Build an App Like Lego, with UIKit — Tutorial 1

Create an App Template

1. Introduction

This tutorial uses the older technologies of Xcode 10, UIKit, and Interface Builder. To instead use the current technologies of Xcode 12, SwiftUI, see our newer tutorial series “Build an App Like Lego, with SwiftUI”.

We all use apps every day to simplify and enrich our lives, but building them can seem like an overwhelming challenge. If you have an idea for an app — even a very simple idea — it could cost thousands of dollars to hire someone to create it. In reality, it’s not that hard to get started. In this series, I’m going to demonstrate that you can create an app as easily as you can build something out of Lego.

Together, we will:

1. Visually create real engineered components.
2. Assemble them like Lego blocks.
3. Run the app on an iPhone.

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorise or endorse this tutorial series.

The app we build will be truly “native”. We will use Apple’s toolset to build an app that is “native” to the iOS platform. It will be a real app, not built with some prototyping tool or as a web page designed to look like an app.