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Few days back i was pretty much sure that Titanium is a great IDE for developing iOS apps but in last few days i have gone through few articles about Titanium and some of these articles pointed that Titanium is not fully featured for iOS development and it is buggy as well.
SO i came here to my StackOverflow friends to know is it true? does someone really faced any problem or encountered any bug while developing an iOS app using Titanium.
Please Advise about should i use it or should i go for Objective-C?
Thanks.
I believe Titanium is probably more buggy than native Cocoa Touch libraries and is, by definition, not fully featured as native Objective-C development.
The main question before you choose your development way is: will you in future ever consider to port your iOS application to Android? If the answer is 'yeah!' and you don't know Java, but you are more familiar with web technologies like CSS, Javascript and HTML/HTML5 rather than C/C++/Objective-C, I think the natural choice should be Titanium.
On other hand, if you're quick in learning new languages and have some good experience with C/C++, Objective-C is the way - later on you probably can quickly learn Java and jump into Android platform.
Second criteria is: is Titanium capable of delivering UI/UX you'd like to have in your apps? Titanium successful stories can help you answer that question - Titanium: Applications Showcase. Also try many native apps check what they offer. Compare and make decisions.
Important: I've never tried Titanium myself. I just face the similar dilemma as you. I want to extend my mobile app dev skills into Android world and consider Titanium as one of ways to go (I know basic JavaScript/CSS/HTML5, but not Java).
EDIT: I've just checked out your profile and it seems you're coming from Android world. I'd add to my answer: if learning Java was easy for you and you're already familiar with ups&downs of Java development for Android, learning Objective-C should be easy. The main difference is that in iOS you have to manage memory yourself and it can be a little painful.
Some good stuff:
1. Memory Management Programming Guide
2. Learning Objective-C: A Primer
3. The Objective-C Programming Language
Titanium basically uses JavaScript for developing application in iOS and Android. If you are comfortable working in JavaScript and CSS you can try Titanium.
Its my personal opinion, try learning Objective C, its really great language. If you have knowledge of C or C++, then understanding the concepts of Objective C becomes easier.
Try Objective C, you won't be disappointed.
I'm using Titanium (and have been playing with it for a few months) and can say with definitive emphasis that it's buggy as hell. :-) If you're looking for a single-platform solution, ie only Android or iOS, and plan on only supporting that single platform, it's a no-brainer to avoid TiStudio.
What Titanium is trying to do is to abstract and simplify the underlying nature of the platform you're on. It doesn't do this fabulously, but for simple apps, I've had lots of success.
That said, because it's attention is split amongst three (with Blackberry support incoming) platforms, it will always lag behind the native dev systems, and always lack in advanced features. That's the trade-off.
All that said, TiStudio is lightyears better than TiDeveloper (Appcelerator bought Aptana and is now in the process of integrating Titanium development with the Aptana IDE), and they're really working hard to make the platform top-notch.
I've landed on it as a platform due to my abject hatred of Java (after two months trying to relearn Java using the native IDE path) and my desire to do cross-platform development. I'm also confident I can route around the Titanium bugs/flaws as I'm basically writing my own app development framework on top of the Titanium SDK, so I can automate things that suck, fix errant behaviors, etc. It's a lot of work.
But that's basically where mobile development is right now. You pick your poison. Stick with a native SDK and be locked into one platform and have to deal with an annoying language (both Java and Objective C are ancient by modern Python/Ruby/whatever standards), or try something like Titanium which offers simplicity and a more flexible language, but is less tightly integrated an more buggy.
Best of luck!
I have an iPhone app which is written in XCode and is currently selling on the iTunes app store. I want to be able to release it for the Android market. Is there any way to compile my app from XCode to work on the Android operating system. I don't really want to learn a new language and completely rewrite my app, so was wondering if there is an easier way.
There isn't any way to compile Android apps from Xcode, and i strongly doubt that Apple would introduce such a feature - if it's even technically possible to do. Sorry.
But if you have Objective C down, you shouldn't have to much problems understanding Java (which is used for creating Android apps).
Check the link below for a pretty comprehensive guide to start learning java and code for the Android platform:
http://mobile.tutsplus.com/tutorials/android/java-tutorial/
Good luck!
No, in general you can't do this. Even if assuming Objective-C can be compiled/converted into Java (which is most likely will not be true for times to come), you'll need to rewrite UI part; then most of OS APIs are different too. There are several features that iOS has that Android lacks or does not have open API for it, or has limited API, or has conceptually different or just different API.
