From the Back CoverProgramming in Objective-C is a concise, carefully written tutorial on the basics of Objective-C and object-oriented programming. The book makes no assumption about prior experience with object-oriented programming languages or with the C language (upon which Objective-C is based). And because of this, both novice and experienced programmers alike can use this book to quickly and effectively learn the fundamentals of Objective-C. Readers can also learn the concepts of object-oriented programming without having to first learn all of the intricacies of the underlying procedural language (C). This approach, combined with many small program examples and exercises at the end of each chapter, makes it ideally suited for either classroom use or self-study. Growth is expected in this language. At the January 2003 MacWorld, it was announced that there are 5 million Mac OS X users and each of their boxes ships with Objective-C built in.
About the Author
Stephen Kochan is the author and coauthor of several bestselling titles on the C language, including Programming in C, Programming in ANSI C, and Topics in C Programming, and several Unix titles, including Exploring the Unix System and Unix Shell Programming. He has been programming on Macintosh computers since the introduction of the first Mac in 1984 and wrote Programming C for the Mac as part of the Apple Press Library.
Product Description:
Programming in Objective-C is a concise, carefully written tutorial on the basics of Objective-C and object-oriented programming. The book makes no assumption about prior experience with object-oriented programming languages or with the C language (upon which Objective-C is based). And because of this, both novice and experienced programmers alike can use this book to quickly and effectively learn the fundamentals of Objective-C. Readers can also learn the concepts of object-oriented programming without having to first learn all of the intricacies of the underlying procedural language (C). This approach, combined with many small program examples and exercises at the end of each chapter, makes it ideally suited for either classroom use or self-study. Growth is expected in this language. At the January 2003 MacWorld, it was announced that there are 5 million Mac OS X users and each of their boxes ships with Objective-C built in.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction.
I. THE OBJECTIVE-C LANGUAGE.
2. Programming in Objective-C.
Compiling and Running Programs on the Mac. Compiling and Running Programs under Windows. Line-by-Line Explanation of Your First Program. Displaying the Values of Variables. Exercises.
3. Classes, Objects, and Methods.
What Is an Object, Anyway? Instances and Methods. An Objective-C Class for Working with Fractions. The @interface Section. The @implementation Section. The Program Section. Exercises.
4. Data Types and Expressions.
Data Types and Constants. Arithmetic Expressions. Assignment Operators. Bit Operators. Types: --Bool, --Complex, and --Imaginary. Exercises.
5. Program Looping.
The for Statement. The while Statement. The do Statement. The break Statement. The continue Statement. Exercises.
6. Making Decisions.
The if Statement. The switch Statement. Boolean Variables. The Conditional Operator. Exercises.
7. More on Classes.
Separate Interface and Implementation Files. Multiple Arguments to Methods. Local Variables. The self Keyword. Allocating and Returning Objects from Methods. Exercises.
8. Inheritance.
It All Begins at the Root. Extension Through Inheritance--Adding New Methods. Overriding Methods. Extension Through Inheritance--Adding New Instance Variables. Abstract Classes. Exercises.
9. Polymorphism, Dynamic Typing, and Dynamic Binding.
Polymorphism: Same Name, Different Class. Dynamic Binding and the id Type. Compile Time Versus Runtime Checking. The id Data Type and Static Typing. Asking Questions about Classes. Message Forwarding. Exercises.
10. More on Variables and Data Types.
Initializing Classes. Scope Revisited. Storage Class Specifiers. Enumerated Data Types. The typedef Statement. Data Type Conversions. Exercises.
11. Categories, Posing, and Protocols.
Categories. Posing. Protocols. Composite Objects. Exercises.
12. The Preprocessor.
The #define Statement. The #import and #include Statements. Conditional Compilation. Exercises.
13. Underlying C Language Features.
Arrays. Functions. Structures. Pointers. Unions. They're Not Objects! Miscellaneous Language Features. How Things Work. Exercises.
II. THE FOUNDATION FRAMEWORK.
14. Introduction to the Foundation Framework.
Foundation Programs on the Mac. Foundation Programs Under GNUstep. The Root Object: NSObject. Exercises.
15. Numbers, Strings, and Collections.
Number Objects. String Objects. Array Objects. Dictionary Objects. Set Objects. Exercises.
16. Working with Files.
Managing Files and Directories: NSFileManager. Working with Paths: NSPathUtilities.h. Basic File Operations: NSFileHandle. Exercises.
17. Memory Management.
The Autorelease Pool. Reference Counting. Back to the Autorelease Pool. Summary of Memory Management Rules. Exercises.
18. Copying Objects.
The copy and mutableCopy Methods. Shallow Versus Deep Copying. Implementing the Protocol. Copying Objects in Setter and Getter Methods. Exercises.
19. Archiving.
Archiving with Property Lists. Archiving with NSArchiver. Writing Encoding and Decoding Methods. Keyed Archives. Using NSData to Create Custom Archives. Using the Archiver to Copy Objects. Exercises.
Afterword.
III. APPENDIXES.
Appendix A: Glossary.
Appendix B: Objective-C Language Summary.
Digraphs and Identifiers. Comments. Constants. Data Types and Declarations. Expressions. Storage Classes and Scope. Instance Variables. Functions. Classes. Statements. The Preprocessor. Root Object Methods and Categories.
Appendix C: Foundation Framework Headers.
Appendix D: Fraction and Address Book Examples.
The Fraction Class. The AddressBook and AddressCard Classes.
Appendix E: Resources.
Answers to Exercises, Errata, and so on. The Objective-C Language. The C Programming Language. The Foundation Framework. Cocoa. Compilers and Development Environments.
Index
