Issue 546

18^th February 2022

Written by Dave Verwer

Comment

We’ve been in a slightly awkward place with macOS software development for a while now. AppKit is the rock-solid, dependable choice that you can definitely make a Mac-assed Mac app with. SwiftUI on the Mac is the future, but it still feels like that future isn’t quite here yet because while it’s possible to write a macOS app using only SwiftUI, you’ll make plenty of compromises when you do. Then, there’s Catalyst.

People had wished for “UIKit on the Mac” for a long time before Apple announced Catalyst, but it had an awkward start as it was announced directly alongside SwiftUI. It was like trying to tempt a child with a sandwich when there’s a massive cake on the kitchen counter behind them. It’s a nice sandwich, and everyone likes sandwiches, but it’s not cake. 😂

Steve Troughton-Smith is probably the most well-known advocate of Catalyst, using it for several of his apps and creating a large amount of excellent sample code over the last few years. Of course, it’s not a perfect framework, though, so it was interesting to see him write his thoughts on what could be improved this week. There’s plenty Apple could do, but even so, he still ends on a positive note:

Mac Catalyst is in a great place; it has improved substantially every year since its introduction, and for most developers it is by far the best way to build great Mac-like Universal apps that run across iPhone, iPad and Mac.

It’s all too easy to dismiss Catalyst in these days of SwiftUI, but I’d take Steve’s advice and seriously consider it if you’re thinking of bringing an app to macOS, even if you’re not converting from an iOS app.

Dave Verwer

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News

I know that many of you have wished for this for a very long time. It’s great to see subscriptions get this feature! You can opt-in on a per-subscription basis, too. It seems like great news all around!

This post from Eric Seufert is a couple of weeks old now but worth reading if you still have some appetite for news and commentary around the current App Store problems.

Tools

This new site from Dominik Hauser is lovely. Every few days, he posts a new productivity tip explained via the medium of a hand-drawn sketch. I love it.

I linked to this GitHub Action a few weeks ago that automatically updates dependencies inside a Swift Package, but what about if you want to automate dependency updates in an Xcode project? James Sherlock wanted the same and built it! I love the idea of automating this chore.

I believe Joseph Heck might be trying to become the community’s DocC expert, and I fully support his mission if he keeps producing great quality posts like this!

Code

This tweet from Marcin Krzyzanowski was a nice reminder that the UIKit Catalog sample code exists. It’s also worth noting that even though this is a sample project that has been around for a long time, it includes the latest UIKit controls and compiles without any warnings in Xcode 13.2. 🚀

This isn’t something you’ll need every day, but I found this explanation of why and how Pol Piella did interesting to read. I’m also a sucker for anyone talking about writing a Markdown editor! 😂

What happens when your alignment needs outgrow leading, trailing, and centred? Keith Harrison is here to help you understand alignment guides. I must also mention this excellent article on the official documentation site that helped me figure this out.

Videos

Everyone learns in different ways. I primarily learn by reading, but you may prefer watching YouTube, listening to technical podcasts, or watching someone else write code. If that last one sounds like you, you’ll want to tune in to Martin Pilkington’s Twitch stream. He’s building the next release of his AppKit app, Coppice on stream, and this post talks about his setup and how he got started.

While I’m on the subject, I believe that Ben Scheirman is also streaming the development of swift-add (amongst other things) on Twitch.

I love that both of these streams are opportunities to watch people writing actual software, and that’s so valuable. YouTube tutorials and walkthroughs are valuable, too, but I wanted to make the distinction!

Jobs

iOS Developer @ Atomic Robot – We are a mobile app agency with a diverse, tight-knit team that is passionate about the craft of mobile applications. Our team is the heart of our business- diversity in skills, perspectives, and lived experiences helps us ship impactful products that connect, inspire, and engage audiences. – Remote (within US timezones)

Multiplatform SwiftUI Developer @ Judo.app – Judo brings server-driven UI to iOS and Android apps. With Judo, product teams build UIs visually in a fraction of time and publish them instantly without an App Store submission. We’re 100% remote, our tech stack is sexy and our platform makes engineers’ lives easier. Be part of something big! – Remote (within US or European timezones)

iOS Developer @ Konrad Group – Konrad is looking for iOS developers of all experience levels to join our mobile team building native (UIKit and SwiftUI!) apps for the world’s most exciting companies. Our team of 200+ developers is always looking to solve challenging problems, learn, and have fun! – Remote (Anywhere) with some on-site work (Canada)

Senior iOS Engineer @ Shareup – Shareup is the easiest, fastest way to securely share anything with anyone. We help teams collect, organize, and make sense of the files, links, and services they use to get their work done everyday. We are a design-led company looking for an engineer to help drive the development of our iOS app. – Remote (within European timezones)

iOS Developer @ Bontouch – Bontouch is an award-winning product innovation agency. We have a simple but ambitious idea: to make the world’s greatest apps for the best brands on the planet. Join us and work with fun and passionate coworkers creating world-class digital experiences for millions of users. Come and join us! – On-site (Sweden) with some remote work (within European timezones)

Founding iOS Developer @ Tally – We’re building an app that captures and saves the sound of human voices to learn about and connect to the people in our lives in a fun, game-like way. We’re looking for someone who crafts native consumer iOS apps worthy of an Apple Design Award and who wants to build something wonderful. Interested? – Remote (within US or European timezones)

Senior iOS Developer @ Komoot – Touching all parts of the iOS app, your work will make outdoor adventures easily accessible to our users. You’ll develop diverse features for navigation, routing, social interaction and content visualization that will make your work challenging and fun. – Remote (within European timezones)

Senior Swift Engineer @ Toggl – We have been a fully remote company since 2014 and have worked in a Results-Only-Work-Environment (ROWE) for the past couple of years. We have a set of core values which we live and work by. Ownership and Freedom are two of them. We encourage these values in all our employees. – Remote (within US, European, or Asia-Pacific timezones)

iOS Developer @ Doximity – Doximity, the medical network used by over 80% of US clinicians, is hiring passionate iOS engineers (remote). You’ll be part of an amazing product team and work on an app that is constantly evolving. Use your skills (Swift, MVVM, FRP) to be an integral part of our growing telemedicine feature. – Remote (within US timezones)

Senior iOS Developer @ Chariot Solutions – Consider joining the Chariot Solutions team. Remote eligible. Great benefits, employee-first culture. – Remote (within US timezones)

Mobile Full Stack Engineer @ Expensify – Join our passionate team of top-notch engineers to solve a real-world problem, and help people spend less time managing expenses and more time pursuing their real goals. – Remote (Anywhere) with some on-site work (Australia, United Kingdom, or United States in CA, MI, NY, or OR)

Don’t forget there are many more jobs available at iOS Dev Jobs if you’re looking for a new challenge! Also, did you know there are now native apps available, too?

And finally...

Let’s finish this week with a trip back through the history of Xcode!