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Objective-C Programming For Dummies
A step-by-step guide to understanding object-oriented programming with Objective-CAs the primary programming language for iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS X applications, Objective-C is a reflective, object-oriented language that all programmers must know before creating apps. Assuming no prior programming language experience, this fun-and-friendly book provides you with a solid understanding of Objective-C. Addressing the latest version of Xcode, debugging, code completion, and more, veteran author Neal Goldstein helps you gain a solid foundation of this complex topic, and filters out any unnecessary intricate technical jargon. Assumes no prior knowledge of programming and keeps the tone clear and entertaining Explains complicated topics regarding Objective-C with clarity and in a straightforward-but-fun style that has defined the "For Dummies" brand for 20 years Features all material completely compliant with the latest standards for Objective-C and Apple programming
"Objective-C Programming For Dummies" is the ideal beginner book if your objective is to venture into iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS X development for the first time!
"Objective-C Programming For Dummies" is the ideal beginner book if your objective is to venture into iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS X development for the first time!
472 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 2, 2012
11 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Neal Goldstein
26 books8 followersThere is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 15, 2018
Read this book whilst a student at University, easy to follow, starting from the basics to more advanced, this book was a great aid for my and my studies
October 21, 2020
To give this book its due, it attempts a Herculean task: namely to teach the absolute beginner:
1) The basics of programming
2) K&R C
3) The basics of object-oriented design
4) Objective-C
5) An introduction to Xcode
It seeks to achieve this by choosing a relatively simple application — a budget-calculator for vacations — and developing it in increasing detail through each chapter.
This is all very well; but I would guess that most readers are learning learning Objective-C primarily for use with the Mac user interface, and this isn’t addressed until nearly the end.
The programming example used, while perfectly valid, is extremely boring, and it’s hard to imagine anyone’s interest being sustained past the first few chapters.
And last but not least, the text itself is often quite sloppy.
For instance, there are frequent references to “arguments” when it means “parameters”. To take another random example, on p.177, you may find:
“In Chapter 5, you create the Budget object by sending it a new message like so:”
The confused beginner may well ask: How can you send it a new message if it hasn’t been created yet? And, of course, she is perfectly right. The sentence should read:
“In Chapter 5, you create the Budget object by sending the class a new message like so:” (emphasis added)
And so forth.
The competition
Recommending an alternative, none the less, is not a simple matter.
However, I have been extremely impressed by Robert Clair’s Learning Objective-C 2.0: A Hands-On Guide to Objective-C for Mac and iOS Developers, which assumes a working knowledge of C, but is concise, knowledgeable and well written, and which also contains a great deal of extremely useful information.
I will add to this review as other books come to my attention.
1) The basics of programming
2) K&R C
3) The basics of object-oriented design
4) Objective-C
5) An introduction to Xcode
It seeks to achieve this by choosing a relatively simple application — a budget-calculator for vacations — and developing it in increasing detail through each chapter.
This is all very well; but I would guess that most readers are learning learning Objective-C primarily for use with the Mac user interface, and this isn’t addressed until nearly the end.
The programming example used, while perfectly valid, is extremely boring, and it’s hard to imagine anyone’s interest being sustained past the first few chapters.
And last but not least, the text itself is often quite sloppy.
For instance, there are frequent references to “arguments” when it means “parameters”. To take another random example, on p.177, you may find:
“In Chapter 5, you create the Budget object by sending it a new message like so:”
The confused beginner may well ask: How can you send it a new message if it hasn’t been created yet? And, of course, she is perfectly right. The sentence should read:
“In Chapter 5, you create the Budget object by sending the class a new message like so:” (emphasis added)
And so forth.
The competition
Recommending an alternative, none the less, is not a simple matter.
However, I have been extremely impressed by Robert Clair’s Learning Objective-C 2.0: A Hands-On Guide to Objective-C for Mac and iOS Developers, which assumes a working knowledge of C, but is concise, knowledgeable and well written, and which also contains a great deal of extremely useful information.
I will add to this review as other books come to my attention.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews