How to Build a Pomodoro Timer App with Xcode and AI

Overview

In this tutorial, we'll be building a Pomodoro timer app using Xcode, Swift, SwiftUI and our AI Assistant, Alex. This app will allow users to set a work timer, take short breaks, and track their productivity. It's a great project to understand core iOS concepts and learn how to build an app from scratch.

Prerequisites:

• Xcode (Download here)
• Alex AI Assistant (Try it for free here)

Implementation Steps

1. Project Setup & Planning

Start by creating a new Xcode project. Select "App" under iOS and name it "Pomodoro". Choose "SwiftUI" for the Interface and "Swift" for the Language.

Now, let's plan our app. We'll need:

• A TimerView to display the countdown timer.
• A StartButton to start the timer.
• A BreakButton to start the break timer.
• A SessionCounter to keep track of the sessions.

Use Alex to quickly generate the inline code for these classes.

2. Core Features

Let's get our hands dirty with some coding. Our main feature is the TimerView, which displays the countdown of work and break sessions.

struct TimerView: View {
    @State private var timeRemaining = 1500 // 25 minutes in seconds
    let timer = Timer.publish(every: 1, on: .main, in: .common).autoconnect()
    
    var body: some View {
        Text("\(timeRemaining)")
            .onReceive(timer) { _ in
                if timeRemaining > 0 {
                    timeRemaining -= 1
                }
            }
    }
}

Remember, Alex can help you convert your ideas into Swift code, so don't hesitate to use it.

Next, implement the StartButton and BreakButton using SwiftUI's button components and bind them to the timer logic.

3. Data & Storage

Now, let's store the number of sessions completed using UserDefaults.

@AppStorage("sessions") var sessionCount: Int = 0

Use the UserDefaults to load the data when the app starts and save it when a session is completed. Alex can help you handle UserDefaults boilerplate code.

4. Polish & Refinement

Let's add some animations to make our app more engaging. SwiftUI makes it super easy to add animations. Let's animate the timer countdown.

Text("\(timeRemaining)")
    .font(.largeTitle)
    .fontWeight(.bold)
    .scaleEffect(timeRemaining > 0 ? 1.0 : 1.5)
    .animation(.easeInOut, value: timeRemaining)

Alex can suggest improvements to your code structure and optimise your app's performance.

Next Steps

In the next tutorial, we'll add notifications to alert the user when a session or break ends. Try adding a feature to customize the length of work and break sessions.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've built a Pomodoro timer app from scratch using Xcode, Swift, SwiftUI, and the powerful AI Assistant, Alex. This experience should have given you practical understanding of Swift and SwiftUI, as well as the incredibly handy tool that is Alex. With Alex, you can turn your app ideas into reality, faster and more accurately than ever before. Try out Alex today at www.alexcodes.app. Happy coding!