Apple iPhone School » SDK

Developing an iPhone Application From Scratch

Douglas — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:41:21 +0000

Ok, so I’ve been inspired by recent news articles of people writing iPhone apps and retiring at the age of 25. I figured I might as well try it out. First I’ll give you some background on what I already know, which isn’t a ton. I started programming basic when I was between 5 and 10. Can’t remember exactly but I remember writing my little programs and saving them to a 5.25 inch floppy disk. As things moved on I went through all the versions of Windows but never really wrote anything since Basic until the internet came a long and then started doing html. I did a lot of the basic stuff, a lot of it I still use today and some I probably shouldn’t Recently I’ve learned some php and css thanks to Wordpress. I’ve always worked with PCs until the iPhone but working with jailbreaking and some of the hacking, I’ve learned the file structure of OS X.

I was always against most programming because I hate math. I still don’t really know how much I’m going to need but either way I’m going to give programming iPhone apps a shot. I started looking through Apple’s Developer site to see what I needed to know and kept reading I would need to learn C programming. I also recently heard about a class that Stanford University is publishing online for free about iPhone application development. While reading their syllabus I read again I would need to know how to program in C. I was getting discouraged but though I’d check it out.

I quickly noticed the structure of C is a lot like php. Of course that’s because php is written in C. That made me feel better! I’m really in the very beginning stages and I’m doing this all on my own. I’m not sure how far I’ll make it but there’s only one way to find out.

I’m sure there are a lot of you out there that are in the same boat as me. Maybe you’re a little farther ahead or are thinking about getting started so I thought I’d share some of the resources I’ve found and keep you posted on my progress. Here is a list of stuff I’ve found. If you have something better, please post it in the comments.

iPhone 2.2.1 Dev Kit from Apple (you have to sign in to get the download link) (3.0 is $99)
Online class from Stanford University called iPhone Application Development
Online Tutorial of C programming
My Delicious tag “iphonedev” where I will share these and more links in the future

iPhone Blackjack – Not Yet Available

Brooke — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:14:57 +0000

This is an iPhone Blackjack application that was created on Apple’s SDK. No word as to whether or not we will see it in the App Store. But, it looks cool!

Watch “iPhone Blackjack” on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Mahjang Solitaire – Created on SDK 2.0 beta

Brooke — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:58:27 +0000

Below is a demo video of Mahjang Solitaire, by SUNSOFT, that was created on Apple’s SDK 2.0 beta. There is no information as to whether it will be available via the App Store. But, I personally kind of like this game so, I hope we see it there in a just over a week!

Watch “Mahjang Solitaire” on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

iPhone Development Central

Brooke — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:20:35 +0000

iPhone Development Central is a website devoted to making developing on Apple’s SDK possible for everyone. They do so though SDK development video tutorials.

” We offer FREE home-made tutorials made by people just like you who have the same goal as we do – to share as much information about developing for the iPhone SDK as possible. iPhoneDevCentral.org is the connecting link between developers’ questions about the iPhone SDK and the answers.”

They offer a variety of tutorials ranging from Beginner to Advanced. Each level has a brief description making it easy to know exactly where you fit. The videos average between 10-20 minutes in length (though some are shorter and many are longer), they include a short description of the video, the author of the video, the length of the video and what the video has been rated by viewers. For even more help, there is the ability to comment on the videos and a forum. Below are the descriptions of the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. For more info and to see the free SDK video tutorials check out iPhone Development Central ’s website.

Beginner:
We recommend this section if you have:
    • Little or no knowledge of Objective C and/or Cocoa
    • Little or no knowledge of the basic syntax for Objective C and/or Cocoa
    • Little or no knowledge of classes, pointers, functions, methods, loops etc.
    • Little or no experience with Xcode
    • Little or no experience developing on the MAC applications

Intermediate:
We recommend this section if you have:
    • General knowledge of Objective C and/or Cocoa
    • General knowledge of the basic syntax for Objective C and/or Cocoa
    • A good understanding of classes, pointers, functions, methods, loops etc.
    • Experience with Xcode
    • Experience developing on the MAC applications

Advanced:
We recommend this section to those who:
• Have a full understanding of the tutorials offered in the Beginner and Intermediate levels.

Ball And Cup Shuffle – App Store

Brooke — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:49:31 +0000

Here is another application that has been developed on Apple’s SDK and is ready for the App Store. It does not say if it will actually be in the App Store or how much it will be. It is just a simple little app…demo videos below.

Demo Videos

Watch “Ball And Cup Shuffle” on you iPhone or iPod Touch.

Watch “Ball And Cup Shuffle” on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Aki Mahjong Solitaire

Brooke — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:30:40 +0000

Aki Mahjong Solitaire by Ambrosia, is being previewed next week at WWDC in San Francisco and will be in the AppStore when it launches. Here is what Ambrosia has to say about Aki Mahjong Solitaire and a video demo of the app. You can see screenshots of the app HERE.

Ambrosia’s first game for the iPhone elegantly blends the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong with an enchanting journey across Japan. Designed from the ground up specifically for iPhone, it’s a modern fusion of two ancient Asian cultures, and is as much an experience as it is a game. Aki is easy to learn even if you still haven’t mastered chopsticks, so don’t hesitate to dive right in. We think you’ll soon find yourself captivated.

Our iPhone game philosophy is to provide games you can pick up and play whenever you want, then dismiss quickly to take that phone call you just received. Just hit the Home button at any time, and whenever you relaunch Aki, you’re right back where you left off!

Thanks to Core Animation, browse Aki’s levels by simply flicking your finger. Download additional custom levels via EDGE/Wi-Fi by simply tapping your finger, and instantly have new, challenging levels to keep you entertained for hours.

Based on Aki Mahjong Solitaire for Mac OS X, this isn’t a mere conversion. Rewritten specifically for iPhone, this is a game thats truly meant to be played on a mobile device.

Check out Ambrosia’s website HERE.

Video Demo :

Watch “Aki Mahjong Solitaire” on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Wingnuts Moto Racer

Brooke — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:03:48 +0000

Freeverse, a leading developer of entertainment software, has developed Wingnuts Moto Racer, a racing game for the iPhone. Wingnuts Moto Racer is set for release in the AppStore. An intern at Freeverse has written a pretty good article written about the app…they have all the fun information blotted out and there is only artwork from the cutscreen (no screenshots) but, it is an interesting article none then less. There is one paragraph in the article that has me most excited about the AppStore:

When the iTunes App Store finally opens its virtual doors, forget about the iPhone as “just a phone.” On that red-letter day, whenever it happens to be, the iPhone will be well on its way to become a premiere gaming platform.

Read the full article HERE.

Multi-Hand BlackJack

Brooke — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:11:00 +0000

Multi-Hand BlackJack is another application soon to be released in the AppStore. Below is a demo video of the application. You can also check out their website for screenshots of the application and a full list of all of features.

Watch “Multi-Hand BlackJack” on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

HomeFindr – Demo Video

Brooke — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:51:36 +0000

This looks like it is going to be a pretty cool application. It would make looking for a house a lot easier and much more fun!!

Watch “HomeFindr” on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Trism Update – AppStore

Brooke — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:16:20 +0000

The developer of Trism has posted an update video letting us know what is going on with Trism and what we can expect once it hits the AppStore. Check out the video below.

For more information on Trism and how you can get it on your iPhone now…check out our Trism Page.

Watch “Trism Update” on your iPhone or iPod Touch.