From last week, my programming struggles have drastically decreased. Given that I am still struggling as this is still pretty hard, I have gotten to point where I can solve some of the problems that I am having with the code. More importantly, I was able to solve the error I was having last week, which actually took a ton of research, video tutorials, and long nights of staring at code. The worst part about all this, was that my error, in essence, took about ten minutes to fix. The error I was having was with the Storyboarding of my app (if you haven't read my post about Storyboarding, click here to see it). In my Storyboard, I needed to have a Navigation Controller, Master View Controller, and a Detail View Controller to achieve the purpose that I was trying to achieve. The Navigation View Controller was the initial controller of the app, the Master View Controller was the main screen on the app, and the Detail View Controller shows the details of each different element. Last week, when working with my app, I was only working with a View Controller and it couldn't output anything because it needed the other elements to perform its function, and this caused the build to fail each time.
After solving that problem, I was able to continue building my app, and I actually got somewhere! Though it isn't nearly where I expected to be (I really need to work on my estimation skills), I still am at a point where I can finish this app in the next few weeks (even though the project is due like next week). Currently, I have the main page of the app finished. At this point, the user will be able to enter different assignments, finances, and schedules into the app, though I still need to work on making sure that these different aspects are saved into the database and do not get deleted when the app is closed.
The picture of my working app. Yes, that does say "No issues"
Above, you can see the app in its current stages. Though the design is slightly different from my original one in this post, I will apply the final design touches in the end because they are not contributing to the app functionality.
The next step that I am going for is implementing the core data aspect. This is mainly to make sure that everything the user selects is saved into the app for future use, as I mentioned in my post about storyboarding. The core data aspect is hard to implement because I'm not exactly sure where to implement it in the code, so my next goal will be to figure how to do this and create the database for saving this information.
From this point, it's almost smooth sailing. I really struggled in planning this project out, and really underestimated this language. But, at the current pace I'm going at, there is a realistic chance I may have a beta version of the app ready to present by next week!
Different sources that helped me solve my issues:
http://kurrytran.blogspot.com/2011/10/ios-5-storyboard-uitableview-tutorial.html
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/iPhone/Conceptual/SecondiOSAppTutorial/CustomizingMasterView/CustomizingMasterView.html
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10270664/master-view-controller-detail-view-controller-communication
This is really cool! I am glad to see you were able to overcome your issue. I know the feeling of not being able to get something to work the way I need it to. The worst thing you can do in a situation like that is to get frustrated and give up. Take a break if you need to, clear your head, and try a different approach. As for the GUI, while it is not exactly the prettiest thing around, it certainly gets the job done. Looking at your previous design, the rounded edges make a difference, at least in my opinion. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteMayank, as the biggest troll I have ever come across, I had a very hard time thinking of anything positive to say about you, or your blog. I kid, of course, as this is a very cool project, and I'm quite impressed that you've been able to accomplish what you set out to do in such a short amount of time. I share Will's feelings on the User interface, and I think that, given enough time, this app could progress to be a very refined, very intuitive tool used by students all across Lower D hall. Great work!
ReplyDelete~~~S