book

Head First iPhone and iPad Development, 2nd Edition

by Tracey Pilone, Dan Pilone

June 2011

Beginner

668 pages

14h 20m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Head First iPhone and iPad Development
Dedication
A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
Advance Praise for Head First iPhone and iPad Development
Praise for other Head First books
Authors of Head First iPhone and iPad Development
How to use this Book: Intro
Who is this book for?Who should probably back away from this book?We know what you’re thinkingAnd we know what your brain is thinkingMetacognition: thinking about thinkingHere’s what WE didHere’s what YOU can do to bend your brain into submissionRead meSystem requirementsThe technical review teamAcknowledgmentsSafari® Books Online
1. Getting Started: Going Mobile with iOS
So, you want to build an iOS app......‘cause everyone wants one!Just look at the app storeApps live in an iTunes universeTime to make a decisionIt all starts with the iOS SDKTake a look aroundXcode includes app templates to help you get startedXcode is a full-featured IDEXcode is the hub of your iOS projectBuild your interface within XcodeAdd the button to your viewThe iOS simulator lets you test your app on your MaciDecide’s logicChanging the button textYou’re using the Model View Controller patterniDecide is actually a little simplerThis pattern is the secret to iOS developmentWhat happened?Unless the UI components are hooked up to the code, nothing is going to happenUse the GUI editor to connect UI controls to codeA component can trigger certain eventsComponents dispatch events when things happen to themConnect your events to methodsYou’ve built your first iPhone app!Your iOS ToolboxViews are constructed in Interface Builder.Then, you write the code that makes the views work......and connect component events to the code.The Simulator runs your app virtually.
2. iOS App Patterns: Hello, Renee!
First, we need to figure out what Mike (really) wantsApp design rules—the iOS HIGApplication typesHIG guidelines for pickers and buttonsCreate a new View-based project for InstaEmailThe life of a root viewWe need dataUse pickers when you want controlled inputPickers get their data from a datasource......and tell their delegates when something happensThat pattern is backControls have their own specific datasources and delegatesProtocols tell you what methods (messages) you need to implementFirst, declare that the controller conforms to both protocolsNext, add Mike’s activities and feelings to the implementation fileThe datasource protocol has two required methodsConnect the datasource just like actions and outletsThere’s just one method for the delegate protocolActions, outlets, and eventsConnect the event to the actionAdd the IBOutlet and property to your view controllerNext, synthesize the property......and clean up after yourselfConnect the picker to our outletUse your picker reference to pull the selected valuesYour iOS Toolbox
3. Objective-C for iOS: Email needs variety
Renee is catching on....Make room for custom inputHeader files describe the interface to your classAuto-generated accessors also handle memory managementTo keep your memory straight, you need to remember just two thingsBut when Mike’s finished typing...Customize your UITextFieldChange the label on the return keyComponents that use the keyboard ask it to appear......and you ask for things by passing messages to other objectsAsk the UITextField to give up focusMessages in Objective-C use named argumentsUse message passing to tell our View Controller when the Done button is pressedWhere’s the custom note?Build the email with stringsYour Objective-C Toolbox

