xib2swift: do legado Interface Builder para Swift

Apple has traditionally advocated for the utilization of Interface Builder, a tool designed to structure user interface components within XIB files. However, it has become apparent that Interface Builder is associated with significant drawbacks, such as conflicts in code versioning systems and prolonged project compilation times, which have rendered the approach increasingly unsustainable. Given the ongoing shift by numerous IT companies towards Swift, this paper introduces xib2swift—a tool specifically designed to facilitate the transition from Interface Builder to Swift for iOS development projects. This research evaluates xib2swift through a dual approach: firstly, implementing the tool in a major financial corporation’s project resulted in a nearly 83% reduction in build time. Secondly, feedback gathered via a questionnaire from developers across different teams corroborates the view that while manual conversion is feasible, it tends to be tedious and susceptible to errors. Significantly, all developers concurred that the tool proved beneficial and effective for conversion purposes and expressed intentions to utilize it in future projects. Demo: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25948927