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iOS Anyone trying to learn iOS programing?
- Thread starter johnbowne
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's a fallacy that one can build an app as easily as Apple portrays it in it's keynote demonstrations.
Every time I watch see a Youtube video on building an app with Swift, I get interested and then dejected given how much programming skills you need.
Many of the examples seem to be just dragging and dropping and cutting and pasting in xCode.
But if you're building a custom app, you really need to understand programming concepts, syntax, and what you're doing.
I'm wondering if it's not easier building a simple app using JQuery mobile.
Every time I watch see a Youtube video on building an app with Swift, I get interested and then dejected given how much programming skills you need.
Many of the examples seem to be just dragging and dropping and cutting and pasting in xCode.
But if you're building a custom app, you really need to understand programming concepts, syntax, and what you're doing.
I'm wondering if it's not easier building a simple app using JQuery mobile.
I think having some background in programming is going to be essential when making sophisticated program. This applies to any language and library.
Swift is however one of the easier ones to pick up.
To build an app today is easier than 5 years ago, today theres a lot of resources from which to learn. Just to upload an app to the apps store a few year ago was extremely difficult and confusing, regarding certificates and profiles etc... Now Xcode does most of that work. Building an app is not like they show in the keynotes.
Building a custom app is challenging but not imposible, it takes a lot of work and research, the most difficult time is killing the bugs. My advice to any one that is learning iOS is to start learning swift 4.0 from scratch, and be very careful with the tutorials on the internet, most of those are outdated, because what works on swift 3.2 and below do not work on swift 4.0 and you will be doing to your self a big favor by not using that outdated code. Best advice is to buy 2 or 3 current books and follow its chapter until completion. after that, then start putting your ideas into code, not before. And don't get disinterested, learning programming has a curve, but once that is understood, the sky is the limit regarding the things that you will be able to create.
Good luck!
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I been trying to learn for about a month now. I started with swift playground for iPad which got me really interested and now I'm doing tutorials through Xcode. Buying a class in udemy.com has been very helpful.
At times it can get discouraging when I get lost but I keep on pushing
At times it can get discouraging when I get lost but I keep on pushing
As anything in life, computer programming is an art which takes many years to master, just be patient and keep going. If you enjoy it, it will not be too difficult, but once all that make a click in your mind, the experience is very rewarding.
I would also recommend to anyone who is new to programming to read through apples own book "App development with swift" Its a free book, available through iBooks and it walks you through learning the Swift programming language and then later in the book you start working on actually projects that get you familiarized with some of the API, like UIKit.
I come from a C++ background and learning Swift and the Apple API was made a lot easier using that book.
I come from a C++ background and learning Swift and the Apple API was made a lot easier using that book.
I'm going through Ray Wenderlich's course (now on Udemy, by the way), and while he does a great job walking you through building apps AND teaching Swift, there are some areas which seem just a little too fast (i.e., some of the stuff about arrays and closures as well as structures, which is where I am now), and I'm beginning to get confused. SO, per the advice above from deadworlds, I'm using Apple's "App Development With Swift" iBook to fill in the missing pieces. I think these two resources SHOULD be enough for me to get a good foundation in Swift, Xcode and iOS app development.
I would only LOVE to have time to go through Harvard's CS50 course on edX (which I started doing too, by the way), but it's just too much when you have a full time job and a family to take care of. I guess if I didn't need to sleep I'd consider it, but I haven't found a cure for the need to sleep yet.
Once I get through the chapters on arrays, closures and structures, I'll have a better idea of whether or not I have the cognitive abilities and/or motivation to continue on this quest. But I'll be sure to post updates to this thread!
Very quickly...just curious, but what is it about programming and/or app development that is so alluring for so many of us? Personally, I think it's the idea of being able to earn a living solving story problems and being creative at home, on your own computer and on your own time. There's something very tantalizing about the concept of earning income strictly based on your brain power. As a physician, there are plenty of opportunities to solve "story problems." But, you have to often deal with disgruntled patients, office staff who don't always do their jobs (or even show up for work), landlords who keep jacking up the rent, insurance companies and Medicare which both seem to keep placing more flaming hoops through which you're supposed to jump in order to receive ever-declining reimbursement, lawyers who are always looking to see if you made any mistakes, etc. Programming allows you to sit quietly at a desk, build something to solve a problem, and get paid for your efforts. I know, it's an idealized view and probably far from reality. But, it is awfully satisfying when you write a program and get it to work...it's that power over the machine, free from other human errors (other than your own, that is). Yes, of course there are frustrations at multiple levels (as I'm learning just taking these courses and reading books), but it sure would be awesome to be great at it, don't you think?
