Contents at a Glance

Introduction

HOUR 1: Preparing Your System and iDevice for Development

HOUR 2: Introduction to Xcode and the iOS Simulator

HOUR 3: Discovering Objective-C: The Language of Apple Platforms

HOUR 4: Inside Cocoa Touch

HOUR 5: Exploring Interface Builder

HOUR 6: Model-View-Controller Application Design

HOUR 7: Working with Text, Keyboards, and Buttons

HOUR 8: Handling Images, Animation, Sliders, and Steppers

HOUR 9: Using Advanced Interface Objects and Views

HOUR 10: Getting the User’s Attention

HOUR 11: Implementing Multiple Scenes and Popovers

HOUR 12: Making Choices with Toolbars and Pickers

HOUR 13: Advanced Storyboards Using Navigation and Tab Bar Controllers

HOUR 14: Navigating Information Using Table Views and Split View Controllers

HOUR 15: Reading and Writing Application Data

HOUR 16: Building Responsive and Backward-Compatible User Interfaces

HOUR 17: Using Advanced Touches and Gestures

HOUR 18: Sensing Orientation and Motion

HOUR 19: Working with Rich Media

HOUR 20: Interacting with Other iOS Services

HOUR 21: Implementing Location Services

HOUR 22: Building Background-Ready Applications

HOUR 23: Building Universal Applications

HOUR 24: Application Tracing, Monitoring, and Debugging

Appendix A: Introducing Xcode Source Control

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Introduction

When you pick up an iOS device and use it, you feel connected. Whether it be an iPad Air, an iPhone, or an iPod, the interface acts as an extension to your fingers; it is smooth, comfortable, and invites exploration. Other competing devices offer similar features, and even sport gadgets such as styluses and trackpads, but they cannot match the user experience that is iOS.

The introduction of iOS 7 solidifies Apple’s commitment to user-focused design. The new operating system places content front-and-center, eliminating the glossy edges and shadows that served as little more than a distraction. Now, depth and translucency help keep users connected to their content and aware of the context in which they are accessing it. iOS has taken a giant leap forward, and with it, the tools used for development.

When creating iOS and the Xcode development tools, Apple considered everything from interface to application performance and battery life. There is always the expectation that, no matter what, the device will remain responsive and usable. As a developer, does this mean that there are rules to follow? Absolutely. But, by following these rules, you can create applications that are interactive works of art for your users to love—not software they will load and forget.

Through the App Store, Apple has created the ultimate digital distribution system for iOS applications. Programmers of any age or affiliation can submit their applications to the App Store for just the cost of a modest yearly Developer Membership fee. Games, utilities, and full-feature applications have been built for everything from pre-K education to retirement living. No matter what the content, with a user base as large as the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, an audience exists.

Each year, Apple introduces new devices—bringing larger, faster, and higher-resolution capabilities to the iOS family. With each new hardware refresh come new development opportunities and new ways to explore the boundaries between software and art.

My hope is that this tutorial brings iOS development to a new generation of developers. Teach Yourself iOS 7 Development in 24 Hours provides a clear and natural progression of skills development, from installing developer tools and registering your device with Apple, to submitting an application to the App Store. It’s everything you need to get started in 24 one-hour lessons.

Developing an app won’t happen overnight, but with dedication and practice, you can be writing your first applications in a matter of days. The more time you spend working with the Apple developer tools, the more opportunities you’ll discover for creating new and exciting projects.

You should approach iOS application development as creating software that you want to use, not what you think others want. If you’re solely interested in getting rich quick, you’re likely to be disappointed. (The App Store is a crowded marketplace—albeit one with a lot of room—and competition for top sales is fierce.) However, if you focus on building useful and unique apps, you’re much more likely to find an appreciative audience.

That said, some things are expected of you, the reader. Specifically, you must be willing to invest in the learning process. If you just read each hour’s lesson without working through the tutorials, you will likely miss some fundamental concepts. In addition, you need to spend time reading the Apple developer documentation and researching the topics presented in this tutorial. A vast amount of information on iOS development is available, but only limited space in this tutorial. Therefore, this tutorial covers what you need to forge your own path forward.

Unfortunately, this is not a complete reference for the iOS application programming interfaces (APIs); some topics just require much more space than this tutorial allows. Thankfully, the Apple developer documentation is available directly within the free tools you install in Hour 1, “Preparing Your System and iDevice for Development.” In many hours, you’ll find a section titled “Further Exploration.” This identifies additional related topics of interest. Again, a willingness to explore is an important quality in becoming a successful developer.

Each coding lesson is accompanied by project files that include everything you need to compile and test an example or, preferably, follow along and build the application yourself. Be sure to download the project files from http://teachyourselfios.com. If you have issues with any projects, view the posts on this site to see whether a solution has been identified.

In addition to the support website, you can follow along on Twitter! Search for #iOSIn24 on Twitter to receive official updates and tweets from other readers. Use the hashtag #iOSIn24 in your tweets to join the conversation. To send me messages via Twitter, begin each tweet with @johnemeryray.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to being the best book that it can be. Give it a big hug.

About the Author

John Ray is currently serves as the Director of the Office of Research Information Systems at The Ohio State University. He has written numerous books for Macmillan/Sams/Que, including Using TCP/IP: Special Edition, Teach Yourself Dreamweaver MX in 21 Days, Mac OS X Unleashed, My Mavericks MacBook, and Teach Yourself iOS 6 Development in 24 Hours. As a Macintosh user since 1984, he strives to ensure that each project presents the Macintosh with the equality and depth it deserves. Even technical titles such as Using TCP/IP contain extensive information about the Macintosh and its applications and have garnered numerous positive reviews for their straightforward approach and accessibility to beginner and intermediate users.

You can visit his website at http://teachyourselfios.com or follow him on Twitter at @johnemeryray or #iOSIn24.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the group at Sams Publishing—Laura Norman, Keith Cline, Mark Renfrow—and my Tech Editor, Anne Groves, for getting me through this edition. The abject terror that your team places within me drives me to finish. I hope someday to escape this small room and again see the light of day. Between typing sessions, I catch raindrops on the top of my MacBook and use them to quench my parched lips. My leather iPad case, half eaten, is my sole source of sustenance. I know what will happen if I miss another deadline, but the tears no longer flow, and the screams no longer come.

I hear them coming. I must go.

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