Fully informed and experienced decision
Posted: 2013/05/15 Filed under: Bookmark, Development, Personal | Tags: Development, DRY, iOS, MVC, Practice, Programming, Refactor, Software Architecture Leave a comment »My comment for “Why I Don’t Use Interface Builder”: http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/why-i-dont-use-interface-builder
IB is about Organizing, not about Replacing. IB is a tool, not a regulation.
Once you know the limits of IB and developed good programming habits, IB can be extremely useful.
I saw too much terrible spaghetti codes, which could have been helped by adopting MVC principles and knowing the life cycles of UIViewController & UIView instances.
As a way to help those developers to learn about the principles, I show them how to complete a project using IB and later replace it using only codes, to help them to realize the limits of XIB files and see how whole structure is preserved, to show the real reason for using IB: Separating codes.
And once VIEW components are separated from others, I point out patterns or repetition, which are just configurations at loading of the instances.
Other than iteration, they are not so easy to be solved creatively and quickly, without taking precious seconds, minutes, or hours.
Also, there are more important tasks for fulfilling the requirements of the app, than tasks for calculating frames for labels.
Unless you like it (I saw some people who like it), it’s smart or even necessary to use a tool which was developed to avoid working mechanically. Fortunately in Xcode, we have Interface Builder.
Depending on the characteristic of the projects, the decision to use or not to use IB is totally up to the developers. When they decide not to, I hope it’s fully informed and experienced one, instead of one caused by estranged or uncomfortable feeling toward IB.
iOS and Android Design Guidelines Cheat Sheet
Posted: 2013/05/11 Filed under: Bookmark | Tags: Development, iOS, Programming, Tip Leave a comment »
When making an app, following your platform's design guidelines is a tried-and-true way to increase metrics like user retention and customer satisfaction. It makes it easier for your users to learn how to use the application to the fullest extent, as quickly and intuitively as possible. In order to make designing for your target platforms easier, we made a cheat sheet for both
Developing Xcode 4 Plugins
Posted: 2013/05/02 Filed under: Bookmark | Tags: Development, iOS, Performance, Tip Leave a comment »
Reblogged from Daniel Beard's Programming Blog:
This is a quick guide that documents how to start developing plugins for Xcode4. You need to have Xcode installed to create plugins.
Step 1 - Xcode Plugin Project Template
- Grab the Xcode project template for creating plugins from here
- Create the plugin template folder
~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Templates/Project Templates/Application Plug-in/Xcode4 Plugin.xctemplateif it doesn't already exist. - A quick way to do this is with the following command…
Developing New PopToo
Posted: 2013/04/22 Filed under: Development, PopToo | Tags: Development, PopToo, Update Leave a comment »As PopToo, specifically the Classic version, is taking a break, New PopToo is busy being developed.
With the strong desire of the developer to try latest iOS methodologies, slowly but steadily, new looks have been tested and new ways to make the experience more enjoyable have been evaluated.
Above image is showing not yet finalized look, but the main idea is to use the map as large and prevalent as possible.
Previously, I posted about my big hope for Google Maps iOS SDK. Without being actually disappointed at it, I have realized what I really needed for PopToo’s map.
Though Google’s map is great for showing regional information, the images are still bitmaps. For PopToo’s use of the map is focused around adding annotations, support for drastic zooming or scrolling, with better animation and rendering rate is more important.
Also, Google’s APIs are not really free. Until I can find the right strategy for PopToo’s growth, I can’t help but to delay my final decision to use Google Maps iOS SDK.
For now, the previous plan has been changed to use iOS’s original MapKit. Even though I recognize the many disadvantages of current MapKit, rather I am willing to make PopToo to complement it with the great features.
You can see them soon. Hope you would like them.
Don’t punish Yourself
Posted: 2013/02/22 Filed under: Development, Personal | Tags: Career, Development, DRY, Learning, MVC, Performance, Practice, Programming, Refactor, Tip, Working Together Leave a comment »It’s given as a PUNISHMENT to a student to write sentences REPEATEDLY on a blackboard.
If you are not careful, it’s quite easy to REPEATEDLY paste copies of identical code snippets. Not using iterative methodologies and not trying to find algorithmic solutions, is like let yourself to be in the state of uncomfortable incompetency, which is a PUNISHMENT.
Sensitive Programmer
Posted: 2013/02/16 Filed under: Development, Personal | Tags: Development, Learning, Performance, Programming, Tip Leave a comment »As a learner of programming, you may feel stressed and uncomfortable, trying your best to maintain control over the machine, not to be controlled by it.
There are too little time to complete the assignment. Your mind is not clear enough to come up with the best structure of different classes. Inheritance, polymorphism, DRY, MVC and all other essential concepts about quality programming are just ideas without visible lines of codes.
Even if you could finish your work on time, it’s quite painful to see resultant chaos in your own codes. You don’t like your own work, knowing every line in it. And this is a good thing.
Being sensitive enough to realize inefficiency and incompetency in your own work, even if no one criticize it, is a great attitude, especially if you are a beginner. Congratulation! Make sure to keep it as sensitive and sincere like that.
Until you become a true master of programming, who can bring undeniable great architectural solution without taking too much time and resources, please don’t try to avoid or ease the pain for producing quality result.
It’s necessary to feel the inefficiency of scattered snippets within your codes. You need to experience the frustration of attempting to change a small thing, repeatedly about thousand times. After experiencing this, you will never forget the critical importance of DRY principles and will force yourself to learn how to use global variables and methods, apply proper hierarchical relationship among classes. Soon, it will become natural to you as you become a better programmer.
However, it you let yourself to be insensitive to pain while programming; e.g. listening to music or copying & pasting mindlessly; you will lose the opportunity to see the need to improve. Simply for the sake of finishing the work as soon as possible, you will just pass by the situation which may teach you very important principles.
Such insensitivity will bite you back, as you maintain the chaotic structure, slavishly patching the effects without fixing the causes. And finally, you will give up, unless you can start all over again.
Google Maps iOS SDK
Posted: 2012/12/14 Filed under: Development, PopToo | Tags: Development, Google Maps, PopToo, Update Leave a comment »Google Maps iOS SDK has been announced, and developers can register to receive API keys: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/ios/
Google Maps iOS SDK
I personally have been anxiously waiting for this announcement, believing this SDK should come before the end of this year.
While struggling with myself in making enough time to develop new PopToo, or even to upgrade PopToo Classic for new 4 inch display, I can’t help but suspecting if Apple’s MapKit is really the right choice for PopToo. Naturally, I had to believe Google Maps should be available for developers as SDK, and now it’s realized.
Google Maps’ ubiquitous accessibility including web browsers, makes the service definitely superior to others by itself. Also, this ubiquitous accessibility fits great with PopToo’s plan to expand toward web application.
I’m still reading the documentation. I’m only confident that available features in this SDK will be useful for new PopToo. This announcement alone was able to re-invigorate my motivation to accelerate developing new PopToo.
