iOS Making an app for my mom's salon.

[naduka]

Hi I am a complete noobie at programming. I have no experience whatsoever, however, i would like to make an app for my mom's salon in which a client could make an appointment and it automatically adds it to her google or mobileme calendar and she can give them a call to confirm. I also want it to be like the apple store appointment system where you can pick what time and once it is picked it is grayed out. So pretty much first come first serve. I know i have my hopes up really high but i want it to work out over time. I greatly would appreciate any help i could get. Thanks!!!

PS: I have a book called iPhone and iPad Apps for Absolute Beginners. I somewhat know how the app is created.

 

[dejo]

What kind of help, specifically, are you looking for?

 

[(marc)]

What kind of help, specifically, are you looking for?

He's looking for somebody to write the app for him.

 

[ulbador]

Hi I am a complete noobie at programming. I have no experience whatsoever, however, i would like to make an app for my mom's salon in which a client could make an appointment and it automatically adds it to her google or mobileme calendar and she can give them a call to confirm. I also want it to be like the apple store appointment system where you can pick what time and once it is picked it is grayed out. So pretty much first come first serve. I know i have my hopes up really high but i want it to work out over time. I greatly would appreciate any help i could get. Thanks!!!

PS: I have a book called iPhone and iPad Apps for Absolute Beginners. I somewhat know how the app is created.

Apple would reject this app. The functionality is too specific to one specific location and not of wide enough value to the iPhone/iPod population as a whole.

 

[chown33]

Write it as a web app: HTML + CSS + JavaScript. I see nothing in the description of this app that makes me think it needs to run as a native iPad app.

 

[bredell]

Apple would reject this app. The functionality is too specific to one specific location and not of wide enough value to the iPhone/iPod population as a whole.

I'm not so sure about that. I have an app for my local grocery store. The app gives a map of the store, you can search for an item and it shows it on the map, and if you input your shopping list the app creates the ultimate route through the shop for you.

 

[naduka]

He's looking for somebody to write the app for him.

bahaha no im actually trying to learn. lol. Basically for now i want to write an app that can call out to the salon, get directions, send an email. etc. and the appointment part i could just get it to send an email to her.

 

[dejo]

no im actually trying to learn.

An overly-simplified track:
First learn programming. Stephen Kochan's "Programming in Objective-C 2.0" is an oft-recommended book, since it assumes no prior programming experience. If you're still willing to move forward, next learn iPhone programming. Mark/LaMarche's "Beginning iPhone x Development" is also highly recommended. You might also want to check out Stanford's iPhone dev class on iTunes U. Then start building small apps, with limited functionality. It will probably be a few weeks, if not, more than likely, months since you began your journey. You're now ready to tackle the app for your mom. Apply all the skills you've learned up to this point to start to craft your masterpiece. Sounds simple, yeah? It isn't.

 

[naduka]

An overly-simplified track:
First learn programming. Stephen Kochan's "Programming in Objective-C 2.0" is an oft-recommended book, since it assumes no prior programming experience. If you're still willing to move forward, next learn iPhone programming. Mark/LaMarche's "Beginning iPhone x Development" is also highly recommended. You might also want to check out Stanford's iPhone dev class on iTunes U. Then start building small apps, with limited functionality. It will probably be a few weeks, if not, more than likely, months since you began your journey. You're now ready to tackle the app for your mom. Apply all the skills you've learned up to this point to start to craft your masterpiece. Sounds simple, yeah? It isn't.

Appreciate it. Usually when I get dev books they assume prior knowledge. I'll definitely take a look t it. Thanks!!

 

[xStep]

Apple would reject this app. The functionality is too specific to one specific location and not of wide enough value to the iPhone/iPod population as a whole.

No, but it can be a hassle. I'm aware of an app done specifically for an L.A. restaurant. It was rejected at first as you described but the developer did something a little extra to get it through. I don't recall what.

By the way, there are several chain restaurants with apps too. By Apples own hidden rules those should have also been rejected.

 

[bredell]

No, but it can be a hassle. I'm aware of an app done specifically for an L.A. restaurant. It was rejected at first as you described but the developer did something a little extra to get it through. I don't recall what.

By the way, there are several chain restaurants with apps too. By Apples own hidden rules those should have also been rejected.

There are several grocery store apps in the App store, these are apps that are only interesting for the people visiting that particular store. So Apple does indeed approve this kind of apps, or have done in the past.

 

[dejo]

By the way, there are several chain restaurants with apps too. By Apples own hidden rules those should have also been rejected.

Chain restaurants, by definition, have multiple locations, so I don't think the same rule applies here.

There are several grocery store apps in the App store, these are apps that are only interesting for the people visiting that particular store. So Apple does indeed approve this kind of apps, or have done in the past.

Are these grocery store apps specific to one location?

Anyways, I don't think it's just a specific-location issue. I feel there are a number of factors at play in whether Apple would approve such an app or not.

 

[ulbador]

Chain restaurants, by definition, have multiple locations, so I don't think the same rule applies here.


Are these grocery store apps specific to one location?

Anyways, I don't think it's just a specific-location issue. I feel there are a number of factors at play in whether Apple would approve such an app or not.

I know my company had an app rejected because it only provided value to someone that was already a member of our website (note, member, not just viewer of).

Of course there are tons such apps out there, but an Amazon or an eBay is a far larger and more well known company than my own.

 

[xStep]

Anyways, I don't think it's just a specific-location issue. I feel there are a number of factors at play in whether Apple would approve such an app or not.

The factors I was trying to get at was the app benefited only the restaurant and had no other user benefit. I can't remember Apple's terminology for this, but it would apply to chain stores also.

 

[bredell]

Are these grocery store apps specific to one location

It's a large chain of grocery stores but the app is only for one particular store, it doesn't have any info or functionality that can be useful for any of the other stores.

I just checked the company that made the app and apparently they've made one more app, this other app is for a local bar in my town. It lists events and shows pictures of people who have visited the bar, this is the same info that you get from the bar's web page.

 

[ulbador]

It's a large chain of grocery stores but the app is only for one particular store, it doesn't have any info or functionality that can be useful for any of the other stores.

I just checked the company that made the app and apparently they've made one more app, this other app is for a local bar in my town. It lists events and shows pictures of people who have visited the bar, this is the same info that you get from the bar's web page.

I honestly think a ton of it has to do with the person who is reviewing it for that day. I think we've all heard the stories of somebody submitting an app for a minor update only to have it rejected for functionality that has been present in many prior versions.

So I amend my prior statement that the app WILL be rejected to say there is a good chance it MAY be rejected.

 

[Don Kosak]

Write it as a web app: HTML + CSS + JavaScript. I see nothing in the description of this app that makes me think it needs to run as a native iPad app.

I agree. If you know some HTML and Javascript, you could knock this out pretty quickly. Frameworks like iPhone Gap (http://www.phonegap.com/) can help bridge the gap between your Javascript and the native hardware.

Once you've got a bit of experience, you can start adding more objective c code to your projects.