add xcodeproj as a build method

.gitignore

@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ playground.xcworkspace
 Packages/
 Package.pins
 Package.resolved
-*.xcodeproj
 #
 # Xcode automatically generates this directory with a .xcworkspacedata file and xcuserdata
 # hence it is not needed unless you have added a package configuration file to your project

MAINTENANCE.md

@@ -140,11 +140,15 @@ pre-generating the source when updating the `mlx` version.
 2. Add any vendored dependencies as needed in `/vendor`
 
 3. Regenerate any build-time source: `./tools/update-mlx.sh`
+    - this updates headers in Source/Cmlx/include
+    - this updates headers in Source/Cmlx/include-framework
+    - this generates various files in Source/Cmlx/mlx-generated
 
-4. Fix any build issues
+4. Fix any build issues with SwiftPM build (opening Package.swift)
+5. Fix any build issues with xcodeproj build (opening xcode/MLX.codeproj), see also [README.xcodeproj.md]
 
-5. Wrap any new API with swift, update documentation, etc.
+6. Wrap any new API with swift, update documentation, etc.
 
-6. Run `pre-commit run --all-files`
+7. Run `pre-commit run --all-files`
 
-7. Make a PR
+8. Make a PR

Package.swift

@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ let package = Package(
         .target(
             name: "Cmlx",
             exclude: [
+                // xcodeproj pieces
+                "framework",
+                "include-framework",
+
                 // vendor docs
                 "metal-cpp.patch",
                 "vendor-README.md",

README.xcodeproj.md

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+See `xcode/MLX.xcodeproj` and [MAINTENANCE.md].
+
+# Cmlx
+
+This is set up to build roughly how Package.swift builds.
+
+- Look at Project -> Cmlx -> Build Phases
+- remove all Project headers
+- remove all Copy Bundle Resources
+- remove any files that should not be built from the Target membership, e.g the items in `exclude`
+
+Public headers are in `include-framework` and this is managed by tools/update-mlx
+
+Settings, including header search paths are in xcode/xcconfig.
+
+## Updating
+
+After updating the mlx/mlx-c version the xcodeproj needs to be brought up to date.  
+
+- the headers in Cmlx/include-framework must all be public
+- no other headers in the project should be included as resources (public/private/project)
+    - the easiest way to adjust is look at Project -> Cmlx -> Build Phases and then look at the Headers task
+- similarly there should be _no_ Copy Bundle Resources from the same section
+
+# MLX, etc.
+
+These are just normal frameworks that link to Cmlx and others as needed.  The source files are all swift and there are no special settings needed.

Source/Cmlx/framework/Cmlx.m

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+//
+//  Copyright © 2025 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
+//
+
+#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
+
+// ObjC class to trigger loading as a NSBundle.allFrameworks
+@interface Cmlx: NSObject
+@end
+
+@implementation Cmlx
+@end

Source/Cmlx/include-framework/Cmlx.h

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-c-mlx.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-c-transforms_impl.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-c-linalg.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-c-fast.h>
+
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-array.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-backend-cuda-cuda.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-backend-gpu-available.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-backend-metal-metal.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-compile.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-device.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-distributed-distributed.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-distributed-ops.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-einsum.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-export.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-fast.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-fft.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-io.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-linalg.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-memory.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-ops.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-random.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-stream.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-transforms.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-utils.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-version.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-allocator.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-dtype.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-event.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-small_vector.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-types-complex.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-types-half_types.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-types-bf16.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-io-load.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-export_impl.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-threadpool.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-scheduler.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-primitives.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-backend-metal-device.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-backend-metal-utils.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-backend-common-utils.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-backend-cpu-encoder.h>
+#include <Cmlx/mlx-backend-gpu-eval.h>
+#include <Cmlx/Metal.hpp>