Setting up an iOS application with Xcode is very straightforward. The process is a lot like creating a new text document or Keynote presentation. Here’s how to do it.

Install Xcode

Xcode is the IDE, Integrated Development Environment, used to create iPhone, Mac and iPad apps. This app is a free download that you can get from Apple by using the links below.

Click here to download and install Xcode from your Mac: Install Xcode.

BTW: this is a free tool to use on your Mac. To distribute Mac or Mac apps on the app store you’ll need to pay a yearly fee to Apple ($99 for each).

Start Xcode

Locate Xcode from the Applications folder – it’s the app named Xcode.app and will look like the icon below.

You can also use the Spotlight feature on your Mac to locate and start Xcode.

Add New Project

Make sure that Xcode is selected. Select File > New > Project… .

A dialog box will appear with many options that you have. You can actually create Mac, iPad and iPhone apps from this dialog. Here is what the dialog box will look like:

Choose iOS > Application > Empty Project . Then click Next. You should see a dialog box that looks like this:

Fill in the fields with your information. Most importantly, include your app’s name and your website URL for the bundle identifier. Make sure to pick iPhone for Devices. Pick iPad for iPad apps and Universal for apps that run on both iPad and iPhone. Also be sure to choose Use Automatic Reference Counting. Click Next. That’s about it.

Inspect and Test Project

Xcode will take the information that you provided to set up a project that can be used to start building your app. The configuration is all set up and you can even test the app in the iOS Simulator by clicking the run button located in the lefthand area of the Xcode screen.

Here is an example of what files you will see in your Xcode project:

Of course now that you have the project set up you can go ahead and start testing some Objective-C code.