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Looking to build an App - unsure where to start..


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I've got an idea for a small Web App/iPhone App and would like to get started on its development however I am unsure of where to start and what to look for when hiring a developer to complete the tasks for me.

The basic features off the top of my head, would be:

  • Web/iphone app would allow users to interact with Google Maps (within the Site/App)
  • Web/iphone app would require user registration
  • Web/iphone app would need to store that data somewhere
  • Web/iphone app would sync information across both platforms
  • Web/iphone app user alerts (Email for Web App and Notifications for iPhone App)
  • Possibilty of 3rd party api integration at a later date

Does anyone know what would be involved in creating such an app and possibly what I should look for in a developer?

I know it's a little vague - however I'm just looking for a push in the right direction.

Thanks

lol sorry for the edit - but need to make it clear that I am looking to hire someone to do the work for ME rather than me learning the languages involved ;)

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your best bet is to check out the iphone development videos and and see how the language and iOS works etc, i strongly suggest that you dont jump straight into it first gain a bit of knowlege before you do anything :D

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Yeh good point! - I already have a basic understanding of iPhone app development as well as web development. I can design and code compliant websites however I need help with the back end development.

Basically I can communicate what I am trying to achieve to a developer and understand what he/she would need to do in order to achieve that result.

Hope that helps.

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Yeh good point! - I already have a basic understanding of iPhone app development as well as web development. I can design and code compliant websites however I need help with the back end development.

Basically I can communicate what I am trying to achieve to a developer and understand what he/she would need to do in order to achieve that result.

Hope that helps.

trust me i used to be a back end php developer before moving onto mobile development and and its not the same it took me weeks to pick up the objective-c language but it was worth every minute :D

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trust me i used to be a back end php developer before moving onto mobile development and and its not the same it took me weeks to pick up the objective-c language but it was worth every minute :D

Appreciate your feedback however I do not want to learn the language at this stage - I have enough knowledge to be able to easily convey my requirements to a developer who specialises in that field and that is all I need.

What I am looking for, and maybe I was a bit too vague in my first post, is: what do I need to look for in a developer who I can hire to complete the tasks required (not for me to do the work myself)?

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If you are familiar with Javascript/CSS/HTML you can write an app using iPhone web frameworks such as Phone Gap or Titanium Appcelerator. Both of these will allow you to even hook into some specific iPhone APIs like maps, accelerometer, gps etc.. They are both free and open source but Titanium Appcelerator tutorials and videos are pretty pricey but it's much more powerful than Phone Gap.

If you want to really go native you will need to learn Objective-C. This is by no means an easy task. It is a very difficult language to get a grasp on mostly because it's really an Object Oriented C and it has a pretty difficult syntax to understand.

Also, Objective-C syntax, taking care of garbage collection, working with methods and classes in general can be challenging even for seasoned developers. In addition, it is pretty difficult to get a grasp of the whole Apple development environment because you need to really know X-Code and Interface Builder. Once you do get to know it , it's really beautiful and so great to work with but the learning curve is pretty steep.

In your case I would definitely recommend going the Phone Gap or Titanium Appcelerator route... There are several reasons for you to do so:

1. It works across all platforms. Meaning the same app you build will work for Android, iPhone, Blackberry and it will use the native UI and all that.

2. If you have built websites it's much easier to get into Javascript and CSS and HTML than to learn Objective-C or Java

3. Most device APIs you will need will be available to you with these frameworks. You would only really need some APIs who are specifically unique to the platform your are building for.

If you still decide you want to learn to develop with Objective-C/X-Code/Interface Builder I would recommend you start with this book I always warmly recommend from Pragmatic:

1. Beginning Mac Programming: Develop with Objective-C and Cocoa by Tim Isted

This book is absolutely fantastic as Tim guides you through Xcode, interface builder, cocoa and OOP fundimentals as they apply to obj-c in such an engaging and fun way. Most obj-c books are very intimidating but he does an incredible job.

Once you are done with that book read this book:

2. Cocoa Programming - A Quick Start Guide for Developers by Daniel H Steinberg

And after that when you are armed with solid amount of knowledge and you have built a few small but awesome :) apps you are ready to dive into all Apple free books like human interface guidelines and other stuff they are giving out for free.

Naturally.. I would recommend you watch the Stanford videos first on iTunesU if you want to go Objective-C route:

http://itunes.apple....st?id=395605774

The rest is really up to you and your willingness to learn.

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So you are looking for a web app AND an iPhone app? Or one or the other?

Yep both and both are to sync with each other :)

Thanks for that Boz. I certainly understand what is required to build iPhone apps however I didnt know about Phone Gap or Titanium.

Although I still haven't found exactly what I am looking for.

I do no want to learn Obj C or any other language. I am happy knowing a little bit of everything at this point - what I am asking for is what sort of Developer should I be looking to hire to complete the tasks I listed above.

Learning the languages to build the app myself would significantly take longer than if I were to hire someone to complete the build for me - hence why I am trying to find out what sort of developer I should be looking for to complete such a task so I can start posting on job boards :)

Hope that clears a few things up!

I do appreciate the responses though - certainly didn't know about those two iPhone frameworks.

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That project is screaming for a web service IMO; look to create that first and build your other apps on top of it.

This will allow you to centralise all your business logic and remain platform independent.

Good luck, sounds like fun.

Anthony.

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That project is screaming for a web service IMO; look to create that first and build your other apps on top of it.

This will allow you to centralise all your business logic and remain platform independent.

Good luck, sounds like fun.

Anthony.

This is more for what I am after. Thanks :)

Yep definately know that the web app needs to come first well before any iPhone app comes along.

What languages would the developer use to code the site in do you think?

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+1 to Boz.

Learning a language for a certain project can be death. If something comes up which you don't have the answer to, it could cause your project to be dead in the water. Make sure to do your homework.

There are GREAT lecture classes from Stanford available on iTunes for free (at least I think they are free?). Sometimes having someone talk to you helps better than reading. For me anyway.

The first two or three lectures give a pretty nice overview of Objective-C, and really give you a good idea of what its all about. I would certainly look into that if you need help understanding how Obj-C and web applications communicate. There is a great twenty minute or so section on it.

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