[Fast&Furious guide] Get ready to build a Xamarin iOS app

In order to build, test and deploy an iOS application using the Xamarin SDK, you will need to setup your environement first. As you know, it's necessary to have a Mac computer that will be at least your build host...
This post is just a quick guide to help you to setup your environment ! So let's go !


Setup your environnement (2 possibilities)

The hardware needed:

A- First choice:
A MAC (MacBook Pro for instance)
with a Virtual Machine (VmWare / Parallels) running Windows and Visual Studio with Xamarin.

B- Second choice
A MAC (will be used only as a build host)
A PC (with Windows / Visual Studio / Xamarin SDK) on the same network

Requirements:
Minimum MAC OS versions: OS X Mountain Lion, iOS Xamarin SDK, XCode IDE
Minimum Windows versions: Windows 7, Visual Studio 2010, latest Xamarin tools




C- You will also need an iOS developer account

You need to have an iOS developer account in order to:
- test / deploy your app on a device
- publish your app to the app store

Apple need you to have a profil / certificate to establish your identity when you publish your apps to the store for instance.

There are 2 versions of your developer profile:
- one for the developer portal
- one on the local MAC machine
! keep a backup of the profile !


>> To create you account, follow the next link:
https://appleid.apple.com/account






Get your Development Certificate: (XCode required)


A- Associate your apple ID to XCode

On your MAC machine, run XCode to define your AppleID as a developper account:


In XCode\Preferences\Accounts

     
Add your AppleID




B- Setup a new developer iOS device

To be able to test your applications on a real device, you will need to define it as a development device:


Plug your iOS device, Go to "Devices" menu
  
Copy the iOS device identifier


Go to "iOS dev center" page


Add the new device (device unique identifier)

Download certificate



C- Pull your certificates into XCode (to be accessed by Xamarin Studio)

In Xamarin Studio, refresh and validate



Setup your mac

Install Xamarin Studio

THEN Turn off Firewall to allow Visual Studio to connect !

  







Connecting to the MAC build host

Next from your dev machine (here is a Windows PC running Visual Studio, Xamarin SDK installed), start or create a you Xamarin project.

When you set your iOS project as the default one, a dialog box appears to connect to a Build Host:


Click continue, and search for your Mac Build Host (it should be on the same network as your Windows PC):


Select it on follow the pairing process:

Visual Studio toolbars to build iOS apps




Normally  you are ready to build !


TIPS:

- You can also open the Mac Build Host pairing dialog box from Visual Studio:

Menu Tools\Options


- Sometimes the pairing can be lost:
On your MAC build host, stop the pairing process, close Visual Studio and restart the process.




Related links:

Xamarin
http://developer.xamarin.com/guides/ios/getting_started/installation/windows/
http://developer.xamarin.com/guides/ios/getting_started/installation/device_provisioning/

Apple accounts:
https://appleid.apple.com/account

Apple developpers:
https://developer.apple.com/account/


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