Apple/iOS

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Apple changed the world with the launch of the iPhone in 2007.  At Metal Toad we've done a lot of mobile development over the year and we've cataloged our iOS learnings here.  Enjoy!

  • User holding phone

    The Value of Android, iOS, and React to the Cloud

    As an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, Metal Toad helps our clients identify their cloud solutions.  However, one question I frequently hear is, “If we are building cloud solutions, then why is there a need for engineers in Android, iOS, and React specialties?”.

  • Old postcard of the Tower of London

    Winter Hackathon 2018: Hacking History

    A few years ago, I had the good fortune to travel to London to visit some friends. But before I talk about my trip, there is something you must know about me.

  • Railroad Junction Photo

    Sum Algebraic Data Types in Haskell and Swift

    "Grove Park Traincare Depot and sidings" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by train_photos

  • Apple logo

    Leveraging Structs and Generics in the Networking Layer with Swift 4

    Swift Talk #1 and #8 introduces an approach (hereinafter alternative approach) to using structs and generics to build a networking layer in

  • iOS and Android

    6 Design Tips for iOS and Android

    Recently I've been designing a few mobile apps. The first app was designed from scratch for both iOS and Android. The other was taking a pre-existing iOS app and translating the design and UX to be more suited for Android.

  • Swift logo

    The Launch of Swift 2.0

    Ever since Grace Hopper came up with the A language programmers have been trying to create new languages and processes that make it easier to do work with computers.

  • Apple logo

    A Note About UICollectionView with Negative Margins

    When you’re making a basic, edge-to-edge UICollectionView in interface builder, Xcode has a habit of describing it using negative margins.

  • Safari logo

    Force Touch for Safari in Javascript

    First I explored Force Click on the Mac. Now it is on the web with javascript in Safari. There has long been hooks for touches and gestures on Safari for iOS devices.

  • WatchOS Logo

    WatchOS 2 Animations with Completion Blocks

    Now that WatchOS 2.0 is released we have more than just frame animations in the SDK. It now has animation support for moving things around on-screen. It's not terribly powerful because it is based on their layout engine. The layout engine organizes content by Group, Image and Alignment.

  • Apple logo

    iOS: Retain Your Sanity With CoreSimulator Folders

    Previously, we published a script to work around the opaque iOS Simulator folder structure on Xcode 6. With the recent release of Xcode 7, the naming structure changed a bit, so we've updated the script below:

  • Apple logo

    Metal Toad at WWDC

    This past week, a couple of us at Metal Toad traveled down to San Francisco for WWDC and AltConf.

  • Apple logo

    Use the Force Touch

    Every once in a while, Mac OS X gains new features that require us to change code. It doesn't happen often. The last time was for retina displays. Now the new-fangled thing is Force Touch.

  • Apple logo

    iOS: A Quick Script to Retain Your Sanity With CoreSimulator Folders.

    Note: This is outdated. See our update for Xcode 7

  • Apple logo

    Integrating Faux Pas into your iOS Continuous Integration Workflow

    Faux Pas is a OS X app that analyzes your source code for possible bugs and stylistic issues (among many, many other things). It also has a nifty command line tool that we wanted to integrate into our continuous integration process.

  • Robert inside

    What I Did Over the Weekend

    I spend all week programming at Metal Toad so you would think I'd want to spend my weekend doing anything but. Yet, instead of enjoying the unseasonably warm January weather, I spent last weekend at an event, writing code. Why? Because I sincerely love programming.

  • Apple logo

    Continuous Delivery for Enterprise on iOS

    In part two (part one) of a series on iOS automation, we'll discuss continuous deployment. Thankfully, due to wonderful tools like Hockey, it’s never been easier.

  • Apple logo

    Short-circuiting SpriteBuilder to use Cocos2d-swift Programmatically

    The goal is to create a project with SpriteBuilder and then not use the nice GUI and ccb files that it provides.

  • kismet

    How I learned to stop worrying and love the code

    In 1989 I sat down at an Apple II E to write my first bit of code in BASIC. It made the screen invert colors, so text appeared black, and the screen was the strange, alien green that early monitors seemed to favor.

  • Apple logo

    Apple's Origin Story (I'm talking coordinates)

    I'm not talking about getting bit by a radioactive spider or being given a green ring by some random aliens.

  • 2014 Q4 Viewports

    Analytics-driven responsive web design planning

    Many of our readers have asked for an update to the mobile device diagram. Rather than diagramming what handset makers are selling, I thought it would be interesting to plot what our visitors are actually using. With that in mind, here is the updated version with data extracted from Google Analytics:

  • Apple logo

    iOS Continous Integration for Enterprise

    Updated Oct 19, 2015: Added updates for OS X El Capitan. Updates highlighted in yellow. Updated Jan 23, 2015: this post is part of a series on iOS Continuous Integration.

  • Apple logo

    Covering our Apple Assets

    Whenever a programmer and a designer get together they need to agree on a common language. That often involves mock-ups, aspect ratios, points, pixels and work-flow. 

  • cool tech graphics

    Switching from Apple OSX apps to Google Apps in the Browser

    I’ve been using the Apple OSX suite of productivity tools (Safari, iCal, Mail) for as long as I’ve been using Macs (PowerBook G4 in ‘03). I’ve dabbled with other applications like Thunderbird, Firefox, and Chrome, but I’ve stayed true to the Apple products because they worked.

  • Android & iOS

    A Simple Device Diagram for Responsive Design Planning

    Updated for 2015! Check out Analytics-driven responsive web design planning

  • cool tech graphics

    Improved Lazy Loading for iPhone & Android

    The latest version of the jQuery Lazy Load plugin (released Jan 29th, 2012) included the ability to customize your data attribute parameter.

  • cool tech graphics

    Responsive Web Design and HTML5 are the Future

    With the latest launch of the Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet, the world is now up to more than five major Android hardware providers. Among each of these, there is also a wide variety in the screen sizes, from the smart phones to mid and larger tablets. Outside of the Android market you have the 800 pound gorilla, Apple with their iPhone, iPod & iPad. And you have RIM with the Blackberry and Nokia (who still can't decide what they are going to use).

  • cool tech graphics

    Google Hotpot Rates Portland 5/5

    Google, the king of the internet, and Portland, OR, also known as Beervana; at first the two may seem unrelated, but at closer inspection it seems as if Portland has been targeted by Google's new service called Hotpot.

  • cool tech graphics

    Tablets are the New PCs - or are they?

    People building websites should be keeping a close eye on their analytics. Since sales of tablets are skyrocketing, any day now we'll be seeing a huge uptick in web traffic from tablets.

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