Calculating Lines of Code in an Xcode Project

28 February 2025 Stephan Petzl Leave a comment Xcode

Determining the number of lines of code in your Xcode project can offer insights into the project’s size and complexity. Whether you’re optimizing your codebase or simply curious, there are several methods to achieve this. Below, we explore practical techniques to count lines of code efficiently.

Using the Terminal Command

One effective way to count lines of code is by using the Terminal on macOS. This method leverages the find and wc commands to calculate lines across various file types such as .m, .mm, .cpp, and .swift. Follow these steps:

• Open Terminal and navigate to your project’s root directory.
• Use the following command to find and count lines in your source files:

find . "(" -name "*.m" -or -name "*.mm" -or -name "*.cpp" -or -name "*.swift" ")" -print0 | xargs -0 wc -l

Leveraging CLOC for Detailed Analysis

CLOC (Count Lines of Code) is a versatile tool that provides a more detailed breakdown of your project’s code. It counts blank lines, comment lines, and the actual lines of code. Here’s how to use CLOC:

• Ensure Homebrew is installed on your macOS.
• Install CLOC by executing:

brew install cloc

cloc . --exclude-dir=Pods

Using the Latest Techniques

For users seeking the most current methods, recent approaches have been tailored for efficiency and accuracy. For instance, the latest command for Swift projects, excluding Pods, is:

find . -path ./Pods -prune -o -name "*.swift" -print0 ! -name "/Pods" | xargs -0 wc -l

This command ensures you get an accurate count without including unnecessary files.

Enhancing Testing with Repeato

While understanding your code’s size is important, ensuring its quality is paramount. This is where Repeato, a no-code test automation tool, proves invaluable. Repeato allows you to create, run, and maintain automated tests for your iOS, Android, and web applications with ease. Its computer vision and AI-based approach make test recording and execution remarkably fast. Moreover, Repeato supports data-driven and keyword-driven testing, making it a robust alternative to tools like Katalon.

For more information on how Repeato can transform your testing process, visit our getting started guide.

Check it out!

Like this article? there’s more where that came from!

• Resolving the “xcrun: error: invalid active developer path” Error on macOS
• Adding Existing Frameworks in Xcode 4: A Comprehensive Guide
• Disabling ARC for a Single File in Xcode: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Resolving the Xcode-Select Active Developer Directory Error
• Resolving the “Multiple Commands Produce” Error in Xcode 10