Appendix B. The basics of C

 

Throughout this book we’ve assumed you understand the basic syntax of Objective-C. Even if the iPhone is your first exposure to Objective-C, you may have preexisting knowledge of another language that shares a similar lineage with the C language. As an example, the basic control structures in C, C++, Java, and C# are all essentially the same.

A lot of beginner Objective-C developers don’t fully appreciate the C linage of Objective-C, but Objective-C is essentially a layer over top of C. Every valid C program is also, by definition, a valid Objective-C program, albeit one that doesn’t take advantage of Objective-C’s object-oriented features.

The impact of this lineage is that most of the syntax in Objective-C for making decisions and controlling the flow of execution throughout an application is virtually identical to that of the C programming language. If you want to become a truly great Objective-C programmer, you must first become an ace at using C.

If you are new to programming or haven’t written code in a C-inspired language before, this appendix is for you: it covers the basic control structures and details of programming in a C-style language. Let’s begin our discussion by looking at how variables, messages, and classes should be named to avoid potential errors during compilation.

B.1. Variable naming conventions

 
 
 
 

B.2. Expressions

 
 

B.3. Conditional statements

 
 

B.4. Looping statements

 
 

B.5. Summary

 
 
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