Learning the iOS 4 SDK for JavaScript Programmers: Create Native Apps with Objective-C and Xcode

by Danny Goodman

Overview

Is it possible for JavaScript programmers to learn Apple's iOS 4 SDK and live to tell the tale? Technology guru Danny Goodman did, and with this book he leaves a well-marked trail for you to follow. An authority on JavaScript since its inception, Goodman understands the challenges you might face in creating native iOS apps with this SDK, and introduces Xcode, Objective-C, and Cocoa Touch in a context you'll readily understand.

Why bother with the SDK when you can simply build web apps for Apple's iOS devices? Web apps can't access an iPhone's music library, camera, or iOS system software for maps, audio, and more. Nor can you sell web apps in the App Store. If you want to take full advantage of the iPhone and iPad, iOS 4 SDK is your tool — and this is your book. Includes full coverage of iOS SDK 4.2.

• Learn the distinction between web app and iOS native app programming
• Create a workbench app to test code snippets throughout the learning process
• Get a structural view of an iOS app, and compare the process of building objects in Objective-C versus JavaScipt
• Discover how your code launches iOS apps and makes them user-ready
• Learn about iOS memory management details that are different from JavaScript, including pointers and data types
• Use Objective-C and Cocoa Touch to implement common JavaScript tasks

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449388454
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	12/01/2010
Pages:	318
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Danny Goodman has been writing about personal computers and consumer electronics since the late 1970s. He has written hundreds of magazine articles, several commercial software products, and three dozen computer books. Most recently, Danny has been programming applications for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch platform, including iFeltThat Earthquake, PhotoSize, and BeaconAid-HF, all available on Apple's App Store.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Chapter 1: Why Go Native?
• Chapter 2: Welcome to the iOS SDK
• Chapter 3: Creating a Test Workbench
• Chapter 4: Structural Overview of an iOS App
• Chapter 5: App Execution Flow
• Chapter 6: Central Objective-C Concepts: Pointers, Data Types, and Memory Management
• Chapter 7: C Language Fundamentals
• Chapter 8: Objective-C/Cocoa Touch Fundamentals
• Chapter 9: Common JavaScript Tasks in Cocoa Touch
• Getting the Most from Xcode Documentation
• Common Beginner Xcode Compiler Errors
• Glossary
• Colophon