The Pragmatic Bookshelf

Becoming Productive in Xcode

Xcode is the development environment used to create iPhone and Mac applications. There’s a lot you can do with Xcode, and it’s easy to get distracted by all the knobs and levers. But you’re using Xcode for one simple reason: You want to build iPhone or Mac applications as quickly as possible. Whether you’re a new iPhone developer seeing Xcode for the first time, or wish you were more familiar with the shortcuts, these screencasts will make you a more productive (and happier!) Xcode programmer.

Feb 2009

Building a Dynamic Website with ExpressionEngine

ExpressionEngine lets you design, deploy, and manage a dynamic website without fuss. It’s a content management system that lets you do things your way. You don’t need to be a programmer, a database administrator, or a top-notch web designer to use ExpressionEngine. Learn how to light up your content from Ryan Irelan, a veteran web developer and ExpressionEngine guru.

Jul 2008

Classy Web Development with Sinatra

Sinatra is a small Ruby web application framework that packs a big punch. It’s also a lot of fun! You can use Sinatra to write tiny, focused web applications and lightweight REST services very quickly. And sometimes a lean and mean web app is all you need. If you haven’t given Sinatra a look, now’s a great time to get a fresh perspective on web development. Learn how to get the most out of Sinatra from Adam Keys, an experienced Ruby and Sinatra developer.

Jan 2009

Coding in Objective-C 2.0

Objective-C is the programming language for writing native iPhone and Mac applications. It’s also the language that Apple uses to build their own applications and frameworks. So, if you know Objective-C, you have a lot of power at your fingertips. But if you’re new to C or object-oriented programming, then Objective-C can seem a little awkward at first. These screencasts by Bill Dudney, an experienced Objective-C programmer, will help you quickly get up to speed on Objective-C 2.0 basics.

Jul 2009

Creating a Compelling User Interface with Core Animation

Core Animation adds that “wow!” factor to your Cocoa and iPhone applications. It’s not just cool, it also improves the user experience to make your application a cut above the rest. Learn how to create an animated and cinematic user interface with Core Animation from Bill Dudney, an experienced Cocoa developer.

Sep 2008

Erlang in Practice

Learn how to write Erlang programs by sitting next to an experienced Erlang programmer as he builds a full-featured application from the ground up!

In these screencasts, Kevin Smith incrementally builds a distributed chat system using Erlang. You’ll learn first-hand how each aspect of the Erlang language fits together into a real-world application, starting with Erlang primitives and ending with an OTP application.

Oct 2008

Everyday Active Record

Active Record models are the foundation of your Rails application. With a well-designed layer of models, your application is solid. You can make business logic changes easier, keep the integrity of your data in check, and better optimize the interaction with your database. Learn how to get the most out of the Active Record from Ryan Bates, one of the most experienced Rails developer (and screencasters) in the community.

Sep 2008

ExpressionEngine Techniques

Why work through common problems on your own when you can skip the trial and error and jump straight to a solution that works the first time? Learn the latest techniques the pros use to build full-featured websites with ExpressionEngine from Ryan Irelan, an ExpressionEngine guru. Each of these video tutorials teaches you how to solve a particular set of problems with ExpressionEngine, quickly and efficiently.

Mar 2010

Insider Guide to GitHub

GitHub is where the action’s at: you can host your public and private projects there, use it to collaborate on projects in a truly distributed way, and expand your social coding network. But to really get the most out of this great resource, you need an experienced guide to show you the ropes. Learn how the pros use GitHub from Scott Chacon, a long-time Git user and GitHub insider.

Dec 2008

Mastering Rails Forms

Forms are crucial to how users interact with your site. You can slap a form on a web page in record time with Rails, but basic forms just get you by. For a better user experience, you’ll want to customize your forms and create interplay between your models. Learn how to take your forms to the next level from Ryan Bates, one of the most experienced Rails programmers (and screencasters) in the community.

Nov 2009

Rails Development for the Facebook Platform

Since the Facebook Development Platform was released in May 2007, more than 12,000 Facebook applications have been launched. You can distribute your Rails application to potentially millions of users on Facebook. But to do that, you’re going to need to play by the rules. Learn how to design your Rails app for Facebook from Mike Mangino, an experienced Rails and Facebook developer.

Sep 2008

Source Control Made Easy

Git has significantly changed the way teams develop software. Its distributed nature and lightweight branching and merging have made it possible for developers to massage their code bases in ways they couldn’t have imagined before. However, Git has a reputation for being hard to learn. And when folks transition to Git, they often settle for using a handful of commands and treat Git just like their other source control system. But because of its different approach to source control issues, many of the techniques and terminology we have learned in other source control systems do not translate cleanly when using Git. To begin to use Git effectively, you need to understand the underlying concepts.

In this 49-minute screencast you’ll learn Git in a different way: By not learning about Git itself. Instead, Jim Weirich takes you on a journey of how you might design and build a source control system from scratch. Along the way you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the first principles behind Git so things begin to make more sense.

This screencast is for people who haven’t used Git yet and are thinking about it, and for people who have just started using Git, but are still in the “magic incantation” stage of learning. It’s a great introduction to source control for your manager, too! No prior experience with Git or source control systems is required.

Oct 2009

The Ruby Object Model and Metaprogramming

Metaprogramming lets you program more expressively. This makes your code easier to write and easier to maintain and extend. Learn both the hows and whys of metaprogramming Ruby from Dave Thomas, one of the most experienced Ruby programmers in the western world.

Dec 2008

Using Map Kit

Using the new Map Kit framework available in iPhone 3.0, you can embed customized maps within your iPhone application. In this screencast you’ll learn how to build an iPhone application from scratch that displays a map of recent earthquakes, shows custom annotations with callouts, and automatically zooms to a region of interest.

Jun 2009

Writing Your First iPhone Application

Now that the iPhone SDK has officially been released and the Apple App Store is open for business, it’s time to write killer mobile applications! To do that, you’ll need to use several powerful (and possibly unfamiliar) tools: Xcode, Interface Builder, Objective-C, and then the iPhone SDK itself. It can all be a little overwhelming at first. Learn how to write your first table-based iPhone application from Bill Dudney, an experienced iPhone developer.

Jul 2008