iOS Dev Launchpad: Your First Step to Becoming an iOS Developer
This blog post summarizes the key takeaways from the iOS Dev Launchpad course, designed for absolute beginners. It emphasizes the course's unique approach, focusing not only on code but also on the broader iOS development landscape.
A Different Kind of Beginner Course
This course isn't just about the basics. It's structured to be like learning from a seasoned friend. It covers the essentials of Swift, Xcode, and building basic apps, but goes further to explore career paths, thirdparty libraries, version control, and how apps interact with servers. The goal is to provide a comprehensive foundation and direction for aspiring iOS developers.
Who is This Course For?
This course is tailored for the absolute beginner. It starts from scratch, assuming no prior knowledge. However, even those with some early experience can benefit from its comprehensive content.
A HighLevel Approach
The course deliberately avoids overwhelming detail, focusing on exposing students to the breadth of the iOS development world. The aim is to strike a balance between providing enough information to build a solid foundation without causing confusion and discouragement. This is step one of a long journey, typically taking 6 months to 2 years to become a professional iOS developer.
Community Support
A dedicated Slack channel offers realtime help from the instructor and fellow students, creating a supportive community to navigate the learning process.
Course Structure
- Basics of the Swift language (approximately 4050% of the course)
- Building beginner apps
- Rebuilding an app using Storyboard/Interface Builder and Programmatic UI
- SwiftUI preview
- General programming knowledge (APIs, version control, etc.)
- Career path exploration
- Recommended resources (blogs, podcasts, books)
A RealWorld Story
The course includes a personal story from the instructor, highlighting a career change into iOS development at 32, with no prior programming experience. The goal is to inspire and demonstrate that success is achievable with dedication and the right resources.
Key Concepts Explained
Xcode
Xcode is Apple's Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It's a **software program for writing code specifically for Apple platforms**. You'll need a Mac to run Xcode.
UI Kit vs. Swift UI
UI Kit has been the foundation for building iOS user interfaces since the App Store's inception. Swift UI is a newer, declarative framework Apple intends to be the future. While Swift UI is growing, **UI Kit remains very dominant** in current job market. For beginners, it's important to understand both.
Swift: A Modern, Safe Language
Swift is Apple's modern programming language. It emphasizes type safety and aims to catch errors during compilation rather than at runtime.
Types
Swift is a strongly typed language. Common types include: Int (integers), Float and Double (decimal numbers), String (text), and Bool (true/false).
Variables and Constants
Variables (declared with var) can be changed, while constants (declared with let) cannot. Both capture values that can be used throughout your code.
Arrays
Arrays are ordered collections of items. They are zeroindexed, meaning the first item is at index 0.
Sets
Sets are unordered collections that do not allow duplicate values. They provide faster performance for insertion, removal, and lookup than arrays, trading order and duplicates for speed.
Dictionaries
Dictionaries are collections of keyvalue pairs. They offer constanttime lookup based on the key, providing an efficient way to store and retrieve data with labels.
Functions
Functions are reusable blocks of code that perform specific tasks. They can accept parameters and return values.
If/Else Statements
If/else statements allow you to execute different code blocks based on conditions that evaluate to true or false.
For Loops
For loops provide a way to iterate over collections or execute a block of code a specified number of times.
Enums
Enums (enumerations) define a group of related values, providing type safety and code readability.
Switch Statements
Switch statements provide a cleaner way to handle multiple conditions compared to long if/else chains.
Operators
Operators allow you to perform operations on values, including arithmetic, comparison, and logical operations.
Optionals
Optionals provide a way to handle the absence of a value (nil). You must unwrap optionals before using their values, guarding against potential runtime errors.
Self
self refers to the current instance of a class or struct.
Classes and Structs
Classes and structs are used to create custom data types with properties and methods. Classes are reference types, while structs are value types, influencing how they are copied and shared.
Inheritance
Inheritance allows a class (subclass) to inherit properties and methods from another class (superclass), promoting code reuse and extensibility.
Extensions
Extensions add new functionality to existing types without modifying their original code.
Auto Layout
Auto Layout is a constraintbased system that allows you to create user interfaces that adapt to different screen sizes and orientations.
Next Steps: Continued Learning
The article recommends revisiting the course, exploring resources like hackingwithswift.com and RayWenderlich.com, and embarking on personal projects to solidify learning. Continued engagement with the iOS development community is also encouraged for networking and support.