Dash Plugin for Xcode

Overview

This plugin allows you to use Dash instead of Xcode's own documentation viewer when using Option-Click (or the equivalent keyboard shortcut) to view the documentation for the selected symbol.

While you could also use Dash's "Look up in Dash" Services menu item, this is better in several ways:

• It's smart about looking up symbols that are split across multiple ranges (e.g. Option-Clicking on foo: in something like [self foo:x withBar:y andBaz:z] searches for foo:withBar:andBaz: instead of just foo:).
• It's faster to use with the mouse, and the keyboard shortcut can be set directly in Xcode's preferences.
• You don't have to select the entire symbol that you want to look up.
• It automatically detects your active scheme (iOS or Mac) and searches only the active scheme's docset

If you want to use Xcode's built-in documentation popover again, you can temporarily disable the Dash integration using the "Enable Dash Quick Help" item in the "Edit" menu.

If you like reading Apple's documentation, you might also like my iOS app DocSets for reading on your iPad or iPhone, even if you have no internet connection.

I'm @olemoritz on Twitter.

Usage & Installation

1. Download the source, build the Xcode project and restart Xcode. The plugin will automatically be installed in ~/Library/Application Support/Developer/Shared/Xcode/Plug-ins. To uninstall, just remove the plugin from there (and restart Xcode).
2. To use - Option-Click any method/class/symbol in Xcode's text editor. If you prefer the keyboard, set up a shortcut in Xcode's Preferences > Key Bindings for Quick Help for Selected Item.

Automatic Platform Detection

The plugin can use Xcode's current active scheme to determine which docset to search (iOS or OS X). Using this feature, ONLY the iOS or OS X docsets will be searched, so you might not want this if, for example, you also want to search the Cocos2D docset.

To enable automatic platform detection, go to Edit > Dash Integration > Enable Dash Platform Detection in Xcode's menu (after you installed the plugin).

License

Copyright (c) 2012, Ole Zorn
All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

* Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
  list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

* Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
  this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
  and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND
ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.