In college, I actually used to ENJOY pulling all-nighters to finish computer science homework problem sets...the peace and quiet of the computer lab at night, no interruptions, and an opportunity to really put my brain to the test. It was the most fun I ever had in my life doing homework, even if it was in FORTRAN and I was writing more mathematical and scientific programs (for engineering school). It's too bad none of that knowledge or experience is helping me understand the finer points of Swift and object-oriented programming (which was NOT taught back in 1985 to freshmen in the engineering program at the University of Michigan). Anyway, good luck to everyone out there! I hope we can all get a handle on iOS development!
I would only LOVE to have time to go through Harvard's CS50 course on edX (which I started doing too, by the way), but it's just too much when you have a full time job and a family to take care of. I guess if I didn't need to sleep I'd consider it, but I haven't found a cure for the need to sleep yet.
Once I get through the chapters on arrays, closures and structures, I'll have a better idea of whether or not I have the cognitive abilities and/or motivation to continue on this quest. But I'll be sure to post updates to this thread!
Very quickly...just curious, but what is it about programming and/or app development that is so alluring for so many of us? Personally, I think it's the idea of being able to earn a living solving story problems and being creative at home, on your own computer and on your own time. There's something very tantalizing about the concept of earning income strictly based on your brain power. As a physician, there are plenty of opportunities to solve "story problems." But, you have to often deal with disgruntled patients, office staff who don't always do their jobs (or even show up for work), landlords who keep jacking up the rent, insurance companies and Medicare which both seem to keep placing more flaming hoops through which you're supposed to jump in order to receive ever-declining reimbursement, lawyers who are always looking to see if you made any mistakes, etc. Programming allows you to sit quietly at a desk, build something to solve a problem, and get paid for your efforts. I know, it's an idealized view and probably far from reality. But, it is awfully satisfying when you write a program and get it to work...it's that power over the machine, free from other human errors (other than your own, that is). Yes, of course there are frustrations at multiple levels (as I'm learning just taking these courses and reading books), but it sure would be awesome to be great at it, don't you think?
In college, I actually used to ENJOY pulling all-nighters to finish computer science homework problem sets...the peace and quiet of the computer lab at night, no interruptions, and an opportunity to really put my brain to the test. It was the most fun I ever had in my life doing homework, even if it was in FORTRAN and I was writing more mathematical and scientific programs (for engineering school). It's too bad none of that knowledge or experience is helping me understand the finer points of Swift and object-oriented programming (which was NOT taught back in 1985 to freshmen in the engineering program at the University of Michigan). Anyway, good luck to everyone out there! I hope we can all get a handle on iOS development!
Trying to build an app without having first learned enough about coding to break down and solve programming problems, and to debug, not only ones own code, but poorly written and even incorrect documentation and tutorials, is a recipe for crushing failure.
Some people get lucky, and jump in the ocean undertow without drowning, but don’t count on it.
Syntax is not the problem, as I, and many other programmers, can code in programming languages we barely know, by looking up the syntax as needed, and then quickly fixing the buggy mess created when we choose the incorrect syntax or symantics. The important thing is problem-solving skills, not syntax memorization.
Hi!
I'd like to start out by saying that I would like to connect with other developers that are learning iOS development with Swift. Not only may I get help from you, but also get challenged on what I already know and reinforce learning. Learning by teaching is still a great way to learn things. My suggestion is to have a Slack group, but I am open to other suggestions.
I'm learning Swift and iOS while implementing an app design I have created. It has been an arduous path to walk sometimes because I am very particular with what I learn and how, especially because I don't have all the time in the world anymore. Depending on learning style I think it can be very hard or easy. I'm 31 (and going through a computer engineer degree) and I mostly struggle with being patient, reading whole books or watching whole video courses etc. is not my thing. I know mostly what I need to learn in order to implement my solution.
There is a big hump I have gotten past (delegate and protocol system, views within views within views) and things have improved, but that only happened recently. One of the big things there was that I looked at tutorials where basically everything was implemented in code. Drag and drop, putting views here and there and combining them using outlets etc. is fine, but there just were certain things my brain didn't want to wrap itself around before I saw things implemented in code.
