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This link discusses how to create iOS static framework, and they said

With static libraries, everything else (including the header files) you must distribute separately.

Actually I found no difference between using static lib and framework, you can look at the Admob SDK (https://developers.google.com/mobile-ads-sdk/docs/), what they ask is just pull all the files in the XCode project, so I really don't understand why we need to use framework over just plain static lib, or am I missing something?

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  • You should need the .a file plus the .h files, and also any sound or image files, etc. Commented Aug 20, 2012 at 16:32
  • a Framework usually combines the header files and .m files in one package, unlike a library which only has the source (.m) files, and you have to add the header files separately to your project. Commented Aug 20, 2012 at 16:37
  • You were not allowed to include a Framework in Xcode 3 - just libraries. At some Xcode 4 started to support them. Commented Aug 20, 2012 at 17:50
  • @DavidH that is wrong. Custom frameworks using dynamic libraries were always prohibited on iOS (non jailbroken). Custom frameworks using static libraries were always supported (by supported, I mean using them worked fine already on Xcode 3). Commented Aug 21, 2012 at 15:57
  • @Howard we do not "need" to use them, it is mostly a convenience thing. It is just much more convenient to add a framework compared to adding a library and a bunch of headers. Commented Aug 21, 2012 at 16:00

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Basically a framework is a collection of static libraries (e.g. one for i386, one for ARM) and the header files. Furthermore a framework also is a special folder with a very well defined structure.

I am not quit sure what you mean by 'just add the folder in Xcode'... If you mean adding a folder containing all the source code or a folder containing the static library including the header files you are right and there (very often) is no really big difference (depending on the library to include).

Using a framework is primarily a usability thing. Adding a framework, which means adding one single artifact, is less error prone than adding a bunch of files. For example it is not possible to accidentally omit one header file.

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