Why should you learn Objective C?

You may be heard about Objective-C, but not all are familiar with it. That’s why here we are going to discuss the Objective-C and its usage. If you going through this article, you can determine why you should learn Objective-C. So, without wasting time latest start -

Objective-C (ObjC)

Objective-C (ObjC) is a programming language that is used in the OS X and iOS operating systems and their application programming interfaces (APIs). The object-oriented programming language Objective-C was originally developed in the early 1980s. It was selected as the main language used by NeXT for its NeXTSTEP operating system, from which OS X and iOS are derived.

The Objective-C programming language was originally created by Brad Cox and Tom Love at their company Stepstone. It was soon linked with Smalltalk in order to expand the usability of both the languages. Objective-C programs are generic and do not use external complex libraries that can be compiled in any system compatible with GCC or Clang. Extensions used for Objective-C source code are .m while header files are similar to C programming header files, means .h extension. Objective C++ files have a file extension of .mm for their source code files.

There are several reasons that explain why Objective-C is still important. Let's look at the reasons -

• Objective-C is very mature which means there are well-established conventions and workflows.

• There are much more Objective-C projects in the App Store than Swift projects. So, we can say that Objective-C is used to write a lot of projects out there. As iOS developer, you have to be able to maintain these projects.

• A lot of libraries and frameworks are written in Objective-C. So, it's easy for you to use them and you can also adjust the code if you want.

• The kind of functionality that’s packaged in the Cocoa frameworks can only be delivered through object-oriented techniques. So, it's easy to use this kind of functionality in ObjC.

• Existing C programs can be adapted to use the software frameworks without losing any of the work that went into their original development because Objective-C is an extension of standard ANSI C.

• You get all the benefits of C when working within Objective-C to do something in an object-oriented way which defines a new class and stick to procedural programming techniques which define a structure and some functions instead of a class because Objective-C incorporates C.

• Objective-C syntax is small, unambiguous, and easy to learn. Object-oriented programming with its self-conscious terminology and emphasis on abstract design often presents a steep learning curve to new recruits. Objective-C is a well-organized language that can help a programmer to become a proficient object-oriented programmer with less difficulties.

• The compiler preserves a great deal of information about the objects themselves for use at runtime. Decisions that otherwise might be made at compile time can be postponed until the program is running. Dynamism gives Objective-C programs unusual flexibility and power because it's very dynamic.

• Objective-C supports an open style of dynamic binding that can accommodate a simple architecture for interactive user interfaces. Messages are not necessarily constrained by either the class of the receiver or even the method name, so a software framework can allow for user choices at runtime and permit developers freedom of expression in their design.

• Code written in Objective-C and C can be used in Swift, so you can easily transfer your existing project to a new primary language of iOS.

• Swift 2.1 compiler is unstable. It crashes sometimes which never happens in Objective-C.

• Xcode supports Objective-C. In contrast, Xcode does not support refactoring of Swift code. It should be done manually.

Some of the most common data types use in Objective-C include

int - An integer value, i.e. a whole number (no decimals) that includes zero and negative numbers.

float - A floating point value that includes as many decimal places as it can hold. Because the decimal place can change, or float, it's important to know that these values may technically be imprecise. When precise decimals are needed, like for currency, we should use the NSDecimalNumber data type.

BOOL - Short for “boolean”, this is a 1-bit “true” or “false” value that can only be in one of those states. Hence, The C language and Objective-C treat 0 as “false” and 1 as “true”. As such, the following keywords can be used to represent true/false values: YES/NO, TRUE/FALSE, true/false, 1,0.

char - A single character, such as the letter A or the symbol “#”. Note that lowercase and uppercase characters are different, so “a” and “A” are two different characters.

NSString - String data is a bunch of characters strung together to make text, like a banner strung up at a party.

NSNumber - This class is a lightweight “wrapper” class that gives object-oriented features to the primitive number types.

Objective-C Loops

while loop - Repeats a statement or group of statements while a given condition is true. It tests the condition before executing the loop body.

for loop - Execute a sequence of statements multiple times and abbreviates the code that manages the loop variable.

do...while loop - Like a while statement, except that it tests the condition at the end of the loop body.

nested loops - You can use one or more loops inside any another while, for or do..while loop.

Loop Control Statements

break statement - Terminates the loop or switch statement and transfers execution to the statement immediately following the loop or switch.

continue statement - Causes the loop to skip the remainder of its body and immediately retest its condition prior to reiterating.

 

In the end, we can say that Objective-C is not behind any mainstream language. Though it only used in OS X and iOS there has any possibility. So we think you should definitely try Objective C at least once. It can help you to improve your thinking and also looks good on your resume.