the Brush Tracker app in 3 days with no prior expertise with Swift, the primary programming language for iOS improvement. Though I’ve a totally useful app reside on the App Retailer, I nonetheless have little or no Swift information as a result of I used “vibe coding” to develop this app.
On this article, I’ll clarify the method, AI instruments I used, and share a few of my learnings and insights.
Something as Lovable different
I beforehand used Lovable for growing internet purposes however it doesn’t appear to be an possibility for cell app improvement, a minimum of for now.
There are alternate options to Lovable for app improvement. I not too long ago got here throughout a device referred to as Something, and since I’d had such expertise with Lovable, I made a decision to provide it a attempt to develop my app. At first, it appeared to work nicely, however the general expertise wasn’t as environment friendly as I’d hoped.
The toughest half was not having the ability to check my modifications, fixes, and enhancements instantly. Something does have a built-in UI for testing, however the expertise wasn’t very clean. It additionally directs you to check the code by way of the Expo app, however that didn’t work nicely for me both.
I ought to point out that I didn’t have any prior app improvement expertise. For builders or anybody with some coding background, Something might in all probability be a extra productive device than it was for me.
I exported the code from Something and tried to check it on Xcode on my mac however acquired many errors and couldn’t get it to working. So I made a decision to make use of an alternate. Cursor appeared to the apparent selection.
Cursor
I’ve heard excellent issues about Cursor from many mates who’re actively utilizing it. I wished to provide it a strive myself.
I used the identical immediate in Cursor and requested it to construct the app. Then I created an XCode challenge with the folders and recordsdata generated by Cursor. I began the simulator on XCode and it labored on the primary strive.
The objective of Brush Tracker is that will help you keep constant along with your day by day toothbrushing. It provides you a cleanliness rating that begins at 100%. Should you skip a day, the rating drops and your tooth within the app begin to look a bit yellowish to match the cleanliness rating.
Observe: All photos used on this article embody screenshots from my app, Brush Tracker.
The primary model solely had the primary function of the app. I feel that is essentially the most environment friendly means of constructing merchandise with AI-based instruments. Get the primary model up and operating earlier than including options.
To check the app’s core function on the simulator, I needed to change the simulator’s date with out finishing “at the moment’s brushing” to verify whether or not the cleanliness rating would drop and the tooth visualizations would replace as anticipated.
Cursor instructed to alter the date on the XCode simulator however the simulator doesn’t have the date and time settings anymore. Older variations of XCode simulator had this setting however not anymore.
A workaround answer was to alter the date on my Mac. This manner, the date on the simulator additionally modified and I used to be in a position to check the function.
One factor I observed was that after I modified the date on my Mac, Cursor didn’t see my account and didn’t work. It acquired again to regular after I modified the date again to auto.
Timer function
A built-in brushing timer felt like the nice addition to Brush Tracker. Customers can merely mark a brushing session as accomplished or use the timer whereas they brush.
It took me just a few tries to get this function working the best way I imagined. You may simply inform Cursor so as to add a function, however it works a lot better once you tweak the immediate and clarify precisely what you need. When you give clear directions, Cursor often does an incredible job.
Reward function
I wished so as to add an additional motivation when the person completes day by day brushings. After finishing the classes, they’ll faucet “Get Your Every day Reward” and see a brief motivational quote. It’s a small contact however a pleasant reminder for dental well being.
You may really study whereas vibe coding
Cursor not solely writes the code but in addition helps you study. After I was making an attempt so as to add the reward function, the implementation was not appropriate at first. It wasn’t working correctly.
I described the difficulty to Cursor, and it defined each what was responsible for the issue and easy methods to repair it. Listed here are two examples of how Cursor may help you study alongside the best way:
The problem is that rewardQuote is empty on the primary faucet as a result of handleRewardTap() units it, however the sheet is introduced instantly. I want to make sure the quote is about earlier than displaying the sheet.
Fastened the difficulty! The issue was that showReward = true was being set instantly after rewardQuote, however SwiftUI’s sheet presentation can occur earlier than the state replace is totally processed.
Use Cursor extra effectively
Cursor is a good device however there are some methods to make it extra environment friendly.
Let’s assume code fails or it doesn’t execute appropriately. If you recognize the problematic half, spotlight that part and add to the chat. It positively makes it simpler for Cursor to repair downside.
In Brush Tracker, I used to be having an issue when organising notifications. I outlined the issue and requested Cursor to repair it. Cursor advised me it was fastened however the issue nonetheless existed. Then, from the code modifications I discovered the place the issue was occurring and added that half to the chat.
Cursor fastened it on the following strive: The issue is that the onTapGesture is utilized to the Picker, however in SwiftUI, segmented pickers don’t all the time reply nicely to faucet gestures as a result of they’ve their very own inner gesture dealing with. The onChange modifier solely triggers when the choice really modifications, not when the identical worth is tapped.
One other factor value mentioning is the “context used” proportion in Cursor. It mechanically captures related context out of your codebase, so that you don’t have to inform it which recordsdata to take a look at. However your chat historical past can be included in that context, and generally it accommodates previous issues or irrelevant code.
That further muddle can improve token utilization or make Cursor much less environment friendly. When the context used proportion will increase, I clear the chat historical past.
Distributing your app within the App Retailer
When you full testing your app utilizing the simulator or a bodily machine (e.g. your personal iPhone), it’s time to distribute your app within the App Retailer in order that others can see (and hopefully use) your app.
It’s not a sophisticated course of however there are numerous particulars, which could take lengthy particularly once you’re doing it for the primary time. I discovered a video on YouTube that clearly explains the complete course of step-by-step.
After finishing all of the steps, I submitted my app for overview. As soon as it was accepted, I acquired an electronic mail from App Retailer Join letting me understand it was prepared for distribution.
I’d prefer to level out that I don’t have any affiliation with any of the AI instruments talked about on this article.
Thanks for studying! You may take a look at Brush Tracker on the App Retailer. I’d love to listen to from you in the event you strive it or have any suggestions.
