Head First iPhone Development

Head First iPhone Development

by Dan Pilone, Tracey Pilone
Released October 2009
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596803544

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Book description

Let's say you have an idea for a killer iPhone app. Where do you begin? Head First iPhone Development will help you get your first application up and running in no time. You'll quickly learn to use iPhone SDK tools, including Interface Builder and Xcode, and master Objective-C programming principles that will make your app stand out. It's a complete learning experience for creating eye-catching, top-selling iPhone applications.

  • Put Objective-C core concepts to work, including message passing, protocols, properties, and memory management

  • Take advantage of iPhone patterns such as datasources and delegates

  • Preview your applications in the iPhone Simulator

  • Build complicated interactions that utilize multiple views, data entry/editing, and iPhone rotation

  • Work with iPhone's camera, GPS, and accelerometer

  • Create interactive, entertaining games

  • Optimize, test, and distribute your application

    • We think your time is too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First iPhone Development provides a visually-rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. Advance Praise for Head First iPhone Development
    3. The Authors
    4. how to use this book: Intro
      1. Who is this book for?
        1. Who should probably back away from this book?
      2. We know what you're thinking.
      3. And we know what your brain is thinking.
      4. Metacognition: thinking about thinking
        1. Here's what WE did:
      5. Here's what YOU can do to bend your brain into submission
      6. Read me
        1. System requirements
      7. The technical review team
      8. Acknowledgments
      9. Safari® Books Online
    5. 1. getting started: Going mobile
      1. 1.1. There's a lot of buzz and a lot of money tied up in the App Store...
      2. 1.2. Mobile applications aren't just ported desktop apps
        1. 1.2.1. iPhone apps are not small desktop apps
      3. 1.3. Anatomy of an iPhone app
        1. 1.3.1. First we have one or more views...
        2. 1.3.2. ...then the code that makes the views work...
        3. 1.3.3. ...and any other resources, all packaged into your application.
      4. 1.4. Mike can't make a decision
      5. 1.5. Make a good first impression
      6. 1.6. It all starts with the iPhone SDK
      7. 1.7. Xcode includes app templates to help you get started
      8. 1.8. Xcode is the hub of your iPhone project...
      9. 1.9. ...and plays a role in every part of writing your app
      10. 1.10. Build your interface using... Interface Builder
      11. 1.11. Add the button to your view
      12. 1.12. The iPhone Simulator lets you test your app on your Mac
      13. 1.13. What happened?
        1. 1.13.1. Unless the UI components are hooked up to the code, nothing is going to happen.
      14. 1.14. Use Interface Builder to connect UI controls to code
      15. 1.15. Interface Builder lists which events a component can trigger
      16. 1.16. Elements dispatch events when things happen to them
      17. 1.17. Connect your events to methods
      18. 1.18. Your iPhone Toolbox
    6. 2. iPhone app patterns: Hello @twitter!
      1. 2.1. First we need to figure out what Mike (really) wants
      2. 2.2. App design rules—the iPhone HIG
        1. 2.2.1. Application types
      3. 2.3. HIG guidelines for pickers and buttons
      4. 2.4. Create a new View-based project for InstaTwit
        1. 2.4.1. Start with the view layout
      5. 2.5. The life of a root view
      6. 2.6. First, get the data from Mike
      7. 2.7. Use pickers when you want controlled input
        1. 2.7.1. When in doubt, check out Apple's API documentation
      8. 2.8. Fill the picker rows with Mike's data
      9. 2.9. Pickers get their data from a datasource...
        1. 2.9.1. ...and tell their delegates when something happens.
      10. 2.10. There's a pattern for that
        1. 2.10.1. Controls have their own specific datasources and delegates
        2. 2.10.2. Protocols tell you what methods (messages) you need to implement
      11. 2.11. First, declare that the controller conforms to both protocols
        1. 2.11.1. Next, add Mike's activities and feelings to the implementation file
      12. 2.12. The datasource protocol has two required methods
      13. 2.13. Connect the datasource just like actions and outlets
      14. 2.14. There's just one method for the delegate protocol
      15. 2.15. The button needs to be connected to an event
        1. 2.15.1. Without an action, your button won't work!
      16. 2.16. Add the IBOutlet and property to our view controller
      17. 2.17. Connect the picker to our outlet
      18. 2.18. Use our picker reference to pull the selected values
      19. 2.19. Your iPhone Toolbox
    7. 3. objective-c for the iPhone: Twitter needs variety
      1. 3.1. Renee is catching on....
      2. 3.2. Make room for custom input
      3. 3.3. Header files describe the interface to your class
