How do I use time profiler?

Asked on 08/02/2024

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To use the Time Profiler in Xcode, follow these steps:

  1. Access Instruments: You can access Instruments from the profile action right within Xcode.
  2. Record a Trace: Start by recording a trace of your app's launch using the Time Profiler instrument. This instrument visualizes CPU usage in your code and allows you to measure how long different parts of your code are taking to run.
  3. Analyze the Trace: Once you have a trace, you can analyze it to identify performance issues. For example, you can set the inspection range to a specific interval where you noticed a hang or high CPU usage.
  4. Use the Flame Graph: Instruments 16 introduces a new flame graph feature, which you can activate from the jump bar. The flame graph provides a high-level overview of the trace execution, allowing you to spot issues at a glance. Execution intervals are weighted by the percentage of time they took in the trace, and the intervals are sorted left to right.
  5. Identify and Fix Issues: By examining the flame graph, you can identify functions that are taking up a lot of execution time. For instance, if you notice a function being called serially on the main thread, you might want to parallelize the loading using a task group and move the execution to the background.

For a detailed walkthrough, you can refer to the session "What’s new in Xcode 16" starting at 19:44.

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