tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11285282378545964902024-03-13T20:27:27.911-07:00VitVot iPhone Developer BlogVitVot - My experience of becoming an iPhone developer in 18 months.
I am an experienced Windows developer who decided in December 2009 to start learning Objective-C and how to use the SDK (xCode) with a view develop and publish iPhone applications.VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-30114597231274709922010-12-09T01:57:00.000-08:002010-12-09T01:57:30.917-08:00Accessing promo codes in iTunes ConnectApp Store promo codes, the codes which allow any developer to issue members of the press with copies of their application for review purposes and were previously only available to redeem by those who owned or who had access to an iTunes U.S. account, have today gone worldwide.<br />
<br />
As a result of this, the way in which promo codes in iTunes Connect are accessed has changed - you now need to load your 'version information' in iTunes Connect to request a 'Promo Code'.VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-63891310454283744082010-11-15T07:54:00.000-08:002010-11-15T07:54:36.897-08:00iMadeThis is now available in iTunes!!<div><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;">The iPhone App that I have been working on - </span><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;"><strong>iMadeThis</strong> - is now available in iTunes!</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;"><strong>iMadeThis</strong> is a new and fun iPhone app that is excellent for saving and displaying your child's artwork - it </span><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;">is designed to encourage budding artists to create masterpieces so that their parents can make a fuss of their achievements.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;">If you (or a friend) own an iPhone - it can be downloaded by clicking on the link below..</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://itunes.com/apps/imadethis">http://itunes.com/apps/imadethis</a></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;"> </span></div><div><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;">If you enjoy using this app - I would appreciate it if you could leave a positive review in iTunes.</span></div><div><span style="color: #1f63ae; font-family: Myriad Pro;"> </span></div>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-13009507808343277532010-11-07T10:12:00.000-08:002010-11-07T10:12:19.601-08:00iMadeThis App - Submitted to AppleI submitted iMadeThis app to Apple via iTunes Connect. I am really pleased with the finished product! I just hope Apple are!!! I am in the 'awaiting review' state - which I am told will take about a week! I am currently checking every couple of hours in case they approve (or reject) my app - it is becoming a bit of am obsession!!VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-34792458763442700852010-09-06T01:55:00.001-07:002010-09-07T06:35:37.144-07:00iPhone boot camp in LondoniPhone boot camp was excellent - learnt loads on how to ensure quality apps. Very intensive - have a blister on my thumb from typing code!VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-13756363288198675632010-08-31T14:40:00.000-07:002010-09-09T22:40:23.493-07:00Course FundingTo help pay for the course I was surprised how many possible funding options I found. The following were useful and EEDA R2R paid for my iPhone Course which was obviously a great help.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tchc.net/training-services/response-to-redundancy">EEDA Response to redundancy funding</a><br />
<a href="http://www.entitledto.com/">EntitledTo</a><br />
<a href="http://techfluff.tv/">TechFluff</a>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-42088105020598355972010-08-20T22:31:00.000-07:002010-09-09T22:34:49.420-07:00Core DataI have found the following book really good for getting my head around core data....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pragprog.com/">Core Data: Apple's API for Persisting Data on Mac OS X by Marcus S. Zarra</a><br />
<br />
Also, the following tutorials by Manning really helped me understand how Core Data deals with one-many relationships using NSSet....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://iphoneinaction.manning.com/iphone_in_action/2009/08/core-data-part-1-an-introduction.html">Manning Core Data Tutorials</a>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-9493550458843848882010-08-19T14:41:00.000-07:002010-09-10T01:24:18.288-07:00iOS SDK 4Firstly I had to upgrade to Snow Leopard and after a 12 hour wait (my lovely Internet connection!) - I actually successfully installed <a href="https://developer.apple.com/devcenter/ios/index.action">iOS SDK 4</a>!<br />
<br />
Although after 5 minutes excitement - I realised that nothing seemed to work now!<br />
<br />
I had changed my 'project settings' to the correct version but a few lines of code and background colours that I had chosen seemed to conflict with the upgrade. I am glad that my iPhone application has not been published yet as I am sure such changes are very difficult when your app is already live. It is good to see the type of changes that an upgrade can cause in a nice (safe!) test environment.VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-4219014669583192182010-08-01T23:15:00.000-07:002010-09-10T01:25:05.599-07:00TinyUrl and Bit.lyAdded application page from my website <a href="http://www.vitvot.co.uk/">www.vitvot.co.uk</a> to <a href="http://bit.ly/">http://Bit.ly</a> <br />
<br />
It is now also known as -<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/imadethisapp">bit.ly/imadethisapp</a><br />
