Using Core Plot in an Application

Core Plot works on both Mac and iOS. The framework must be integrated into a project in different ways for each platform.

Mac Application

Core Plot on the Mac is a standard framework. After pulling down the latest source code for the framework, there are only a few steps required to insert it into one of your projects.

First, you will want to make sure that Core Plot is compiled alongside your application, so drag the CorePlot.xcodeproj bundle into your application's Xcode project (without copying the file). Then go to the Targets tab in Xcode, select your application's target, and bring up the inspector. Go to the General settings page and add the CorePlot framework from CorePlot.xcodeproj as a direct dependency.

The framework will need to be copied into your app bundle, so add a new build phase to your application's target by Ctrl-clicking on it and selecting "Add | New Build Phase | New Copy Files Build Phase". Within the inspector that appears, change the destination to Frameworks. Drag CorePlot.framework from within the CorePlot.xcodeproj group into this build phase.

To link Core Plot to your target application, drag CorePlot.framework from inside the CorePlot.xcodeproj group into the Link Binary with Libraries build phase in your app's target.

Because Core Plot is based on Core Animation, you need to add the QuartzCore framework to your application project as well.

To import all of the Core Plot classes and data types, add the following to the appropriate source files within your project:

#import <CorePlot/CorePlot.h>

iOS Application

Dependent Project Install

Because frameworks cannot be used in Cocoa Touch applications in the same way as on the Mac, the means of including Core Plot within an iPhone application are slightly different.

First, drag the CorePlot.xcodeproj file into your iOS application's Xcode project. Show the project navigator in the left-hand list and click on your project.

Select your application target from under the "Targets" source list that appears. Click on the "Build Phases" tab and expand the "Target Dependencies" group. Click on the plus button, select the CorePlot-CocoaTouch library, and click Add. This should ensure that the Core Plot library will be built with your application.

Core Plot is built as a static library for iPhone, so you'll need to drag the libCorePlot-CocoaTouch.a static library from under the CorePlot.xcodeproj group to the "Link Binaries With Libraries" group within the application target's "Build Phases" group you were just in.

You'll also need to point to the right header location. Under your Build settings, set the Header Search Paths to the relative path from your application to the framework/ subdirectory within the Core Plot source tree. Make sure to make this header search path recursive. You need to add -ObjC to Other Linker Flags as well (as of Xcode 4.2, -all_load does not seem to be needed, but it may be required for older Xcode versions; it must be removed when using Xcode 5.1 or later).

Core Plot is based on Core Animation, so if you haven't already, add the QuartzCore framework to your application project. With releases 2.0 to 2.2, the Accelerate framework is also required.

Finally, you should be able to import all of the Core Plot classes and data types by inserting the following line in the appropriate source files within your project:

#import "CorePlot-CocoaTouch.h"

Static Library Install

You can also just copy the Core Plot library directly into your project in binary form.

1. Copy the CorePlotHeaders directory to your Xcode project

2. Copy the Core Plot library to your Xcode project.

3. Open your apps Target Build Settings, and for "Other Linker Flags" include this:

   -ObjC
   

   (the -all_load linker flag is required when building Core Plot with Xcode versions before 4.2)

4. Add the folder that holds the static library to the "Library Search Paths" build setting.

5. Add the QuartzCore framework to the project.

6. Add the Accelerate framework to the project (release 2.0 to 2.2).

7. Change your C/C++ Compiler in the project build settings to the Xcode default.