Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with development and ipad

Yet another iPhone/iPad app question

gadget_gal — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:31:57 -0800

Point and Click Games for Ipad/iPhone. Hello, yet another app dream. I want to create a fabulous point and click game that is addictive and is playable on the iPhone and iPad. I have the concept and idea down for the game. Now it's time to sit down and start prototyping. Only i have no clue where to start. I used to be a programmer. Can code proficiently in C/C++ and Java. I assume I will be able to pick up new languages such as objective C if needed. Eg. of the games i like are 1. machinarium. 2. Please google "versus flash game tvigle"

1. Help me plan my prototype.
2. I can do rough photoshopping to get my idea across.
3. Any tutorials?
4. Any open source games to start off on?
5. How should i think about architecture such as server/client.
6. Who should i follow/read to learn more about this space.

Please be so kind as to help get my self-publishing adventure off the ground.

bonobothegreat — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 22:51:18 -0800

I want to make an interactive children's book app for iOS. I will be doing all the artwork and animation myself but don't know what would be a fair price to pay for a developer (coder?). It will be about 20 pages long and somewhat minimalistic, with only a couple of hotspots per page, one playing a short voiceover and the other a short animation clip. No fancy physics or other interactivity, so it could probably be built just as a web page of flash site. The animation will be hand drawn stuff, taking up about half the page. I'd like to budget for a certain amount of followup, in case users are experiencing bugs. I'd like it to be available on all iOS devices and resolutions.

I'd expect a cover page, contents gallery view page, animated page turns and a shortcut button to the contents page. Ideally, it would be great to pay someone to create a template that I could use to create a family of books along the same format. It would be wonderful if the back page offered links to any of my other publications and had all the usual tweet, like and share buttons.

Please let me know if there's anything I've forgotten.

I've browsed around, seeing a few self-publishing outfits like Dragon Pencil but the user agreements made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Likewise, there are a couple of graphical interface book builders out there but they also don't seem to be very clear about what stake they own in the content you produce with their tool. Apple's iBooks Author doesn't seem useable because it can't play the animation without the playback buttons being visible. Hype seemed like a way around that, but it only seems to animate position and properties, rather than the sort of hand drawn 12fps stuff that I'd be doing.There are a few other tools like Corona but I think they'd be too hard to learn and I want to focus on the artwork. The Touchoo Creator seems like it would be perfect but again, I can't figure out what their end is.

So what it come down to is this, what level of expertise am I seeking, how much does that labour cost (as a flat rate), what's a reasonable time frame to complete this sort of job and how is payment typically structured?

Missing: iPad buttons

shortfuse — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:46:50 -0800

I'm writing my first iPad 2 app. How can I include the standard iOS buttons for taking a photo and for switching/flipping between front and back cameras? I'm talking strictly about the appearance of the buttons, not about the SDK and the frameworks. I'm using openFrameworks (http://www.openframeworks.cc) for most of the coding. I do have a standard iOS toolbar at the bottom of my app, and right now I have 2 Bar Button Items that say "Take Photo" and "Switch Camera" that call into my code and I handle the functionality manually. So they both do what they say, and I could leave them this way, but it would be nicer to make use of the standard iOS buttons. But I don't see a way of doing this in Interface Builder. I can't change the buttons to show the appropriate button images.

I did see a way of changing the Bar Button Item to a "Camera" setting, but this is not the right icon/button - it's for the lock screen's camera button.

One way of achieving this would be to use images for the Bar Button Items. But I'm not seeing any such images inside Apple's sample projects that use the camera.

I've posted on Apple's dev forum, but thought I'd try here too. Thanks for any help.

iPad, you say? Looks like a little teevee to me, sonny.

le morte de bea arthur — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:28:27 -0800

My next task at work is to turn one of our existing web applications into an iPad app. Help me get to the point where I know where to start. So I've never owned an Apple product, although I've been a programmer and web developer of various kinds for 20 years. I don't think I've ever actually seen an iPhone close up, let alone an iPad, and the last time I used a Mac it was running System 7. I'm by no means out of touch with the world; I just don't live or work in an Apple-centric environment. All of which is to say, please excuse my obvious ignorance.

I've been tasked with converting a couple of parts of a (LAMP) web app into one or more dedicated iPad apps (maybe a universal app that'll also work on an iPhone). I understand that to do serious development work I'll need an iPad, a Mac (a mini or a macbook seem to be the cheapest options) and a signup for the developer program. So far so easy.

My first real hurdle, I suspect, is finding the right development platform. My background includes things like Visual Basic, which then led to all kinds of web stuff (ColdFusion, Javascript, ASP, PHP and Flash). I take to new languages like a duck to water, usually. Given this background, what development strategy is going to suit me best? Note that the result must be a fully-fledged 'app', and preferably not something browser-based or running on top of something else that needs installing or carries its own branding. The iPad app will essentially be an alternate front-end to the web app.

