Migrating to iPhone and iPad for .NET Developers

Migrating to iPhone and iPad for .NET Developers

Released November 2011
Publisher(s): Apress
ISBN: 9781430238584

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Book description

Today's .NET developers are intrigued by what the iPhone and iPad apps landscape has to offer. Admit it: you're one of them. Apple's App Store has hundreds of thousands of apps, and yours can be among them. iPhone and iPad app development using the iOS software development kit is one of the most appealing environments available for mobile technology.

Migrating to iPhone and iPad for .NET Developers helps .NET programmers get started creating iPhone and iPad apps using the iOS software development kit. Start with a crash course on development using iOS. Then, find out whether you want to use Xcode instead of Visual Studio, and prepare yourself for the migration from C# to Objective-C! You'll learn how your existing .NET skills can map most efficiently to the iOS development environment.

Next, you'll really get coding with Objective-C and the iOS software development kit. You'll build your skills and enhance your apps with visually appealing, dynamic user interfaces and pushing/pulling data from a database though events and more. Discover the wonders of the Cocoa library, and learn new ways to do things you already know like the back of your hand in the .NET environment.

Nearing the finish line, you'll build your first complete iPhone or iPad app, and extend your iPhone app features—for example, by using third-party libraries. Once you have created that first iPhone or iPad app, we'll walk you through making it available on the App Store. Migrating to iPhone and iPad for .NET Developers even offers tips on how to market your apps to new customers.

When you finish reading Migrating to iPhone and iPad for .NET Developers, you'll be an iOS apps developer as well as a .NET developer, in today's competitive and fun mobile landscape!

What you'll learn

  • How to efficiently and quickly migrate your skills from .NET to Apple iOS for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

  • How to set up and start coding with the iOS software development kit, Xcode and other Apple iOS and Mac tools

  • How to enhance your app with a dynamic user interface

  • How to store and retrieve data and configure your apps

  • How to de-bug and test your apps in the iOS environment

  • How to publish your first app on Apple's App Store

Who this book is for

If you're a Windows or .NET programmer who wants to get into iPhone or iPad apps development for the very first time, this book is for you!

Table of contents

  1. Title
  2. Dedication
  3. Contents at a Glance
  4. Contents
  5. About the Author
  6. About the Technical Reviewer
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. Chapter 1: Get Set Up: Tools and Development on Apple’s Platforms and Technologies
    1. Registering As an Apple Developer
    2. Application Development Considerations
    3. Apple Platforms and Technologies
    4. Third-Party Options
    5. Overview of the App Store
    6. Summary
  10. Chapter 2: Jump In: A Crash Course on Development Using the iOS SDK
    1. Getting Started
    2. Installing Xcode and the iOS SDK
    3. An Objective-C Primer
    4. Creating Your First iPhone Application
    5. Using Automatic Reference Counting
    6. Summary
  11. Chapter 3: Understand Your Options: Using Third-Party Solutions and MonoTouch
    1. Understanding the Constraints
    2. Developing with Mono and MonoTouch
    3. Using Appcelerator's Titanium Mobile
    4. Using the Marmalade SDK
    5. Summary
  12. Chapter 4: Going Deeper: .NET, Objective-C, and the iOS SDK
    1. Comparing iOS Device Capabilities
    2. iOS Application Design
    3. Looking Under the Hood of an Application
    4. Comparing the .NET Framework with iOS and the iOS SDK
    5. Objective-C Primer, Part 2
    6. Comparing .NET and Xcode Tools
    7. XCode 4 Primer
    8. Summary
  13. Chapter 5: Get to Work: Creating Your First Application
    1. The App Planning and Design Process
    2. Planning and Designing the Lunar Lander Application
    3. Building the Lunar Lander Application
    4. Building the Core Game Engine and Enabling User Interaction
    5. Using Simulators to Test Your Application
    6. Summary
  14. Chapter 6: Build Your Skills: Enhancing Your Application with a Dynamic User Interface
    1. Understanding Platform and Device Constraints
    2. Application Types and Associated View Controllers
    3. Implementing a Tab Bar–Based Application
    4. Overview of iPad-specific Controllers
    5. User Interface Controls
    6. Apple's User Interface Resources
    7. Summary
  15. Chapter 7: Get the Data: Storing and Retrieving Data and Configuring your Applications
    1. What Are Our Options for Storing Data?
    2. Creating the High-Score Example
    3. Comparing the Serialization Example with .NET
    4. Summary
  16. Chapter 8: Extend Your Apps: Extending Your iOS Application with Libraries
    1. Overview of Libraries
    2. Creating Your Own Static Libraries
    3. The Apple Developer Agreement
    4. Third-Party Libraries
    5. Summary
  17. Chapter 9: Get Published: Testing, Deploying and Distributing Your Applications
    1. Available Test Features
    2. Using the Xcode 4 Debugger
    3. Other Debugging Options
    4. Using the Simulator's Debug Features
    5. Testing on Real Devices
    6. Deploying Your Application
    7. Publishing Your Application
    8. Additional Resources
    9. Summary
  18. Chapter 10: Extend Your Skills: Advanced Features
    1. Using the Global Positioning System
    2. Using the Camera
    3. Writing an Example Camera Application
    4. Using the Accelerometer
    5. Overview of Gesture Detection
    6. Targeting Multiple Devices with Your Code
    7. What's New and on the Horizon?
    8. Summary
  19. Appendix: Completing the Lunar Lander Application
    1. Implementing the Game Physics
    2. Enabling User Interaction
    3. Catching Game Events
    4. Handling the Graphics
    5. Displaying a High Score
    6. Resources
  20. Index

Product information

  • Title: Migrating to iPhone and iPad for .NET Developers
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: November 2011
  • Publisher(s): Apress
  • ISBN: 9781430238584