xcodeeclipse

Xcode - How to view two files side-by-side?


I'm an experienced Eclipse user and am moving over to Xcode (I have version 9 right now).

In Xcode, how do I view two source code files side-by-side vertically (i.e. one file on the left, and another on the right)? In Eclipse, to get a split view window, it's a simple matter of dragging one tab from the left to the right. How do I do this in Xcode?

Here is what I mean in Eclipse:

Eclipse IDE with side-by-side files


Solution

  • Xcode 11 and above (thanks for the update, @Uthen!)

    Click on the Add Editor on Right button in the top right corner of the editor:

    Add Editor on Right button

    To add an editor to the bottom instead, hold down the Option key while pressing the button, it will change to Add Editor Below:

    Add Editor Below button

    If you want to choose a different file to show, navigate to a different file using the folder buttons above the editor:

    Folder buttons


    Xcode 10 and earlier

    Simply click on the button in the top right corner with two overlapping circles to access it or navigate to View/Assistant Editor/Show Assistant editor (⌥⌘^↩).

    Assistant editor button

    If you want to choose a different file to show, click on the button right to the navigation arrows in the right side of the screen and select an option from the context menu. Choose Manual to pick any file you want.

    Button right to the navigation arrows

    Context menu for picking the file being shown

    If you want to change the layout to horizontal/vertical, navigate to View/Assistant Editor and change the view. Here, you can also add and remove new assistant editors if display more than two files at the same time.

    View/Assistant Editor