My second point of confusion is about getting to grips with app distribution. This will be an app that is given to couple of hundred existing customers as a 'free' extra on top of their web app subscription, and will only be relevant to them. The wider world has no need to be aware of it. The process for getting the app needs to be as straightforward as following a link in an email. What's the best way to reconcile these requirements with Apple's various distribution channels?

I realise that it might seem illogical to specifically want an app when there's already a perfectly usable web version of the same thing; but logic often loses out against fashion and the enthusiasm of big boys for shiny toys.

How do I make an app?

hal_c_on — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:51:19 -0800

Questions about iPad app development. I have a ton of questions here that come from my basic question of "How do I publish an ipad app in the apple store?"

I have an idea for a VERY simple app. Its useful for a very small group of people, including myself.

How do I develop it, publish it in the app store, and get money for it (if possible)? I don't see more than 500 people using this app, so I'm not doing it for the money. Of those 500 people, it is probably most useful for me. So it is worth it to me to have this app developed, even if I lose money on it.

Its EXTREMELY simple. I have no development background, so I don't know what to call it but basically:
The user would input text: Bananas
The ipad would display text: Bananas in pajamas
or
The user would input text: Oranges
The ipad would display text: Oranges in pajamas

I'm not giving away details on it here, but its basically the above idea.

It would not need ANY updates for at least 5 years, so releasing a version after the initial isn't necessary at all if it works correctly.

Can I make it myself? Is it that easy to do? Do I need to pay some kind of fees and become a apple developer or what? Or do I need to hire a professional to do this? Could I get someone to develop it, publish it, and fix the bugs without them getting any ownership in it? Could I publish it in a specific country's app store, the US's app store, or worldwide?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, mefites.

How to develop and Ipad app with no programming skills.

modoriculous — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 05:12:34 -0800

I'm not a programmer so what tools/resources should I pursue to make an Ipad application? I'd like to make an Ipad app but I'm no programmer nor would I pretend that becoming one is even possible. I've done some basic research on how 'idea people' have worked with programmers using sites like elance etc, or hiring from companies that do this professionally (expensive) or finding other freelancers.

Are there any tools that bypass the programming - Allowing me to visually create an app and fill it in much like I would do with a Wordpress theme for a Web site?

I've read the threads already about the best resources for programmers and little programming (Corona), but are there any great resources for the non-programming developer that might help me on my path? Even if they are articles or people who have done it before, interviews etc would be great.

I realize it's very possible that this is something that outside of hiring an expensive programmer to create the app is just not possible but I wanted to at least try and see if there is anything out there. Thanks for any assistance!

What rapid development tool for iPad interactive book.

ilike — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:47:10 -0800

What iOS development enviroment is suitable for easy creation of an interactive childrens book? Hi, versions of this question have been posted before but the development landscape for iOS changes very fast so I would like to ask again.

I am considering making an interactive childrens book for iPhone and iPad. Using Objective C is unrealistic for me since I am not a good enough programmer and would like a more rapid devlopent enviroment since this is a hobby for me.

The functionality I need is being able to create an app I can sell on appstore that runs and looks like a native app. At minimum I have to be able to use animation, record/playback audio and set up the story in different "scenes" where the mini games and other interactivity occurs. A nice bonus would be a 2d physics engine.

The ultimate solution for me would be something like the good old macromedia director software that was so popular during the late 90s. I can code too, tt just would be nice to keep the development time as rapid as possible.

I have been looking around different solutions and there seems to be lots since Apple got more relaxed on allowing other dev platforms on iOS.

The ones I found so far.

Unity 3d - I don't need 3d at all. Is this suitable for 2d too or too much?

Corona SDK - Seems to be a bit much programming for my taste. Also seems very limited in setting up "scenes" and moving between them in an easy way. Basically it is an alternative programming language with media functions included.

Gamesalad - Have been told that the apps created by gamesalad are slow. I want mine to be snappy and nice. Also from what i read they seem to force you to use their logo on splashscreen.

Flash - Using flash sounds great if I can use the whole gui development tools. I also was quite an avid user of Flash 5 so maybe I can pick it up faster than the other solutions. However I am a bit concerned of performance and bugs. Also it doesnt seem to be out for iOS development yet.

iPad and multi-select dropdowns without ctrl-click

xorry — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:38:31 -0800

We recently purchased an iPad at the office for testing with our website. I'm trying to figure out how to operate a multi-select drop down on the thing. There's no control-click.. If it's not possible, is there an iPad specific workaround? Just in case it matters I don't think it's actually just a simple HTML element but due to design concerns the functionality is a mix of javascript and css to display a stylized drop down list with the ability to select/deselect multiple options with the ctrl/shift keys.

sadly, there is no app for this

Anonymous — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:41:40 -0800

App development for idiots. I have a good idea for an iPad reader app with a bunch of functionalities built in for a very specific kind of content in a very specific niche market. My company is interested in me having this thing built and testing it as a product. I do not know how to do this.

