How-to articles for iPhone development and Objective-CI am looking for an introduction into developing for the iPhone. Any recommendation? I do not speak Objective-C either, so tutorials on that would not hurt either.
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I collected some links I used to start with iPhone development:
Update 2011
I hope the collection below will help:
1) Blogs on iPhone development:
2) iPhone Source Code:
3) Community:
4) News:
5) Jail breaking/Hacking:
6) Open source libraries and Applications:
Face Detection: http://niw.at/articles/2009/03/14/using-opencv-on-iphone/en
Bar Code: Is there a barcode recognition framework for iOS? [1]
Three 20: http://github.com/facebook/three20
Tapku Library: http://github.com/devinross/tapkulibrary
7) Topic-wise:
8) Game Development with Cocos2D:
9) Drawing Charts and Graphs
10) Map Kit
11) Audio Streaming
12) Twitter
13) Scroll View
14) SQLite:
15) Video:
16) SCM:
17) Testing:
Functional Testing:
Unit Testing:
Automated Testing:
18) Push Notification:
19) Core Data
20) VOIP
I am pretty impressed with http://www.appsamuck.com/.
A new iPhone app is written every day, and is listed on the site with source code and screenshots.
For those looking to go a little beyond the basics in terms of iPhone development, the videos for the Advanced iPhone Development course I taught at the Madison Area Technical College are now available on iTunes U [1] (the previous semester can be found here [2]). This is also available as one of the new iTunes U courses [3] (for use within the iOS iTunes U app).
I cover the iPhone OS frameworks in detail, from Core Data to OpenGL ES, and my detailed course notes (which you can view for the Fall semester here [4] and the Spring semester here [5]) provide supplementary information and links to the sample applications I used for the course.
[1] http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=407243028For Objective-C, this online book is really good...
It was recommended when I took my Cocoa class.
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/ObjectiveC/ObjC.pdf
Join the Apple Developer Connection [1]. It's free, a great resource and has everything you need to get started.
[1] http://developer.apple.com/A simple tutorial from TheAppleBlog.com
iPhone SDK Tutorial: Build a Simple RSS reader for the iPhone [1]
[1] http://theappleblog.com/2008/08/04/tutorial-build-a-simple-rss-reader-for-iphone/I know this is an older post, but I'd definitely go with the Stanford iPhone Application Programming course [1]. It's like actually taking the course without handing in the assignments.
One time when I was watching one of the lectures I had a question about one of the points he made, then someone in the class actually asked the exact question I was thinking of.
One last thing, go and rip the site, I used the Scrapbook plugin for Firefox [2], because they will be taking down all of the material.
[1] http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs193p/cgi-bin/index.phpI've been going down this same path for a couple of weeks now. There are a couple of tutorials out there (e.g. iPhone SDK Tutorial: Build a Simple RSS reader for the iPhone [1] and a couple of others at iCodeBlog [2]) which will get you started. However, I found that neither really explains the rationale for the steps laid out. You'll get an application that works in the end, but without any appreciation for what is actually happening in the code. If someone is already a Cocoa developer, these tutorials would probably be a decent start.
Having no Objective-C (or indeed any Mac OS X) development experience, the reference I've been using is Aaron Hillegaas' Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X [3]. It is outstanding. I've been working with the 2nd Edition and there are some differences in Xcode and Interface Builder [4] that are updated in the 3rd, so I recommend that one. If you know nothing about Objective-C and Cocoa, this is the book to have. He throws you in the deep end with a functioning application, but then backs up, building and explaining things from the ground-up. It isn't an iPhone programming resource, but will make you much better equipped to understand and learn from the iPhone development tutorials out there.
Another benefit is that developing in Xcode for Mac OS X offers a more polished experience than the iPhone tools (which are nice enough, but not as seamless). So if you're just getting started, learning Cocoa from the ground up will smooth the learning curve considerably.
One thing you didn't mention is what current experience you have with other languages. Getting up to speed on C wouldn't be a bad idea either.
[1] http://theappleblog.com/2008/08/04/tutorial-build-a-simple-rss-reader-for-iphone/I can definitely recommend learning Objective-C and Cocoa first.
Cocoa Touch (Cocoa for iPhone) is similar to (desktop) Cocoa. It is also simpler. But the base classes are the same.
Basically you are just looking at two different GUI toolkits.
