Objective-C for Absolute Beginners

It seems as if everyone is writing applications for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, but how do they all do it? It’s best to learn Objective-C, the native language of both the iOS and Mac OS X, but where to begin? Right here, even if you’ve never programmed before!

Objective-C for Absolute Beginners will teach you how to write software for your Mac, iPhone, or iPad using Objective-C, an elegant and powerful language with a rich set of developer tools. Using a hands-on approach, you’ll learn to think in programming terms, how to use Objective-C to build program logic, and how to write your own applications and apps.

With over 50 collective years in software development and based on an approach pioneered at Carnegie Mellon University, the authors have developed a remarkably effective approach to learning Objective-C. Since the introduction of Apple’s iPhone, the authors have taught hundreds of absolute beginners how to develop Mac, iPhone,and iPad apps, including many that became popular apps in the iTunes App Store.

What you’ll learn

• The fundamentals of computer programming: how to understand variables,design data structures, and work with file systems
• The logic of object-oriented programming: how to use Classes, Objects, and Methods
• The flexibility of Apple’s developer tools: how to install Xcode and write programs in Objective-C
• The power of Cocoa and Cocoa touch: how to make Mac OS X applications or iOS apps that do cool stuff

Who this book is for

Everyone! This book is for anyone who wants to learn to develop applications for the Mac or apps for the iPhone and iPad using the Objective-C programming language. No previous programming experience is necessary.

Table of Contents

1.  Becoming a Great iPhone/iPad or Mac Programmer
2.  Programming Basics
3.  It’s All About the Data
4.  Making Decisions About…and Planning Program Flow
5.  Object Oriented Programming with Objective-C
6.  Introducing Objective-C and Xcode
7.  Objective-C Classes, Objects, and Methods
8.  Programming Basics in Objective-C
9.  Comparing Data
10.  Creating User Interfaces with Interface Builder
11.  Memory, Addresses, and Pointers
12.  Debugging Programs with Xcode
13.  Storing Information
14.  Protocols and Delegates