How to Build a Charity Finder App with Xcode and AI

Hello, budding iOS developers! In this tutorial series, we are going to learn how to build a Charity Finder app using Xcode and an AI tool called Alex. This app will help users find charities, learn about their causes, and make donations. We'll utilize Swift, SwiftUI, and the power of AI to make app development a breeze.

Overview

What We're Building

The Charity Finder app will allow users to discover charities, get detailed information about them, and make donations. The main features of our app will include:

A listing of charities.
Detailed views for each charity, including their mission, donation links, and contact information.
A donation feature that allows users to directly donate to their chosen charity.

Prerequisites

To follow along, you'll need:

Implementation Steps

1. Project Setup & Planning

Let's start by creating a new Xcode project. Open Xcode and create a new SwiftUI Project. Name it "CharityFinder".

Planning our app features, we need two models: Charity and Donation.

struct Charity: Identifiable, Codable {
    var id = UUID()
    var name: String
    var description: String
    var imageURL: String
    var website: String
}
 
struct Donation: Identifiable, Codable {
    var id = UUID()
    var charity: Charity
    var amount: Double
    var date: Date
}

Instead of manually coding these, we can use Alex. Simply describe the structure to it: "Alex, we need a Charity model with name, description, imageURL, and website properties, and a Donation model with charity, amount, and date properties."

The AI will generate the initial swift code for us, which we can then customize as needed.

Finding Practice Data

Since we aren't using a live API yet, you can practice with real-world charity data by pulling information from directories such as:

These sites list reputable charities with details you can use for mock data in your app. You can create a local charities.json file or hardcode sample charities directly in Swift.

For the UI/UX, we'll need a list view for the charities and a detail view for selected charity. Again, we can use Alex for initial layout generation.

2. Core Features

Next, we'll implement the core features. Begin with the SwiftUI views. First, manually code the CharityListView and CharityDetailView. Then, let Alex help by describing the views you want, like "Alex, generate a list view of charities with an image, name, and description."

Wire up the views with logic and user interactions. For any difficulties, ask Alex for help. For example, if you're unsure how to navigate between views, simply ask "Alex, how do I navigate from a list to a detail view in SwiftUI?"

3. Data & Storage

Now, let's work on data and storage. First, manually create functions to save and retrieve data from UserDefaults. Then, let Alex help generate boilerplate code for saving/loading data. For instance, ask "Alex, generate a function to save donations in UserDefaults using Codable".

Manage the state and updates in your app. If you run into any issues, Alex can help troubleshoot.

Finally, add animations, handle loading and error states, and make final performance tweaks. Alex can provide valuable insights, such as optimizing redundant logic.

Next Steps

In the next tutorial, we'll add more advanced features like search functionality and user authentication. In the meantime, try adding more features yourself, like user profiles or charity categories.

Here are some additional resources for SwiftUI and Alex:

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've built a Charity Finder app with Xcode, SwiftUI, and the power of AI. We've seen how AI can make development faster and simpler, from generating boilerplate code to troubleshooting. Now, it's your turn. Continue to work on this app and explore the capabilities of Alex. Remember, Alex is beginner-friendly, understands general instructions, and is ready to help you at any stage of your development journey. Happy coding!