Best Resources In iOS Development – July 18th 2011
Another excellent week to be an iOS developer, and some big news in the department of iOS game development with the release of Cocos2D V1.0.0 and the opening of the Moai SDK beta to everyone. Also some great open source libraries and tutorials were shared.
If you have written a tutorial, open source library or tool that you would like to share you can submit the url here.
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Here are the resources from the last week in order of popularity:
Open Source: Easy Multistroke and Single Stroke Complex Gesture Recognition On iOS – A couple of great libraries if you are looking to quickly implement complex gesture within your app.
Open Source: iCade Library For Easy Integration In iOS Games – Library that allows you to easily support the iCade classic arcade box/controller for iPad. Makes a good example if you are trying to support a specific bluetooth interfacing device.
Tutorial: Manipulating Images With Touch Gestures – A tutorial with sample code demonstrating how to add touch features for image manipulation.
Tutorial: iOS Map Kit For Beginners Guide – A getting started tutorial for those beginning with the iOS map kit including a tutorial on displaying data from XML locations on a map without using any libraries outside of those included with the iOS SDK.
Open Source: Active Record For Core Data Library – A great open source project modeled after Ruby On Rail’s ActiveRecord for more straightforward data retrieval.
News: Cocos2D Game Engine v1.0.0 Released – News about the highly popular Cocos2D game engine finally reaching the v1.0.0 release.
Tutorial: iOS Multithreading With Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) Basics – An excellent step by step guide beginning with the basics on multithreading with iOS ‘s Grand Central Dispatch.
News: Moai SDK Game Development Kit Made Available To All – The lua based open source Moai SDK has now opened the beta for anyone to download and use.
Tutorial: Calculator App Style Glossy Buttons With Core Graphics – An explanation of the technique used to create buttons just like the calculator applications that come with iOS devices.
Tutorial: How To Use The iOS Keychain To Store Names And Passwords – A guide on using the iOS keychain in order to securely store usernames and passwords.
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Open Source: Active Record For Core Data Library
If you’ve developed with Ruby On Rails or similar framework then you are familiar with ActiveRecord, and you are familiar with how useful ActiveRecord is. I remember thinking how cool it was when I first played with RoR and began using ActiveRecord.
For those unfamiliar with RoR here’s the Wikipedia definition for Active Record:
Active record is an approach to accessing data in a database. A database table or view is wrapped into a class. Thus, an object instance is tied to a single row in the table. After creation of an object, a new row is added to the table upon save. Any object loaded gets its information from the database. When an object is updated the corresponding row in the table is also updated. The wrapper class implements accessor methods or properties for each column in the table or view.
I’ve come across an excellent open source library based on the Ruby On Rails implementation of ActiveRecord from Saul Mora for Core Data retrieval known as MagicalRecord.
You can find the Github for the project along with full instructions here:
https://github.com/magicalpanda/MagicalRecord
You can read Saul’s writeup on the project on his site here:
Magical Panda releases ActiveRecord Fetching for Core Data code library
If you want the full read on Active Record from Wikipedia here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActiveRecord
A very useful library indeed.
Open Source iOS Apps – Real iOS Source Code Examples
Welcome to the sixth iteration of the open source iPhone and iPad apps list for those seeking app source code. For those that have seen similar listings on other sites using the exact wordings, and links below welcome to the source for the original list. Also included are some open source iPad apps, and universal open source iOS apps.
It can be tough to learn how to develop, especially when it comes to finding complete examples. That’s why I put this list together. Each of these open source iPhone apps is not just open source, but has been in the app store, and all but one are in there right now. So if you’re looking for an example of some real apps here they are.
