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How do i use xcode for windows?

Hello community, apologies if this is a question designated for the "swift communities"

(I was to lazy to make an account)

Anyways, i want to use xcode on my mac, to code windows applications that could be useful for somebody i know.

Does anyone know how to do that; which package do i use; plugins do i use; what tutorials do i use, (if that is a pre-developed option)

Thanks, MoronX

Posted on Oct 17, 2022 8:16 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 17, 2022 11:14 AM

Not easily.


Xcode is not available for Windows.


You will generally want to use Windows and Windows development tools when developing for Windows platforms, or you will have added porting and testing the app to Windows or whatever the target platform to the aggregate development and testing effort involved.


You could certainly create and test a Swift app on macOS. To then use that same app on Windows, you will first need to,establish a working Swift environment on Windows, and then porting and building that Swift app as a Windows executable, and then testing the Windows executable on Windows. Then there’s the ongoing costs and effort of keeping the target run-time environments working as Microsoft updates things and Swift updates things.


Intro:

https://www.swift.org/blog/swift-on-windows/

https://www.swift.org/platform-support/


What tooling I see available for Windows looks dated, or looks involved to install, and the related forums appear low-traffic.


https://github.com/compnerd?tab=repositories

https://forums.swift.org/c/development/windows/67


Kotlin and Java might be alternatives to Swift here, as those intentionally start out more portable, and platform independent. The apps tend not to appear to be platform-native, however. Microsoft also has .NET tools for macOS, and does have a port of that tooling to macOS. Flutter too, that with the risks of incorporating a Google platform. Neither Kotlin nor Java nor .NET nor Flutter will use Xcode.

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2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 17, 2022 11:14 AM in response to MoronX

Not easily.


Xcode is not available for Windows.


You will generally want to use Windows and Windows development tools when developing for Windows platforms, or you will have added porting and testing the app to Windows or whatever the target platform to the aggregate development and testing effort involved.


You could certainly create and test a Swift app on macOS. To then use that same app on Windows, you will first need to,establish a working Swift environment on Windows, and then porting and building that Swift app as a Windows executable, and then testing the Windows executable on Windows. Then there’s the ongoing costs and effort of keeping the target run-time environments working as Microsoft updates things and Swift updates things.


Intro:

https://www.swift.org/blog/swift-on-windows/

https://www.swift.org/platform-support/


What tooling I see available for Windows looks dated, or looks involved to install, and the related forums appear low-traffic.


https://github.com/compnerd?tab=repositories

https://forums.swift.org/c/development/windows/67


Kotlin and Java might be alternatives to Swift here, as those intentionally start out more portable, and platform independent. The apps tend not to appear to be platform-native, however. Microsoft also has .NET tools for macOS, and does have a port of that tooling to macOS. Flutter too, that with the risks of incorporating a Google platform. Neither Kotlin nor Java nor .NET nor Flutter will use Xcode.

How do i use xcode for windows?

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