Learning Swift and iOS Development Part 1: Installing Xcode.
Like any good craftsperson we need the tools of the trade. And for iOS developers (or macOS, tvOS, watchOS) that tool is Xcode.
Canvas is to the artist as Xcode is to the iOS Developer. It serves as our workspace, creative outlet, source of frustration and more.
This is going to be a very short article, since getting up and running with Xcode is actually super easy!
Xcode is an amazing application. It is a fully-loaded suite of tools and applications that enable developers to create the future through apps. As you will see, it is simple to install and get started with minimal fuss.
To begin, open the macOS App Store and in the search bar in the top right, type Xcode and press Enter to search for it.
Once the results load, Xcode will be the first result.
Next, click GET (mine says open because I already have it installed) and enter your Apple ID information to begin downloading it. Bear in mind that it is a massive application (4.5 GB) and after installation takes up nearly 12 GB.
To open Xcode, all you need to do is go into your Applications folder and click Xcode. It’s that simple, really.
Once Xcode opens up, you will be presented with the ‘Welcome to Xcode’ screen which gives you several options to select.
This will be our launchpad for all projects in this book. You will open Xcode and create projects from here. Once you understand the Xcode interface, you will see just how powerful and helpful it is in the app development process.
This post was short and for good reason — Apple has made our job so easy by making such a streamlined experience. The barriers to beginning iOS development are so few nowadays, we can get started with just a few clicks. And that means we have more time to focus on making an awesome app.
In the next post we will go over some Swift basics at a high level just to get a taste.
If you want to learn more about Swift and iOS development, head over to www.devslopes.com and enroll in our Apple Developer Slope where you’ll learn everything you need to know to develop iOS apps. ❤️
