Apple has done everything it can to make the development process easier, but developers still need to put in quite an effort to achieve high-quality results. The creation of applications for iOS is a good solution for almost any type of business since the share of mobile traffic has long exceeded the share of computer traffic on a global scale. Let’s take a look at the tools used by developers to create applications for iOS.
The Fundamentals
Basically, every iOS app development company out there uses this necessary set of tools to create an application:
- macOS;
- Xcode;
- Some OS simulators for testing
Xcode is a convenient and fast tool for building applications. It is a graphical development environment that includes compilers, frameworks, and the iOS SDK. This tool is essential for coding and design, and a developer will need a Mac running macOS to use it. Libraries and frameworks simplify both the development of hardware compatibility with the application and the development of the appearance, they are needed in literally everything.
You will also need a simulator that will allow you to test the application at different stages of development. It will lack some important device-specific features such as an accelerometer, so a developer may need an iOS device as well.
Appcode
Appcode is an integrated development environment, a useful extra tool for building applications. Appcode does a good job of automating tasks of the same type (for instance, finding and fixing errors), and can integrate with Github, Redmine, and other task trackers. This framework serves as a nice complement to Xcode as they are compatible and in sync. Appcode also supports integration with third-party add-ons, which are mentioned below.
Add-ons
You will need third-party add-ons, without which the development will be ineffective. You will need Cocoapods to install them.
Cocoapods is an essential tool for additional libraries and frameworks. This is a dependency manager used in Xcode or Appcode. Cocoapods allows you to resolve dependencies between libraries, enable and manage third-party libraries. Later, these libraries will be linked in one project, which will allow you to create an application.
The use of third-party libraries and frameworks, such as AFNetworking and SwiftyJson, significantly increases the speed of development and allows you to concentrate on the main thing, that is, introducing business solutions into the application.
Other instances of useful third-party add-ons include:
- AFNetworking. This is an Objective-C library, the reliability and usefulness of which is provided by the input of the users themselves. The developments are located in an understandable structure of a modular architecture.
- PromiseKit. A well-known library for Swift and Objective-C that can help a developer work with asynchronous tasks. It allows you to control an asynchronous background process by linking functions.
The number of add-ons is much larger, but examples are enough to show that without these tools, you can’t go anywhere.
Testing
The application is almost finished, but it’s better to thoroughly check its performance. This can be done both in a small group of insiders and in a wide circle of testers. Surely, an iOS app development company can do this better than a couple of hired developers.
Testflight is a convenient native environment for testing an application where other users can be invited. Thus, you can get the necessary feedback in the Appstore simply by sharing the link with other users, the number of which cannot exceed ten thousand. Testflight will also be useful after your application is released, as it allows you to test new assemblies that remain active for 90 days.
This tool is considered the best testing tool out there. It allows you to analyze user behavior, handle reviews, and, since 2014, as part of Apple, it has established itself as an essential development tool.
Final Thoughts
These are the most popular elements that accompany any developer at different stages of application creation, guaranteeing a successful development result if we take it as an axiom that your team is professionals. The creation of an application in a small company can be ineffective, at least at the last stage – testing. That’s why it is always recommended to contact an iOS app development company for professional help in development.