Last Update: 4/28/2016
The Open Source iPhone Apps List
Here is the open source iphone app list in alphabetical order:
1. 2048 – A SpriteKit based version of the game 2048.. (iTunes link) (source code)
2. AlienBlue – A feature rich Reddit client for iPhone and iPad. (iTunes link) (source code)
3. AntiMapLog – An app for recording your own data (location, time, etc.) over a period of time. (iTunes link) (source code)
4. AnyPic – An app for recording your own data (location, time, etc.) over a period of time. (iTunes link) (source code)
5. AppSlate – An app that allows you to create other apps that run within the AppSlate. (iTunes link) (source code)
6. audioGraph – An audio processing graph demonstration app. (iTunes link) (source code)
7. Authenticator – A two factor authenticator based on the source code of Google’s iPhone authenticator. (iTunes link) (source code)
8. Bancha – An app for managing websites powered by the Bancha CMS. (iTunes link) (source code)
9. Barcode Scanner – An example app that is part of the Zxing barcode reader project. (iTunes link) (source code)
10. Battle For Wesnoth – Fantasy themed turn based tactical RPG game available on several platforms and now the iPhone/iPad. (iTunes link) (source code)
11. Bubbsy – Cocos2D based game using Box2D fixes and Tiled level creation. Unique license see source code page. (iTunes link) (source code)
12. Camlingual – App that can read and translate signs using sophisticated OCR. (iTunes link) (source code)
13. Canabalt – Popular run and jump type game. (iTunes link) (source code)
14. Chat Secure – An instant messaging application supporting the Xmpp (Google Talk, Jabber) /Oskar (Aim) protocols. (iTunes link) (source code)
15. Cheddar – A to do list app featuring syncing between multiple devices. (iTunes link) (source code)
16. Climbers – 2D finger dragging climbing game created with Cocos2D. (iTunes link) (source code)
17. CodeHub – An iPhone and iPad Github client created using C# with Xamarin. (iTunes link) (source code)
18. Colloquy – Conversion of the most popular Mac IRC client to the iPhone. (iTunes link) (source code)
19. ColorCipher – An iPhone adaptation of the classic game of mastermind. (iTunes link) (source code)
20. ComicFlow – Beautiful comic book reader for iPad. (iTunes link) (source code)
21. Concurrency – A currency conversion calculator with a nice clean interface. (iTunes link) (source code)
22. Countitout – A generic counting app. (iTunes link) (source code)
23. Desktop Web Analytics – An app for displaying Piwik web analytics data built with AS3/Air. (iTunes link) (source code)
24. Diceshaker – Dice rolling simulator designed for role-playing game enthusiasts. (iTunes link) (source code)
25. Dollar Bets – App for recording personal bets placed with your friends. (iTunes link) (source code)
26. Doom Classic – Classic 3D first person shooter. (iTunes link) (source code)
27. Doppio – Library for finding the nearest Starbucks. (iTunes link) (source code)
28. Dozuki – Interactive repair manual app from the guys at iFixit. (iTunes link) (source code)
29. Dragon Shout – A titanium based social journal app for the Elder Scrolls series of games. (iTunes link) (source code)
30. Ecological Footprint – Calculate, display, and record your ecological footprint. (iTunes link) (source code)
31. Edgy – App for demonstrating the basics of OpenCV and the iPhone. (iTunes link) (source code)
32. Edhita – iPad text editor with file transfer support and browser previewing. (iTunes link) (source code)
33. Fresh Food Finder – App for finding locally grown food built with Phonegap/Cordova. (iTunes link) (source code)
34. Freshbooks – Open Source iPhone app that enables usage of Freshbooks web invoicing software from your iPhone. (iTunes link) (source code)
35. Frotz – Open Source interactive fiction app with support for the Z-machine format. (iTunes link) (source code)
36. Gas Guide – Guides for helping medical students study built from the Gas guide source. (iTunes link) (source code)
37. Gorillas – Classic Worms/iShoot turn based shooter type game converted to iPhone from basic. Utilizes Cocos2D. (iTunes link) (source code).
38. Greek Interlinear Bible – An app for helping study ofthe original new Testament Greek bible . (iTunes link) (source code).
39. Hacker news Client – An app for helping study ofthe original new Testament Greek bible . (iTunes link) (source code).
