Learning WatchKit Programming
A Hands-On Guide to Creating Apple Watch Applications
1st Edition
Published on 12. June 2015
224 pages
978-0-13-419554-4 (ISBN)
Description
Create Breakthrough Apple Watch Apps with the WatchKit Framework
With its Apple Watch and WatchKit framework, Apple is challenging developers to build exciting and innovative apps for Apple Watch. iOS developers who master Apple Watch programming now will have the same huge "early mover" advantage that early iPhone developers enjoyed. Learning WatchKit Programming is a complete, hands-on tutorial for all iOS developers who are ready to design and build tomorrow's hottest new wearable apps.
Leading iOS development trainer and author Wei-Meng Lee covers all of the fundamentals of Apple Watch development and the WatchKit API, from application architecture and design to navigation, notification, and glances. Using practical Swift code examples designed for clarity and simplicity, Lee guides you through building apps from the ground up and shows you how to integrate those apps with the iPhone for expanded capabilities.
The perfect companion to other mobile development books in the Learning Series, this guide helps you extend your iOS skills to a whole new environment, build apps that solve a new set of problems, and reach millions of people in the new Apple Watch marketplace
Coverage includes
Getting started quickly with WatchKit and Apple Watch development
Storyboarding apps and testing them on the Apple Watch Simulator
Mastering Apple Watch's multiple-screen navigation
Building highly efficient interfaces with Apple Watch UI controls
Customizing each screen's look and feel, and passing data between them
Responding to user interactions via buttons, switches, sliders, or Force Touch
Displaying information via labels, images, or tables
Communicating between an Apple Watch app and its containing iOS app
Calling web services from Apple Watch
Displaying short- and long-look notifications
Customizing notifications to display your message's essence more quickly
Implementing glances to give users a faster way to gather information
Localizing your Apple Watch apps
All of this book's sample Swift code is available for download at informit.com/title/9780134195445.
With its Apple Watch and WatchKit framework, Apple is challenging developers to build exciting and innovative apps for Apple Watch. iOS developers who master Apple Watch programming now will have the same huge "early mover" advantage that early iPhone developers enjoyed. Learning WatchKit Programming is a complete, hands-on tutorial for all iOS developers who are ready to design and build tomorrow's hottest new wearable apps.
Leading iOS development trainer and author Wei-Meng Lee covers all of the fundamentals of Apple Watch development and the WatchKit API, from application architecture and design to navigation, notification, and glances. Using practical Swift code examples designed for clarity and simplicity, Lee guides you through building apps from the ground up and shows you how to integrate those apps with the iPhone for expanded capabilities.
The perfect companion to other mobile development books in the Learning Series, this guide helps you extend your iOS skills to a whole new environment, build apps that solve a new set of problems, and reach millions of people in the new Apple Watch marketplace
Coverage includes
Getting started quickly with WatchKit and Apple Watch development
Storyboarding apps and testing them on the Apple Watch Simulator
Mastering Apple Watch's multiple-screen navigation
Building highly efficient interfaces with Apple Watch UI controls
Customizing each screen's look and feel, and passing data between them
Responding to user interactions via buttons, switches, sliders, or Force Touch
Displaying information via labels, images, or tables
Communicating between an Apple Watch app and its containing iOS app
Calling web services from Apple Watch
Displaying short- and long-look notifications
Customizing notifications to display your message's essence more quickly
Implementing glances to give users a faster way to gather information
Localizing your Apple Watch apps
All of this book's sample Swift code is available for download at informit.com/title/9780134195445.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Boston
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
Professional and scholarly
ISBN-13
978-0-13-419554-4 (9780134195544)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
E-Book
11/2015
2nd Edition
Pearson
€20.39
Available for download
Additional editions
Book
07/2015
Addison Wesley
€23.51
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Wei-Meng Lee is a technologist and founder of Developer Learning Solutions ( www.learn2develop.net), a technology company specializing in hands-on training on the latest Web and mobile technologies. Wei-Meng speaks regularly at international conferences and has authored and co-authored numerous books on .NET, XML, Android, and iOS technologies. He writes extensively for InformIt.com and Mobiforge.com.
Content
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
About the Author xix
Chapter 1: Getting Started with WatchKit Programming 1
Specifications of the Apple Watch 1
Getting the Tools for Development 2
Understanding the WatchKit App Architecture 3
Types of Apple Watch Applications 6
Hello, World! 6
Summary 16
Chapter 2: Apple Watch Interface Navigation 17
Interface Controllers and Storyboard 17
Navigating between Interface Controllers 22
Summary 43
Chapter 3: Apple Watch User Interface 45
Responding to User Interactions 45
Displaying Information 65
Gathering Information 82
Laying Out the Controls 86
Force Touch 91
Summary 98
Chapter 4: Interfacing with iOS Apps 99
Localization 99
Communicating between the WatchKit App and the Extension 113
Summary 148
Chapter 5: Displaying Notifications 149
What Is a Notification? 149
Types of Notifications on the Apple Watch 152
Summary 178
Chapter 6: Displaying Glances 179
What Is a Glance? 179
Making the App Useful 186
Updating the Glance 192
Summary 194
Index 195
Acknowledgments xvii
About the Author xix
Chapter 1: Getting Started with WatchKit Programming 1
Specifications of the Apple Watch 1
Getting the Tools for Development 2
Understanding the WatchKit App Architecture 3
Types of Apple Watch Applications 6
Hello, World! 6
Summary 16
Chapter 2: Apple Watch Interface Navigation 17
Interface Controllers and Storyboard 17
Navigating between Interface Controllers 22
Summary 43
Chapter 3: Apple Watch User Interface 45
Responding to User Interactions 45
Displaying Information 65
Gathering Information 82
Laying Out the Controls 86
Force Touch 91
Summary 98
Chapter 4: Interfacing with iOS Apps 99
Localization 99
Communicating between the WatchKit App and the Extension 113
Summary 148
Chapter 5: Displaying Notifications 149
What Is a Notification? 149
Types of Notifications on the Apple Watch 152
Summary 178
Chapter 6: Displaying Glances 179
What Is a Glance? 179
Making the App Useful 186
Updating the Glance 192
Summary 194
Index 195
