Xcode Project file git merge conflict

You should check my script xUnique, it is now the best solution to merge Xcode project file before Apple takes action on it.

What it does & How it works

1. convert project.pbxproj to JSON format
2. Iterate all objects in JSON and give every UUID an absolute path, and create a new UUID using MD5 hex digest of the path
   • All elements in this json object is actually connected as a tree
   • We give a path attribute to every node of the tree using its unique attribute; this path is the absolute path to the root node,
   • Apply MD5 hex digest to the path for the node
3. Replace all old UUIDs with the MD5 hex digest and also remove unused UUIDs that are not in the current node tree and UUIDs in wrong format
4. Sort the project file inlcuding children, files, PBXFileReference and PBXBuildFile list and remove all duplicated entries in these lists
   • see sort_pbxproj method in xUnique.py if you want to know the implementation;
   • It's ported from my modified sort-Xcode-project-file, with some differences in ordering PBXFileReference and PBXBuildFile
5. With different options, you can use xUnique with more flexibility

Check README file for more details.

A lot of websites simply suggest to use a .gitattributes file with:

*.pbxproj merge=union

We're gonna try this approach before trying to use scripts. If we find any issues I'll be sure to update this post. Also if anyone else has comments to this approach please include.

.pbxproj will change when you add new files to the project. There will be conflicts if two or more collaborators add files at the same time (without getting one another's changes first). We are avoiding this in my project by following these steps before and after adding new files:

1. Before adding a file, commit your changes, then pull from the master so that you have the latest.If someone has added a file, you now have the latest .pbxproj
2. Add your file(s).
3. Immediately commit and push your changes up to the master (hopefully, before another collaborator has added another file).

It's wimpy, but we don't relish manually resolving .pbxproj conflicts.

Also, see this Stack Overflow question with excellent responses: How to use Git properly with XCode?