Josh's Swift Journey

OK, I am not sure if this is going to go anywhere! This entry was going to initially be a brief sojourn from Angela's excellent course - to see if I can get the ViewController option for the different difficulty levels of the F1Quiz. Having had a look over it, that app is too finicky, too fiddly to pick back up again. So a much better idea - a new app! This is a chance to put things into practice. I am going to stay well away from APIs, Cocoapods, JSON etc. and just focus on something simple - something educational. A times table app! *Screen replaced by the way - seems all shiny and new! Start Time - 19:13 So the idea of this is just to map out what I need to make a Times Tables app. Now, there are many, many out there so the idea here is not to try anything original at all - just to see if I can create something from scratch that has all the main facets required. Best place to start - a 'to do' list! It makes sense to do this for MVC - mapping out the main elements...

So this time we're by the pool by RAK! Probably better in terms of wind, sand etc... I've arranged for someone to collect my laptop to replace the screen. Have also ordered a new case and an ant-glare screen cover. All of these things should help and it's worth the money. Well it's a lot of it! 1575 to repair; 200 for anti-glare screen; 50 for cover. Anyway.... Today I'm going to start the Bitcoin tracker challenge. Going to spend an hour on it - maybe more. Let's go! Start Time - 10:27 OK, step 1 is to download the project.. STEP 1 Right, I am not going to type much here as it is pretty much following instructions. Will add anything that's a useful learning point! OK, after putting in the currencyPicker.delegate = self (and the same for the dataSource one), errors come up because we HAVE NOT CONFORMED TO THAT PROTOCOL! That makes sense - we've put in those protocols in the view controller. So those methods need implementing. Ok. Using the...

So I'm back on the beach in RAK! *Also, yesterday's entry was supposed to be part 16, not 15 again -  hence why we're now at 17. That many parts is a good, solid effort! Right - today I'm focusing on the command line terminal. I know that there is a command button on the keyboard and that it opens up certain shortcuts. But that's about it! So let's just focus on that for today. Possibly going to have a look at the Bitcoin tracker challenge later! *Also it's pretty windy here but I'm not so concerned about the screen - I have to get that replaced soon anyway.  Start Time - 12:31 Command Line Terminal The bash shell - analogy here is with a pistachio nut... Mac OS is the nut. The kernel is the actual core, what is used for the programming. The shell is the user interface - how you interact with the programme. Command Line - alternative way of interacting with the kernel! Bash - Bourne Again Shell! This is a CLI - command line interpreter for th...

OK so last week was a bit of a bust! I started well with some progress at the start of the week but nothing for 8 days...not good! Anyway, I'm coding - unusually from Ras Al Khaimah - one of the other Emirates in UAE. Away with Cath for a several days and while she's reading, a good half hour of cracking on with Clima seems perfect! Before I start this properly, a good opportunity to assess things... It's been six weeks or so since I went back to Angela's course, well technically started her 'new' one, and I don't regret it one bit. I'm technically 31% through it all, which is a good number of hours. However, that isn't totally realistic as I did 'skim' through a number of the lessons. The main point I want to make here is that I DON'T feel the need to switch to another course or supplement my understanding through other resources or websites. Having been a committed Swift learner for 8 months now, I've realised and accepted that An...

As I mentioned enough times already, this is a tough chapter! Before, when I attempted it (when was that, October/November?) I actually bailed on it. I felt the need to go over the fundamental coding concepts again and that the Clima project was too 'out there'. However, I'm looking at it differently now - it's a great opportunity to see something completely different! And there are some good bits along the way! Start Time - 17:55 Delegates and Protocols I've seen these before - it's about modelling behaviour and about getting something else to do a job essentially! In the context of Clima, the CLLocationManager is the delegate to do the job of looking for the location (for the location manager). Right so seeing it another way - a protocol is a contract! We have drawn up a contract - if it wants to be the delegate, then it needs to be able to handle what is in the protocol created - protocol ChangeCityDelegate {     func userEnteredACityName(cit...

So I'm cracking on with this, even though it's not quite working! To be fair, using Cocoa Pads, JSON, parsing, firebase...it's a lot of new concepts all in one go. The good thing is that I am not deterred; I will complete this chapter soon then keep absorbing everything I can in this course. It's been difficult finding time for coding lately. I am still aiming for 3 hours per week, which is slow but steady stuff. Anyway, let's get stuck in! Start Time - 18:34 *Interrupted by 12 mins! So I've picked up a couple of little useful things - again the command button and / That basically uncomments/comments a whole block      func updateWeatherData(json: JSON ) {                  let tempResult = json[ "main" ][ "temp" ]. double                  weatherDataModel . temperature = Int (tempResult! - 273.15 )                 ...

How unusual, an entry on Tuesday afternoon?! Well, mercifully, there is time off work in Dubai due to the Pope's visit! Not that I am seeing the man himself but thank you! Yesterday was also off but no chance to code. So today I have a good hour or so to get some done. My aim is to totally finish the 'Clima' app, then I will have surpassed my progress from last time. It's been a good month or so with Angela and I am 100% happy with that. Loads of useful things picked up along the way, whether the content is new or I had just forgotten bits. Either way, well worth it. The other good news is that I feel NO inclination to switch courses whatsoever. No, I want to stick with this one from Angela until the very end. Then I will review where I am and what the next course of action is. Anyway, let's go! Start Time - 14:04 Asynchronous method - this means it works in the BACKGROUND as a method. If it were in the foreground, it means that it would freeze up the entire app...

Here we are - another sizeable gap between entries! It's been longer than I hoped for but just difficult to find the time.  I hope that this changes, as since June I've been pretty consistent at maintaining my coding time. Anyway, I'm NEARLY at the point of where I was with Angela's Xcode 11 course. Definitely a good shout to recap and go over stuff with this one, especially as Swift has updated and I need refreshers anyway. OK here we go! Start Time - 12:19  Clima App So the Application Programme Interfaces (APIs) access online information - saving a LOT of coding time, plus with real-time updated information. Ok so one thing was putting everything to the desktop - that's where the reference to various files will be. So OK fair enough! Multiple view controllers - I've done this before so no biggy. Navigating between them - that will be useful for the next app! Segue - moving between view controllers. So Angela has set up all of the icons, views, con...