First, and foremost, use Google to your advantage. Most of these links were found through Google since there are so many small details that cannot be found in books. I cannot stress enough that almost all beginning issues can be found online using different keywords and phrases. A great site to find many questions answered is http://www.iphonedevsdk.com/. While some of the comments to simple questions often come with snide remarks, you will find the answers.

My projects so far have been in the area of utility. With these projects, I focused on using the tab bar, navigation, web and table views. I found this website vitally important in understanding how multiple views can be used together to form the functionality necessary for my app: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBnPfAtswgw. This video also helps guide users on how to use Interface Builder, which is an important tool necessary for linking functionality and user interaction together. It’s is easy to understand and can quickly teach you the process in linking actions to buttons and/or tabs.

In terms of the table view, this site (http://www.iphonesdkarticles.com/2009/01/uitableview-loading-detail-view.html) has a great range of ways that you can use the table view for your app. It also guides you with their code, which I find very helpful in understanding all the different parts of how to make a table work with Objective-C.

A large area of debate when dealing with tables is data storage. I have looked into both XML and Core Data, of which there are many sites that discuss the pros/cons of these two types. In terms of displaying data stored in either XMl or Core Data in a table, these sites have been useful in learning how to parse the information into table cells. For XML, I used Apple’s documentation (http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/ XMLParsing/Articles/UsingParser.html) to learn the process of extracting the data desired. For Core Data, I found this website very helpful in discussing the process of using Core Data for tables: http://blog.sallarp.com/iphone-core-data-uitableview-drill-down/.

Again, I believe Google will be the best tool in finding any website specific to your project. OpenGL is an area for game developers that I have not looked into, however I am sure many website are dedicated to learning about its use for developing 2D/3D games. Also, don’t forget that Apple’s documentation is always available for learning the basics of iPhone development. While I have stated that navigation is sometimes difficult, their website is always useful in learning the basic concepts of views or any area you want to learn.

Apple

Before learning the language, I highly recommend reading a few articles in Apple’s iPhone OS Reference Library to get a better sense of what the iPhone can and cannot do in regards to your project. While I admit that Apple’s Reference Library is far from perfect, if you are willing to put in the time to dig, you will find many useful articles that will strengthen your ability to develop your app.

iPhone Human Interface Guidelines is a great starting point for any project. This section allows developers to consider different aspects of their project and how to adapt to the iPhone’s limitations. Apple also introduces all the interface features available to the developer such as views, controls, buttons, and icons. It’s important to visualize how users will interact with your app and how you will work within the limitations of the iPhone to make it a success.

Over the course of developing my project, I constantly found myself reading Apple’s documentation and articles. This is a great site to bookmark and refer back to while you work on your project.

Books

In paperback or digital form, many books available on iPhone development are well-written, informative, and helpful in getting anyone started with their ideas/projects. When choosing books that will help you learn, find the author’s intended audience. Most times this information can be found in the preface, or by flipping through a few pages and getting a feel for the author’s style. The books I will be suggesting are intended for those learning iPhone development from scratch.

I found Objective-C for Java Developers as a great transition into Objective-C and understanding many of the confusing syntax differences in the two languages. I am a fan of Apress for its easy-to-learn approach and it also assumes that you have no previous experience with Objective-C. However, it does expect you to understand object-oriented programming to fully understand some of the key differences in the languages.

I also latched on to Beginning iPhone 3 Development: Exploring the iPhone SDK to learn the basics of the SDK and Objective-C. Again, the author uses an amiable style to learning new concepts and tools available to the developer. I also liked the breakdown of code and the explanation given for each chunk.  While an introductory book cannot go into the complete details of the SDK and tools, it does a great job covering most areas in enough detail to help the developer get started.

(Apress actually has a large collection of books for iPhone development that are not discussed here, however I do recommend looking into what they offer past my recommendations. This includes books that go into specific areas such as gaming.)

iPhone SDK Development is another great book to get started and is also available in digital form. Again, their style is easy-to-read and has a very friendly approach to teaching the iPhone SDK for beginners. Currently I have the digital copy, and I love the use of color for the code they explain (I can’t vouch for the printed version having this useful detail). There are also links to the source code that I find helpful and easy to access.

In addition to publishing books, PragProg goes a step further by creating videos and audio to learn programming. For anyone using the MapKit Framework, they have a great video to orient yourself with the different methods and classes in about 30 minutes.

Once you are oriented with the basics of iPhone development, The iPhone Developer’s Cookbook has many great recipes to help with specific areas of your project. The author does assume you have some experience with the iPhone SDK, however once you have a few of the beginner books under your belt, the examples won’t feel foreign.

And finally, while this isn’t an iPhone-specific book, I recommend Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X for an overall impression of developing on a Mac. I liked the introduction to the Interface Builder and building applications for the Mac, which I think can broaden your development past the iPhone.

Of course, there are many more books available than what I have listed. I always recommend going with a book/publisher that helps you get the most out of your developing experience.

Next time, I will share my experience with searching for help online and some great websites to keep bookmarked for future reference.

What’s worse is that these teachers didn’t have the proper training in mathematics:
“The study raises important questions about the education of elementary school teachers. Only 33% of kindergarten, first- and second-grade teachers took a course in probability and statistics in college, and only 13% took calculus, Beilock said.”

We need to work on this a bit…and let’s make all subjects interesting for girls! Science and math can be so much fun when put in the right perspective!

So what’s the goal? The hope? The dream? I hope to share some of my experiences with programming as well as my journey in finding a job that I find worthwhile and rewarding. My first degree is in English, so my background in technology is more from the user’s end. But I didn’t stop there…I went back to school and acquired a second degree in Computer Science. Given these two polarizing degrees, I plan to convey some of my observations over the past few years in how these two areas work together in a programming environment.

So, that’s me in a nutshell. Oh, and I’m female. Girl. Chick. Not a guy. So my posts will not only be written by a girl (!!!) but I hope to also look into how women are changing the sciences and paving the way for other women to break into these fields.

(sidenote) In my CS program, there were only 6 women out of over 100 students enrolled in the major. Something is wrong with this picture. (/sidenote)

Anywho, welcome! Grab a drink and enjoy the insights…