iPhone & iPad App Development Help

[koesherbacon]

Hi everyone,

My wife just got me a book for developing apps and I could use a little help. I can make the standard "Hello World!" app, but the idea I have is a lot more complex than pushing a button and having some text appear!

Here's the general idea. I'd like to make a simple application that players can use when playing 4th Edition DND. I know there are already apps out there, but I think some of them are more complex than need be and seem to go overboard. They try to keep track of everything your character can do. For instance, they keep track of your HP, conditions, encounter powers, daily powers, what magic items you have, etc. They seem to want to eliminate the use of character sheets.

This app, on the other hand, would just track your character's current hit points as well as any important negative conditions (aka status effects) currently effecting your character. That way, it would be used on conjunction to your character sheet.

I've made some very rudimentary images of what I have in mind.
Here's the app w/o any information plugged in
And here's the app w/ some info

Ideally, you'd be able to check on and off the boxes next to the conditions. Also, if your current HP dropped below 1/2 your max, it would turn red to indicate you're bloodied. If at all possible, I think it would be rad if the Helpless, Unconscious and Dying conditions were checked off automatically if your character's HP dropped below 0.

Anyone up to helping me get this app started? Like I said, I'm very new to app development; but I'm anxious to learn!

Thanks a ton, I look forward hearing back from some of you!

 

[Alan Shutko]

I don't play 4e so I'm not interested in helping with this app, but I just started writing an iPhone app myself, so I can offer some tips.

One question: have you programmed before? Or are you starting out fresh with this? If you've programmed before you'll have an easier time of transferring your knowledge over. If you're new to programming, you might also take a look for some blogs/books that help as an introduction.

What helped me out was to focus on a specific task or bit of a feature, and start working out how to put that in. For example, for this, perhaps you should start with laying out the interface. Create a xib file and use Interface Builder to start adding elements to the screen. I wasn't too familiar with GUI creators, so it took me a bit of practice and fiddling. Then you'll have both a good looking example of what you want to build, AND the basis for some coding.

Don't be afraid to take everything you've put together and throw it away and start over. In the early experimentation phases, you'll make lots of mistakes. When you learn something you could have done better, you can throw the old stuff away without losing much, because you're still early in the process. It took me about two or three aborted File-New Projects until I really understood what I was doing and got traction. And then, as I'd learn to use a new feature, I'd write some experimental code to try things out, knowing I'd probably rewrite it later.

Finally, download and look at a lot of sample code. When you are working on a specific new feature and have questions on how to do it, google for examples. For example, google "writing a checkbox objective c" for some ideas on how to handle those checkboxes. There are some suggestions on using UISwitch controls, or table views, or other things, and lots of sample code for you to look at. This helped me a lot as I learned the best ways to do things.

Hope this helps! I'm happy to assist with any more specific questions.

 

[Fast Learner]

It's a very straightforward app, though there are some tricky bits you'll have to deal with.

First, let me heartily recommend the book [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-iPhone-Development-Applications/dp/0596803540/]Head First iPhone Development[/ame]. I think it's by far the best introduction and it will teach you everything you'll need to write this app.

First, there are no checkboxes in iOS. You'll either use the On/Off switch (called a UISwitch) or, probably better, a UITableView where you'll toggle the on/off state and show a checkmark next to the On ones.

The other slightly tricky thing will be dealing with the keyboard appearing and disappearing, but the book explains it well.

I think the app needs one thing you haven't specified, which is saving the app state between times it's run.

One nicety that wouldn't complicate it much would be the ability to save more than one character state, basically tapping a settings button to pick from characters or create a new one and choose a name.

Anyway, it's a one-afternoon app for someone with experience, but will likely take you some weeks or months, depending on how much spare time you have to work through the book. Still, it's a great first app, you're on the right track.

 

[Fast Learner]

It's probably worth noting that a (more in-depth) version of this app already exists:

Character Status for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

Not that it should stop you from going ahead and making one of your own, it's a good first (or maybe second) project. Just FYI.