apps

in learning how to build

iOS

A shortcut

January 29, 2016Joey Rigor Kontak Mobile Apps

This is not a tutorial in iOS programming.

It’s more like showing the directions to take in learning how to build iOS apps much

faster. A short cut. Based from a guy who got lost lots of times!

So, here we go.

Do not learn Objective-C.Initially, that is.

Objective-C, the iOS programming language, is hard to understand

because of its weird symbols and characters.

Programmers can get frustrated even before they reach the ‘hump’.

This hump, as software bloggers fondly

call, is the point in which programming becomes fun

rather than frustrating.

Apple knew this learning barrier and recently introduced a new programming language, Swift, that is friendlier than

Objective-C.

Read about iOS app design.

In building a house, you don’t start by learning how to

be a carpenter, right?

You start by learning how to design,

the concepts how to build and knowing the components that

will comprise your house.

The best way to learn all this is from the book Obi Wan could

have written himself.

Apple’s “Human Interface Guideline”

is the bible of iOS app design.

Apple’s “Human Interface Guideline”

is the bible of iOS app design.

https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/MobileHIG/

This book lays out the foundation of an iOS app from UI design basics, design strategy, iOS technologies and the UI elements that

will comprise your app.

It’s good readingeven for non-developers.

Makes you understand why your favourite iOS app were designed

and built that way.

Read it, start over and read it again.

Next is to learn Xcode.

With the Interface Builder editor in Xcode, the development

platform of iOS, you can already create a working prototype of the

app you want to build without writing any code.

https://developer.apple.com/xcode/

The Apple developer website has a lot of sample tutorials you can

download.

The Apple developer website has a lot of sample tutorials you can

download.

https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/navigation/

Start with the trivial ones. Especially those about buttons and text field controls.

Slowly level up to the big projects (views and navigation bars).

Now you can learn the language.

After getting the feel of the design concepts and tools,

it’s now time to learn the language of iOS.

Now you can learn the language.

After getting the feel of the design concepts and tools,

it’s now time to learn the language of iOS.

The Apple documentation may be a bit technical. Check out the

tutorials made by others.

Since there are various types of iOS applications, just search the

topics similar to the app you wanted to build - like customer relation, document processing or data

analytics.

Another option is to learn Swift,

the new iOS programming language Apple is promoting.

Swift is a more readable

language and is recommended for newbies just learning how to

program.

Finally, learn SQLite.Since almost any app has some kind of data, you should also learn SQLite, the widely used method to save and

retrieve data in any iOS app.

Finally, learn SQLite.Since almost any app has some kind of data, you should also learn SQLite, the widely used method to save and

retrieve data in any iOS app.

https://www.sqlite.org/about.html

SQLite is simple to learn and has an easy to use library that

implements a small database engine.

There are a lot of SQLite tutorials that lets you download the

code and test it in your machine.

There are a lot of SQLite tutorials that lets you download the

code and test it in your machine.

Try to figure out how you can use it to code your own database

saving and retrieval system.

When you’re serious enough, you can join the Apple developer program.

It provides more support - software tools, advance app capabilities, testing and even analytics once your app is published. For

only USD 99 per year.

Good deal, huh?

Before I forget.

https://developer.apple.com/programs/

There you have it.

To summarise, the shortcut in learning how to

build iOS faster are:

Do not learn

Objective-C.

Next is to learn Xcode.

Finally, learn

SQLite.

Now you can

learn the language.

Read about iOS

design.

AboutMeAs a software developer, I have always been interested in learning new things regarding technology. In how I can share what I’ve learned specially to others with professions outside my field. 

This interest became a passion as I see a lot of people using technology in their daily lives but have no idea how it works. Much less how it was build. Sadly, almost all of us are mere consumers.

My previous blogs and those to follow will try to convince everybody, in my own small way, to learn how to code. How to become creators of technology.

http://www.kontakios.com

Now what?Patience, grasshopper.

This is part of a series of posts about how I can convince you to be a coder. Stay

tuned.

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