Sams Teach yourself Iphone development in 24 hours

Return that book if you have the receipt. Toss it in the trash otherwise or you'll never get going...this stuf is hard enough for a new person without something that bad making it worse.

If you intend to work with Apple's sample, follow Apple's tutorial here:

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/iPhone/Conceptual/iPhone 101/Articles/00Introduction.html#//appleref/doc/uid/TP40007514

Paying Apple the $99 gets you access to the entire document library including videos via iTunes U. Those are very helpful.

Otherwise try 'Beginning iPhone Development' by Mark & LeMarche for OS 3.

Learn to use the author's websites that support the books. Understand that usually those kinds of books are built early using beta software so that by the time they end up in the hands of users there can be misleading code, etc. You can't buy them and come here for that kind of support when they get your money and leave you hanging. Learn for at least OS 3 compatibility, but know that even that OS will be replaced soon enough.

None of this stuff is 'user friendly' - it is complicated and demanding. Just being able to use Xcode assumes a rudimentary background in writing code. Self-taught hobbyists that consider themselves programmers because they know what HTML means are at a distinct disadvantage. Not knowing any Objective C is another hurdle if that is the case. This isn't entry-level DIY stuff...it can be done, but it requires a lot of study on the individual's part.

The phrase 'Teach yourself iPhone development in 24 hours' will go down as one of the biggest cons of this century. Similar to saying 'iPhone developer' in your signature...buying a book doesn't make it so.

See this link too:

iPhone Developer Beginner Resource Guide (Nov 1, 2009)
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2218661

mcd1369 wrote:
Am I missing something I should have downloaded from SAMS?

Yes, I think you're missing the project folders that come with your book. Since I don't have the book, I can't tell you exactly how to obtain those folders, but I previewed the chapter you mentioned at an online bookstore and on p. 49 I found:

You can test this using the HelloSimulator project included in this hour's Projects folder.

I didn't search for the download url since, understandably, most online previews omit that information.

A while back, programming books often came with a CD, and indeed it wasn't uncommon to find new books in the store with the CD wrapper torn out. But if that were the case, you'd probably see a tear inside of the back cover or the remains of a cardboard insert between the last page and the back cover. More recent books are generally supported by a web site from which you're expected to download the project files. You should find the url on one of the very first or very last pages, or perhaps on the inside of the front or back cover. If you can't find it, you can phone the publisher's support line or e-mail one of the authors:

[http://www.pearsontech.ca/contact_us.html]
[http://snootymonkey.com]

I've been trying to learn software development for well over 24 years, so I might prejudge a book that does the job in 24 hours. But I think that's called "judging a book by it's cover". I don't think your selection deserves the rap it's gotten so far in this thread, and certainly not if the problem is just a misunderstanding about where to get the project folders. So after you get past this bump in the road, please let us know how you like the book, ok? That would only be fair to the authors.

\- Ray

I don't think your selection deserves the rap it's gotten so far in this thread,

I'm guessing you took a pass on this thread then?

Sams 'Teach Yourself iPhone Application Development' book - rubbish!


...or...

https://devforums.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=1674217&objectType=2&objectID=17 5733

...or...

https://devforums.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=1674217&objectType=2&objectID=18 9286

K T wrote:
I'm guessing you took a pass on this thread then?

Erm... I sure can't get away with much these days. Seems like there was once a kinder, gentler time when I could lie like a rug and never get caught.

And of all the useless things I do, nothing is quite as tiresome as defending my opinion, especially since I'm usually wrong. But since the issue is fairness, and since our esteemed OP has already dropped 25 to 40 USD on the book in question, please bear with me while I try to spin my previous remarks.

Maybe the search for truth should start with my take on the 3 links you provided:

Link #1: On 3/31/10, Paul Boreham calls the book "rubbish", and writes, It's a nightmare passed (sic) Chapter 14 - its like they stopped caring". On 4/1, both David Moffat and Ramona Adams agree that the quality of the book falls off at Chapter 14. Adams writes, "It was great until then".

The rest of the thread mostly deals with the relative merits of the Apple docs, WWDC lectures, and Stanford CS193P. The docs seem to finish last. Oh.. and also on 4/1, Rufus writes, "Mark and LaMarche use the 'tutorial' method without explaining why you are doing what they say to do". Go figure.

Link #2: On 3/1/10, MobileMan writes, "Sams Teach yourself iPhone Application Development (in 24 hours) by John Ray and Sean Johnson ... Well set up and clean. ... With just this book alone (okay AND Programming in Obj-C by Stephen G. Kochan) I've already made a few programs for the store. It's a fun book to work with".

Sadly some of that thread is pretty hard on the first edition of Erica Sadun's Cookbook. Doesn't it mention somewhere it's a cookbook, not a primer?

Link #3: This is an earlier (3/28/10) post by Paul Boreham where he writes, "I'm using the SAMs 24 Hour book and struggling a bit from Hour 14-15 (I've found the quality of the book has dropped dramatically with lots of errors... anyway)". There are no replies to that post.

Looking over the reader's comments at Amazon and B&N, typos and incorrect class names were also reported, though I don't think any of those reviews mentioned a drop-off point.