      4. 3.4. Auto-generated accessors also handle memory management
        1. 3.4.1. Objective-C can automatically release references, too.
      5. 3.5. To keep your memory straight, you need to remember just two things
      6. 3.6. But when Mike's finished typing...
      7. 3.7. Customize your UITextField
        1. 3.7.1. Next change the label on the return key
      8. 3.8. Components that use the keyboard ask it to appear...
        1. 3.8.1. ...by passing messages to other objects
      9. 3.9. Ask the textField to give up focus
      10. 3.10. Messages in Objective-C use named arguments
      11. 3.11. Use message passing to tell our view controller when the Done button is pressed
      12. 3.12. Something's still not right
        1. 3.12.1. Build the tweet with strings
      13. 3.13. Your Objective-C Toolbox
    8. 4. multiple views: A table with a view
      1. 4.1. So, how do these views fit together?
      2. 4.2. The navigation template pulls multiple views together
      3. 4.3. The navigation template starts with a table view
      4. 4.4. A table is a collection of cells
        1. 4.4.1. Each drink gets its own cell... sorta
      5. 4.5. Just a few more drinks
      6. 4.6. Plists are an easy way to save and load data
      7. 4.7. Arrays (and more) have built-in support for plists
      8. 4.8. Use a detail view to drill down into data
      9. 4.9. A closer look at the detail view
      10. 4.10. Use the navigation controller to switch between views
      11. 4.11. Navigation controllers maintain a stack of views
        1. 4.11.1. We'll use the tap notification in the table view delegate
      12. 4.12. Instantiate a view controller like any other class
      13. 4.13. Dictionaries store information as key-value pairs
      14. 4.14. Debugging—the dark side of iPhone development
        1. 4.14.1. Warnings can help find problems without debugging
      15. 4.15. First stop on your debugging adventure: the console
      16. 4.16. Interact with your application while it's running
        1. 4.16.1. And when it's about to stop running
      17. 4.17. Xcode supports you after your app breaks, too
      18. 4.18. The Xcode debugger shows you the state of your application
      19. 4.19. What the heck is going on?
      20. 4.20. Your iPhone Toolbox
    9. 5. plists and modal views: Refining your app
      1. 5.1. It all started with Sam...
        1. 5.1.1. DrinkMixer
      2. 5.2. Use the debugger to investigate the crash
        1. 5.2.1. We're trying to stuff a dictionary into a string
      3. 5.3. Update your code to handle a plist of dictionaries
      4. 5.4. The detail view needs data
      5. 5.5. Each dictionary has all the information we need
      6. 5.6. We have a usability problem
      7. 5.7. Use a disclosure indicator if your cell leads to more information
      8. 5.8. Sales were going strong...
      9. 5.9. Use navigation controller buttons for editing
      10. 5.10. The button should create a new view
      11. 5.11. We need a view... but not necessarily a new view
      12. 5.12. The view controller defines the behavior for the view
      13. 5.13. A nib file contains the UI components and connections...
        1. 5.13.1. ...and information about the nib's File's Owner
      14. 5.14. You can subclass and extend views like any other class
      15. 5.15. Use Xcode to create a view controller without a nib
      16. 5.16. Modal views focus the user on the task at hand...
        1. 5.16.1. ...like adding or editing items
      17. 5.17. Any view can present a modal view
      18. 5.18. Our view doesn't have a navigation bar
      19. 5.19. Create the save and cancel buttons
      20. 5.20. Write the save and cancel actions
      21. 5.21. Your iPhone Toolbox
    10. 6. saving, editing, and sorting data: Everyone's an editor...
      1. 6.1. Sam is ready to add a Red-Headed School Girl...
      2. 6.2. ...but the keyboard is in the way
      3. 6.3. We need to wrap our content in a scroll view
      4. 6.4. The scroll view is the same size as the screen
      5. 6.5. The keyboard changes the visible area
      6. 6.6. iPhone notifies you about the keyboard
      7. 6.7. Register with the default notification center for events
        1. 6.7.1. Then unregister when you're done
      8. 6.8. Keyboard events tell you the keyboard state and size
      9. 6.9. The table view doesn't know its data has changed
      10. 6.10. You need to ask the table view to reload its data
      11. 6.11. The array is out of order, too
        1. 6.11.1. We can sort our array using NSSortDescriptor
      12. 6.12. Table views have built-in support for editing and deleting
      13. 6.13. Your iPhone Development Toolbox
    11. 7. tab bars and core data: Enterprise apps
      1. 7.1. HF bounty hunting
      2. 7.2. Choose a template to start iBountyHunter
      3. 7.3. Drawing how iBountyHunter works...
      4. 7.4. Build the fugitive list view
      5. 7.5. Next up: the captured view
        1. 7.5.1. A view's contents are actually subviews
      6. 7.6. After a quick meeting with Bob...
      7. 7.7. Core Data lets you focus on your app
        1. 7.7.1. But wait, there's more!
      8. 7.8. Core Data needs to know what to load