While you do have to agree to an NDA to get the iPhone SDK, you don't have to physically sign an agreement and send it in, or pay money just to download the SDK. You can sign up for a free Apple Developer Connection account, join the free iPhone developer program, and then download the iPhone SDK which includes a ton of documentation and sample code.
One other thing: You wouldn't go wrong by learning Objective-C and Cocoa on Mac OS X first. There is a lot of tutorial material out there including the Cocoa Dev Central [1] tutorials, the free Become an Xcoder [2] online book, Apple's free online developer documentation, and print books like "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X" and "Xcode 3 Unleashed" (both of which recently came out and cover Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard).
[1] http://cocoadevcentral.com/Disclaimer, I run the site.
iPhone Dev SDK: http://www.iphonedevsdk.com/forum/
iPhone Dev SDK - Popular Threads: http://twitter.com/iphonedevsdk
Some of this may repeat previous answers, but it is a collection of links to sample code collections for the iPhone. I previously posted this as another question, but I thought it could be helpful here.
Apple Sample Cope: http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/navigation/SampleCode.html
Apps Amuck 31 days: http://appsamuck.com/
Beginning iPhone Developing: http://www.iphonedevbook.com/
Chris Software: http://chris-software.com/index.php/dev-center/
Dave DeLong's downloads: http://www.davedelong.com/downloads
iPhone Developers Cookbook: http://code.google.com/p/cookbooksamples/downloads/list
iPhone SDK source code: http://sites.google.com/site/iphonesdktutorials/sourcecode
Joe Hewitt three20: http://joehewitt.com/post/the-three20-project/
Stanford iPhone code: http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs193p/cgi-bin/downloads.php
WiredBob (TabBar in Detail view): http://www.wiredbob.com/blog/2009/4/20/iphone-tweetie-style-navigation-framework.html
If you are new to Objective-C, an excellent reference for C++ and Java programmers is this document with C++ and Objective-C (and some Java) examples of various common language features, so you can quickly get up to speed on common operations:
http://ktd.club.fr/programmation/fichiers/cpp-objc-en.pdf
I've made this post a community wiki. Feel free to edit this list, and add to it as you see fit.
http://www.iphonedevcentral.org/home.php
They have fantastic screencasts, for all experience levels.
Has a great set of tutorials, unfortunately the page has become stagnant lately.
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2948566
There's a decent tutorial on making paper football in this thread.
http://iphonedevelopment.blogspot.com/
Jeff LaMarche is always teaching me new things, and he releases fantastic templates on a regular basis. Be sure to check out his OpenGL template, it has become the basis for a set of tutorials I'm writing.
http://www.iphonesdkarticles.com/
Has great tutorials explaining the basic components.
http://iphonedevelopertips.com/
Has tutorials less frequently, but they occasionally post some great information.
Has daily links with new information. Great new website to add to your RSS reader.
[1] http://icodeblog.comI found it impossible to get going on iPhone programming until I got a book. The Pragmatic Programmers have a good iPhone SDK book [1]. I was able to get to a working app from this despite no prior experience of Mac OS programming, XCode, Cocoa or Objective-C, etc. I did have a good knowledge of C/C++ and Java, though.
[1] http://pragprog.com/titles/amiphd/iphone-sdk-developmentSlight rant: The iPhone SDK non-disclosure thing seems to basically be to stop people publishing books on the SDK while Apple are (probably) planning to change stuff soon. Apple will not start sending you cease-and-desists for writing a tutorial on your blog..
That aside,
Become an Xcoder
[1] is a good guide to start with - it describes the basics of ObjC and Cocoa (it explains the slightly-strange [myObject myMethod:args] syntax, and Interface Builder actions/outlet things that confused me to no end).. I went from knowing very basic C, to understanding Objective-C better than C..
My only problem with Become an Xcoder is that it ends very abruptly.. I was just getting the hang of the syntax, and Interface Builder, and then it ends! I really wish there was a second part, that goes though making a complete (even very simple) Cocoa application. Regardless, the knowledge you'll get from Become an Xcoder will apply to iPhone development.
I've not found a tutorial that covers writing a complete, simple application (either for the iPhone, or Cocoa) - they all either give you huge blocks of code without explaining how on earth you're supposed to know what any of it does, or explain how to start Interface Builder and add a text field and change the text.
Edit: Responding to widespread criticism, Apple said Wednesday that it has decided to do away with its non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software while it drafts a new agreement covering just non-released software ( link [2]).
