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Archive and export your Project

OBJECTIVES

• Archive and export your 4D for iOS project
• Generate .ipa and manifest files

PREREQUISITES

• Apple Enterprise Developer Program
• A secured web server
• 57 x 57 px icon
• 512 x 512 px icon

STEP 1. Xcode configuration

Following validation of your account by Apple, open Xcode and add your Apple Enterprise Developer account in Preferences > Accounts.

Xcode will automatically install required provisioning and certificates.

STEP 2. Get your Team ID

• Log into your Apple Developer Account. You can find your Team ID in Membership.

STEP 3. 4D for iOS configuration

• Launch 4D for iOS

• On the SECTIONS tab:

  • General: Enter your Team ID.

  

  • Publishing: Enter your production URL (HTTPS is mandatory for deployment).

• On the BUILD tab:

  • Build and Run: Build your project.

STEP 4. Open your project with Xcode

• From the 4D for iOS Project Editor's BUILD tab, click on Project > Open the project with Xcode

STEP 5. Archive your project from Xcode

• From Xcode, go to the simulator Menu and select Generic iOS Device

• Then from the menu, click on Product and select Archive

STEP 6. Export your project

• At the end of the archive process, the Organizer window appears with the archive you just created

• Click Export.

STEP 7. Select your distribution method

• Select Enterprise and click Next.

STEP 8. Select your Enterprise distribution options

• You can leave all option boxes checked.

• You can choose to let Xcode generate a manifest.plist file for you or generate it manually.

• Click Next.

What is a manifest?

The manifest is an XML-based property list and should contain:

• URL : URL pointing to the .ipa file.
• display-image: URL pointing to a 57 x 57 px (72 x 72 px for iPad) PNG icon used during download and installation.
• full-size-image: URL pointing to a 512 x 512 px PNG image representing the iTunes app.
• bundle-identifier: Your app identifier string. You can get it from your app's .plist file.
• bundle-version: Your app's current bundle version string. You can get it from your app's .plist file.
• title: Your app's name.

Here is an example of a manifest.plist file :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>items</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>assets</key>
            <array>
                <dict>
                    <key>kind</key>
                    <string>software-package</string>
                    <key>url</key>
                    <string>https://...Contact.ipa</string>
                </dict>
                <dict>
                    <key>kind</key>
                    <string>display-image</string>
                    <key>url</key>
                    <string>https://...Contact_icon_57.png</string>
                </dict>
                <dict>
                    <key>kind</key>
                    <string>full-size-image</string>
                    <key>url</key>
                    <string>https://...Contact_icon_512.png</string>
                </dict>
            </array>
            <key>metadata</key>
            <dict>
                <key>bundle-identifier</key>
                <string>com.contactApp.ContactDemoapp</string>
                <key>bundle-version</key>
                <string>1.0</string>
                <key>kind</key>
                <string>software</string>
                <key>title</key>
                <string>Contact Demo app</string>
            </dict>
        </dict>
    </array>
</dict>
</plist>

STEP 9. Distribution manifest information

• We recommand letting Xcode do the job of entering your app URL as well as the icons URLs. You will, of course, have the option to change those URLs later.

• Click Next.

STEP 10. Re-sign your application

• Let Xcode manage the Automatically manage signing option.

• Click Next.

STEP 11. Review your app.ipa content

• Here you can verify that your application identifier is correct as well as your Team ID.

• Click on Export and select where to save your app folder on your computer.