CS193E

Lecture 2

Object Oriented Programming

The Objective C Language
Foundation Classes
Announcements
• Assignment 1A - download updated copy from web site
• Assignment 1B - available tonight on class website
■ Will send email to class when available
• Both Assignment 1A and 1B due next Friday 1/18, by 5:00 PM
■ After these, due date will be the Weds 11:59 PM following the
date assignment goes out
• If you finish early, try submission script out
Today’s Topics
• Questions from Tuesday or Assignment 1A?
• Object Oriented Programming Overview
• Objective-C Language
• Common Foundation Classes
Finding things out
• The assignment walks you through it
• Key spots to look
■ API & Conceptual Docs in Xcode
■ Class header files

■ Docs, sample code, tech notes on web

■ http://developer.apple.com
■ Dev site uses Google search
Objects
OOP Vocabulary
• Class: defines the grouping of data and code,
the “type” of an object
• Instance: a specific allocation of a class
• Method: a “function” that an object knows how to perform
• Instance Variable (or “ivar”): a specific piece of data
belonging to an object
OOP Vocabulary
• Encapsulation
■ keep implementation private and separate from interface
• Polymorphism
■ different objects, same interface
• Inheritance
■ hierarchical organization, share code, customize or extend
behaviors
Inheritance

Memory
Superclass
NSObject management

Generic
NSControl behaviors

Specific
NSButton NSTextField behaviors
Subclass

• Hierarchical relation between classes

• Subclass “inherit” behavior and data from superclass
• Subclasses can use, augment or replace superclass methods
More OOP Info?
• Drop by David’s office hours to cover basics of OOP
• Tons of books and articles on OOP
• Most Java or C++ book have OOP introductions
• http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Cocoa/
Conceptual/ObjectiveC
Objective-C
Objective-C
• Strict superset of C
• A very simple language, but some new syntax
• Single inheritance, classes inherit from one and only one
superclass.
• Protocols define behavior that cross classes
• Dynamic runtime
• Loosely typed, if you’d like
 Defining a class
A public header and a private implementation

Header File Implementation File

 Defining a class
A public header and a private implementation

Header File Implementation File

Class interface declared in header file
#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>

@interface Person : NSObject

{
// instance variables
NSString *name;
int age;
}

// method declarations
- (NSString *)name;
- (void)setName:(NSString *)value;
- (int)age;
- (void)setAge:(int)age;
- (BOOL)canLegallyVote;

// alternative setter
- (void)setName:(NSString *)name age:(int)age;
@end
Class interface declared in header file
#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>

@interface Person : NSObject

{
// instance variables
NSString *name;
int age;
}

// method declarations
- (NSString *)name;
- (void)setName:(NSString *)value;
- (int)age;
- (void)setAge:(int)age;
- (BOOL)canLegallyVote;

@end
Class interface declared in header file
#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>

@interface Person : NSObject

{
// instance variables
NSString *name;
int age;
}

// method declarations
- (NSString *)name;
- (void)setName:(NSString *)value;
- (int)age;
- (void)setAge:(int)age;
- (BOOL)canLegallyVote;

@end
Class interface declared in header file
#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>

@interface Person : NSObject

{
// instance variables
NSString *name;
int age;
}

// method declarations
- (NSString *)name;
- (void)setName:(NSString *)value;
- (int)age;
- (void)setAge:(int)age;
- (BOOL)canLegallyVote;

@end
Class interface declared in header file
#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>

@interface Person : NSObject

{
// instance variables
NSString *name;
int age;
}

// method declarations
- (NSString *)name;
- (void)setName:(NSString *)value;
- (int)age;
- (void)setAge:(int)age;
- (BOOL)canLegallyVote;

@end
 Defining a class
A public header and a private implementation

Header File Implementation File

Private implementation defines methods
#import "Person.h"

@implementation Person

// method implementations
- (int)age {
return age;
}
- (void)setAge:(int)value {
age = value;
}
- (BOOL)canLegallyVote {
return (age > 17);
}
// and others as declared in header...

@end
Private implementation defines methods
#import "Person.h"

@implementation Person

// method implementations
- (int)age {
return age;
}
- (void)setAge:(int)value {
age = value;
}
- (BOOL)canLegallyVote {
return (age > 17);
}
// and others as declared in header...

@end
Private implementation defines methods
#import "Person.h"

@implementation Person

// method implementations
- (int)age {
return age;
}
- (void)setAge:(int)value {
age = value;
}
- (BOOL)canLegallyVote {
return (age > 17);
}
// and others as declared in header...