4. Multiple Views: A table with a view
So, how do these views fit together?The navigation template pulls multiple views togetherThe table view is built inA table is a collection of cellsEach drink gets its own temporary cellJust a few more drinks...Plists are an easy way to save and load dataBuilt-in types can save and load from plists automaticallyArrays (and more) have built-in support for plistsUse a detail view to drill down into dataA closer look at the detail viewUse the Navigation Controller to switch between viewsNavigation Controllers maintain a stack of View ControllersInstantiate a View Controller like any other classDictionaries store information as key-value pairsDebugging—the dark side of iOS developmentWarnings can help find problems firstFirst stop on your debugging adventure: the consoleInteract with your application while it’s runningAnd when it’s about to stop runningXcode supports you after your app breaks, tooThe Xcode debugger shows you the state of your applicationWhat the heck is going on?Your iOS Toolbox
5. Plists and Modal Views: Refining your app
It all started with Sam...Use the debugger to investigate the crashWe’re trying to stuff a dictionary into a stringUpdate your code to handle a plist of dictionariesThe Detail View needs dataThe other keys are keyWe have a usability problemUse a disclosure button to show that there are more details availableSales were going strongUse Navigation Controller buttons to add drinksThe button should create a new viewWe need a view...but not necessarily a new viewThe View Controller defines the behavior for the viewA nib file contains the UI components and connections......and information about the nib’s File’s OwnerYou can subclass and extend view controllers like any other classUse Xcode to create a View Controller without a nibModal views focus the user on the task at hand......like adding or editing itemsAny view can present a modal viewOur modal view doesn’t have a navigation barCreate the Save and Cancel buttonsWrite the Save and Cancel actionsYour iOS Toolbox
6. Saving, Editing, and Sorting Data: Everyone’s an editor...
Sam is ready to add a Red-Headed School Girl......but the keyboard is in the wayWrap your content in a scroll viewThe scroll view is the same size as the screenThe keyboard changes the visible areaiOS notifies you about the keyboardRegister with the default notification center for eventsThen unregister when you’re doneKeyboard events tell you the keyboard state and sizeThe table view doesn’t know its data has changedYou need to ask the table view to reload its dataThe array is out of order, tooSort your array using NSSortDescriptorTable views have built-in support for editing and deletingYour iOS Development ToolboxSam has another project in mind...
7. Migrating to iPad: We need more room
DrinkMixer on the iPadThe iPad simulatorThe HIG covers iPads, tooUse Xcode to build your Universal appCheck your devicesRotation is key with iPadA persistent view problemDon’t forget the tableviewPresent the popover!Your iOS Development Toolbox
8. Tab Bars and Core Data: Enterprise apps
HF bounty huntingA new iPhone controlChoose a template to start iBountyHunterThere’s a different structure for universal appsDrawing how iBountyHunter iPhone works......and how it fits with the universal appBuild the fugitive list viewNext up: the Captured viewA view’s contents are actually subviewsAfter a quick meeting with Bob...Core Data lets you focus on your appBut wait, there’s more!Core Data needs to know what to loadWe need to define our typesCore Data describes entities with a Managed Object ModelBuild your Fugitive entityYour generated Fugitive class matches the Managed Object ModelNSManagedObject handles storage and memory for generated propertiesNSManagedObject also implements the propertiesUse an NSFetchRequest to describe your searchAsk the Managed Object Context to fetch data using your NSFetchRequestBob’s database is a resourceBack to the Core Data stackThe template sets things up for a SQLite DBiOS Apps are read-onlyThe iPhone’s application structure defines where you can read and writeUse the Documents directory to store user dataCopy the database to the Documents directoryYour Core Data Toolbox
9. Migrating and Optimizing with Core Data: Things are changing
Bob needs documentationEverything stems from our object modelThe data hasn’t been updatedCore Data caught a mismatch between our DB and our modelData migration is a common problemMigrate the old data into the new modelOur two models need different versionsXcode makes it easy to version your data modelCore Data can “lightly” migrate dataHere’s what you’ve done so far...Bob has some design inputYour app has a lifecycle all its own...Multitasking rules of engagementThe Managed Object Context saves new or changed itemsA quick demo with BobUse predicates for filtering dataNSFetchRequest concepts are nearly identical to SQLWe need to set a predicate on our NSFetchRequestCore Data controller classes provide efficient results handlingTable views and NSFetchedResultsControllers are made for each otherTime for some high-efficiency streamliningCreate the new FetchedResultsController getter methodWe need to refresh the dataNSFetchedResultsController can check for changesYour Data Toolbox
10. Camera, Map Kit, and Core Location: Proof in the real world
For Bob, payment requires proofFlip over for the detail viewThe way to the camera...The iPhone isn’t the only device using appsThere’s a method for checkingPrompt the user with action sheetsUse action sheets to let the user pick the image sourceBob needs the where, in addition to the whenCore Location can find you in a few waysCore Location relies on the LocationManagerAdd a new frameworkThen update the header fileJust latitude and longitude won’t work for BobMap Kit comes with iOSA little custom setup for the mapAnnotations require a little more work finesseFully implement the annotation protocolYour Location Toolbox
11. iPad UI: Natural interfaces
Bob needs that iPad app, too...Natural user interfaces make things more real (and easier)iOS HIG user experience guidelinesIt’s about realism and detailsIterate your interface, tooBountyHunterHD is based on a Split View ControllerPull it all togetherUnifying the custom stuffIt seems we have a problem......you can only change things for the entire field!UIWebview has lots of optionsHTML, CSS, and Objective-CUsing UIWebViewUse CSS for the remaining formattingYour NUI Toolbox
A. Leftovers: The top 4 things (we didn’t cover)
#1. Internationalization and LocalizationLocalizing nibsLocalizing string resourcesGenerating your strings file#2. View animationsAnimating table view updatesAnimating view and control changes#3. AccelerometerAll you need is the UIAccelerometerUnderstanding device acceleration#4. A word or two about gaming...Multi-touchQuartz and OpenGLQuartzOpenGLGame Kit
B. Preparing an App for Distribution: Get ready for the App Store
Apple has rulesStart at the Apple Developer PortalFirst, get your Development CertificateThe Provisioning Profile pulls it all togetherKeep track in the OrganizerA few final tips...
Index
About the Authors
Copyright

Overview

Let's say you have a killer app idea for iPhone and iPad. Where do you begin? Head First iPhone and iPad Development will help you get your first application up and running in no time. You'll not only learn how to design for Apple's devices, you'll also master the iPhone SDK tools -- including Interface Builder, Xcode, and Objective-C programming principles -- to make your app stand out.

Whether you're a seasoned Mac developer who wants to jump into the App store, or someone with strong object-oriented programming skills but no Mac experience, this book is a complete learning experience for creating eye-catching, top-selling iPhone and iPad applications.

Install the iPhone OS SDK and get started using Interface Builder and XCode
Put Objective-C core concepts to work, including message passing, protocols, properties, and memory management
Take advantage of iPhone OS patterns such as datasources and delegates
Preview your applications in the Simulator
Build more complicated interactions that utilize multiple views, data entry/editing, and rotation
Work with the iPhone's camera, GPS, and accelerometer
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 and iPad Development has a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

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