Except for the preview pages I skimmed at B&N, I haven't read the book myself. So what would you have me make of this? Have I read enough to agree the book should be thrown in the trash? We all know which first iPhone book I recommend, and the number 24 doesn't appear anywhere in the title. But I don't believe in one size fits all, and in this thread I'm asked to help the OP use the book that's already been purchased.

Lastly, I think writing a book is an awesomely difficult job. I've skimmed enough of this one to know the authors are clearly trying to teach the subject. If I'd worked my tail off on such a volume for God knows how many months, then read my work was trash in an international forum, then looked closer and discovered the catalyst for this treatment was a misunderstanding about where to get the project code...

Do ya think we could agree to let the OP download the right files, go on to "day 3" or 4 or 12, and then let us know whether the book is working for him or her? If we get bad news at that point, I'm more than willing to admit you're right as usual, KT. Is that fair?

\- Ray

Fair?

Fair is posting your opinion here without jamming someone else's to get it done. How hard would that have been?

You think it's fair to help someone that's been led down a clover lane by a bandit bookseller/author, while they move to the next book and leave the purchaser in the lurch, that's fine - be an enabler for that. Nothing about the situation will change either way. But please try to say what you have to say without propping it up at another person's expense.

Don't take a swipe at me when I didn't give you cause. I've got my reasons for saying what I did and unless you wrote that book, they don't involve you and you have no reason to give me push-back right out of the block. I was wrong thinking you'd be the last one to take the low road. Now I know different...live and learn.

But thanks for taking a run at me - better luck next time.

You might want to ask Ray, as perhaps one of the most (if not THE most) seasoned and experienced app dev here, how long it took him to get his first app in the store, and how this aligns with recommending to a neophyte that they stay with a book entitled +Teach yourself Iphone development in 24 hours+...?

With decades of experience, he claims it was 6 weeks before he got an app in the store. Know that that is fast by any standard.

I think the word is 'disingenuous'. He apparently had no concern over your plight when he first replied, only in taking an opposing view, for whatever reason, at your expense.

Note this is very odd coming from him - he is usually very sensitive to rookies....ask him to explain how he really feels about your situation in comparison to his own experience getting started. Ask him if he would have used such a book at that time for himself. Ask him if he was really being honest with you. Ask him how long he thinks it will take for you to get an app in the store... And then let us know if you like the answer and how you feel about having information you can actually trust.

I have a lot of respect for your programming knowledge and advice!

How many hours a week would it take someone with fairly good C-programming knowledge, and a fair understanding of Objective-C to complete a simple infix-to-postfix application for the iPhone? How many hours a day, on average, do you write program code? Thank you for your advice!

Ken -

I felt like I'd been hit by a bus when I read the above. In my mind I was just respectfully disagreeing, but--maybe because of my lame sense of humor, or because I was just plain thoughtless--the result was a disaster that I haven't been able to forget since that night.

In my opinion, disloyalty to a friend is a character failure beneath contempt. Nobody around here has given me the kind of support and encouragement that you have. I count you as a real friend. In fact, at this point there's not much you could say or do to change that.

If this message requires more bandwidth, I'd like the opportunity to speak privately. I made a temporary email account for that purpose at aol, and I'll keep it open until the spam makes it useless. The account name is RayNewbie.

\- Ray

You are a real professional!

Hi mcd1369

The books files are at: http://www.informit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0672330849
Look at the the downloads tab and the two errata files in Extras.

I think the intent of the title of this series is misleading, it's 24 one-hour lessons, not 24 hrs in one day. I think he covers the basics pretty well. there are so many books available, and so much documentation from apple, seems like you just have to poke around and see what approach works for you. The online libraries like safaribooksonline.com are kind of nice when looking a new topic, explore for a fee per month without buying all the books.
Then buy your favorites!

I bought this book at Barnes & Noble and am giving it a go. I'm an amateur coder to be sure and completely new to iPhone development. Some Windows work and a ASP 3.0 web site (www.navrules.net if you're curious) is my prior experience. I'm in Hour 4 at this point. I will report back w/ my 2 cents when I get further along. So far so good . . . . I wonder how I'll feel when I hit Chapter 14?

Mark

I got this book as it was recommended on a couple of sites, and I wanted a tutorial rather than some kind of reference book. I had taught myself Actionscript for Flash, and wanted to try my hand at the iPhone next.
I have no experience of any other programming language, so this is really 'from scratch' for me! I have found the book to be clear and helpful, explaining why, not just how, in most cases.
I too found there was a problem from chapter 12 (I am at the end of 16 now) with accuracy - googling 'sams iphone 24 hours errata' found a better source than the publishers, but I have lost the page now, sorry - and that helped me to check I wasn't cracking up. To be honest though, by that point, I had a fair idea of what had gone wrong from what I had learned so far, and from the error messages in Xcode, and managed to fix it myself.
I didn't buy this expecting to be an expert by the end, but I hoped that it would give me a good foundation to start from. I believe that I have got that, and now feel familiar enough with the MVC stuff and the basics of Objective C to have a bash at my own app. I'm sure I'll also need to use a lot of the help stuff from Apple too, but at least it will make some sense to me now!
I think I read somewhere that they are reissuing the book with the errata corrected in November.