iPhone/iPad app development

[torifile]

I've decided that it's time for me to put my techno-lust and interest to good use. I'm going to write an iPhone app. The only problem is that I don't know how to program. :o Well, I used to know some. My last comp sci course was in college and the only "programming" I've done since has been web-based (and even that wasn't really programming). I've downloaded the iTunes U stuff from Stanford and the dev docs to help me get started. I'm downloading the SDK as I type.

Any advice for a novice programmer? The app I'm thinking of is going to be pretty text heavy with not much in the way of fancy graphics. I may use some location services but the first rev will just be mostly an interactive book type thing. Some decision trees, some data logging and some entry of information for quick access when needed. I'd like to have some facility for analyzing results (basically "you did this thing and your urges went down xx on average...")

Secondarily, any programmers interested in signing on for a completely unproven concept? There's no money in it for you but we could talk about a revenue split. If the app sells. :lol: ;)

[Wyatt]

I've actually just started (again) trying to teach myself Objective-C and Cocoa. I'm somewhat experienced, but mostly I've just been hacking at shit without really worrying about doing it the right way. I'm trying to learn how to utilize Obj-C and Cocoa properly, though. That said, I've found Cocoa Dev Central (http://cocoadevcentral.com/) to be immensely useful. I've tried this several times, and the tutorials on their site are really what made things click for me.

[Iago]

There's an entire semester's worth of classes on iPhone app development on iTunes U. Worth looking up.

My advice: dispense with functional specs. I've worked on several iPhone applications, and the best thing you can do is work up the interface first. Know what you need to code that way. Features don't look like they take up any room in a list of bullet points.

Oh, and apply for the development programme wayyyy in advance of when your app needs to be launched. Even as a former employee who knew which strings to pull, it took me 2 months to get approved.

[chucker]

Matt Gemmell has a bit of an overview (http://mattgemmell.com/2009/07/14/iphone-development-emergency-guide) for people coming from other OOP platforms.

[ThunderPoit]

I decided the same thing, so i picked this up:
http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Objective-C-2-0-Stephen-Kochan/dp/0321566157
up to ch 5 so far

[Wyatt]

Matt Gemmell has a bit of an overview (http://mattgemmell.com/2009/07/14/iphone-development-emergency-guide) for people coming from other OOP platforms.

I think I saw that a long time ago, but I forgot to check it out when I started trying again. Bookmarked. :)

I decided the same thing, so i picked this up:
http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Objective-C-2-0-Stephen-Kochan/dp/0321566157
up to ch 5 so far

How is it so far?

[bassplayinMacFiend]

There's an entire semester's worth of classes on iPhone app development on iTunes U. Worth looking up.

Oh, and apply for the development programme wayyyy in advance of when your app needs to be launched. Even as a former employee who knew which strings to pull, it took me 2 months to get approved.

I signed up on Sunday night, two weeks before Xmas 2009. My approval and activation came by mid-Monday morning (the next day).

I'm working through 2 books right now, Apress' iPhone development covering SDK3 and Hillegass' Cocoa OS X rev 3. Two great books, IMHO.

[Iago]

I signed up on Sunday night, two weeks before Xmas 2009. My approval and activation came by mid-Monday morning (the next day).

I suspect the approval process differs if you're a limited company rather than an individual.

[torifile]

I suspect the approval process differs if you're a limited company rather than an individual.
In what way? I'm signed up as a company (my private practice) but I could have just as easily signed up as myself. Would one have been faster than the other?

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Yea, there's some extra paperwork, Apple wants to see tax numbers and whatnot.

[ThunderPoit]

How is it so far?

I like it, i got the one that came with the DVD that covers the first half of the book.
Started dabbling in objects, just started ch 5 which is the while loop.
nothing fancy so far, just echoing results into the console.

[torifile]

Yea, there's some extra paperwork, Apple wants to see tax numbers and whatnot.
I just got the email with requests for some documents, all of which I've got since I'm an "Inc." already. Shouldn't take a few days more of verification. Now I just need to write my program! ;)

[!Marc!]

I had a quick look through a book called Learn-object-c-on-the-mac at the library, well it wasnt such a quick look, and will probably go on to learn this too. It looks like quite an elegant language, but I guess that it would make more sense to become aquainted with C first? I did read through Teach yourself c++ in 21 days...in like 4 days but it seemed like too much of a jump from RealBasic, so I thought it better to learn php and java first.

