Base SDK Missing


For the noobie iPhone App Developer, their reaction to the error message “Base SDK Mssing” on an xCode sample code project, is similar to how I once felt about the “Blue Screen of Death” on a PC.

I got that same feeling of frustration when I loaded down the PageControl sample code from Apple. I couldn’t test the sample code in xCode because the “Base SDK Missing” error message was on display. I was using xCode 3.

It wasn’t the first time I’d come across this error, however, previously I’d found a solution.  I was desperately seeking a solution to paging horizontally and having PageControl.

I’ve solved my problems with the “Base SDK Missing” error message by trawling the internet and finding many generous people who share their knowledge.  So this “post” is me giving back to the app development community a little of what I’ve learned.

Solving the “Base SDK Missing” Error

Sometimes you will try to open an old xCode project and you will find you can’t open it because the file gives you a “Base SDK Missing” message, as shown in the image below:

 Base SDK Missing error message as seen on the xCode Dashboard

The first time I came across this problem I was working through John Ray’s Book “iPad Application Development in 24 hours”. The problem raised its ugly head again when I tried to open the PageControl sample code from Apple.

I came across the problem again when I found an article about sample code titled “How to Add A Slick iBooks Like Page Turning Effect Into Your Apps”, published by Johann “John” Dowa on his website ManiacDev. The article led me to a download for an xCode project called Leaves created by Tom Brow and an extension of the same project called “Leaves Two Pages” by Ole Begemann.

I couldn’t open the projects because they gave an error message i.e. Base SDK Missing.  As mentioned, I’d had this message before but when I applied my solution, Solution 1, shock horror, it didn’t work.  So I hunted around the internet for more solutions and found Solution 2.  Both solutions are set out below:

Solution One for xCode 3
1) Select xCode File Name in the left side navigation bar and click on the blue Info button on the xCode Dashboard and a drop down menu will appear showing several tabs.

Screenshot showing selection of xCode File Name


xCode Dashboard Info Button

xCode Dashboard

2) Click on the Build Tab

Info Button Drop Down List showing Build Tab

3) Find “Base SDK” under Architecture section and select the appropriate version e.g. 4.2
4) Scroll down to Deployment Section and also set “OS Deployment Target” as 4.2
5) Close the xCode Project (do not close the xCode Program) then reopen the Project

This solution came partly from a member of the iPhone SDK Development Forum and a little tweaking by me.

If this did not fix the problem then follow the steps in solution two, as follows:
Sometimes, if the test file has been created in a very old xCode Program,  you need to take more steps.
A solution for this problem was solved by a member of the “Leaves Developers” Google Group.

Solution Two
1) In xCode go to Targets and right click over the file name and select “Get Info”

Target Get Info Drop Down Menu

2) A drop down list will appear. Go to the Architecture section and click on the Base SDK Value field and select the correct iOS.

Target Architecture Drop Down Menu

3) Close the xCode Project (do not close the x Code program) and reopen the project.  Hopefully you will then see that the Base SDK Missing message has disappeared and you are seeing “Simulator …

Simulator Button on the xCode Dashboard