ios - Blank app fails debug build - /Info.plist file not found

Question

In a larger context I resorted back to creating a blank project and running my build commands. Same error:

ionic start myApp blank
cd myApp
ionic cordova run ios --debug --target="iPhone-8"  --consolelogs



ionic-app-scripts build --target cordova --platform ios
[11:39:29]  ionic-app-scripts 3.2.0 
[11:39:29]  build dev started ... 
[11:39:30]  clean started ... 
[11:39:30]  clean finished in 1 ms 
[11:39:30]  copy started ... 
[11:39:30]  deeplinks started ... 
[11:39:30]  deeplinks finished in 15 ms 
[11:39:30]  transpile started ... 
[11:39:33]  transpile finished in 3.16 s 
[11:39:33]  preprocess started ... 
[11:39:33]  preprocess finished in 1 ms 
[11:39:33]  webpack started ... 
[11:39:33]  copy finished in 3.31 s 
[11:39:37]  webpack finished in 4.35 s 
[11:39:37]  sass started ... 
[11:39:38]  sass finished in 1.27 s 
[11:39:38]  postprocess started ... 
[11:39:38]  postprocess finished in 10 ms 
[11:39:38]  lint started ... 
[11:39:38]  build dev finished in 8.92 s 
[11:39:41]  lint finished in 2.65 s 
> cordova run ios --debug --target iPhone-8
Building for iPhone 8 Simulator
Building project: /myApp/platforms/ios/myApp.xcworkspace
    Configuration: Debug
    Platform: emulator
Build settings from command line:
    CONFIGURATION_BUILD_DIR = 
/myApp/platforms/ios/build/emulator
    SDKROOT = iphonesimulator12.0
    SHARED_PRECOMPS_DIR = 
/myApp/platforms/ios/build/sharedpch

Build settings from configuration file '
/myApp/platforms/ios/cordova/build-debug.xcconfig':
    CLANG_ALLOW_NON_MODULAR_INCLUDES_IN_FRAMEWORK_MODULES = YES
    CODE_SIGN_ENTITLEMENTS = $(PROJECT_DIR)/$(PROJECT_NAME)/Entitlements-$(CONFIGURATION).plist
    CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY = iPhone Developer
    ENABLE_BITCODE = NO
    GCC_PREPROCESSOR_DEFINITIONS = DEBUG=1
    HEADER_SEARCH_PATHS = "$(TARGET_BUILD_DIR)/usr/local/lib/include" "$(OBJROOT)/UninstalledProducts/include" "$(OBJROOT)/UninstalledProducts/$(PLATFORM_NAME)/include" "$(BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR)"
    OTHER_LDFLAGS = -ObjC
    SWIFT_OBJC_BRIDGING_HEADER = $(PROJECT_DIR)/$(PROJECT_NAME)/Bridging-Header.h

/myApp/platforms/ios/build/emulator/myApp.app/Info.plist file not found.
[ERROR] An error occurred while running subprocess cordova.

        cordova run ios --debug --target iPhone-8 exited with exit code 1.

        Re-running this command with the --verbose flag may provide more 
        information.

ionic --version
4.1.2
cordova --version
8.0.0 & @latest 8.1.1
XCode Version 10.0 (10A255) + build tools
macOS 10.13.6 - High Sierra. Mojave on a different machine fails the same.

The paths are adjusted if anyone wonders...

-------------- FIX --------------

Together with @DaveAlden's answer this is how I got it back up to do livereload without the bugs:

ionic cordova platform remove ios sudo npm install -g ionic@3.20.0 ionic cordova platform add ios open platform/ios/MyApp.xcworkspace

Follow instructions to fall back to legacy build system as on https://github.com/apache/cordova-ios/issues/407

Run my build script, without the --buildFlag='-UseModernBuildSystem=0'

Answer 1

This problem is caused because Xcode 10 contains a new build system which is currently not compatible with cordova-ios@4 - see here.

The solution for now is to run Cordova with the --buildFlag='-UseModernBuildSystem=0' option to instruct Xcode to use the old build system, e.g.:

 cordova run ios --debug --target "iPhone-8" --buildFlag='-UseModernBuildSystem=0'

Update: For my own convenience, I've wrapped this in a shell script:

#!/bin/bash
# Adds build flag to make cordova-ios@4 work with Xcode 10
cordova "$@" --buildFlag='-UseModernBuildSystem=0'

I saved this in a file called cordova-xcode10, made sure it's in the path and made it executable (chmod a+x cordova-xcode10), then I can just do:

cordova-xcode10 run ios --target "iPhone-8"

and it will work with Xcode 10