated the same when it comes to consumption. And if you are working on a modular app where each feature is divided into a module, you can utilize the same to distribute your tests to the main app; they may be quite useful 🙌. Below is how you can specify a test_spec for your pod. See example below

s.name = 'MyPod'
s.version = '1.0.0'

s.test_spec 'Tests' do |test_spec|
  test_spec.source_files = 'Tests/*.swift'
  test_spec.dependency 'Alamofire'
end

Test specs are useful for a number of reasons:

• They enable you to logically organize your tests together. This can make it simpler to locate and execute particular tests, as well as to arrange your tests according to features or functionalities.
• You can distribute your tests to the main app or to other modules. This can be helpful if you have a pod that offers a variety of other pods with similar functions. This is a crucial feature if you are using a modular approach for your app; probably soon I will cover it with an example.

That’s it. I appreciate you taking the time to read this post, and I thank you. Comment or clap if you find it helpful. And i see you in next one 👋