How to Create an iPhone App: Setting up the Development Environment
The app market is continuously evolving and success stories are not hard to hear these days. So do you think you have the skills and ideas to make the next killer iPhone app? Apart from skills in coding, interface, and graphics, developing an app requires patience, time, and updated learning to make it tempting enough. So let’s examine what steps are required to set up the perfect environment for developing an iPhone app.
1. Install Xcode
Xcode is the standard development environment that caters all the iPhone apps. It can be acquired for free from Apple, but would later need OS X 10.8 to install. There is no officially drafted way to operate Xcode on Windows or Linux PC. This means if you are intending to develop an iPhone app on a system other than Mac, then you’ll need some investment to put in first.
2. Install a nice text editor
Even though Xcode allows you to code completely through it, but there comes a time when a text editor becomes necessary. A text editor mastered in programming syntax makes life easier for the developer if there are large bits of code. Few popular options include JEdit, TextMate, etc.
3. Install a vector graphics program
You need a vector graphics program if your work call for developing designs and custom art for your app. Some popular programs such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, Xara Designer, etc. have the ability to scale designs and images without compromising clarity. For starters you can use DrawBerry—a friendly and free graphics drawing program. Even though it may not match the calibre and tools of pro programs, but it is best for first-time users who are out to work on a small-scale.
4. Get to know Objective-C
Objective-C is a programming language that defines data and object manipulation and is run to produce the functionality within an iPhone app. It is an object-oriented language derived from the C family of languages. If you have a fair know-how of C or Java, then it will be quite easy to get the hold of Objective-C.
However a much newer option comes with Swift—a follow-on language to Objective C. Developers prefer Swift as it has a better and friendlier syntax and a more modern look. While you can create a basic app without understanding Objective-C, but when it comes to advanced functions, there is no other option rather than to do coding yourself. Remember without Objective-c, you will be limited to just move back and forth across screens.
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