[1] http://www.cocoalab.com/?q=becomeanxcoderApple's iPhone Dev Center does provide a tutorial which covers writing a complete, simple application. It uses small blocks of code that are given both inline explanation and supplemented with numerous references to other documentation that give a complete treatment of the subject. It even explains how to start Interface Builder and add a text field and change the text...
If you have access to the SDK, see " Your First iPhone Application [1]".
[1] http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/iPhone/Conceptual/iPhone101/Articles/chapter_1_section_1.htmlPragmatic Programmer has a screencast set that is suppose to be good. Haven't tried them yet but plan too. There is a free one as well for the Hello World demo.
http://www.pragprog.com/screencasts/v-bdiphone/writing-your-first-iphone-application
Stanford also offers their iPhone course material online for free: http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs193p/cgi-bin/index.php
I am posting some tutorials about iPhone and Mac development on my blog every now and then:
http://blog.proculo.de/categories/19-Tutorials
The stanford course is a great place to start. You'll also want to check out AppsAmuck [1] - they recently did an "app a day" project where they put together a simple app every day for 31 days and posted the source code. Makes for a great reference on top of the Apple sample code for figuring out those "how do I do this" type questions.
[1] http://appsamuck.com/You may find that a web app can provide all the functionality you need on the iPhone, making it all a lot quicker and simpler to develop. Take a look at iWD: http://www.mgateway.com/iwd.html Check out the videos under the Resources tab.
Unfortunately all of the docs will be coming from Apple while the SDK is under an Non-Disclosure Agreement. I'd love to write some articles and tutorials, but unfortunately if I distributed them, I would be in violation of the NDA.
From ActionScript To iPhone development [1]
If you're an ActionScript (ECMA script and JavaScript will also do well) developer this blog is pretty good to get you started.
[1] http://andyj.be/blogIt may not be a "free" resource, but the great book Head First iPhone Development [1] by O'reilly is certainly worth it.
[1] http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596803551I learned it mostly through a German podcast and this site: http://cocoadevcentral.com/.
I suggest first reading the article Learn Objective-C [1] about the language.
[1] http://cocoadevcentral.com/d/learn_objectivec/iPhone Dev Sessions: Adding Analytics to Your App
How many people use our app? How many times have they used the app? How much time do they spend using our app? How many users do we have in each city, state and country? How many illegal haxored versions are out there? How many people open the app once and never use it again?
http://gigaom.com/apple/iphone-dev-sessions-adding-analytics-to-your-app/
Simple examples to common tasks, iPhone SDK Examples [1].
If you want to know more about iPhone programming, COCOS-2D, game development, see Ray Wenderlich | Tutorials for iPhone / iOS Developers and Gamers [2].
Basic example for an XML parser, Parsing an XML file [3].
[1] http://www.iphoneexamples.com/A very very important blog to understand about properties getter-setter method in Objective-C is Understanding your (Objective-C) self [1].
[1] http://useyourloaf.com/blog/2011/2/8/understanding-your-objective-c-self.htmlI started learning Objective-C by the help of the great tutorial Objective-C Programming Tutorial - 1 - Setting up Xcode [1]. I watched all his videos about Objective-C and learned the basic. It's a good jump start.
[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xqn5IHbusAThe best resources I've found are below:
Online & Free
Apple's
iOS Developer Library
[1]. Once you've read some of the overview and getting started documents, dig into the class reference docs on specific classes. Start with
NSObject
[2], since it's the root of everything, and
UIApplication
[3], since it plays a crucial role in the entire life of the application.
Paul Hegarty's Stanford University course, " Developing Apps for iOS (CS193P) [4]" from iTunes U.
Books
Since you're new to Objective-C as well as, I assume, to Xcode and the iOS SDK in general, start with learning just enough C and Objective-C so that Objective-C won't look like Latin. For that, there are three really good books I can recommend:
Once you have some Objective-C under your belt, you can dive into this:
It's a lot of material, but it will get you there if stick with it and work your way thorough. The Big Nerd Ranch books are project-based. So, as you work through them, you'll get some real experience as you go along. They also have an excellent forum [9] where other learners (and sometimes even the authors) will help you along.
[1] https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/Ray Wenderlich and his team are doing a very nice job by writing new and interesting tutorials [1].
[1] http://www.raywenderlich.com/