40. Heredox – Tile based game featuring multiplayer created with Cocos2D. (iTunes link) (source code).
41. HoxChess – A Xiangqi (chinese chess) game. (iTunes link) (source code)
42. iLabyrinth – Puzzle game written in Cocos2D requiring you to navigate through increasingly difficult labyrinths. (iTunes link) (source code)
43. Inkpad – A full featured vector based drawing app. (iTunes link) (source code)
44. iStrobe – Turns the iPhone 4 flash into a highly configurable strobe light. (iTunes link) (source code)
45. iWVU – Official iPhone application of West Virginia University. (iTunes link) (source code)
46. Last.fm – Software that enables usage of the Last.fm platform for personal radio stations. (iTunes link) (source code)
47. Little Go – An iOS version of the game of Go featuring a tough AI opponent. (iTunes link) (source code)
48. Mapbox Earth – A fun app for exploring Mapbox maps in 3D.(iTunes link) (source code)
49. Master Password – An app for generating and storing passwords. (iTunes link) (source code)
50. Mobilesynth – A monophonic synthesizer designed for live performance. (iTunes link) (source code)
51. Molecules – Allows you to view 3D models of molecules and manipulate them through touch. (iTunes link) (source code)
52. Mover – Allows you to transfer stuff from one iPhone to another by “flicking” it to the other device. (iTunes link) (source code)
53. Mugician – iPad music synthesis app being used by various musicians in real life gigs. (iTunes link) (source code)
54. Natsulion – A basic twitter client converted from mac. (iTunes link) (source code)
55. Next Airport – A navigation and weather utility app built with Red Foundry. (iTunes link) (source code)
56. News:yc – A hacker news client. (iTunes link) (source code)
57. OwnCloud – Backpack journal client. (iTunes link) (source code)
58. Packlog – Backpack journal client. (iTunes link) (source code)
59. PlainNote – Simple Open Source Notepad. (iTunes link) (source code)
60. Pteradactyl Attack – An HTML5/Javascript based 2D action game. (iTunes link) (source code)
61. Pw Safe – Password manager that works across multiple platforms. (iTunes link) (source code)
62. Quickbright – Simple app for setting the brightness for your iPhone quickly and easily. (iTunes link) (source code)
63. Revolved – An iPad 3D modeling app allowing you to draw curves and turn them into 3d models. (iTunes link) (source code)
64. RPI Shuttle Tracker – App for tracking bus positions around the RPI campus. (iTunes link) (source code)
65. Sage Math – Interface to the sage computer algebra system. (itunes link) (source code)
66. Seven Bridges – An iPhone and iPad puzzle game where bridges are crossed within a specified number of turns. (iTunes link) (source code)
67. Sign Plus – App for turning iPad into a digital sign. (itunes link) (source code)
68. SpaceBubble – Space game featuring core graphics, and accelerometer usage. (itunes link) (source code)
69. SparkleShare – Client for the DropBox like SparkleShare file storage service. (itunes link) (source code)
70. Stockfish Chess – A chess game featuring extremely effective AI . (itunes link) (source code)
71. Sudoku Resolv – Sudoku solving app using computer vision. (itunes link) (source code)
72. Sugar on Pancake – An iOS client for SugarCRM. (itunes link) (source code)
73. Task Coach – Personal to-do list and task manager. (itunes link) (source code)
74. The White House – Official app for the White House. (itunes link) (source code)
75. Travel Advice UK – App featuring worldwide travel advice provided by the UK Governemnt. (itunes link) (source code)
76. Tweedie – A twitter iPad client created using HTML5 and Phonegap (Cordova). (itunes link) (source code)
77. Tweejump – Platform jumping game inspired by Icy Tower. Utilizes Cocos2D. (itunes link) (source code)
78. Tweetee – Enhanced version of the Natsulion Twitter Client. (itunes link) (source code)
79. Tweetero – Basic twitter client with image uploading. (itunes link) (source code)
80. Vim – The classic highly configurable UNIX text editor ported to iOS. (itunes link) (source code)
81. ViralFire – Unique game where you are a dodging blood cell. (source code)
82. Warfare Incorporated – A popular graphical real time strategy game. (itunes link) (source code)
83. Warped AR – An augmented reality app created using Appcelerator Titanium. (itunes link) (source code)
84. Wikihow – A reader app for the popular how to wiki site. (itunes link) (source code)
85. Wikipedia – Official Wikipedia app for iOS devices. (itunes link) (source code)