<br />
The advantage of adding my site to bit.ly is that I now have a short URL that is specific to my application. I can also access stats on how/who my site is being accessed by.<br />
<br />
Another company that offers a similar function is <a href="http://tinyurl.com/">tinyurl.com.</a>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-18715598855538240272010-07-31T14:30:00.000-07:002010-09-09T22:42:29.282-07:00iPhone Courses and ForumsThere seem to be more iPhone courses available now - I have considered the following...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.leedsnti.co.uk/">Leeds NTI</a> / <a href="http://shinydevelopment.com/">Shiny Development</a><br />
<a href="http://www.iphonebootcampnyc.com/">iPhone Boot Camp</a><br />
<a href="http://www.academyclass.com/">Academy Class</a><br />
<br />
I wanted to ensure that I get quite an advanced course as I don't want to be sitting there learning all about 'if' statements!!<br />
<br />
I decided that if they require you to have your own Mac - then the level of the attendees is such that they have at least installed the SDK and at the very least ran a few projects.<br />
<br />
I also checked out the course lecturers - to find out what applications they have published. I feel like a stalker - following tweets to see if a given developer is in the 'know' enough to have me as a course attendee!! I guess this is how Internet research has changed now!<br />
<br />
I decide on <a href="http://www.iphonebootcampnyc.com/">iPhone Boot Camp</a> September meetup as Charles Gamble (the lecturer) seemed really experienced. Also, the course details kept using the word 'intensive' so it sounds like it must have some pace to it!<br />
<br />
It may also be useful to meet other developers to bounce ideas off - after working in a development team for so long - forums are your only colleagues when a coding problem arises! The following sites have helped me out of a few jams...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/iphone">Stack Overflow</a><br />
<a href="http://www.iphonedevsdk.com/%20">iPhone Dev SDK </a><br />
<a href="https://devforums.apple.com/community/iphone">Apple Forum</a>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-48864743295680059832010-07-14T14:18:00.000-07:002010-09-09T14:29:59.923-07:00iPhone Application SalesI have downloaded the application sales app and I cannot wait to see my application sales displayed!<br />
<br />
I really liked the article <a href="http://vocaro.com/trevor/blog/2009/10/12/resize-a-uiimage-the-right-way/">Resize an uiimage the right way</a> - basically if you take bits of code from all the samples on the internet to solve problems - I think you end up with a hyrid project with lots of hidden bugs. If I reuse code - on the whole I make sure I understand it before using it but there has been the odd occasion that I pasted a bit of code and thought "I will get back to the bit!" and move on to the next problem so it is a very easy trap to fall into.<br />
<br />
I think a course is the way to go so that you understand all the topics from the ground up - inside out!VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-48216233127421026502010-07-09T08:22:00.000-07:002010-09-09T13:56:05.895-07:00iPhone MarketingMarketing seems to have changed since I went to college! I have setup VitVot and purchased the relevant <a href="http://www.vitvot.co.uk/">VitVot website address's</a> (and blog!) - joined <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a> and created an email signature so I am ready to go. I have also setup <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.co.uk/">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a> accounts for my application so I ready to communicate what my application is all about.<br />
<br />
Although to be honest I don't have too much to say at the moment! Bizarrely, I already have some Twitter followers and I am yet to tweet!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="blogium-promo"><small><br />
</small></div>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-43411921848266426952010-06-30T23:30:00.000-07:002010-09-09T23:35:52.878-07:00iMadeThis iPhone ApplicationI also now have an excellent new name for my application - it is especially good as this is how I feel about my development - i Made This !!!<br />
<br />
I have also finished my icon... <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatUyClsQ795-iuBKzbBGUBVUfsY9_BuRcjqvlW7DG6bnv20CHQAdNdBackuhFW6FvLOci0XSUNfUXGo4PQENFh37bsnNBUk2fikiiinpvs1RfxhVjCPyRZxfTcdMAIqtbcxp8HF4j1dUD/s1600/icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatUyClsQ795-iuBKzbBGUBVUfsY9_BuRcjqvlW7DG6bnv20CHQAdNdBackuhFW6FvLOci0XSUNfUXGo4PQENFh37bsnNBUk2fikiiinpvs1RfxhVjCPyRZxfTcdMAIqtbcxp8HF4j1dUD/s320/icon.png" /></a></div> I like it but any feedback would be useful!!VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-80584719337789175042010-06-29T14:11:00.000-07:002010-09-09T14:17:55.825-07:00My new opportunity (although I don't get paid!)I am now on gardening leave from my job as I was made redundant from the Bank that I worked for the last 13 years so this project has changed from a hobby to a possible career!<br />
<br />
I am really enjoying the luxury of spending some real time on this project and actually being able to focus on learning how to develop iPhone apps.<br />
<br />
It is quite scary and yet exciting at the same time!VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-6511044023082815612010-06-28T08:30:00.000-07:002010-09-09T14:11:08.012-07:00My idea!!I have a great idea for an iPhone application and I am looking forward to developing a real iPhone application rather than running through exercises or taking apart samples <a href="https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/navigation/index.html?section=Resource+Types&topic=Sample+Code">Apple Developer Sample Applications</a>. Although I found iPhoneCoreDataRecipes, UICatalog, PageControl and Locations really good applications to take apart.<br />
