Pull Request Review: Version Increment Changes

Summary

This pull request updates the CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION from 38 to 39 and the MARKETING_VERSION from 1.3 to 1.4 across multiple build configurations and targets. Below are my observations and recommendations to ensure these changes are implemented correctly and consistently.

1. Consistency Across Targets

• Observation: The version increments are applied uniformly across various targets, including WatchKit extensions, iOS apps, macOS apps, and Safari extensions.
• Recommendation: Ensure that this uniform increment aligns with your versioning strategy. If different targets should have independent versioning (e.g., major versions differ between iOS and macOS), consider managing them separately.

2. Semantic Versioning Alignment

• Observation: MARKETING_VERSION (often corresponding to CFBundleShortVersionString) is incremented from 1.3 to 1.4, while CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION (usually CFBundleVersion) increments from 38 to 39.

• Recommendation: Ensure that this follows your semantic versioning practices:

  • MARKETING_VERSION: Typically represents the public-facing version (e.g., 1.4), indicating feature additions or significant changes.
  • CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION: Generally denotes the build number, useful for internal tracking and App Store submissions.

  Verify that these increments reflect the nature of the updates. For instance, if 1.4 includes backward-compatible feature additions, this is appropriate. If it's a major overhaul, consider incrementing the major version.

3. Automation Possibility

• Observation: The version numbers are manually updated across numerous targets.

• Recommendation: To reduce the risk of inconsistencies and streamline the process:

  • Use a Versioning Script: Implement a script (e.g., using a Run Script Phase in Xcode) that updates version numbers across all targets from a single source of truth.
  • Centralize Version Information: Maintain a centralized configuration file (like a JSON or plist) that holds version information, which your build configurations can reference.

  This approach minimizes manual errors and ensures consistency across all targets.

4. Impact on App Store Submissions

• Observation: Versions are being incremented, which is crucial for App Store updates.
• Recommendation:
  • Ensure Compliance: Verify that the new MARKETING_VERSION and CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION comply with App Store requirements. For instance, the CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION must always increment with each submission.
  • Test Thoroughly: Before submission, test all targets to ensure that the version changes don't inadvertently affect build processes or app functionality.

5. Update Related Documentation and Change Logs

• Observation: The code changes focus solely on version numbers.
• Recommendation:
  • Documentation: Update any internal or external documentation that references the app version to reflect 1.4.
  • Change Logs: Ensure that the changelog or release notes corresponding to version 1.4 are prepared and accurately describe the updates made in this release.

6. Verify Build and Deployment Settings

• Observation: The changes are in build configurations (BUILD_SETTINGS), affecting various platforms.
• Recommendation:
  • Clean and Rebuild: After applying these changes, perform a clean build to ensure that all configurations are correctly updated.
  • CI/CD Pipelines: If you utilize continuous integration/deployment pipelines, update them to recognize and handle the new versioning scheme appropriately.

7. Potential Redundancies or Overrides

• Observation: Multiple targets might inherit build settings from parent configurations.
• Recommendation:
  • Check Inheritance: Ensure that these version changes aren’t redundantly applied if the targets inherit from a shared configuration. If inheritance is in place, updating the parent configuration might suffice, reducing maintenance overhead.

8. Review INFOPLIST_FILE Settings

• Observation: Multiple targets specify their own INFOPLIST_FILE.

• Recommendation:

  • Dynamic Versioning in Plists: Ensure that the Info.plist files correctly reference the build settings for CFBundleShortVersionString and CFBundleVersion. Typically, these keys should use $(MARKETING_VERSION) and $(CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION) respectively to reflect the updated values.

  <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
  <string>$(MARKETING_VERSION)</string>
  <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
  <string>$(CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION)</string>

9. Code Signing and Entitlements

• Observation: Changes include CODE_SIGN_ENTITLEMENTS and CODE_SIGN_STYLE settings.
• Recommendation:
  • Validate Entitlements: After version updates, double-check that entitlements are correctly configured and that no new permissions are introduced inadvertently.
  • Automatic Signing: Ensure that the CODE_SIGN_STYLE = Automatic is suitable for all targets, and that team settings in Xcode are correctly configured to handle automatic code signing without issues.

10. Future Maintenance Considerations

• Observation: Manual updates can become cumbersome as the project scales.
• Recommendation:
  • Adopt a Version Management Tool: Consider integrating tools like agvtool, fastlane, or custom scripts to manage version increments automatically as part of your development workflow.
  • Version Control Hooks: Implement Git hooks to enforce versioning rules or automate version bumps on certain branches or tags.

Conclusion

The version increments from 38 to 39 and 1.3 to 1.4 appear straightforward and consistent across targets. However, to ensure robustness and maintainability:

• Automate Version Management to reduce manual overhead and prevent discrepancies.
• Align Versioning with Semantic Practices to accurately convey the nature of updates.
• Thoroughly Test all targets post-change to confirm that builds and deployments remain unaffected.

Implementing these recommendations will enhance the reliability of your versioning strategy and streamline future updates.

Feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions or need further assistance with particular aspects of these changes!