Learn basics of Objective-C
Objective-C is a superset of C programming language, designed to be general-purpose and object-oriented. Objective C is a primary language for OS X and iOS. Livecoding.tv community has all you need to improve your Objective-C programming, whether you are a beginner or intermediate any level coder. You’ll discover Objective-C coders from San Francisco, London, New York, Beijing and Sao Paolo.
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Introduction To Objective-C Programming Language
Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that adds Smalltalk-style messaging to the C programming language. It was the main programming language used by Apple for the OS X and iOS operating systems, and their respective application programming interfaces (APIs): Cocoa and Cocoa Touch prior to the introduction of Swift.
The programming language Objective-C was originally developed in the early 1980s. It was selected as the main language used by NeXT for its NeXTSTEP operating system, from which OS X and iOS are derived.Portable Objective-C programs that do not use the Cocoa or Cocoa Touch libraries, or those using parts that may be ported or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objective-Creimplemented for other systems, can also be compiled for any system supported by GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) or Clang.
Objective-C source code 'implementation' program files usually have .m filename extensions, while Objective-C 'header/interface' files have .h extensions, the same as C header files. Objective-C++ files are denoted with a .mm file extension.
Objective-C History
Objective-C was created primarily by Brad Cox and Tom Love in the early 1980s at their company Stepstone. Both had been introduced to Smalltalk while at ITT Corporation's Programming Technology Center in 1981. The earliest work on Objective-C traces back to around that time.
In 1986, Cox published the main description of Objective-C in its original form in the book Object-Oriented Programming, An Evolutionary Approach. Although he was careful to point out that there is more to the problem of reusability than just the language, Objective-C often found itself compared feature for feature with other languages.
Language was licensed in the 1988, and code library called NeXTSTEP was developed.
After acquiring NeXT in 1996, Apple Computer used OpenStep in its new operating system, Mac OS X. This included Objective-C, NeXT's Objective-C based developer tool,Project Builder, and its interface design tool, Interface Builder (both now merged into one Xcode application). Most of Apple's present-day Cocoa API is based on OpenStep interface objects, and is the most significant Objective-C environment being used for active development.
At WWDC 2014, Apple introduced a new language, Swift, which was characterized as "Objective-C without the C".
Objective-C Tools
There are tools associated with every programming language. Below are some of the tools that you can use while working with Objective-C programming language.
- Cocoa API is - based on OpenStep interface objects, and is the most significant Objective-C environment being used for active development.
- Project Builder - was an integrated development environment (IDE) originally developed by NeXT for the NeXTSTEP operating system.
- Xcode - is an integrated development environment (IDE) containing a suite of software development.
- OCLint - is a static code analysis tool for improving quality and reducing defects by inspecting C, C++ and Objective-C code and looking for potential problems.
- RestKit is an Objective-C framework for interacting with RESTful web services. It provides a Core Data entity mapping engine that maps serialized response objects directly to managed objects.
Objective-C Best Books
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Objective-C Programming For Dummies
As the primary programming language for iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS X applications, Objective-C is a reflective, object-oriented language that all programmers must know before creating apps. Assuming no prior programming language experience, this fun-and-friendly book provides you with a solid understanding of Objective-C. Addressing the latest version of Xcode, debugging, code completion, and more, veteran author Neal Goldstein helps you gain a solid foundation of this complex topic, and filters out any unnecessary intricate technical jargon.
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Objective-C Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide
by Aaron Hillegass, Mikey Ward
Based on Big Nerd Ranch's popular Objective-C Bootcamp, Objective-C Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide covers C, Objective-C, and the common programming idioms that enable developers to make the most of Apple technologies. Compatible with Xcode 5, iOS 7, and OS X Mavericks (10.9), this guide features short chapters and an engaging style to keep you motivated and moving forward. At the same time, it encourages you to think critically as a programmer.