Its just easier to move some of your iOS code into C/C++ shared library and then make sure that it compiles and works on both platforms. And then make platform dependent pieces separately for each platform (UI, hardware related stuff, etc.). This way you'll have at least part of your code shared.
What programming languages can one use to develop iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (iOS) applications?
Also are there plans in the future to expand the amount of programming languages that iOS will support?
Apple lifted the restrictions on non-Objective C/C/C++ apps -- you just can't load code that isn't in the app bundle.
MonoTouch lets you use .NET languages -- C# is directly supported, but if you have Windows, you can make assemblies in any .NET language and use it.
There are rumors that Apple is going to support other languages directly -- I keep hearing ruby, but they are just rumors.
I think Lua is being used for game logic on a lot of apps.
EDIT (in 2018): Generally you can use any language that you can get to compile for iOS or even install language interpreters. The main thing you cannot do is load code from the Internet that wasn't in the app bundle.
People do this all of the time anyway (see React Native apps loading JavaScript from servers), but, technically, it's not allowed. The main thing that will get you attention from Apple if you make some kind of App Store that loads whole App-like things.
EDIT (in 2020): from #Pylot in comments: I know this is a long time ago, but now at least technically you can load code that isn’t embedded in the app, as you can write with JavaScript using the webview. Not staying your answer is wrong or anything, I definitely agree with you. but I was looking for something and found this post on the way. Figured if anyone sees this it might help them out.
The SDK agreement and App store guidelines have been changed (circa Sept 2010).
You can now probably use any compiled language that will compile to the same static ARM object file format as Xcode produces and that will link to (only) the public API's within Apple's frameworks and libraries. However, you can not use a JIT compiled language unless you pre-compile all object code before submission to Apple for review.
You can use any interpreted language, as long as you embed the interpreter, and do not allow the interpreter or the app to download and run any interpretable code other than code built into the app bundle before submission to Apple for review, or source code typed-in by the user.
Objective C and C will likely still be the most optimal programming language for anything requiring high performance and the latest API support (* see update below), as those are the languages for which Apple targets its iOS frameworks and tunes its ARM processor chipsets. Apple also supports the use of Javascript/HTML5 inside a UIWebView. Those are the only languages for which Apple has announced support. Anything else you will have to find support elsewhere.
But, if you really want, there are at least a half dozen BASIC interpreters now available in the iOS App store, so even "Stone Age" programming methodology is now allowed.
Added: (*) As of late 2014, one can also develop apps using Apple's new Swift programming language. As of early 2015, submitted binaries must include 64-bit (arm64) support.
With plans to slowly retire the long-used Objective-C, Apple has introduced a new programming language, called Swift, for designing apps and applications to run on Apple iOS devices and Apple Macintosh computers.
Apple says:
"Swift is a new programming language for iOS and OS X apps that builds on the best of C and Objective-C, without the constraints of C compatibility. Swift adopts safe programming patterns and adds modern features to make programming easier, more flexible, and more fun. Swift’s clean slate, backed by the mature and much-loved Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks, is an opportunity to reimagine how software development works."
Introducing swift
What programming languages can one use to develop iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (iOs) applications?
Ruby, Python, Lua, Scheme, Lisp, Smalltalk, C#, Haskell, ActionScript, JavaScript, Objective-C, C++, C. That's just the ones that pop into my head right now. I'm sure there's hundreds if not thousands of others. (E.g. there's no reason why you couldn't use any .NET language with MonoTouch, i.e. VB.NET, F#, Nemerle, Boo, Cobra, ...)
Also are there plans in the future to expand the amount of programming languages that iOs will support?
Sure. Pretty much every programming language community on this planet is currently working on getting their language to run on iOS.
Also, a lot of people are working on programming languages specifically designed for touch devices such as iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, e.g. Phil Mercurio's Thyrd language.
The programming language of iOS(and Mac OS) is Objective-C and C. You have to use Xcode platform to develop iOS apps, on the next version that is now available on beta release, Xcode 4 supports also C++.
It is also now possible to use OCaml for developing iOS applications. It is not part of the standard distribution and requires modifications provided by the Psellos company. See here for more information: http://psellos.com/ocaml/.
This might be an old thread, but I'd like to mention Appcelerator Titanium, which allows anyone versed in HTML5/JavaScript/CSS to develop iOS applications.
