Chapter 2. Understanding the User Interface Controls
In This Chapter
Using Interface Builder to see how controls work
Inspecting an app with a view
Examining how buttons connect to methods
Understanding how events are processed
Steve Jobs said it best: "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." That's why you should know how an iPhone app works before trying to design a user interface for one.
For one thing, you need to consider the space and memory limitations of the iPhone display. That's why the Xcode templates are so useful — they take care of the display and memory management so that you can focus on what your app can do. After seeing how much the template provides, you may think the user interface for your app will be a piece of cake — and to some extent, it probably will be, thanks to Interface Builder.
The template you select for your Xcode project (as shown in Chapter 4 of Book I) provides the skeleton of a user interface. For example, the Utility Application template for the DeepThoughts app offers a Main view, a Flipside view, an information button on the Main view to display the Flipside view, and a Done button on the Flipside view to get back to the Main view. The flip graphical effect used for a transition between the Main view and Flipside view is also nicely done.
If you choose the Utility Application template, your app should work like a utility app — choose the appropriate template so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel. And before ...
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