A person that is entirely new to programming will need a combination of problem-solution solving, learning the language of choice with playgrounds etc. and then go into Xcode and program buttons and other views, actions etc. programmatically. Depending on interest the person could read books (especially stuff from RayWenderlich.com) or work on his or her own project. To get into a certain programmer mindset I will recommend 57 Exercises for Programmers (no affiliation, I read it myself).
Well, I wrote a lot already and could write a lot more, but I can save that for later.
I'd like to start out by saying that I would like to connect with other developers that are learning iOS development with Swift. Not only may I get help from you, but also get challenged on what I already know and reinforce learning. Learning by teaching is still a great way to learn things. My suggestion is to have a Slack group, but I am open to other suggestions.
I'm learning Swift and iOS while implementing an app design I have created. It has been an arduous path to walk sometimes because I am very particular with what I learn and how, especially because I don't have all the time in the world anymore. Depending on learning style I think it can be very hard or easy. I'm 31 (and going through a computer engineer degree) and I mostly struggle with being patient, reading whole books or watching whole video courses etc. is not my thing. I know mostly what I need to learn in order to implement my solution.
There is a big hump I have gotten past (delegate and protocol system, views within views within views) and things have improved, but that only happened recently. One of the big things there was that I looked at tutorials where basically everything was implemented in code. Drag and drop, putting views here and there and combining them using outlets etc. is fine, but there just were certain things my brain didn't want to wrap itself around before I saw things implemented in code.
A person that is entirely new to programming will need a combination of problem-solution solving, learning the language of choice with playgrounds etc. and then go into Xcode and program buttons and other views, actions etc. programmatically. Depending on interest the person could read books (especially stuff from RayWenderlich.com) or work on his or her own project. To get into a certain programmer mindset I will recommend 57 Exercises for Programmers (no affiliation, I read it myself).
Well, I wrote a lot already and could write a lot more, but I can save that for later.
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That reminds me of a quote from a friend. I asked him how long it would take to learn to play Golf. His reply “15 minutes, but a lifetime to master!”
Hi!
I'd like to start out by saying that I would like to connect with other developers that are learning iOS development with Swift. Not only may I get help from you, but also get challenged on what I already know and reinforce learning. Learning by teaching is still a great way to learn things. My suggestion is to have a Slack group, but I am open to other suggestions.
I'm learning Swift and iOS while implementing an app design I have created. It has been an arduous path to walk sometimes because I am very particular with what I learn and how, especially because I don't have all the time in the world anymore. Depending on learning style I think it can be very hard or easy. I'm 31 (and going through a computer engineer degree) and I mostly struggle with being patient, reading whole books or watching whole video courses etc. is not my thing. I know mostly what I need to learn in order to implement my solution.
There is a big hump I have gotten past (delegate and protocol system, views within views within views) and things have improved, but that only happened recently. One of the big things there was that I looked at tutorials where basically everything was implemented in code. Drag and drop, putting views here and there and combining them using outlets etc. is fine, but there just were certain things my brain didn't want to wrap itself around before I saw things implemented in code.
A person that is entirely new to programming will need a combination of problem-solution solving, learning the language of choice with playgrounds etc. and then go into Xcode and program buttons and other views, actions etc. programmatically. Depending on interest the person could read books (especially stuff from RayWenderlich.com) or work on his or her own project. To get into a certain programmer mindset I will recommend 57 Exercises for Programmers (no affiliation, I read it myself).
Well, I wrote a lot already and could write a lot more, but I can save that for later.
I'd be very interested in connecting, as long as you realize your skills are probably much more advanced than many other "beginners" who may be reading this thread (including myself). I'm not sure how helpful I can be to you, but I'm fairly certain your knowledge and experience could be helpful to me. On the other hand, sometimes TEACHING others is one of the best ways to reinforce your own knowledge (at least, that's how we do it in Medicine). Also, I've never used Slack before (never had a reason), but I've heard how cool it is and I'm very interested in checking that out as well. So, go ahead and set it up, and I'll join!! Maybe you should start a new thread in this forum about a Slack group and we can carry it from there.
Meanwhile, thanks for the link to the "57 Exercises..." book. Looks interesting...I think I'll get the ebook.
There are a lot of 'Learn Swift' Meetups that can be attended in person. Just google it to see if there's one that's geographically near you. Many of them probably have Slack channels.
