With Swift 3 officially released, it may be time to start migrating Swift 2.2/2.3 Code to Swift 3. But as this article points out, there are some major changes in terms of best practices for naming functions in Swift 3.
Definitely give this one a read; I really like how it takes you step by step to improve the function names using examples. 👌
http://inaka.net/blog/2016/09/16/function-naming-in-swift-3/
It’s quite difficult for newbies to comprehend the idea of map/flatmap. This post simplifies the terms functions, Applicatives and Monads with some clear examples of how they use map/flatmap. Make sure to check it out!
Xcode is quite the beast and intimidating with its very detailed functionality. These are some really great tips/keyboard shortcuts to help speed up and/or access some really useful functions of Xcode. Also don’t miss some bonus tips in the first comment of the article.
I’m currently intrigued with how TDD (Test Driven Development) can help me become a better developer. The problem is…you see TDD mentioned a lot on the Internet, but it’s hard to come across good explanations of HOW to actually DO Test Driven Development.
I first became interested in learning TDD because I read in the book I’m reading now called The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers that TDD isn’t optional–it’s required if you want to be seen as a professional coder, which of course I want to be! 🙂 In the book, Robert Martin discusses using Katas for TDD, so I thought I’d give it a try.
TDD Kata was first introduced in the book The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master (which I have yet to read…it’s next on my list). Essentially, it’s taking a set of predefined programming steps that take you through a programming problem from start to finish, using proper TDD techniques right from the start. Its goal is to teach via muscle memory. This blog post describes it well.
Today I did The Bowling Game Kata (linked below) from start to finish. I plan to do it daily for 15 minutes (as suggested by Marlena below). I definitely see the benefit now.
My first reaction as I went through each step of the kata was to check to make sure my logic was correct…but then I realized that that’s why the test was written before writing the logic–it was already verified to be correct since the test passed. Still–I found it hard not to try to run through the logic to make sure (which is muscle memory from non-TDD habits–exactly what I’m trying to break :)).
Fun!
Here’s what else I’ve come across that I’ve found helpful thus far in terms of TDD:
Marlena describes a 15-minute-per-day technique of learning TDD using Katas. The point is to follow the Kata step by step, which goes through the proper method to do TDD, bit by bit, day by day, to practice and make the act of writing tests before logic the most natural and comfortable way of coding for you.
Jon adapted this Java TDD Kata so it is in both Objective-C and Swift. It describes what TDD Kata is, and how to do it.
Martin describes the different ways in which you can create your app’s objects needed to test your app. It’s an oldie, but I found it to be very good at describing different techniques for actually building your tests for TDD.
I’ll update this post as I learn and find more resources!
-Justin
Podcasts are an essential part of my learning workflow. I’ve only discovered the power of podcasts in the past couple of years, and I find them super useful for learning new things and keeping up with the latest news and tips and tricks!
I subscribe to many different podcasts, but right now I’ve been mainly sticking to iOS Development-themed shows to help accelerate my learning rate. I’m confident in saying that it’s accomplishing that goal!
Typically I’ll digest these podcasts in the shower using my Bluetooth speaker, in my car to and from work, and sometimes during work.
Here are my top picks (in no particular order)!
Website: http://mtjc.fm
Description: Each week, Aaron Vegh, Jaime Lopez, Mark Rubin (sometimes Greg Heo), and Tim Mitra discuss iOS and Mac development, including current issues, what developers are talking about, what their apps are about, what they are using to create their apps and what advice they have for other developers (or those looking to become one). It also features news, notes and tech tips for developers.
Why I Like It: It’s got a Canadian perspective, eh! 🇨🇦 A minimum of 50% Canadian hosts—sometimes 100%! 👌 The crew has great chemistry and each episode is always full of entertaining shenanigans. The show talks about real-world problems developers face and how they deal with them. Also I always love the picks.
