Apple M1 (ARM) computer using Xcode Organizer failing on Distribute App with "The data couldn't be read because it isn't in the correct format" - SOLVED!

Apple M1 (ARM) computer using Xcode Organizer failing on Distribute App with "The data couldn't be read because it isn't in the correct format" - SOLVED!

Exporting/Distribute App from Xcode Organizer generates an error on Apple M1 (ARM) computers/laptops... logs say the following.


2022-02-25 03:19:31 +0000  Running /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/ipatool '/var/folders/53/pg_50pq11q9grc5v9d0797880000gn/T/IDEDistributionOptionThinning.~~~pUVwZB' '--json' '/var/folders/53/pg_50pq11q9grc5v9d0797880000gn/T/ipatool-json-filepath-~~~u1TMB8' '--toolchain' '/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr' '--platforms' '/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms' '--app-store-tools-build-version' '13C100' '--info' '--no-validate-bitcode'
2022-02-25 03:19:31 +0000  ruby 2.6.8p205 (2021-07-07 revision 67951) [universal.arm64e-darwin21]
2022-02-25 03:19:31 +0000  /Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/CFPropertyList-3.0.3/lib/cfpropertylist/rbCFPropertyList.rb:83: warning: assigned but unused variable - temp
2022-02-25 03:19:31 +0000  /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:85:in `require': dlsym(0x209017240, Init_date_core): symbol not found - /Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/date-3.1.1/lib/date_core.bundle (LoadError)
	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:85:in `require'
	from /Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/date-3.1.1/lib/date.rb:4:in `<top (required)>'
	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:85:in `require'
	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:85:in `require'
	from /Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/CFPropertyList-3.0.3/lib/cfpropertylist/rbCFPropertyList.rb:4:in `<top (required)>'
	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:85:in `require'
2022-02-25 03:19:31 +0000  	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:85:in `require'
	from /Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/CFPropertyList-3.0.3/lib/cfpropertylist.rb:3:in `<top (required)>'
	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:160:in `require'
	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:160:in `rescue in require'
	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:149:in `require'
	from /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/ipatool:15:in `<main>'
/Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:85:in `require': cannot load such file -- cfpropertylist (LoadError)
	from /Library/Ruby/Site/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:85:in `require'
	from /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/ipatool:15:in `<main>'
2022-02-25 03:19:31 +0000  /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/ipatool exited with 1
2022-02-25 03:19:31 +0000  ipatool JSON: (null)
2022-02-25 03:44:07 +0000 [MT] Canceled distribution assistant



Solution was change the xcode ipatool script to use a version of ruby what works on the machine:
=================================================================================================
(alternatively maybe you can get into the context of the ruby xcode is using and install all the needed resources)

editing /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/ipatool change the ruby path at the top of the file...

#!/usr/bin/sandbox-exec -n no-network /opt/homebrew/opt/ruby/bin/ruby -E UTF-8 -v
#ORIG!/usr/bin/sandbox-exec -n no-network /usr/bin/ruby -E UTF-8 -v

save the file changes, with sudo, as its modifying the file within the app...



This then gives another error that sqlite3 is not available when exporting again from Organizer. From logs:


2022-02-25 03:44:39 +0000  Running /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/ipatool '/var/folders/53/pg_50pq11q9grc5v9d0797880000gn/T/IDEDistributionOptionThinning.~~~k33cgh' '--json' '/var/folders/53/pg_50pq11q9grc5v9d0797880000gn/T/ipatool-json-filepath-~~~7rxcP4' '--toolchain' '/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr' '--platforms' '/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms' '--app-store-tools-build-version' '13C100' '--info' '--no-validate-bitcode'
2022-02-25 03:44:39 +0000  ruby 3.0.3p157 (2021-11-24 revision 3fb7d2cadc) [arm64-darwin21]
2022-02-25 03:44:39 +0000  /opt/homebrew/lib/ruby/gems/3.0.0/gems/CFPropertyList-3.0.5/lib/cfpropertylist/rbCFPropertyList.rb:83: warning: assigned but unused variable - temp
2022-02-25 03:44:39 +0000  <internal:/opt/homebrew/Cellar/ruby/3.0.3/lib/ruby/3.0.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb>:85:in `require': cannot load such file -- sqlite3 (LoadError)
	from <internal:/opt/homebrew/Cellar/ruby/3.0.3/lib/ruby/3.0.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb>:85:in `require'
	from /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/ipatool:25:in `<main>'
2022-02-25 03:44:39 +0000  /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/ipatool exited with 1
2022-02-25 03:44:39 +0000  ipatool JSON: (null)
2022-02-25 03:46:18 +0000 [MT] Canceled distribution assistant


which in the Terminal.app you then install...

 % sudo gem install sqlite3
Password:
Building native extensions. This could take a while...
Successfully installed sqlite3-1.4.2
Parsing documentation for sqlite3-1.4.2
Installing ri documentation for sqlite3-1.4.2
Done installing documentation for sqlite3 after 0 seconds
1 gem installed


After lots of dead banging effort to get to this simple solution...

Now when you Distribute App in Xcode Organizer... 

IT WORKS! Thank goodness!