Objective-C Programmer’s Reference

Objective-C Programmer’s Reference provides the tools necessary to write software in Objective-C—the language of choice for developing iOS and OS X applications. Author Carlos Oliveira begins from the basic building blocks of the language. He shows how to create correct and efficient applications by applying your knowledge of object-oriented and structured programming. This book:

• Takes you quickly through fundamental concepts such as interfaces and class implementations.
• Provides a concise reference to the Foundation Framework that is all-important when programming in Objective-C.
• Highlights key differences between Objective-C and other popular languages such as Java or Python.
• Provides the fundamentals of Cocoa and Cocoa Touch, which are the standard for OS X and iOS development.

Objective-C Programmer’s Reference makes extensive use of concepts already mastered by developers who are fluent in other languages such as C++, Java, Perl, and Python. The author’s approach is logical and structured, and even novice developers will have an easy time absorbing the most important topics necessary to program in Objective-C.

Objective-C Programmer’s Reference is a book for professional developers in Objective-C, or those who are moving to Objective-C from other languages. The book is written for readers who lack the time to invest in more traditional books, which usually spend hundreds of pages to explain concepts that are part of the working programmer’s standard vocabulary.

What you’ll learn

• Grasp the basic syntax of the Objective-C language.
• Create classes and methods in Objective-C.
• Apply Objective-C’s message-passing mechanism to simplify your code and avoid deep class hierarchies.
• Store and access dynamic data through Objective-C’s built-in, key-value system.
• Make effective use of container classes such as arrays and dictionaries with their immutable and mutable versions.
• Create simple applications for iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, and other iOS and Mac OS X devices.

Who this book is for

Objective-C Programmer’s Reference is for programmers in Objective-C who are looking for a handy reference to keep them on top of their game. The book is also designed for programmers moving to Objective-C from some other language, especially from another C-like language such as Java or C#, providing just that additional bit that is needed to transfer their expertise into Objective-C and get a leg up on creating applications for the iOS and OS X platforms underlying Apple’s hugely successful devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and Macbook.

Table of Contents

Part 1: The Language
Chapter 1: The C in Objective-C
Chapter 2: Classes
Chapter 3: Strings and Container Classes
Chapter 4: Categories and Protocols
Chapter 5: Inheritance
Chapter 6: Blocks
Chapter 7: Dynamic Binding
Chapter 8: Memory Management
Chapter 9: Key-Value Coding
Chapter 10: The File System

Part 2: Reference
Chapter 11: The Foundation Framework

Part 3: The Tools
Chapter 12: The Compiler
Chapter 13: The Preprocessor
Chapter 14: Unit Testing
Chapter 15: Debugging

Part 4: Writing Apps for OS X and iOS
Chapter 16: Building OS X GUI Applications
Chapter 17: Building iOS Apps