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Objective-C for Absolute Beginners
by Gary Bennett, Mitchell Fisher, Brad Lees
You have a great idea for an app, but where do you begin? Objective-C is the universal language of iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps, and Objective-C for Absolute Beginners, Second Edition starts you on the path to mastering this language and its latest release. Using a hands-on approach, you'll learn how to think in programming terms, how to use Objective-C to construct program logic, and how to synthesize it all into working apps. Gary Bennett, an experienced app developer and trainer, will guide you on your journey to becoming a successful app developer.
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Programming in Objective-C
The book makes no assumptions about prior experience with object-oriented programming languages or with the C language (which Objective-C is based upon). Because of this, both beginners and experienced programmers alike can use this book to quickly and effectively learn the fundamentals of Objective-C. Readers can also learn the concepts of object-oriented programming without having to first learn all of the intricacies of the underlying C programming language.
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Effective Objective-C 2.0
Through real-world examples, Galloway uncovers little-known Objective-C quirks, pitfalls, and intricacies that powerfully impact code behavior and performance. You’ll learn how to choose the most efficient and effective way to accomplish key tasks when multiple options exist, and how to write code that’s easier to understand, maintain, and improve. Galloway goes far beyond the core language, helping you integrate and leverage key Foundation framework classes and modern system libraries, such as Grand Central Dispatch.
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Learn Objective-C on the Mac
by Scott Knaster, Mark Dalrymple
Take your coding skills to the next level with this extensive guide to Objective–C, the native programming language for developing sophisticated software applications for Mac OS X. Objective–C is a powerful, object–oriented extension of C, making this book the perfect follow–up to Dave Mark’s bestselling Learn C on the Mac, Mac OS X Edition. Whether you’re an experienced C programmer or you’re coming from a different language such as C++ or Java, leading Mac experts Mark Dalrymple and Scott Knaster show you how to harness the powers of Objective–C in your applications!
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Learning Cocoa with Objective-C
by Paris Buttfield-Addison, Jonathon Manning, Tim Nugent
You’ll learn how to work with the Xcode IDE, Objective-C’s Foundation library, and other developer tools such as Event Kit framework and Core Animation. Along the way, you’ll build example projects, including a simple Objective-C application, a custom view, a simple video player application, and an app that displays calendar events for the user.
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Pro Objective-C
by Keith Lee
Pro Objective-C provides an in-depth, comprehensive guide to the language, its runtime, and key API’s. It explains the key concepts of Objective-C in a clear, easy to understand manner, and also provides detailed coverage of its more complex features. In addition, the book includes numerous practical examples--code excerpts and complete applications--that demonstrate how to apply in code what you’re learning.
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Objective-C Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach
Objective-C Recipes provides a problem solution approach for dealing with key aspects of Objective-C programming, ensuring you have the indispensable reference you need to successfully execute common programming tasks. You will see how to use the unique features of the Objective-C programming language, the helpful features of the Foundation framework, and the benefits of using Objective-J as an alternative. Solutions are available for a range of problems.
Objective-C Projects
AFNetworking AFNetworking is a delightful networking library for iOS and Mac OS X. It's built on top of the Foundation URL Loading System, extending the powerful high-level networking abstractions built into Cocoa. It has a modular architecture with well-designed, feature-rich APIs that are a joy to use.
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The CSV format is a common used file format to store and exchange tabular data. Almost all spreadsheet and database apps (e.g. Excel and Numbers) support it. Unfortunately, not all CSV files are made equal. CSV files use different record delimiters (comma or semicolon), character encodings, decimal separators or quoting styles. TableTool handles these issues automatically. It detects the specification of a CSV file for you and displays its contents in a table view. Using TableTool is the easy way to create, edit and convert CSV files.
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CountryPicker is a custom UIPickerView subclass that provides an iOS control allowing a user to select a country from a list. It can optionally display a flag next to each country name, and the library includes a set of 249 public domain flag images from https://github.com/koppi/iso-country-flags-svg-collection that have been renamed to work with the library.
