I-Phone Tweaking

How to Get Started Programming in Windows for iOS Apps

The first thing you need to do is plan your app from top to bottom. Be sure to decide what features are must-haves and which are nice to have, but optional. Knowing your app’s exact needs can help you select the best cross-platform framework for you.

Choose a framework that uses the language(s) you prefer (see below) and review its capabilities. Look at the apps that that were made with the framework; find one similar to yours and see if you like it.

Many of the frameworks offer a free trial, so try them out before you buy. Again, don’t be discouraged by what you hear about these platforms’ abilities; they’re getting better every day.

Some of the more popular frameworks are:

• Appcelerator: Use XML, CSS-like code, JavaScript

• Xamarin: Code in C# or .NET

• Adobe Air: Use Flash, Dreamweaver, JavaScript

• Marmalade: Code in C++. Gives the option to develop in Visual Studio or Xcode

• Unity: Use a GUI to design your app. Unity focuses on game development and can deploy to mobile and game consoles

• PhoneGap: Code in CSS, HTML, or JavaScript

You can download Xcode from Apple’s website here. You can also do a search for ‘Xcode’ in your Mac app store.

JAILBREAKING

Cydia is a piece of software that runs on Jailbroken iPhones. It enables the user to install custom software packages from various sources (repos/repositories) into your iDevice