Re: Newbie warning: Getting started on GORM. Any extensive reference materials?

[Riccardo Mottola]

Hi,

David Ford wrote:
> I have the GORM user guide that I found online. However, a problem for 
> me is there are no screen shots.
Indeed. The reference would be:
http://gnustep.org/resources/documentation/Gorm.pdf

But the wiki page seems more readable ad has screenshots:
http://mediawiki.gnustep.org/index.php/Gorm_Manual

It is quite old and you grasp the concept better with a Tutorial. 
However keep it handy to read about concepts like "What is NSFirst" or 
what a connection is.

I updated the classic tutorial a while a go:
http://gnustep.org/experience/PierresDevTutorial/index.html

You are not forced to use ProjectCenter, but for the beginning it is 
convenient to have your make files created for you. You can edit source 
files with the editor of your choice then.

> I created an interface, then went to start creating messaging links 
> between objects (without really knowing where I was going, just trying 
> to get started somehow).  I was wanting to tell the START button to 
> start a clock readout ticking in a text field.
>
> I believe the manual/guide said I would see an "S" and "T" on the 
> interface, I'm assuming Source and Target.  I only saw a green circle 
> with "S" in it.  And that stopped me dead in the water.
>
> I'm very visual, and visuals can help me not get lost.
Connections are done in the same way as in InterfaceBuilder: you select 
the "source" then hit ctrl key and drag to the target. In the Inspector, 
section "connections" you see the respective Outlets or Actions, select 
the appropriate and then "connect'.

You visually link the objects (class instances essentially) and in the 
inspector you choose the variable or method.

This is explained in the wiki page referenced above.

> Are there any commercial books, or websites with screenshots, etc, 
> that I can check out?  Going from ground zero?  I looked in the book 
> "Programming in Objective-C", and also "Objective-C Programming", and 
> saw no meaningful hits in the index for GNUStep or GORM.  So, what 
> else is there?
Back then, many years ago, I used several tutorials for OpenStep and for 
the first MacOS X (10.0 aera) which were very similar in concept 
(ProjectBuilder, InterfaceBuilder). However up to 10.4 IntrfaceBuilder 
remained quite similar in concept.

I must admit however, that I learned more by trying myself and "opening" 
examples and checking how they are done.
Most of our examples are code-based.
Most apps in GAP however are now gorm based.
> I have some C++ and C# in my programming background, and have done 
> programming for a long time,  but this whole scenario is a little new 
> for me.
It is. It was for me too. But it is just lovable and addicting.
> Also, with the name GNUStep, does that mean this is open source, and 
> the open source rules of not being able to sell resulting apps would 
> apply?  I got to GNUStep from thinking about doing some apps for my 
> iPhone.  However, I don't have a Mac, just PC, so things pointed me 
> towards GNUStep.  I would like to learn Objective-C in general, so not 
> all is lost.
You can definitely write commercial applications with GNUstep and 
Objective-C.
You won't be able to develop for your iPhone, but you can have code that 
is easily ported to Mac.
The GNUstep Application Project is also a success story on how 
applications can be maintained dual-platform.

Riccardo