Anyone who uses multiple IDEs along with Xcode recognizes just how far behind Xcode is compared to others. I would even go as far as to argue it is at least half a decade behind Eclipse. Features which I have long grown use to having are completely absent in Xcode. Then, about a month ago, I discovered AppCode and started using it for my Obj-C development at work. I could repeat the feature set mentioned on their website, but instead I’ll assume you’ve read that and outline the crucial parts.
In a few of my recent posts, I outlined some things which I believe that Objective-C can learn from Java, the most recent discussing error handling. In order to avoid the impression that I may not like Objective-C, I figured I should outline some of what I believe are the most important improvements Objective-C has made.
When properties were first introduced, I read several who described them as simply syntax sugar. While they didn’t initially add much of anything that couldn’t already be done in the language before, they did yield one important feature: generated code. The code necessary in a setter, in particular the releasing of a previous value and setting the new value, was often fraught with errors. Despite code examples on a proper setter from Apple, I saw several cases where a setter failed to release the previous value, or retain the new value, or more commonly, do those two in the correct order. Enabling the compiler to generate this code for the programmer removed many of these errors.
This is one past the last is a series of blog posts I’m writing on things that Objective-C can learn from Java. I’m writing this because I’m seeing a series of ignorant tweets stating how much Java sucks. The other parts can be found here:
Anyone who programs in Java for a short period of time becomes well aware of Java’s exceptions. To the new programmer, they may be a bit of an annoyance, but to anyone designing enterprise-level code, they are a necessity. Objective-C has exceptions too, but they are so weakly defined in the language and so overlooked, it’s almost as if they were nothing more than an afterthought. In fact, one can argue that the exception handling in C++ is superior to what one would find in Objective-C.
This is the last is a series of blog posts I’m writing on things that Objective-C can learn from Java. The other parts can be found here:
For one who has programmed in other object oriented languages, Objective-C stands out with its complete lack of namespace. As a result, classes have a prefix, such as Apple’s common NS and UI prefixes. On the mac side of things, every class under the sun seemed to start with NS, such as NSString, and confusion is added when on the iOS side, several classes start with UI, such as UIView. This is due to the fact that without a concept of namespace, Objective-C cannot have two classes with the same name, regardless of whether the classes are public or not.
This is the third is a series of blog posts I’m writing on things that Objective-C can learn from Java. The other parts can be found here:
Objective-C still retains a lot of its heritage from it’s C beginnings. This includes using two files, a header and a source file, for each class. In a strictly object oriented environment, the header file contains the class definition (super-class and instance variables), public property definitions, and any public function declarations. The source file contains all of the function implementations, including synthesize statements. In contrast, Java contains all the functions of both files in a single file. To one who knows better, as in one who has used the single file environment, the two files for each class becomes a pain.