Nov 13, 2021Treat Warnings as Errors in a Swift PackageLet the Swift compiler help you keep your code clean at the package level — It can be tempting to let one or two warnings slip into your codebase — after all, if they don’t actually break the code, what’s the harm, right? Wrong! If you allow yourself to get to the point where any new warnings are hidden among a never-ending list of existing…I OS3 min readI OS3 min read
Published in Level Up Coding·Mar 7, 2021Swift Bite-Sized Best Practices: Extending UIColor for Custom Color ConstantsSwift Bite-sized Best Practices is a series of quick reads showing you how to write clean, maintainable, testable, readable Swift code. Read a minute now, save an hour later. Most apps use a custom color palette of specific shades not found among the built-in UIColor constants. The best way to…Swift1 min readSwift1 min read
Feb 23, 2021Why Your Lazy Vars Aren’t Creating Strong Reference Cycles in iOSEven when they capture self — So you’re fighting the good fight for performant, clean, optimal Swift code, and as a result you’re keeping a weather eye out for sneaky strong reference cycles and the memory leaks they cause. And, as it happens, you have found yourself in a situation that calls for adding a stored…Programming7 min readProgramming7 min read
Feb 2, 2021Sharing Object Data Between an iOS App and Its WidgetUse Codable and App Groups to get your iOS 14 widget all the data it needs — So you have your widget up and running, and you’re ready to provide some cool new functionality for your users using the latest iOS features. But how do you connect your widget with your app, so the widget can get at all the nicely modeled object data your app creates? …Programming6 min readProgramming6 min read
Published in Level Up Coding·Dec 24, 2020Show Touches in React NativeAll your options for adding the touch indicators you need for your next React Native app demo — When it’s time to show off the app you’ve worked hard to build, it’s important that your demo materials are as clear and polished as possible. That’s where touch indicators come in, allowing users to easily follow app interactions in screen recordings like this one:React Native5 min readReact Native5 min read
Published in Level Up Coding·Dec 6, 2020Filling out the App Privacy Section in App Store Connect for AdMob UsersA step-by-step walkthrough of the new app App Privacy questionnaire for developers using the AdMob SDK — If you have visited App Store Connect recently, whether to publish a new app or to push an update, you may have noticed a new addition to the App section navigation options…I OS6 min readI OS6 min read
Published in Level Up Coding·Nov 16, 2020Email Yourself Daily Alexa Skill Metrics Updates using Lambda, SMAPI, and SESGet your latest skill metrics delivered to your inbox on a daily basis — because logging into the console is too hard — I am a firm believer in the benefits of monitoring Alexa skill metrics — beyond the important warnings they can give you when something has gone wrong in the wild, it can also be pretty enjoyable to watch good metrics climb! …Alexa7 min readAlexa7 min read
Published in Level Up Coding·Oct 28, 2020One-step AWS Cognito User Pool with Lambda Triggers using Serverless FrameworkDeploy your Cognito user pool and custom triggers in one Serverless stack and understand Serverless a little bit better along the way — Serverless Framework gives you the ability to create a Cognito User Pool, fully configure it, and add custom lambda triggers to it, all in one deployment step. Creating a User Pool Let’s start by setting up a simple Cognito User Pool in the Resources section of our Serverless stack:AWS3 min readAWS3 min read
Oct 20, 2020Can Terrorists Tweet?Or, how the judiciary’s interpretation of CDA 230 is shaping the future of user-generated content, censorship, liability, and competition — **Update 12/31/2020: This has come to the fore in recent weeks as a result of President Trump’s demands for CDA 230 changes as part of the latest stimulus bill. Enjoy this refresher on the possible ramifications! This past week Tuesday (10/13), the Supreme Court issued a denial of a petition…User Generated Content9 min readUser Generated Content9 min read
Oct 12, 2020So Your AWS Free Trial Is OverWhat to know about the deals you’re losing, and the ones you’re not — Congratulations! You have made it one full year into your journey of serverless bliss with your current AWS account. And, never ones to forget an important occasion, AWS sent you a nice email with this friendly subject line: Your AWS Free Tier Period is Expiring. So, what does that mean…AWS5 min readAWS5 min read