<br />
My idea is based on something I thought "oh, wouldn't it be useful if I could..." which is normally how good ideas materialise. Although I know that I haven't come up with anything totally revolutionary like 'Cat Eyes' or 'the Dyson'! - but it is something that I would use everyday and I know that I can produce a system that is robust and stylish.<br />
<br />
The application is also centred around a topic that is very important to me - protecting memories.VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-37067308799431613862010-04-19T08:21:00.000-07:002010-09-09T13:43:08.745-07:00iPhone icons and graphicsI have decided that you need many skills to develop these apps!! Programmer, Graphic Designer, UI Designer, Marketing Expert etc. I am quite jealous of people who say things like "I asked the graphics people to produce...". <br />
<br />
I keep getting distracted by working on the icon - it seems really important as the whole brand, design and colours seem to start with the icon.<br />
<br />
I have lost hours looking at <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/">ShutterStock</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.istockphoto.com/">iStockPhotos</a> and <a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/">Dreamstime</a> looking for inspiration for graphics.<br />
<br />
I found the following article really interesting regarding iPhone icon development.....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://elitebydesign.com/design-the-itunes-icon-for-the-iphone-and-ipod-touch/">Tutorial on how to create iTunes icon</a><br />
<br />
I am rapidly becoming a Photoshop expert and found the following sites really good for actions and graphics...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.commercial-use.com/">Commercial use </a><br />
<a href="http://www.atomiccupcake.com/">Atomic Cup Cake</a><br />
<div class="blogium-promo"><small><br />
</small></div>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-49995054805066643172010-03-09T08:10:00.000-08:002010-09-09T23:14:49.946-07:00More books!Really enjoying actually having an iPhone - it is really handy in everyday life. Bought 3 more books!<br />
<br />
More iPhone developments was the best - the Core data chapter was really useful!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.apress.com/">iPhone Advanced Projects</a><br />
<div class="blogium-promo"><a href="http://www.apress.com/">iPhone Cool Projects</a> </div><div class="blogium-promo"><a href="http://www.apres.com/">More iPhone 3 Development</a> </div><div class="blogium-promo"></div>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-32740808444691382332010-02-05T06:08:00.000-08:002010-09-09T13:26:34.280-07:00iPhone 3GS!I had hoped that iPhone phone prices would suddenly drop as now Orange and Vodaphone offer iPhone contracts - I gave up waiting and I have just bought a new iPhone!<br />
<br />
Up until now I had been relying on the xCode iPhone simulator - this has been fine but I wanted to get a real feel for how the applications flow and actually work in day to day life. I was surprised to find out how simple they seemed and that by coming up with complex ideas/designs - I was still in windows rather than mobile device mode.VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-78860957762488072382009-12-03T23:28:00.000-08:002010-09-09T05:59:55.247-07:00iPhone Developer CourseI am really tempted to actually go on a course rather than rely on on-line courses and books. The problem with self teaching is that you never know if you have learnt the best way to implement a solution and if you are making the most efficient code choices - everything has an amateur feel to it.<br />
<br />
The only course that seems to be really good is <a href="http://www.ntileeds.co.uk/course/apple/iphone-application-development-training-course/">Leeds NTI</a> but it is really hard to justify £1000+. I have started to follow Dave Verwer on twitter as he seems to know his stuff!!<br />
<br />
Its also tricky to find the time to commit to learning xCode as I work as a programmer - the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is stare at a screen!VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-16685932950329111612009-11-12T07:55:00.000-08:002010-09-09T05:52:11.494-07:00Stanford UniversityDownloaded <a href="http://itunes.stanford.edu/">Stanford University iTunes programming Course</a> and printed the lessons slides (yes thank you for the black background - now have no printer ink left - good to see 2010 version is white!)<br />
<br />
Watched all of the lessons and completed most of the assignments (HelloPoly etc) - some worked without any problems - some I resorted to downloading a sample solution and working the answer back. I was disappointed that there was no Core Data module (Winter 2010 version does include this). But overall worth doing - I definitely learnt more by trying the assignments and getting it wrong and then having to work out the solution.<br />
<br />
