"Do Not Embed", "Embed & Sign", "Embed Without Signing". What are they?. What they do?

We have 3 new options in "Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content" section of Xcode11 Beta for adding libraries.

**Xcode Libraries section screenshot**

[![enter image description here][1]][1]


Can anyone explain what they do?


[1]:

Basically in Xcode 10 in project settings (upon clicking on .xcodeproj file, with the blue icon) you had two framework-oriented sections visible - Embedded Binaries and Linked Frameworks and Libraries. Now they are merged into one.

`Do Not Embed` option is basically Linking given .framework into project.

`Embed & Sign` and `Embed Without Signing` is old Embedding option.

I am not entirely sure what is the functional difference between the last two, apart from the fact that framework will or will not be signed during assembly. If you want to know the difference between Linking and Embedding then [here][1] you can find SO answer on this.

Pics:

[![Xcode 10][2]][2]

[![Xcode 11][3]][3]

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[2]:

[3]:

**Xcode v11. Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content plus Frameworks and Libraries with Embed vs Do Not Embed**

[![enter image description here][1]][1]

History
```
Embedded Binaries, Linked Frameworks and Libraries -> Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content
```

[\[Xcode pre-v11. Embedded Binaries, Linked Frameworks and Libraries\]][2] existed till to Xcode v11 section in `General` tab

It is a part of `Dependency` management [<sup>\[About\]</sup>][3]


Xcode v11 has:

- App target - `Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content`
- Framework or App extension target - `Frameworks and Libraries`

Embedding
---------


**Embed**

It adds a copy of the framework into your final bundle. After that `Dynamic linker :dyld` at **load or run time** tries to find the **embedded framework** using `@rpath`[<sup>\[About\]</sup>][4] If it is not found the error will occur [<sup>\[dyld: Library not loaded\]</sup>][4]

`Embed` is a mirror of `Build Phases -> Embed Frameworks`. Here you can setup bundle's folder and `Subpath`.

**Do Not Embed**

`Static Linker` at compile time tries to copy code from a static library into the executable object file using `Build Settings -> Framework Search Paths`

`Do Not Embed` is a mirror of `Build Phases -> Link Binary With Libraries`. `Sign` is a mirror of `Code Sign On Copy`

If you do not add a `static framework` to this section you will get a compile error[<sup>\[No such module\]</sup>][5]

Result:

- static library
- static framework - Do Not Embed
- dynamic framework - Embed

<img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/FuNEP.png" height="100">
<img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/V1SOI.png" height="100">

*Please note that `Embedding` has bigger priority than `Mach-O Type`[<sup>\[About\]</sup>][6]

- Application's `Frameworks, Libraries...` is `Embed` and Framework's `Mach-O` is `Static Library` - result dynamic framework.
- Application's `Frameworks, Libraries...` is `Do Not Embed` and Framework's `Mach-O` is `Dynamic Library` and - result error `dyld: Library not loaded`[<sup>\[About\]</sup>][4]

```
App's Embed (Dynamic) -> Framework's Mach-O Static - Dynamic
App's Do Not Embed(Static) -> Framework's Mach-O Dynamic - error
```

[\[Static vs Dynamic linker\]][7]<br/>
[[When use Link and Embed]][8]<br/>
[[Vocabulary]][9]


[1]:

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The complete story holyswift

![enter image description here][1]

for more [details][2]

[1]:

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*As already stated by @przemyslaw-jablonski, this is similar to what was in Xcode 10, but in only one screen (which I personally like!).*
___
## Embedding

*Do not embed static frameworks and libraries (linking happens at build time), only shared ones (dynamic linking happens at run time, so they need to be in your bundle).*

`file frameworkToLink.framework/frameworkToLink` will return:

- `current ar archive`: static library, select `Do not embed`
- `Mach-O dynamically linked`: shared library, select `Embed`


___
## Signing (only if shared/embedded)

*Not required if it already has a proper signature (adhoc doesn't count).*

`codesign -dv frameworkToLink.framework` will return:

- `code object is not signed at all` or `adhoc`: select `Embed and sign`
- anything else: already properly signed, select `Embed Without Signing`