Road to devLink: Installing and Running the Candy Store Server

I just updated the README file in github. Visit the project to download the source. Follow the README to configure the server. If the documentation works, it should guide you step-by-step through getting couchdb installed and configured and getting node solution installed and running.

https://github.com/danielnorton/candystore-server

Road to devLink: Functionally Complete

As of this yesterday (8/12/2011) the Candy Store app is functionally complete. I have several blog posts that I would like to write. Of course, I had hoped that I would write more right in the middle of the process. However, I just got too tangled up in In-App Purchase. Now, I am turning my attention to polishing up the app to use as demo fodder at devLink, and of course to finishing up my slide decks. I have more than enough good material and examples from Candy Store for both sessions of devLink. Here's a few screenshots of the current state of the app.

Future blog posts that I would like to write about Candy Store might include:

• Pulling down the bits and configuring
• • Unfortunately, you can’t just get my iOS source and run Candy Store. There are a lot of configuration parts outside of just the Xcode project. There is also a server to set up. I will discuss how to set up iTunes Connect, what bits to download to get the server parts working, and configuring the database.

• How Candy Store uses In-App Purchase
• • Holy cow! IAP is complicated. I think, though, this app has served as a great tool to figure all out all of the intricacies.

• Candy Store server - node.js & couchdb
• • Really, I didn’t do very much with this. However, I now have a general idea of what node.js capable of and I have a real appreciation of couchdb and the whole NoSQL thing.

• Coding style
• • I will admit right off the bat that the probability of this post ever happening is pretty low. However, I would like to get my thoughts down on this matter at some point. It is pretty arrogant of me to say this, but I am fond of my Objective-C coding style and conventions. I think they make the code readable and easier to understand.

So there are a few posts. Those are most certainly not going to get written before devLink. So, keep posted for updates after devLink. Between now and the conclusion of devLink (probably right after my talks on Wednesday (8/17) I will put my slide deck online somewhere and link to it from this blog.

Indispensable iOS Development Documentation

I was just asked for my recommendation on the most indispensable iOS development documents available from Apple. Here is my response.

Publicly available documentation

• iOS Development Guide
• iOS Application Programming Guide
• iOS Human Interface Guidelines
• View Controller Programming Guide for iOS
• Table View Programming Guide for iOS
• Core Data Programming Guide
• Coding Guidelines for Cocoa
• The Objective-C Programming Language
• What’s New in iOS
• iOS Developer Library

Available to registered Apple Developer Program users

• iTunes Connect Developer Guide [pdf]
• App Store Review Guidelines
• Apple Development Videos
• Apple Developer Forums