Cocoa® is more than just a collection of classes, and is certainly more than a simple framework. Cocoa is a complete API set, class library, framework, and development environment for building applications and tools to run on Mac OS® X. With over 240 classes, Cocoa is divided into two essential frameworks: Foundation and Application Kit. Above all else, Cocoa is a toolkit for creating Mac OS X application interfaces, and it provides access to all of the standard Aqua® interface components such as menus, toolbars, windows, buttons, to name a few. Cocoa in a Nutshell begins with a complete overview of Cocoa's object classes. It provides developers who may be experienced with other application toolkits the grounding they'll need to start developing Cocoa applications. Common programming tasks are described, and many chapters focus on the larger patterns in the frameworks so developers can understand the larger relationships between the classes in Cocoa, which is essential to using the framework effectively. Cocoa in a Nutshell is divided into two parts, with the first part providing a series of overview chapters that describe specific features of the Cocoa frameworks. Information you'll find in Part I includes:

• An overview of the Objective-C language

• Coverage of the Foundation and Application Kit frameworks

• Overviews of Cocoa's drawing and text handling classes

• Network services such as hosts, Rendezvous URL services, sockets, and file handling

• Distributed notifications and distributed objects for interapplication communication

• Extending Cocoa applications with other frameworks, including the AddressBook, DiscRecording, and Messaging frameworks

The second half of the book is a detailed quick reference to Cocoa's Foundation and Application Kit (AppKit) classes. A complement to Apple's documentation, Cocoa in a Nutshell is the only reference to the classes, functions, types, constants, protocols, and methods that make up Cocoa's Foundation and Application Kit frameworks, based on the Jaguar release (Mac OS X 10.2). Peer-reviewed and approved by Apple's engineers to be part of the Apple Developer Connection (ADC) Series, Cocoa in a Nutshell is the book developers will want close at hand as they work. It's the desktop quick reference they can keep by their side to look something up quickly without leaving their work. Cocoa in a Nutshell is the book developers will want close at hand as they work. It's the desktop quick reference they can keep by their side to look something up quickly without leaving their work.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 4 Ratings

A Good Reference -- Not a Tutorial!!! - 2005-07-24
Reviewer Rating:
This book may be recommended by Apple Computer as reading for programmers aspiring to be OS X Cocoa programmers, but these "In a Nutshell..." books from O'Reiley are like the dictionary. They are good references, but not good to learn from.

A much better starting place to learn Cocoa programming -- the best OS X technology for new Mac-OSX only software -- is the book "Learning Cocoa with Objective-C'. This book is also on Apple's recommended reading list for programmers aspiring to master Cocoa.

The ISBN number of "Learning Cocoa..." is: 0-596-00301-3.

I plan to continue my study of Cocoa with "Programming in Objective-C:A Complete Introduction to the Objective-C language". I feel that I need this book even though I know C and C++. Objective-C is quite a bit different. ISBN 0-672-32586-1

Then, I plan to read: "Cocoa Programming" ISBN 0-67232230-7.

That brings me back to the book that I started with. "Cocoa in a Nutshell". Then, I'd be ready for a reference book, and I would also use Apple's web reference, and on-disk reference materials that are on your hard disk when you install Apple's free development tools.

A Great Purchase - 2007-03-24
Reviewer Rating:
One of the best books a Cocoa programmer can buy! It references most of the Cocoa API and Objective-C, as well as providing a few good examples. I find it indispensable.

Useful, only book like it available, but - 2009-08-23
Reviewer Rating:
Cocoa in a Nutshell was wonderful when first published, providing a book-in-hand reference (albeit with fine print) for the cocoa API's Foundation and AppKit; invaluable to those developing software under and for OSX 10.2 (Jaguar); that was in 2003, six years ago. OSX is now several revisions older (Leopard, 10.5.5) and most developers are targeting Tiger 10.4.11 or later because of security issues and internal features not available in earlier versions.

Real books lack hyperlinks, and you cant copy/paste from them, but they have an existance away from the machine and its noises; you can take them to dinner, to the beach, out to the park; even to the loo or to bed; wherever inspiration is likely to strike without warning.

A revised edition is sadly needed and would be welcomed by the development community, but I suspect the effort involved is unlikely to find enough reward to justify the undertaking; which explains why it has not already been done, understandable but unfortunate.

A must buy for programmers new to cocoa if you are supporting software that runs under older macintosh OS such as Jaguar. Less relevant, but still useful for work under Tiger.

Excellent (albeit a bit dated) reference manual - 2008-06-06
Reviewer Rating:
This is pretty much a must have reference book if you're programming in Cocoa. The only drawback is that a lot of the new APIs like Core Animation and Core Data are not covered. The last edition dates from 2003 and could use a Leopard update. That aside, this book is virtually indispensable for Cocoa devs who've made it past the beginner hump. If the authors read this review, please put out a Leopard update and I promise to buy 2 copies to help make it worth your while!

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