This course also made me realise that I needed to work on my Objective C so I invested in <a href="http://www.apress.com/">Learn Objective-C on the Mac by Mark Dalrymple and Scott Knaster</a> - this filled in some gaps. I also bought 'Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X by Aaron Hillegass' (I am a sucker for the 'buy 2 for x amount' marketing ploy that Amazon offer!!!). I know this is probably a really good bok and very important but it still sits on my office shelf and makes me feel guilty as it remains unread!VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-59866111195978495302009-10-19T22:27:00.000-07:002010-09-09T22:30:49.966-07:00iPhone Developers ProgramI have signed up to the iPhone developers program - at a cost of £69. You need to be a member to deploy your application to your device rather than just viewing it in the simulator.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://developer.apple.com/devcenter/ios/index.action">Apple Developers</a>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-64794350888667677962009-10-17T07:55:00.000-07:002010-09-09T03:34:15.735-07:00My new shiny MacBookWell new to me!! I bought a refurbised Macbook 13" (250GB HD, 4GB RAM) from <a href="http://www.notebooks2go.co.uk/">http://www.notebooks2go.co.uk/</a> at a cost of £500. My new Macbook arrived within 24 hours - nice and clean.<br />
<br />
I tried to install the xCode developers kit from <a href="http://developer.apple.com/devcenter/ios/index.action">Apple IOS developers</a> but hit a few problems with 'disk not mounting'. Realised how rusty I was using a Mac - last one I used on a regular basis looked like..<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1-ZqIBf7RyYMJP40sAYxhfW9H7dqKFwZEQLmfGo3XI5epSRZIyqtmfMnJJ2KYYFVB0IHRTvzzjZWv38qAGrBzjf9fMsr_1Wi32P7inDcdo_tDuemU9UnCr7sQeQJdRE1LlgM_UK6I17K/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1-ZqIBf7RyYMJP40sAYxhfW9H7dqKFwZEQLmfGo3XI5epSRZIyqtmfMnJJ2KYYFVB0IHRTvzzjZWv38qAGrBzjf9fMsr_1Wi32P7inDcdo_tDuemU9UnCr7sQeQJdRE1LlgM_UK6I17K/s320/images.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I am ashamed to admit that I even had to look up how to get a screen shot (Utilities - Grab). I did not realise how 'Microsofted' I had become until this point!<br />
<br />
After a few more false starts - the SDK download worked (only 12 wait for each download - I live in the sticks!)<a class="cssButton" href="" id="publishButton" target=""><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner"><br />
</div></div></div></a>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-72799926928344737212009-09-15T07:47:00.000-07:002010-09-09T03:18:41.117-07:00First book finished!I have read most of <a href="http://www.apress.com/">Beginning iPhone 3 Development by Dave Mark and Jeff LaMarche</a> and most of it has made sense. The bits I missed were the actually typing in of the exercises (which are obviously quite key!) but the theory made sense. Although I do very much feel like a poor mans developer having to map out exercises on paper rather than coding on an actual Mac!<br />
<br />
I am not keen to spend hundreds of pounds on equipment until I can be sure what the return on an iPhone development is likely to be. <a class="cssButton" href="" id="publishButton" target=""><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner">Publish Post</div></div></div></a>VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-62036708711321263782009-09-08T23:21:00.000-07:002010-09-09T23:29:31.075-07:00iPhone Development for Working MumsI also believe that the fact that Apple deal with the 'customer' bit would make my life a lot easier! With my current job I can get a call at any time with system support issues (although I technically work part-time!). This has resulted in many an embarrassing moment where I have a screaming toddler wanting a biscuit while juggling a desperate user needing their system back up! I have taken many a call hiding in the toilet!<br />
<br />
As users will access my application via iTunes downloads - I will get feedback or requests about my iPhone applications but I can deal with them via email which is much more toddler friendly!VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128528237854596490.post-45503246818762031632009-09-07T06:36:00.000-07:002010-09-09T03:15:28.911-07:00Where to start??!??My quest to learn how to develop iPhone applications begins today! We have a 4 hour drive planned so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start reading <a href="http://www.apress.com/">Beginning iPhone 3 Development by Dave Mark and Jeff LaMarche</a>. If this book makes sense then the next step is to start putting some money into this project and invest in an actually Mac and who knows maybe an actual iPhone!<br />
<br />
This would be a big step as although I have a development/database background VB, SQL, Oracle, HTML, PHP and some very rusty C++ skills (I have written any C code for about 15 years!!)<br />
<br />
The reason I decided to learn how to develop iPhone applications was due to an article that I read in London's Metro - it described 3 programmers who had a similar background to me that had published apps. I remember thinking that if I hadn't missed so much time in my career having my 3 children - I would probably be doing something cutting edge like developing apps like they were instead of working on legacy systems (and yes still supporting/extending DOS apps!) But I decided it was worth a bit more research especially as my youngest was about to start pre-school so why not!<br />
<br />
The other reason that I was attacted to this type of development was that as Apple obviously act as a distributor via iTunes - there couldn't be an easier way to find your target market - although they take their percentage it didn't seem like a bad deal.<br />
<br />
Also - when buying an iPhone application you are not making a considered purchased - most people spend a less than a couple of minutes thinking about spending 59p.VitVothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13736165861344936280noreply@blogger.com0