Re: Learning the Interface Builder
Re: Learning the Interface Builder
- Subject: Re: Learning the Interface Builder
- From: Conrad Shultz <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:08:25 -0700
On 11/2/11 5:03 PM, Amanda Rains wrote:
> I'm running Xcode 3.2.6 - So far there is a fair match up with Xcode
> and what I find in Hillegass's book.
OK. But be advised that it's pretty clear that Xcode 3 is on the way
out, so if you haven't been too heavily invested yet I would recommend
you consider looking at Xcode 4.
> OK!... honing my questions - Well I'm not sure I can form specific
> questions but instead sort of wave my hands about notions like
> delegates and core data.
Yeah, I know that Hillegass covers Core Data fairly early on, but I
would probably skip over that until you feel well grounded in the
fundamentals. If you're on the cocoa-dev list as well you can see how
even seasoned professionals can get tripped up by it, powerful as it is.
> I can reason why delegates are used AND I can follow a turtorialized
> example that includes a delegate and it runs. But there is something
> missing when I try to use one in a program I've written without the
> help of a tutorialize example. That is, small test programs I attempt
> to write bring lots of new things into the mix that I really have no
> idea what to do with.
(This is probably better suited to the aforementioned cocoa-dev list.)
Can you elaborate on what sorts of small test programs you have been
attempting and what "new things" you are confused on?
It's still a little unclear to me whether you are really having trouble
with IB (e.g. the mechanics of making connections between objects) or
with the conceptual underpinnings of delegation, responders, etc.
> When I write test programs in Objective-C with no interface. When
> things go wrong I can throw in some NSLogs or use the debugger to pin
> point where I went wrong. I can then study the problem and correct
> my internal model of how to write an effective Objective-C program.
Sorry, I'm having trouble parsing these sentences. Are you saying that
you do understand these things or that you are trying to learn these things?
Since your question was about IB, which would not be particularly
helpful in a no-interface app, are you saying that you don't know how to
apply the above techniques to an application that DOES have an interface?
> ...some hand waving... One thing I have noticed is I can't tell if
> I've missed connected things with the IB. I sometimes end up in a
> state of confusion and start "hunting and pecking" to make
> connections work. Which is clearly a sign I don't know what I am
> doing in the IB. I wish to know how to use the IB to make the proper
> connections.
Missing connections is far more common than you might expect (or would
hope) and does not necessarily indicate that you don't know what you are
doing. The problem is that IB just doesn't make it obvious when you
forget, say, to wire up a delegate connection. This is probably because
(with very few exceptions) such connections are not strictly mandatory.
> What I am finding is that I'm not "groking" (from stranger in a
> strange land) on how to utilize the IB to build an effective set of
> connections between the Model, View and Controller. So far I haven't
> been able to formulate an internal mode of how to utilize the IB. I
> know it will come in time. BUT at the moment I honestly don't know
> why, when and how to use the IB.
First, let me applaud you for wanting to take the time to do it right by
separating model, view, and controller, and for not just flailing around
until you find something that happens to work.
Since you seem to have a conceptual basis on which to build, let me ask
if you find writing the actual code easier. If so, we can move forward
from the perspective of "anything that you can do in IB can also be done
in code."
> So I am looking for a document or book that approaches writing a
> Cocoa program where the focus is on building my skills in IB use.
Again, it's not clear that your confusion stems principally from IB but
from Cocoa itself. What would probably help me (and others who might
respond) is if you boil this down to a concrete example. If you have a
simple test project that is giving you trouble, zip it up (minus the
build directory, please) and post it to Dropbox or the like. We can
then better understand whether this is an IB/Xcode question or something
that we can migrate over to cocoa-dev for a code and concept discussion.
As for learning IB in particular, something I have found helpful is to
look at some of the sample projects that employ classes or techniques of
interest to me. Where possible, the projects do use IB and poking
around them can reveal which mysterious corners of the nib contain
settings and connections of interest.
Sorry, can't suggest a book better than Hillegass for learning IB basics.
--
Conrad Shultz
Synthetiq Solutions
www.synthetiqsolutions.com
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