These languages all look the same to me really - im beginning to wonder what a good language to learn would be that would teach the art of programming, rather than the procedural hacking ive been doing - I thought Java was pretty universal, but its a pig to set up and maintain, the ide's are crap IMO, and finding documentation is proving a chore...

Can the iPadPodPhone only be programmed in Ob-C and cocoa, or can you chose a language? Am I right in thinking that cocoa has to be learnt to provide the Gui to the said devices?

[torifile]

I'm pretty sure you're limited to Objective C to program for the iDevices.

[chucker]

Yes and no. Yes in that's the only thing directly supported through Apple. No in that there's various wrappers.

For example, there's the commercial Mono Touch, which lets you program in C# combined with Cocoa's Interface Builder.

[torifile]

My developer account had been approved and I'm now an official, paid dev. :) Now I just need to learn to write my program. I'm thinking it'll be a couple of months but I'll get it out eventually. And that will be pretty cool.

[Iago]

I'm thinking it'll be a couple of months but I'll get it out eventually.

It will therefore be at least 4 months before we see your app :)

[MCQ]

I found the Head First iPhone book a good intro to iPhone development. You'll need some background in Obj-C before using it.

Good luck!

[torifile]

I found the Head First iPhone book a good intro to iPhone development. You'll need some background in Obj-C before using it.

Good luck!
I'm working through the book ThunderPoit linked upthread for a background into Obj-C. I dabbled in it way back when I was in grad school trying to settle on a web app language (toyed with using WebObjects for my dissertation application) but I'm far from being even literate in it. But I do want an iPhone specific book, too. Thanks for the suggestion.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

I have the APress iPhone Development Book which is written towards the v3 SDK, as well as Kochan's Objective C 2.0 and Hillegass' Cocoa development book (v3?) and these have been helping me.

[torifile]

Sidenote: it would so nice to have these books in digital form, say on an iPad, because it's a pain the ass to have to hold the book open somehow while trying to type in the programs. Just a thought (and a wish that my wife buys me one for my birthday!).

[bassplayinMacFiend]

The iPhone Dev Book has a .pdf download available for $10. You need to have the book at hand because the site will ask you for something from the book and you have 60 seconds to punch in your response before being cleared to buy the .pdf.

[JohnnyTheA]

I'm pretty sure you're limited to Objective C to program for the iDevices.

No you can use other languages. But ultimately I found it much easier dealing with Obj-C. Its not that different from C++ and if you are like me, and like to use Google queries to find help, there are more examples of the core frameworks in Obj-C than anything else.

My app is at about 90%. I just need to do the graphics and sounds.

JTA

[evan]

If I sign up for a developer account as an individual can I transfer that to an LLC later? Would it matter?

[bassplayinMacFiend]

You can update the account to be a business account instead of a personal account.

[scratt]

I'm pretty sure you're limited to Objective C to program for the iDevices.

I barely touch Objective C. :)

Or seeing as this is in The Programmers Knook and about "iDevices" : !iTouch(Obj C);

[evan]

You can update the account to be a business account instead of a personal account.

a few months into owning the account?

[evan]

One of my ideas for an iPad application involves giving people accounts that they could access from an iPad, the ability for individual users to add entries, and the ability for users to exchange entries with other users via the internets.

sorry for not being too specific, but there's currently nothing like what I'm thinking of on the app store and I would like to keep it that way. Not that I don't trust you guys, but this is a public forum after all.

Anyway, to do what I described above, what will I need to do, and what is the best way to do it? Obviously I will need to actually produce the iPad program using Obj C, but then how do I do all the online stuff? I'll probably need some sort of server with a database... (correct me if I'm wrong) but what's the best way to do that and then how do I integrate it with my app? I realize I'll have a lot to learn to start implementing this but I figured I'd post this question so I would know just where to start.

[Robo]

I still want to make an interactive detective novel-style app someday. :D Of course I've never programmed anything other than HTML. :o It sounds really really hard. I suppose I could take a class next term but I wouldn't even know where to start :o :o :o

[Brad]

I still want to make an interactive detective novel-style app someday. :D Of course I've never programmed anything other than HTML. :o It sounds really really hard. I suppose I could take a class next term but I wouldn't even know where to start :o :o :o

ePub is a pretty flexible container format and most ePub files I've seen are just wrappers for HTML, which of course supports hyperlinking, image embedding, etc. You wouldn't even need your own app, assuming Apple lets users load their own ePub files for reading in the iBooks app.

[chucker]

assuming Apple lets users load their own ePub files for reading in the iBooks app.

It does. As if iTunes didn't already do enough, it'll now handle syncing your own ePub files as well.