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Think of Aspects as method swizzling on steroids. It allows you to add code to existing methods per class or per instance, whilst thinking of the insertion point e.g. before/instead/after. Aspects automatically deals with calling super and is easier to use than regular method swizzling. This is stable and used in hundreds of apps since it's part of PSPDFKit, an iOS PDF framework that ships with apps like Dropbox or Evernote, and now I finally made it open source.
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AsyncDisplayKit is an iOS framework that keeps even the most complex user interfaces smooth and responsive. It was originally built to make Facebook's Paper possible, and goes hand-in-hand with pop's physics-based animations — but it's just as powerful with UIKit Dynamics and conventional app designs.
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Objective-C Community
- Apple Developer Forums
Objective-C is the primary programming language you use when writing software for OS X and iOS. It’s a superset of the C programming language and provides object-oriented capabilities and a dynamic runtime.
- Geeklist
Welcome to the objective-c community.
- NSHipster
Is a journal of the overlooked bits in Objective-C, Swift, and Cocoa. Updated weekly.
- ClassrooM
Official Forum for Programming in Objective-C (the iPhone Programming Language) - Stephen Kochan.
- Blogs
These blogs are covering a range of topics, broadly related to software engineering and usage of Objective-C programming language.
Objective-C Gurus
Here are some of the most important people who have contributed to the growth and development of Objective-C.
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Richard Matthew Stallman
Often known by his initials, rms, is a software freedom activist and programmer. He campaigns for software to be distributed in a manner such that its users receive the freedoms to use, study, distribute and modify that software. Software that ensures these freedoms is termed free software. Stallman launched the GNU Project, founded the Free Software Foundation, developed the GNU Compiler Collection and GNU Emacs, and wrote the GNU General Public License.
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Brad Cox
A computer scientist and Ph.D. of mathematical biology known mostly for creating the Objective-C programming language with his business partner Tom Love and for his work in software engineering (specifically software reuse) and software componentry.
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Dr. Tom Love
Has been involved in leading edge software engineering projects since the mid-1970’s. Recently, he led a ShouldersCorp team to do an assessment of the feasibility and risks associated with the reengineering of the VistA system for the CIO of Veterans Health Administration.
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Stephen Kochan
President of ClassroomM, Inc., a site devoted to education, training, and development of mobile applications. In addition to writing Programming in Objective-C and Programming in Objective-C 2.0, he is the author and co-author of 10 bestselling books.
Linkedin Twitter
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Paris Buttfield-Addison
Dr Paris Buttfield-Addison is co-founder of Secret Lab, a mobile development studio based in beautiful Hobart, Australia. Secret Lab builds award winning games and apps for mobile devices. Paris formerly worked as mobile product manager for Meebo (acquired by Google), has a PhD in Computing, and writes technical books.
Linkedin Twitter
Objective-C Conferences
- WWDC
The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off at the historic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for an unforgettable Monday as Apple’s renowned developer community comes together to learn about the future of OS X, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The Keynote and State of the Union promise exciting reveals, providing inspiration and new opportunities to continue creating the most innovative apps in the world. End the day by honoring the most remarkable developers of the year at the Apple Design Awards.
- 360iDev
Should be attended by every iOS and Mac developer at least once. The organizers do a great job at securing a good swatch of speakers for extremely varied topics and a fun atmosphere. It’s definitely affordable and usually paired with a hotel making a stress-free experience.
- CocoaConf
Is the periodic local meetup. Cocoa Conf’s unique trait is the conference travels across the US, having multiple locations across the year. CocoaConf also has some fun unique traits like group discussions, game shows, geeky iOS songs, and more. Definitely recommended if one is near you!
- iOSDevUK
Is a conference located in a university in Wales. It is extremely technical, and its remote location encourages attendees to bond and make good friendships.