Xcode is a suite of developer tools for Mac and iPhone programming. Xcode is also the IDE included in the developer tools. As far as IDEs go, Xcode has become my favorite over the years. It’s simple yet powerful. But as good as it is, there’s always room for improvement, so yesterday I asked on Twitter, what plugins do other Xcode developers find useful? Turns out there are a number of really useful Xcode plugins. Here is the list of favorites based on responses to my tweet.

Code Pilot is by far the favorite based on the number of responses I received. Code Pilot provides easy navigation through your Xcode project. If you are a keyboard junkie like me than you owe it to yourself to try out Code Pilot.

Accessorizer is the second most popular plugin. Accessorizer saves you time by generating boiler plate code for you. For instance, you can use Accessorizer to generate the @property declarations based on a set of ivars. Give the Accessorizer Quick Start Guide (PDF) a read to get a sense of what Accessorizer can do for you.

Mogenerator tied for second most popular plugin. It generates Objective-C code for Core Data models. It works differently than Xcode in that Mogenerator manages two classes per entity, one intended for the machine and the other intended for humans. The Mogenerator sites says, “The machine class can always be overwritten to match the data model, with humans’ work effortlessly preserved.” Perfect for Core Data projects. FYI, Mogenerator is an open source project created and maintained by the most-excellent Jonathan ‘Wolf’ Rentzsch.

Completion Dictionary is a free plugin that enhances Xcode’s own code completion. It allows you to define your own expansion macros. You type a few letters and press the completion shortcut. You instantly have new code added to the file. This plugin reminds me of Delphi Live Templates, which I used religiously back when I did lots of Delphi programming. Oh, and did I mention Completion Dictionary is free?

What other Xcode plugins are out there? Which ones do you find useful? Post a comment if you have a favorite plugin not listed here.

Turns out I’m nuts, and I can prove it. Last week a signed a contract to publish a book with Addison Wesley. Justin Williams at SecondGear put it best when he asked, “ARE YOU NUTS!?” Yep, apparently I am. And signing the book contract is my proof.

Kidding aside, I’m very excited about this opportunity to contribute back to iPhone development community, a community that has been extremely helpful to me over the last couple of years. The book is on learning iPad programming. It will focus on the unique aspects of programming for the iPad and will hopefully serve as a launch pad for many new iPad programmer entering the space.

Writing on the book has just begun, and I have a very aggressive 6-month delivery schedule. My life is going to be busier than ever over the next 6 months, but it will be a good busy as this is something I have wanted to do for a long time. So if you don’t hear from me much between now and November, you know why.