XcodeCanvasColor

A simple Xcode IDE Plugin that changes the background color of the storyboard editor.

The color is currently hard coded to a light gray color. This can be changed in NSView+CanvasBackground.m.

Compatibility

This plugin works with Xcode 6 and 7 (and potentially other versions as well). Unfortunately, Apple removed support for third-party extensions in Xcode 8. While it is possible to circumvent this by removing the code signature from Xcode, that simply isn't a solution I'm comfortable recommending to others.

For more information and potential solutions regarding this change, see alcatraz/Alcatraz#475.

Installation

• Alcatraz Installation: This plugin is available for installation via Alcatraz, an open-source package manager for Xcode. Just search for "XcodeCanvasColor", then click Install.

• Manual Installation: Alternatively, the plugin can be installed manually. (This is currently the only way to choose the new background color.) Simply compile the Xcode project and the plugin will be installed in the appropriate location. After restarting Xcode, the storyboard editor should use the new color for the background.

Troubleshooting

If the plugin doesn't seem to be loading, before filing issues, please read the following section regarding compatibility UUID's.

Compatibility UUID's

Apple does not currently provide an official API for the development of Xcode plugins, and as such, this plugin may not be automatically loaded after Xcode is updated. In order to fix this, the Info.plist of the plugin must be modified to include the latest DVTPlugInCompatibilityUUID from Xcode.app.

The root of this repository contains a script that can be used to automatically add the current compatibility UUID of Xcode to the plugin's Info.plist. To use the script, simply run it in Terminal:

$ ./update-uuid.sh
Xcode 6.3.2
UUID: E969541F-E6F9-4D25-8158-72DC3545A6C6

Added new UUID to plugin for Xcode 6.3.2

You may also specify a custom location for your Xcode installation or plugin bundle location:

Usage: update.sh [path_to_xcode.app [path_to_plugin.ideplugin]]

Examples:
    ./update-uuid.sh
    ./update-uuid.sh /Applications/Xcode-Beta.app

Screenshot