Only Objective-C is allowed by now... but since a few months ago you are allowed to write scripts that will be interpreted in your application.
So you may be able to write a LUA interpreter or a Python interpreter, then write some part of your application in this scripting language. If you want your application accepted on the App Store, these scripts have to be bundled with the application (your application cannot download it from the Internet for example)
see new app store rules
objective-c is the primary language used.
i believe there is a mono touch framework that can be used with c#
Adobe also is working in some tools, one is this iPhone Packager which can utilize actionscript code
You can use "smart BASIC" programming language. It is a genuine but very advanced BASIC language with all its power and simplicity. Using its free SDK, BASIC code can be easily published as a standalone App Store application. There are many apps in App Store, written in "smart BASIC" programming language.
develop android apps that should support iphone,ipad,android.is there any way for developing this kind of generic app or we need to develop aps depending on mobile os
Though it is possible to create an universal application for iphone and ipad i don't think you can do the same for Android.
In my opinion it is always better to port your application to Android based on your requirements so that you can take advantages of the API's that the platform is offering you.
You can try using a framework named Titanium Appcelrator. This framework will help you target iPhone, iPad, Android with the same code base. This also lets you access most of the Native hardware features available with these platforms but not all. It seems that this also may support Blackberry soon.
We are struggling with the same question at the moment. Since we are working for Android, Maemo, Meego, iPhone and Blackberry (+Symbian 3 soon), HTML5 looked promising, and we dedicated quite some time investigating it. The end result was HTML5 is not yet ready for the development we were hoping for. It's fine if you need simple functionality, but as soon as something more advanced is needed, you need to create a different version. Even if it suits your needs, every platform requires different HTML5-to-native bridge, and every platform has a different engine. As you can see, only front end part could be partially used.
In your case, you need two different applications, one for Android, another one for iPhone/iPad. Try to see if you could take advantage of HTML5, if not, you are unfortunately stuck with separate development for some time to come. Unless you will create a web app and use it with device's browser.
You can create common functionality libraries with C or C++ and use these libraries in iPhone/iPad and use Android's NDK tool to integrate theses libraries with Android
On Android, you're using Java as the main language, and you can also use C and C++ . On iOS, you're using Objective-C as the main language, and also can use C and C++. So the common denominator would be C (at least on the iPhone there are no C++ GUI classes). I have no idea about developing on Android, but on iPhone it's no fun to purely work in C (and I'm not sure if it's even possible, maybe it is but should I when working with Objective-C/Cocoa is fun).
What you can do is write generic logic and share that between both systems, like a library. For example, I worked on a project where we used a C++ SIP/VoIP library that also compiles and runs on Symbian. It shouldn't be a big problem to write C code that can be shared between iOS and Android, as long as it is mostly about logic and not about calling system-specific stuff (you can of course include system specific stuff and guard that with #ifdef but you don't want your library to have more system-specific than system-agnostic code, I guess). For example, if you intend to write a networked game you could implement the network protocol in a way that could be shared between iOS and Android.
But as soon as you're hitting the GUI level I don't think you can share any code, and even if you could you probably don't want to because if you use the native languages/IDEs you are faster designing the GUIs each in their respective main languages/IDEs than trying to find a common way and then have to live with compromises and trying to make it work on both systems all day long. Better to implement the GUI native to each platform (e.g. Xcode has a very good graphical tool called Interface Builder that can save a lot of work/typing).
we can go for the XML VM to run the android apps in iphone.
Check this for more info.
xmlvm.org
Hi I'm looking into iPhone development, and Objective-C is not be my preferred language. As far as I can see at this moment Ruby cannot be used to talk to Cocoa Touch at the moment on the iPhone.
So my question is, am I wrong? Can I use Ruby on the iPhone to develop Cocoa Touch applications. And what is the future looking like for Ruby on the iPhone?
Now you can with RubyMotion
In the iPhone OS, mprotect() will fail if you try to use it to mark writable sections of memory as executable. This breaks bridges like RubyCocoa (and probably MacRuby) that use libffi to create Objective-C method handlers at runtime. I believe that this is by design because it was not always the case.
Ultimately, this is more a matter of platform politics than technology, but a technical workaround for this exists. Instead of generating custom method handlers at runtime, precompile a pool of reconfigurable ones that are assigned as needed, essentially making the bridging process entirely data-driven. As far as I know, this is not yet being done in RubyCocoa or MacRuby.