@end
self and super
Methods have an implicit local variable named “self”
(like “this” in C++)
- (void)doSomething {
[self doSomethingElseFirst];
...
}
Also have access to methods of the superclass using super
- (void)doSomething {
[super doSomething];
...
}
Messaging syntax
Message examples
Person *voter; //assume this exists

[voter castBallot];

int theAge = [voter age];

[voter setAge:21];

if ([voter canLegallyVote]) {
// do something voter-y
}

[voter registerForState:@"CA" party:@"Independant"];

NSString *name = [[voter spouse] name];

Objective-C Types
Dynamic and static typing
• Dynamically-typed object
id anObject

• Statically-typed object
Person *anObject

• Objective-C provides compile-time, not runtime, type checking

• Objective-C always uses dynamic binding

The null object pointer
• Test for nil explicitly
if (person == nil) return;
• Or implicitly
if (!person) return;
• Can use in assignments and as arguments if expected
person = nil;
[button setTarget: nil];
• Sending a message to nil?
person = nil;
[person castBallot];
BOOL typedef
• When ObjC was developed, C had no boolean type (C99
introduced one)
• ObjC uses a typedef to define BOOL as a type
BOOL flag = NO;
• Macros included for initialization and comparison: YES and NO
if (flag == YES)
if (flag)
if (!flag)
if (flag != YES)
flag = YES;
flag = 1;
Selectors identify methods by name
• A selector has type SEL
SEL action = [button action];
[button setAction:@selector(start:)];

• Selectors include the name and all colons, for example:

-(void)setName:(NSString *)name age:(int)age;
would have a selector:
SEL sel = @selector(setName:age:);

• Conceptually similar to function pointer

Working with selectors
• You can determine if an object responds to a given selector
id obj;
SEL sel = @selector(start:);
if ([obj respondsToSelector:sel]) {
[obj performSelector:sel withObject:self]
}
• This sort of introspection and dynamic messaging underlies
many Cocoa design patterns
-(void)setTarget:(id)target;
-(void)setAction:(SEL)action;
Working with Classes
Class Introspection
• You can ask an object about its class
Class myClass = [myObject class];
NSLog(@"My class is %@", [myObject className]);
• Testing for general class membership (subclasses included):
if ([myObject isKindOfClass:[NSControl class]]) {
// something
}
• Testing for specific class membership (subclasses excluded):
if ([myObject isMemberOfClass:[NSString class]]) {
// something string specific
}
Class Methods
• Instance methods operate on a specific object
• Class methods are global and have no specific data associated
with them
• '-' denotes instance method
- (void)printName;
• '+' denotes class method
+ (NSApplication *)sharedApplication;
• You invoke a class method by messaging the class itself
[NSApplication sharedApplication];
Working with Objects
Identity versus Equality
• Identity—testing equality of the pointer values
if (object1 == object2) {
NSLog(@"Same object instance");
}
• Equality—testing object attributes
if ([object1 isEqual: object2]) {
NSLog(@"Logically equivalent");
}
-description
• NSObject implements -description
- (NSString *)description;
• Whenever an object appears in a format string, it is asked for its
description
[NSString stringWithFormat: @”The answer is: %@”, myObject];
• You can log an object’s description with:
NSLog([anObject description]);
• Your custom subclasses can override description to return
more specific information
Foundation Classes
Foundation Framework
• Value and collection classes
• User defaults
• Archiving
• Notifications
• Undo manager
• Tasks, timers, threads
• File system, pipes, I/O, bundles
NSObject
• Root class
• Implements many basics
■ Memory management
■ Introspection

■ Object equality
NSString
• General-purpose Unicode string support
■ Unicode is a coding system which represents all of the world’s
languages
• Consistently used throughout Cocoa instead of “char *”
• Without doubt the most commonly used class
• Easy to support any language in the world with Cocoa
String Constants
• In C constant strings are
“simple”
• In ObjC, constant strings are
@“just as simple”
• Constant strings are NSString instances
NSString *aString = @”Hello World!”;
Format Strings
• Similar to printf, but with %@ added for objects
NSString *log = [NSString stringWithFormat: @”It’s ‘%@’”, aString];

• Also used for logging

NSLog(@”I am a %@, I have %d items”, [array className], [array count]);
NSString
• Often ask an existing string for a new string with modifications
- (NSString *)stringByAppendingString:(NSString *)string;
- (NSString *)stringByAppendingFormat:(NSString *)string;
- (NSString *)stringByDeletingPathComponent;

• Example:
NSString *myString = @”Hello”;
NSString *fullString;
fullString = [myString stringByAppendingString:@” world!”];
NSString
• Common NSString methods
- (BOOL)isEqualToString:(NSString *)string;
- (BOOL)hasPrefix:(NSString *)string;
- (int)intValue;
- (double)doubleValue;

