Interface Builder

If you have used other software development systems like REALbasic, or written code on other platforms, chances are you have used a system that integrates the coding and interface design in one holistic, coordinated user interface (usually called an

integrated development environment

, or IDE). REALbasic and Visual Studio on the Windows .NET platform are good examples of this kind of system. One of the most engaging features of such systems is the way they link events on the objects in your user interface to the underlying code. For example, you may create a user interface in REALbasic that shows a window with a button, a textbox, and a label. Then you double-click on the button and type in the code for the Action method for that button. Lo and behold, you have a simple Hello World application. It all happens in one application—in one window, in fact. This approach can be a great way to get started on code development, helping you to connect the events occurring in your application with the visual objects that take part in those events.