iPhone App Life Cycle

One will have notice after NSObject there is pair of triangle brackets in which we declare delegates protocols, which we will implement. Thus AppDelegate class needs to implement UIApplicationDelegate protocol, as it is this UIApplicationDelegate defines the iPhone application life cycle methods which iPhone OS sends the notification when ever application changes its state. Basically delegates are the components, which captures any events such as state change. Or in other words delegates are objects, which implements the protocol methods. Also it helps to implements a class various methods of the class, which is not the class hierarchy. Thus by declaring UIApplicationDelegate; AppDelegate class can implement the following methods (some are compulsory while some are optional)
-(BOOL)application:(UIApplication*)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions; -(void)applicationWillResignActive:(UIApplication *)application; -(void)applicationDidEnterBackground:(UIApplication *)application; -(void)applicationWillEnterForeground:(UIApplication *)application; -(void)applicationDidBecomeActive:(UIApplication *)application; -(void)applicationWillTerminate:(UIApplication *)application;

These all above functions defines the life cycle of the iPhone Apps. One need to write its own implementation depending upon what app needs to do in the respective states. When OS prepares the application to run it sends control to didFinishLaunchingWithOptions. This method will call when user presses the app icon on the iPhone screen. In this function we define the window of our respective application on which content of the application will be displayed to user. In order to start write code in this function we first see how life cycle function is called. To understand the life cycle properly we will do simple exercise. We will put NSLog statement in each of these functions. NSLog function allows you get output on the console at particular point in the code. So you come to know what part of code was executing when any associated NSLog message is printed. So after putting the NSLog function inside all the life cycle method we get following output on the console didFinishLaunchingWithOptions applicationDidBecomeActive Thus as we discussed before, first DidFinishLaunchingWithOptions is called which prepares the application for running in the system. Once OS prepares the application it puts the application in active state thus applicationDidBecomeActive is called. The application remains in this state unless it is interrupted like Nimap Infotech , B-204, Pawapuri Apts, Love Lane, Mumbai 400010. Tel.:- +91 986 935 7889 Email:- info@nimapinfotech.com Web:- www.nimapinfotech.com

incomeing call/sms or user pressing the home button. If user press the home button on system running 4.0 or above than we get following console output for the project we have started. applicationWillResignActive applicationDidEnterBackground This output tells that OS has deactivated the application and send it to the background. But when user press home button on system running below 4.0 than following is output applicationWillTerminate This indicates that application is died. With OS 4.0 we can switch between the active applications, which is called as Multitasking. Thus on system with OS 4.0 and above application is not terminated rather it is push into background. When user double tap on the home button multitasking panel is visible & user clicks on the application icon say FirstProject we get following output applicationWillEnterForeground applicationDidBecomeActive This means OS brings application from background to foreground and after application to foreground it is taken to active state. Note: When you press icon of the application in multitasking panel till it shows up cross image so that one can close the application. Ideally applicationWillTerminate delegate function needs to be called. But it is not called. So it is always advisable to store the application required states when OS calls applicationDidEnteredBackground.

Nimap Infotech , B-204, Pawapuri Apts, Love Lane, Mumbai 400010. Tel.:- +91 986 935 7889 Email:- info@nimapinfotech.com Web:- www.nimapinfotech.com