Website: https://www.relay.fm/radar
Description: From development and design to marketing and support, Under the Radar is all about independent app development. It’s never longer than 30 minutes. Hosted by Marco Arment and David Smith.
Why I like It: Marco and David are influential and successful indie developers who know their stuff. Each episode is focused on a single focused topic that’s to the point and under 30 minutes. Start from the beginning as it’s rather new.
Website: http://5by5.tv/iohyes
Description: A podcast by iOS developers for iOS developers, delivering news, tips, and rants for professional iOS/Mac developers, with something for enterprise and indie developers alike.
Hosted by Darryl Thomas, John Sextro, and Nolan O’Brien.
Why I Like It: These guys always have very focused, intelligent, technical discussions that are very detailed—we’re talking calling out and describing actual APIs. I always come away learning something new and/or understand better! Nolan is excellent at explaining technical topics.
Website: http://releasenotes.tv
Description: Release Notes is a weekly podcast about the business of Mac and iOS indie software development. It discusses inspiration, design, trends, and tools — everything but the code. The show is hosted by Charles Perry and Joe Cieplinski. Each week it covers topics for the new or curious independent developer looking to make his or her way in the iOS and Mac ecosystem. Tips and tricks, success stories as well as failures.
Why I Like It: It covers a wide range of topics with really great perspectives. I’m always learning something new about the business side of software. Great hosts!
Website: http://www.coreint.org
Description: A podcast about indie software development for the Mac, iOS and other Apple technologies. Hosted by Daniel Jalkut and Manton Reese.
Why I Like It: Daniel and Manton are down to earth hosts who have great chemistry and aren’t afraid to say it like it is. It’s always a great way to keep up on the latest trends and often discussion of the softer parts of being a developer. Lots of tomfoolery.
Website: http://www.raywenderlich.com/rwpodcast
Why It Missed The Top: It recently moved to two 20 minute topics per episode…and while the content and focus is great, I just find it a bit too rushed now. Still recommended!
Website: http://podcast.conceptsincode.com/size/2
Why It Missed The Top: It’s a great podcast that discussed really good best practices, but sometimes it goes a bit on a tangent and it’s also a bit difficult to just listen to since it relies on the github project discussed. Great discussion nonetheless!
Are there any I’m missing that you find are key? If so tweet them at me @jstheoriginal or leave a comment below. 🙌
P.S. I use Marco’s Overcast podcast app…if you do as well make sure to hit the Recommend button on these podcasts!
Xcode can be a bit daunting at first when you’re starting out as an iOS developer. It’s a very complex and capable program, which means it can be hard to find what you’re looking for.
Thomas has some good tips for Xcode, including using landmarks (TODO:, MARK:, FIXME:), search, groups and callers—which all make it much easier to find what you’re looking for or what you need to come back to later.
Check it out!
Some more excellent methods of making TableViews more flexible! 🎉
Brilliant. 🤓
Little Bites of Cocoa is a blog I recently discovered that offers some truly great bite-sized snippets of knowledge via a newsletter. It’s a good way to keep on top of new best practices and bits of knowledge.
In the latest newsletter, a bunch of handy Swift tricks were featured, with my favourite being this one:
It’s helped me cut way down on the pyramid of doom! And what’s even better is you can even throw in a condition using the where keyword to the end of the chain. 😍 brilliance.
Check out the rest here: https://littlebitesofcocoa.com/175-more-swift-tricks
Not sure who to follow to learn Swift and iOS development? 😖
This is an excellent list of websites, newsletters, bloggers and tweeters! I’ve got many of them on the watch already, and will be adding some more after having read this page!
Follow the best and you’ll become better! I promise. 🤓
This is a great, straight-to-the-point post about where you can use the keyword where in Swift along with specific code examples. It’s a really powerful keyword that allows you to pre-filter lines of code. Check it out!
http://blog.krzyzanowskim.com/2015/11/13/where-where-may-be-used/
swift.with(justin) 