Introduction:

Xcode is tightly integrated with the Cocoa frameworks, creating a productive and easy-to-use development environment, and is the same tool set used by Apple to produce Mac OS X and iOS. Included are the Xcode IDE for coding, building, and debugging your application, Interface Builder to design the UI, and Instruments and Shark to analyze behavior and performance, plus dozens of additional tools.

1-Xcode:

Xcode

Designed from the ground up to take advantage of Cocoa and the newest Apple technologies, the Xcode IDE provides you with everything you need, from a professional editor with code completion and Cocoa refactoring, to Apple-tuned open-source compilers that take full advantage of your multi-core Mac.

Developing with Xcode is all about keeping you focused. Simply click the green Build and Go button to start the build, debug, and test cycle. Build errors are displayed within your source code as Message Bubbles. Once your project is built, the debugger bar appears in the editor window, and hovering your mouse reveals variable values as Data Tips. If you are developing for iPhone, Xcode automatically installs your application on the device and attaches the debugger over USB. Throughout, Xcode keeps your code front and center.

2-Interface Builder:

Interface Builder

Interface Builder makes it simple to prototype a full user interface without writing any code. Laying out windows, buttons, sliders, and other controls will create a fully-functioning Mac OS X or iOS user interface. You can then turn that prototype into a real application, keeping all the interface objects and adding features to them. Xcode works with Interface Builder in real time so you simply wire up the code you write in Xcode to the graphical controls within Interface Builder.

You can easily build user interfaces because Cocoa is built using the Model-View-Controller pattern. In fact, the user interfaces are actually archived Cocoa objects that require no code generation—Cocoa interface objects are dynamically connected to your implementation code at run time. Changes to the user interface do not require you to recompile your code, and changes to your code do not require you to recompile the user interface.

3-Dashcode:

Dashcode

An easy-to-use rapid development environment for web application and Dashboard widget creation, including a GUI parts library, JavaScript debugger, and more.

This document provides an overview of the Dashcode development environment. It describes how to use Dashcode to create two types of projects:

• Dashboard widgets—simple, lightweight applications that perform a single task in the Mac OS X Dashboard environment. Widgets are actually packaged web pages powered by standard web technologies such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript.
• Web applications—web pages that provide discrete functionality to users. Web applications also make use of web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Dashcode helps you create mobile Safari web applications, which are also known as iPhone web applications (that is, web applications optimized to run in Safari on iPhone), and Safari web applications (that is, web applications optimized to run in Safari).

Dashcode’s integrated environment allows you to lay out, code, and even test widgets and web applications without opening any other applications. Its layout tools, composers, and editors simplify the process of creating all the resources these projects need. Dashcode also includes handy coding and debugging tools that help you manage and test the code you write.

4-Quartz Composer:

Quartz Composer

Quartz Composer is a groundbreaking graphics development environment that allows you to explore the incredible power of the graphics stack of Mac OS X Tiger. With Quartz Composer, you can easily combine the capabilities of Cocoa, Quartz 2D, Core Image, OpenGL, and Quick Time, all using an approachable visual programming paradigm. Use Quartz Composer to prototype Core Image filters, build engaging screen savers, create custom user-interface widgets, make data-driven visual effects, and even perform live performance animations.

This article introduces you to Quartz Composer, walks you through a simple sample composition and provides a hands-on exploration to familiarize you with the way you can use it in your own projects. Once you start working with Quartz Composer, you may think of your projects in new ways, and find many more uses for its power and speed.

Graphical design environment for producing spectacular graphical animations, capable of being run independently or within a Cocoa application.

5-Instruments:

Instruments

A world-class Mac OS X or iOS application provides a great user experience. This includes an elegant user interface and optimal performance. The Xcode developer tools include Instruments, a truly unique application that helps you track down performance bottlenecks in your Mac OS X and iOS applications.

Instruments collects data such as disk, memory, or CPU usage in real time, either on your Mac or remotely from a connected iPhone. The collected data is graphically displayed as tracks over time, making it easy to pinpoint problem areas, then drill down to the offending lines of code.

Instruments helps guarantee your gorgeous user interface will be accompanied by equally impressive responsiveness.

6-IPhone Simulator:

IPhone Simulator

The iPhone Simulator runs your application in much the same way as an actual iPhone device. Because it is quick to launch and debug, the Simulator makes for a perfect test bed to make sure your user interface works the way you intend, your network calls are correct, and that the views change correctly when the phone rotates. You can even simulate touch gestures by using the mouse. The Simulator is a great time saver.

With the iOS SDK, Xcode can build, install, run, and debug Cocoa Touch applications in a Mac-based iPhone Simulator for a rocket-fast development workflow.

7-Organizer:

For iPhone developers, Xcode’s Organizer keeps track of your iPhone devices and certificates. It works with the Keychain to ensure that your application has been signed properly before installing it to an iPhone device. The Organizer can keep track of multiple devices, multiple provisioning profiles, and even help prepare your application for submission to the App Store.

Xcode’s Organizer gives you quick access to frequently used files and projects, and allows for scripted operations across many projects. The Organizer is great for community projects that use alternate build systems such as autoconf, make, and ant. It also supports arbitrary types of programs and languages, such as Ruby, Python, UNIX, Fortran, or Java via it’s customizable Build, Clean, Run, and Action buttons.