After needing to run small C and C++ snippets and missing Swift Playgrounds, I look at options for scratch coding on an iPad. A C Language app works via an online compiler but feels sluggish, and some paid apps advertised as offline compilation actually send code to a server. Free online compilers that support many languages, including C and Swift, turned out to be a handy alternative...
My milestone update marks the completion of the Learn to Code 1 Playgrounds book, with a look at what comes next: Learn to Code 2 and other bundled books like Get Started with Apps. I also cover the More Playgrounds section, a mini app store of sorts offering small complete apps and feature-focused extensions such as Organizing with Grids...
A short reflection on how Xcode and Playgrounds flag errors continuously as you type, rather than only at compile time. I contrast this with the long builds of earlier tools like Clipper and Visual C++, and describe moving from finding the live error feedback unnerving to enjoying it...
Swift Playgrounds gets daily use in my workflow switching between iPad and MacBook, and I marvel that a tool aimed at education scales up to commercial-level app production. I also cover a 2017 iPad Pros podcast episode about the launch of Playgrounds 4, which focused on the iPad as a serious development tool, and my concern that making Playgrounds more like Xcode could make it less approachable for children...
I embed a short video showing a challenge from Apple’s Learn to Code 1 book in the Playgrounds app. I also note that the series continues with Learn to Code 2 and Get Started with Apps...
I explain how Swift Playgrounds evolved from an Xcode scratchpad into a STEM education tool I now use to learn Swift basics through puzzle-based lessons in spare moments. With the Playgrounds 4 release enabling full app development and App Store submission from the iPad, I’ve started an app called EasterDay and appreciate the seamless iCloud workflow between iPad and Mac, though I plan to move to Xcode soon to add unit tests and version control...
