Toward the Future of iOS Development with Swift

Overview

An introduction to the Swift programming language. This will prepare you for more extensive iOS app development and build a foundation for advanced iOS development topics. Upon completing this course, you will be able to: 1. Associate the relationship of Swift and Objective-C and their use in iOS and Mac (OS X) programming 2. Develop the ability to read and write Swift code 3. Distinguish how both programming languages can be used together in applications 4. Demonstrate how to write applications entirely in Swift with the help from several iOS programming samples 5. Determine how Swift can be used for development on new platforms such as Apple Watch and Apple TV 6. Create a working client-server iPhone application with location services that you can add to your portfolio.

Syllabus

Introduction to Swift

In this first week, you will get a first look at the programming environment and the Swift programming language. If you have taken the “Foundations of Objective-C App Development” Course in this Specialization, some of this content may be familiar. Students who have not taken that course - no need to worry - you will receive a full introduction to become familiar with programming for iOS or Mac OS X as if Swift is your first programming language.

Looking Further into Swift

The content for this week will build on the knowledge and examples from the previous week. You will start combining the basic programming skills studied in the previous week to start manipulating data in functions and learn how functions can be used in different Types (i.e. enums, structs, classes). This will prepare you for working in a full application setting, which will be the focus of Week 4. You will learn about some of the more advanced Swift programming language features that are often useful in bringing together a complete system like a full-blown iPhone application.

From Programmer to Developer

This week, you will take steps into really developing their first, simple iPhone project with Swift. This will introduce some topics not limited to Swift itself, but also really start looking into bigger topics for iOS application development to prepare you to write a more complex application in Week 4.

iPhone Applications and More

In this last week of the course, you will follow along and create a more full-fledged application called HoBshare. This is a more complex application that is intended to help you use many of the different techniques and language features introduced in the previous weeks and see how they can be used as tools to develop an application. We will also explore some of the new and exciting consumer technologies that developers can now work with using Swift.