One of the problems with developing something new for a new platform is knowing just what to do. As a long time Windows developer, I know what I want to achieve, but don't know how to achieve it. It's very frustrating.
I started out fixing this with a Mac app template project, which proved very instructional but didn't really reflect a real world application. So I created a second in Mac application, based on a more realistic app. Doing this gave more insight into what it was that I didn't know.
My first app is now at a stage where I have built a working application with the majority of the functionality it needs to operate. Along the way, I had many challenges to overcome. Some relatively simple and some rather complex. This section is intended to document some of these challenges and the solutions I came up with.
Along the way, I may well come up with other stuff that I need to document be it Macos, iOS or anything else. I'll add those in as and when.
MacOS menus are great and can offer a great deal of functionality without overloading the UI with toolbars and buttons. Some of the functionality will, however, require that your menu communicates with the active view. So we need a mechanism to make that connection.
Context Menus are (typically) small menus attached to specific elements of our user interface and that provide context specific functionality. We probably won’t want too many of these but, properly placed, they can greatly enhance our UI.
While the Mac has a lot of pre-installed fonts, what do you do if you need one that is not installed on your Mac or may not be installed on you clients Mac?
The build process for XCode is a bit of a mystery to me. As a rule, I fire up XCode, write come code and run it and building 'just happens' in the background. That's actually the way I like it. Problem is, I was working on a Mac application where this was far from an optimal experience.
Don't take my word for my abilities, take a look at other peoples opinions about me.
One very quickly runs out of superlatives with Steve. He is the cleverest person I know. He is highly innovative, passionate regarding the proper maintenance of agreed standards and protocols and establishes excellent relationships with our clients.
Steve is a rare developer resource who is able to provide a good breakdown of technical solutions for all audiences to understand... Steve understands the importance of project deliverable's both from a client and business perspective and shows a personal pride in ensuring the delivery schedules are met.
I have worked closely with Steve for his time with us and long before we formed our company. His technical ability far out-performs anyone I have known or met in companies we have worked with like IBM/EDS/Cap Gemini
Steven showed a great deal of commitment and skill when he worked with me. His attention to detail, comprehensive documentation and well thought out code, using very impressive technical standards meant that it was always possible to rely on the solutions provided being top notch. Steven is an asset to any company, at any level - if I were able to, I'd love to work with him again.
I have had the pleasure of working with Steven for several years in my role as CTO. He his one to the most multi-disciplined technically skilled developers I have known but what sets him apart is his eye for, and attention to detail, particularly when considering the user experience. I would absolutely not hesitate in recommending Steven.