Xcode® 4

Chapter 3: Building Applications from Templates

In This Chapter

Using the OS X Application templates Using the iOS Application templates Customizing the standard templates

Assembling the ingredients of an application by hand in Xcode isn't a trivial process. It's faster and more convenient to start from a ready-made template, extending it as needed.

Xcode includes templates for different types of iOS and OS X applications, including plug-ins and other special projects for OS X developers. Getting started with a template is easy. All templates include a bare skeleton of essential code and are guaranteed to build and run successfully.

You can make development more efficient by adding your own templates to Xcode's collection. The standard templates are very simple and limited. Some include features that you may not need, and most leave out useful features that can simplify development.

You can use the template system to create complex skeleton apps with almost any amount of code. For example, you could create a game template for iOS that includes a custom framework for graphics management, collision detection, and user input. This template could be reused as the starting point for a series of game projects.

Getting Started with Templates

You can access Xcode's template screen in two ways. Figure 3.1 shows Xcode's startup window. By default, this window appears when you launch Xcode. To show the templates, select the Create a new Xcode project option from the list at the left. ...