86. Wizard War – Fighting game created using Cocos2D and ReactiveCocoa. (itunes link) (source code)
87. Wolfenstein 3D Classic Platinum – If you haven’t heard of Wolfenstein post below so we can say a prayer for you. (itunes link) (source code)
88. WordPress – Client for managing WordPress blogs. Also has an iPad version. (itunes link) (source code)
89. Xpilot – Simple massively multiplayer arcade shooter from the early days of the internet. (itunes link) (source code)
90. YoCelsius – Pocket database containing a summary of your legal rights. (itunes link) (source code)
91. YourRights – Pocket database containing a summary of your legal rights. (itunes link) (source code)
92. ZBar – A barcode reader open source iphone app. (itunes link) (source code)
These are apps that are no longer in the app store for which source code is available:
93. 2012 Olympics – App displaying timetable for 2012 Olympic events. (source code)
94. Aeropack – A steampunk themed retro-platform game created using GameSalad. (source code)
95. Alphabet Blocks – An educational toy featuring letter blocks created with using Cocos2D.. (source code)
96. Clearis – Cocos2D based puzzle game. (source code)
97. Cryptose – A cryptogram puzzle game made with the Marmalade (formerly Airplay) SDK. (source code)
98. Fosdem– Calendar app for the Fosdem open source conference. (source code)
99. NowPlaying – Allows you to check local theater listings, and check rotten tomato ratings. (source code)
100. PocketFlix – Find movies, and manage your Netflix information. (source code)
101. Prey – Anti-theft tracker featuring on-demand and push notification activation. (source code)
102. reMail – E-mail client featuring ultra-fast search. Removed from app store, but source made available. (source code)
103. RobotFindsKitten – Port of a very silly “classic” ASCII game. (source code)
104. Sci-15 HPCalc – Calculator app based on classic scientific HP-Calculator. (source code)
105. Scratch – A viewer allowing you to run applications made with MIT’s scratch project. (source code)
106. Skeleton Key – Puzzle game created using Cocos2D. (source code) (source code iPad)
107. Star3Map – Augmented reality star and planet charting application. (source code)
108. Teh Internets – A silly side scrolling game that makes fun of many internet memes created using Cocos2D. (source code)
109. Tilt Monster – iPhone game written with the Corona SDK that reached top 25 in the app store. (source code)
110. Tux Rider – iPhone port of the extremely popular, and beautiful 3D Tux Racer game. (source code)
Check them out if you are working on something similar or think they might have a feature you could use there’s no reason to re-invent the wheel. Always make sure you understand the licenses as many of these open source iPhone apps are GPL and require that you open source your app.
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Know Any Other Open Source iPhone Apps?
If you’ve found or have released an app that you would like added to the open source iphone apps list then please mention it in the comments.
Great Beginners Core Data Tutorial
Core Data is a very powerful library, and easy to use, but it’s so different from database libraries you have used in the past that it may seem frustrating and tedious when you first start using it.
Fortunately, Ray Wenderlich,the creator of the Space Game Starter Kit and co-author of the Learning Cocos2D book, has written an excellent an easy tutorial for those beginning with core data.
[Source: Ray Wenderlich]
Using iPhone Core Data vs. A Database
Awhile I wrote an article about using Core Data vs. SQLite. In that article I didn’t delve into any of the technical differences about the two technologies, but just went into some of the reasons why you might want to implement one vs. the other. I found an excellent article that covers the more technical details of Core Data vs. a conventional database.
The article is: The Differences Between Core Data And A Database. Some of the key differences of note being:
- Core Data operates in memory, while a database can edit or drop tables without loading into memory
- A database is perpetually saved providing crash resistance, Core Data requires a save process
- A database can be slow to create millions of rows while Core Data can do this very quickly as it operates in memory – although the save process being at the end
Hopefully this article will be helpful to those trying to decide between SQLite and Core Data.
Please post any comments below, thanks.
Source: Cocoa With Love