        1. 7.8.1. We need to define our types...
      9. 7.9. Core Data describes entities with a Managed Object Model
      10. 7.10. Build your Fugitive entity
        1. 7.10.1. Exactly!
      11. 7.11. Whip up a Fugitive class without writing a line
        1. 7.11.1. Our generated Fugitive class matches our Managed Object Model
        2. 7.11.2. NSManagedObject handles storage and memory for generated properties
        3. 7.11.3. NSManagedObject also implements the properties
      12. 7.12. Use an NSFetchRequest to describe your search
        1. 7.12.1. Ask the Managed Object Context to fetch data using your NSFetchRequest
      13. 7.13. Add the database as a resource
        1. 7.13.1. Back to the Core Data stack
      14. 7.14. The template sets things up for a SQLite DB
        1. 7.14.1. iPhone Apps are read-only
      15. 7.15. The iPhone's application structure defines where you can read and write
        1. 7.15.1. Use the Documents directory to store user data
      16. 7.16. Copy the database to the correct place
      17. 7.17. To be continued...
      18. 7.18. Your Core Data Toolbox
    12. 8. migrating and optimizing with core data: Things are changing
      1. 8.1. Bob needs documentation
      2. 8.2. Everything stems from our object model
      3. 8.3. The data hasn't been updated
        1. 8.3.1. Core Data caught a mismatch between our DB and our model
      4. 8.4. Data migration is a common problem
      5. 8.5. We need to migrate the old data into the new model
        1. 8.5.1. Our two models need different versions
      6. 8.6. Xcode makes it easy to version the data model
      7. 8.7. Core Data can "lightly" migrate data
      8. 8.8. Bob has some design input
        1. 8.8.1. The Managed Object Context saves new or changed items
      9. 8.9. A quick demo with Bob
      10. 8.10. Use predicates for filtering data
        1. 8.10.1. NSFetchRequest concepts are nearly identical to SQL
      11. 8.11. We need to set a predicate on our NSFetchRequest
      12. 8.12. Core Data controller classes provide efficient results handling
        1. 8.12.1. Table views and NSFetchedResultsControllers are made for each other
      13. 8.13. Time for some high-efficiency streamlining
      14. 8.14. Next we need to change the search to use the controller...
      15. 8.15. Refactor viewWillAppear to use the controller
      16. 8.16. We need to refresh the data
        1. 8.16.1. NSFetchedResultsController can check for changes
      17. 8.17. Your Data Toolbox
    13. 9. camera, map kit, and core location: Proof in the real world
      1. 9.1. For Bob, payment requires proof!
        1. 9.1.1. Flip over for the detail view!
      2. 9.2. The way to the camera...
        1. 9.2.1. The iPhone isn't the only device using apps
      3. 9.3. There's a method for checking
      4. 9.4. Prompt the user with action sheets
        1. 9.4.1. We'll use action sheets to let the user pick the image source
      5. 9.5. Bob needs the where, in addition to the when
      6. 9.6. Core Location can find you in a few ways
        1. 9.6.1. Core Location relies on the LocationManager
      7. 9.7. Add a new framework
        1. 9.7.1. Then update the header file
      8. 9.8. Just latitude and longitude won't work for Bob
      9. 9.9. Map Kit is new with iPhone 3.0
      10. 9.10. A little custom setup for the map
      11. 9.11. Annotations require a little more finesse
      12. 9.12. Your extras Toolbox
      13. 9.13. It's been great having you here!
    14. A. leftovers: The top 6 things (we didn't cover)
      1. A.1. #1. Internationalization and Localization
        1. A.1.1. Localizing nibs
      2. A.2. Localizing string resources
      3. A.3. Generating your strings file
      4. A.4. #2. UIWebView
        1. A.4.1. Using UIWebView
      5. A.5. UIWebView properties
        1. A.5.1. Loading generated content
        2. A.5.2. The UIWebView supports a delegate, too
      6. A.6. #3. Device orientation and view rotation
        1. A.6.1. The view controller tells the iPhone OS what orientations it supports
      7. A.7. Handling view rotations
      8. A.8. Handling rotation with two different views
      9. A.9. #4. View animations
        1. A.9.1. Animating table view updates
        2. A.9.2. Animating view and control changes
      10. A.10. #5. Accelerometer
        1. A.10.1. All you need is the UIAccelerometer
      11. A.11. Understanding the device acceleration
      12. A.12. #6. A word or two about gaming...
        1. A.12.1. Multitouch
      13. A.13. Quartz and OpenGL
        1. A.13.1. Quartz
        2. A.13.2. OpenGL
        3. A.13.3. Game Kit
    15. B. preparing an app for distribution: Get ready for the App Store
      1. B.1. Apple has rules
        1. B.1.1. Start at the Apple Developer Portal
        2. B.1.2. First get your Development Certificate
      2. B.2. The Provisioning Profile pulls it all together
      3. B.3. Keep track in the Organizer
      4. B.4. A few final tips...

    Product information

    • Title: Head First iPhone Development
    • Author(s): Dan Pilone, Tracey Pilone
    • Release date: October 2009
    • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
    • ISBN: 9780596803544