I've been thinking the last few days about the feasibility of having a group and my own participation in it. I had a few ideas like a mentoring between members, Q&A etc. Personally I think it would be interesting to be a mentor and have a few sessions a week going through something together, how does that sound? Maybe I want to spend a few more days, letting my thoughts brew a little, I don't like to commit myself to something without some critical thinking.
Totally agree. I've started learning swift from scratch 5 months ago, now I have a game listed on appstore (name: Minoom). I'd read The Swift Programming Language by Apple at first and started writing first lines of code right after. stackexchange and google helped me get over all the hump. I think the most difficult part is to actually start it.
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Fantastic!!! Very well done!!
One of the best experiences to list your own app on the Apple Store after all the effort that it takes its creation.
Fantastic!!! Very well done!!
One of the best experiences to list your own app on the Apple Store after all the effort that it takes its creation.
It is one of the best experiences to publish your first app and one of the greatest disappointments if it doesn't get any downloads besides the ones that are guaranteed in the first few days. I uploaded some html5 games compiled with Cordova but I wasn't expecting anything from them anyway, then 4 months ago I started learning swift for native development coming mostly from a Java background. I had to learn swift and scenekit because I wanted to create an augmented reality app. Last month I published my app for designing dynamic solar systems in AR: "Cosmos Creator - AR Universes". After lots of sent emails, I managed to get AppAdvice.com to write an article about it: Link Here. It helped at first, it had a bit of traction but now I'm disappointed that it starts fading away into the background. I'm trying to work on my ASO now, hopefully it will improve things. Anyway, I'm proud that I got familiar with Swift pretty quickly and published my first native app in 3 months, so hopefully that will inspire someone in here All the best!
All the best!It is one of the best experiences to publish your first app and one of the greatest disappointments if it doesn't get any downloads besides the ones that are guaranteed in the first few days. I uploaded some html5 games compiled with Cordova but I wasn't expecting anything from them anyway, then 4 months ago I started learning swift for native development coming mostly from a Java background. I had to learn swift and scenekit because I wanted to create an augmented reality app. Last month I published my app for designing dynamic solar systems in AR: "Cosmos Creator - AR Universes". After lots of sent emails, I managed to get AppAdvice.com to write an article about it: Link Here. It helped at first, it had a bit of traction but now I'm disappointed that it starts fading away into the background. I'm trying to work on my ASO now, hopefully it will improve things. Anyway, I'm proud that I got familiar with Swift pretty quickly and published my first native app in 3 months, so hopefully that will inspire someone in here
That's a great looking app - you should be very proud.
However it just goes to show hard it is to create a successful app - even if it looks awesome.
There are so many great apps that get buried in the store which is such a shame.
I'm learning the hard way - I spent a while developing my first ever iPhone app/game and thought it'd be easy money. Its free with ads after all so I thought most people would take a punt on it. The problem is, no one gets to see it in the store to take that initial punt!
By the way, int3rceptor and iOsDevMann, I downloaded both of your apps, and they're both pretty cool! I think others reading MacRumors should do the same, thus showing Apple increased interest in your apps and maybe getting them to feature them! Also, perhaps MacRumors would want to consider featuring some of their own members' apps as a form of gratitude to us for being members here keeping some of the conversations going.
In other words, shouldn't we be looking out for each other, since no one else really seems to be doing it?
Thanks for the kind words DrMotownMac. Although I am new here I whole heartedly agree. It is so difficult to break into the App Store market a supportive community would make a world of difference.
I for one am happy to download and review any apps to help others out.
Oh, and thanks for reminding me!! I'll be sure to give a glowing review, when I have a bit more time later tonight.
Apple don't care about the army of developers that contributed through all this years to the iPhone success. The Apple Store search engine has been broken for many years, sometimes it happened that users could not use the app and for that reason they give it a 1 star review, in those years it was necessary for apple to implement a way for developers to explain the users the use of the app, the only way we had on those days was to communicate directly with Apple and asked them to test the app again with the hope that Apple remove the 1 star and the bad review, sometimes they removed it sometimes they did not. After all the effort that it took to build an App, just 1 careless, asinine user was capable to destroy the sales of an app, and there was nothing to be done. That really hurt, and many creative developers cease creating apps. Thats why today the Apple Store is full of cloned apps. Today to be successful in the App Store it requires a lot of money for publicity... simple! Money makes more money!
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