Switching between test and real url using conditional statement in swift - ios

Question

I want to use local urls for testing. How do I switch between test and real url at compile time?
I'm aware of Active Compilation Conditions but I don't want to use that as it's debug/release thing. I want to switch between test and real urls whenever I wish during my development phase and testing. To do so I want to have a flag which I can change before compilation.
Here is what I want to achieve, it's a pseudo code.
#define TEST=TRUE (or FALSE)
#if TEST
static let URL = "http://127.0.0.1/api/"
//... other code
#else
static let URL = "https:// domain.com/api/"
//... other code
#endif

Answer 1

Alright, then if you want to be able to change URL during development without making a new build, you have different options, but a quick one is always a hidden configuration popup or menu that you access from your first screen before doing login or whatever.
Where the hidden menu comes out: is something you want to decide but maybe, somewhere in a starting ViewController, or onboarding or login, you want to add a Gesture Recognizer for example to show your hidden menu, let's say a double tap anywhere in your ViewController.view which will present a hidden configuration alert only in a Debug build, and not a release, just before the login or any relevant api call:
#if DEBUG
let tap = UITapGestureRecognizer(target: self, action: #selector(presentHiddenConfigurationAlert))
tap.numberOfTapsRequired = 2
view.addGestureRecognizer(tap)
#endif
How the hidden menu looks like and act like: now as well in the same ViewController (so as in my example, a LoginVC or whatever you wish) you'd have the selector method on double tap as this one for example to show an alert that can let you change your current url (as always this can happen only in a Debuggable build):
#if DEBUG
#objc func presentHiddenConfigurationAlert() {
let currentURL = UserDefaults.string(forKey: "current_url")
let alertView = UIAlertController(title: "Hidden Configuration", message: "You are using \(currentURL)", preferredStyle: .alert)
// add a textview to let developer input the url he wants to use as an action
// or add some actions as buttons to choose between a Test URL button action and Dev URL button action
// store the URL as of "current_url" so you can retrieve it in an instance used across the app and here in the message
self.present(alert, animated: true, completion: nil)
}
#endif
And overall the use case is, in my example:
you install the app and are in a debuggable build
a login viewcontroller is the first thing that is shown (for example)
you or another developer using this build double tap anywhere in this viewcontroller
a hidden menu alert config is shown where you can change the current URL that is used across the app
you store this URL in user defaults or where you like most
now wherever you access the URL variable, you want that in debug you use the one from user defaults and in release you use a release one
#if DEBUG
var API_URL = getURLFromUserDefaults()
#else
var API_URL = "https://www.release-product-url.com"
#endif