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iOS Windows Programmer looking to code for iPhone. Where to start?

kAoTiX

kAoTiX

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 14, 2008
487
0
Midlands, UK
I am a windows programmer of 7 years and are looking to start programming for iPhone/iPod. Basically, I have no idea where to start...well, I sort of do but would like some pointers.

I know I need a mac (! I bought a PPC mac mini how stupid.)
Will be getting an Intel based Mac in the coming weeks.

Where do I go from here? I currently program in C++/Delphi and do web programming for PHP/MySQL so learning a new syntax/language isn't a problem but I know I'm going to be reading a fair few books first.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
Learn plain-old basic C. Ensure you understand pointers well. Then learn Objective-C. Both of these can be done using web-based resources only (edit by this I don't mean you must do it online, rather that you can do it without buying any books).
 
*forum lurker alert*

that was a fast response!
I'll be sure to check that out. I do have some understanding of plain old C and read some things about objective C but never anything practical. Can you recommend any online resources or books/ebooks to get me started?
 
Thanks for the information yet again.
I'm excited now to see what I can do!

*waits for mac mini*
 
I have just started learning to Develop applications for iPhone also. My background is in Java. I recently picked up the book "Learn Objective-C on the Mac" by Mark Dalrymple. So far I like it a lot and it does a good job of introducing you to Objective-c. I prefer to have a book in hand rather than read from a computer screen (especially since I tend to be working on code examples as I read and it gets frustrating flipping between some browser and xcode.)

Hope that Helps.
Good luck!
 
If you already know and can use multiple programming language, OOP concepts, and UI frameworks, then the path to iPhone coding can be fairly quick, maybe just a few weeks for some people. First read the Obj-C tutorials or books, then move on to reading example iPhone code and Cocoa Touch programming guides/books. Apple has plenty of the documentation needed to get running quickly.

Relearning how Objective C's form of punctuation abuse differs from C/C++ looks to be a major issue to some programmers, but goes quickly once you start coding a few example/tutorial apps.

There are a few things in C++ that aren't straightforward in Obj-C, so you may have to learn a few alternate programming strategies. I do not recommend mixing Obj-C and C++, at least initially (unless your sole project is to port a major C++ compute engine).
 
kAoTiX said:
I am a windows programmer of 7 years and are looking to start programming for iPhone/iPod. Basically, I have no idea where to start...well, I sort of do but would like some pointers.

I know I need a mac (! I bought a PPC mac mini how stupid.)
Will be getting an Intel based Mac in the coming weeks.

Where do I go from here? I currently program in C++/Delphi and do web programming for PHP/MySQL so learning a new syntax/language isn't a problem but I know I'm going to be reading a fair few books first.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

As you are already a programmer I think it should be fairly straightforward for you. I think perhaps getting used to Xcode might be the stumbling block if you're used to VisualStudio or similar.

Recommended books from the top of my head are:

Kochan's Objective-C book
Hillegass' Cocoa for Mac
Someone's ;) Cocoa design patterns

Personally I needed Begining iPhone Development from Apress as well, but then I hadn't programmed anything since I dabbled with Turbo Pascal in the early 90's. I knew practically no OOP and the above mentioned book is a really good book for beginners.
 
Thanks for the replies, still waiting on my mac mini but I've got a few of the books and they're really interesting.
 
I know you got a PPC Mac, but it doesn't mean you can't start. If you know programming for the Mac, you know programming for the iPhone. It's very similar. I suggest you to start creating some projects to learn. It's gonna be easier when you get your Intel Mac because you will have some experience with Objective-C and Cocoa.
 
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