Another significant thing to consider is that the compiled Ruby and RubyCocoa runtimes can be significantly larger than compiled Objective-C apps. If these libraries were available on the iPhone, this wouldn't be an issue, but for now, even if you had RubyCocoa working, you might not want to use it for apps that you distribute.
No, you are correct. Currently, and most likely for the foreseeable future, Ruby will not be an option, at least for AppStore applications. There's no reason you couldn't do this on a Jailbroken phone, but Apple is pretty wed to Objective C for official development.
You are better off as a programmer knowing a number of different languages - think of Objective-C as a good learning opportunity.
I've found that things you learn in other languages often make you a better programmer overall, and give you new insights into other languages you already know.
rhomobile is an option to run ruby code on the iPhone, but it's essentially web app development. A web server runs locally on the iPhone and your ruby code renders to standard client side web technologies (html/css/javascript).
http://rhomobile.com/
Actually, the ruby cocoa bridge isn't awkward at all; things work remarkably smoothly, right down to connecting outlets in IB etc. The resulting code is down right beautiful.
As for iPhone development, if you want an official AppStore application, you're out of luck unfortunately. Apple dictated that iPhone is Obj-C/Cocoa Touch, and there's a clause in the SDK license saying that one of the things they will reject an app for is having a language interpreter/JIT compiler, so you couldn't add a ruby interpreter in your app yourself.
Off topic, but hilariously, this is why Flash for the iPhone is Adobe blowing smoke. They couldn't get a swf player onto the AppStore even if they wanted to, per Apple's license.
Uh, Rhodes (Rhomobile) does allow you to do native apps on the iPhone and all other smartphones. Yes, we do leverage doing rendering via the WebUIView control. But we allow all device capabilities and synchronized local data.
You might want to take a look at shinycocos. It is a child project of cocos2d-iphone, an Objective-C game programming framework for iPhone.
I haven't yet played with it, but from the git README I infer that it bundles Ruby 1.9.1 into your app.
I installed the ruby package from Cydia on my iPod Touch 1G jailbroken on 3.1.3:
Seems to work.
Now as for cocoa-touch that is a whole different story I would assume.
Take a look at http://www.appcelerator.com/products/titanium-mobile/
"Native iPhone and Android apps built with Web technologies."
Sounds good isn't it ? ;-)
No you can not create iOS native app in Ruby.
There is only two options for native apps for mac and iOS:-
Objective C and Swift Programming Language
Tutorials:-
Apple's official tutorial on Objective C
Apple's official tutorial on Swift Programing Language
If you are familiar with Ruby and only want to create iOS apps by Ruby. Ruby Motion, can be a cross-platform option for you, but it is not free.
Cross-Platforms
RubyMotion
Xamarin required .net skills
appcelerator HTML,XML,CSS,JS skills required
phonegap HTML,XML,CSS,JS skills required
I imagine it won't work right now, but I'd imagine that you'll eventually be able to use MacRuby to build iphone apps. Apple are putting a lot of work into it
Here's a link to an ADC article describing how to build normal cocoa apps
You don't have to use Objective-C to write iPhone apps. If you use QuickConnectiPhone, http://sourceforge.net/projects/quickconnect/, you can write it completely in JavaScript, CSS, and HTML and still have an installable application not a web app.
If you know ruby you are probably working with JavaScript already.
To see how to install it, run it, and other ideas go to tetontech.wordpress.com
There's an open-source Ruby-Cocoa bridge you might try to get working. But I gather that there's a bit of an impedance mismatch between Ruby and ObjC that makes it a bit awkward to use.
The Ruby Cocoa bridge probably will not work. Most of the bridges for dynamic languages need to generate executable thunks (either manually or with libffi). More limited bridges (for more static languages) may not have such issues.
In either event, bringing up a bridge is probably going to require becoming more familiar with the Objective C runtime than one would just learning how to write Cocoa Touch apps, which probably defeats the point of doing it in the first place.
Currently isnt true, Apple change their policies, take a look at ShinyCocos, is a ruby bindings for the Cocos2D-iphone game framework.
https://github.com/funkaster/shinycocos
One possible solution would be to create an application wrapping for example the rice library (google it) which includes a ruby-vm. I reckon you would be able to create c++ wrappers that you could expose to ruby, thus making an environment for iphone development with ruby. This probably requires a lot of work though ^^