• Example:
NSString *myString = @”Hello”;
NSString *otherString = @”449”;
if ([myString hasPrefix:@”He”]) {
// will make it here
}
if ([otherString intValue] > 500) {
// won’t make it here
}
NSMutableString
• NSMutableString subclasses NSString
• Allows a string to be modified
• Common NSMutableString methods
- (void)appendString:(NSString *)string;
- (void)appendFormat:(NSString *)format, ...;
+ (id)string;

NSString *newString = [NSMutableString string];

[newString appendString:@”Hi”];
[newString appendFormat:@”, my favorite number is: %d”,
[self favoriteNumber]];
Collections
• Array - ordered collection of objects
• Dictionary - collection of key-value pairs
• Set - unordered collection of unique objects
• Common enumeration mechanism
• Immutable and mutable versions
■ Immutable collections can be shared without side effect
■ Prevents unexpected changes

■ Mutable objects typically carry a performance overhead

NSArray
• Common NSArray methods
- arrayWithObjects:(id)firstObj, ...; // nil terminated!!!
- (unsigned)count;
- (id)objectAtIndex:(unsigned)index;
- (unsigned)indexOfObject:(id)object;

• NSNotFound returned for index if not found

NSArray *array = [NSArray arrayWithObjects:@”Red”, @”Blue”,
@”Green”, nil];
if ([array indexOfObject:@”Purple”] == NSNotFound) {
NSLog (@”No color purple”);
}

• Be careful of the nil termination!!!

NSMutableArray
• NSMutableArray subclasses NSArray
■ So, everything in NSArray
• Common NSMutableArray Methods
- (void)addObject:(id)object;
- (void)removeObject:(id)object;
- (void)removeAllObjects;
- (void)insertObject:(id)object atIndex:(unsigned)index;

NSMutableArray *array = [NSMutableArray array];

[array addObject:@”Red”];
[array addObject:@”Green”];
[array addObject:@”Blue”];
[array removeObjectAtIndex:1];
NSDictionary
• Common NSDictionary methods
- dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys: (id)firstObject, ...;
- (unsigned)count;
- (id)objectForKey:(id)key;

• nil returned if no object found for given key

NSDictionary *colors = [NSDictionary
dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:@”Color 1”, @”Red”,
@”Color 2”, @”Green”, @”Color 3”, @”Blue”, nil];
NSString *firstColor = [colors objectForKey:@”Color 1”];

if ([colors objectForKey:@”Color 8”]) {

// won’t make it here
}
NSMutableDictionary
• NSMutableDictionary subclasses NSDictionary
• Common NSMutableDictionary methods
- (void)setObject:(id)object forKey:(id)key;
- (void)removeObjectForKey:(id)key;
- (void)removeAllObjects;

NSMutableDictionary *colors = [NSMutableDictionary dictionary];

[colors setObject:@”Orange” forKey:@”HighlightColor”];

NSSet
• Unordered collection of objects
• Common NSSet methods
- setWithObjects:(id)firstObj, ...; // nil terminated
- (unsigned)count;
- (BOOL)containsObject:(id)object;
NSMutableSet
• NSMutableSet subclasses NSSet
• Common NSMutableSet methods
- (void)addObject:(id)object;
- (void)removeObject:(id)object;
- (void)removeAllObjects;
- (void)intersectSet:(NSSet *)otherSet;
- (void)minusSet:(NSSet *)otherSet;
NSEnumerator
• Consistent way of enumerating over objects in collections
• Use with NSArray, NSDictionary, NSSet, etc.

NSEnumerator *e;
id object;

e = [someCollection objectEnumerator];
while ((object = [e nextObject]) != nil) {
...
}
NSNumber
• In Objective-C, you typically use standard C number types
• NSNumber is used to wrap C number types as objects
• Subclass of NSValue
• No mutable equivalent!
• Common NSNumber methods
+ (NSNumber *)numberWithInt:(int)value;
+ (NSNumber *)numberWithDouble:(double)value;
- (int)intValue;
- (double)doubleValue;
Other Classes
• NSData / NSMutableData
■ Arbitrary sets of bytes
• NSDate / NSCalendarDate
■ Times and dates
• NSAttributedString
■ Basis of the Cocoa rich text system
■ Attributes are fonts, colors, etc.
Getting some objects
• Until we talk next time:
■ Use class factory methods
■ NSString’s +stringWithFormat:
■ NSArray’s +array

■ NSDictionary’s +dictionary

■ Or any method that returns an object except alloc/init or copy.

More ObjC Info?
• Chapter 3 of Hillegass textbook
• http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Cocoa/
Conceptual/ObjectiveC
• Concepts in Objective C are applicable to any other OOP
language
Questions?