Can you give me some high-level pointers on how to manage a project like this? Right now, I'm just interested in making it - hell, just in being able to put out a polished request for bids. There will be marketing/sales channel/etc support later, if it gets to that point. But right now I need to know:

1) How do you find an iPhone developer you can trust? I'll certainly post it to projects, but how else do you find people to approach? Does it make more sense to go with one guy or with a company?

2) What goes into a well-organized package when requesting bids? What are the different pieces called? Right now I have a very well-sketched outline of what the thing is, what it does, and why. I have features I need and features I could let go mapped out.

3) I am assuming this thing will need a lot of time to develop, a serious time to polish and make pretty and not awful on the UI front, hard design work on the content itself, and a giant buttload of time for testing. Am I missing a giant piece of the puzzle?

I've been tasked with this because I know the content. I am eager and ready to learn the other part of it, though - except I don't know where to start or what it's even called. Any and all advice, suggestions for reading material, etc. would be gratefully and humbly accepted. Please hope me!

How to best turn outlines into menus on a Web, mobile, and/or desktop app?

jimmymcvee — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:51:14 -0800

Can you advise me on creating my research tool? Do you know a way to turn outilnes into interactive menus on the Web? How about on a mobile device ? Is there an app that is for iPhone apps what Dreamweaver is for Web sites? My extended question: I was wondering if someone could advise me on a tool I'm building for myself (which I will eventually develop for others to enjoy and perhaps purchase). I'm obviously not much of a coder.

What I want to create on a mobile device (or at least on the Web) is pretty basic, comprised of menus and sub menus of data.

For starters, it'll just be a reference tool. Later, I'll add some more advanced functionality.
The rapid scrolling and clicking through menus that's possible on these mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Android) would make them great platforms for my tool. I just need a way to build and update it easily. That's the kicker.

__________

Plan A:
First, I've created outlines in OmniOutliner and exported them as HTML unordered lists. Second, I've been learning basic CSS coding because it seems like the best way to turn those exported outlines into interactive hover/flyout menus on a web page (you don't even need Javascript), which could in turn provide me with a good template for an iPhone/iPad app. However, the CSS code gets overly complicated and is not easily updated.

Plan A.2: Another way to go (beyond flyout menus) is to just mimic an iPhone menu on the web (with CSS and Java). I might end up using this guy's code as a starting place: http://joehewitt.com/files/iphone/navigation.html#_albums
Here's a a similar USC site built for mobile: http://mobile.usc.edu/
The problem with that approach is that each list in the menu/outline requires a new HTML page. Ugh.

Also, I want to make something that can be cached on the device, not requiring internet. I wonder if that can be implemented or if no internet makes all these "built for mobile" web sites moot. I mean, if I can save a Web archive to my desktop, I imagine it can be done on the iPhone (and in reverse).
In other words, I'd rather have an app installed on the iPhone, that runs natively. Not a web-hosted app.
___________

So, plan B: I'm looking for alternates for turnings outlines into menus. The next thing would be to look at Mac's Interface Builder to create an Mac app that is simply a bunch of menus (and later make it something more). But I don't know if that'll be any easier or quickly updatable. Any experience with that? I gotta find some forums...

Of course, I'd rather have this be cross platform.

________

Plan C:
For *real* iPhone code, I'm hoping to hunt down a program that is to iPhone/iPad apps what Dreamweaver is to Web page creation. Something like StencilsApp that generates real code. There are a lot of red herrings out there and folks that want hosting and development fees. But, I'm sure more and more solutions for non-coders are going to emerge. Know any besides SwebApps?

What other approaches would you suggest?

Thanks for any advice!

Help ensure my websites display beautifully now and into the future!

bonsai forest — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:34:42 -0800

Cross-platform web design / development for the next three years - What exactly do I need to learn, and where can I learn it? I've spent the past year or so learning CSS and HTML, and a very small bit of PHP for Wordpress development and feel good about my skills in these areas. I'm currently designing and coding websites for small, creative businesses using these skills, and one of the most difficult problems has been making the site look good for old browsers such ie6. Now that i.e.6 is finally really headed out, I'm looking forward to staying compatible with future web and mobile platforms developments.

I want my websites (which are often 'artist portfolios') to look great across browsers AND on new media platforms like the iPad etc. (Particularly as some of my clientele are already buying iPads)

I know that flash is out if that is my goal, so what are the key things I need to learn to make sure sites I build will display well across platforms now, and into near future?

i.e. what are the best ways to do things like mimic the functionality of flash slideshows such as slideshow pro provides (until they release their own alternates). I don't want to go back to old sites to make them work when better options come along, I want them to work now and until people are ready for big site overhauls in a few years.

Also, interested in non-flash audio players, and non-flash vector movies and anything else you can think of I oughta know in this area.

I would love to be pointed to existing solutions that look to be robust into the near future, and what I have to learn if I want to get this right.

I'm interested in articles, online tutorials, but even more interested in real classes I can take in the NYC area.

I'm not interested in becoming a "programmer". I'm most interested in expanding on the coding I do have a grip on, and customizing existing solutions for my needs, and also just knowing what I'm talking about!

Thanks!