Choose one moment
Define the smallest useful action and write the relaunch test before any code exists.
Field Guide 003 · $49
Build your first iPhone app small enough to finish.
Make one useful local-first app, run it in iOS Simulator, test the actions that matter, and prove its data survives a relaunch.
The result
You finish with a real SwiftUI project that builds, launches and keeps its saved data. It is not a mockup, generated screenshot or App Store promise.
Good fit
For a Mac user willing to install Xcode and make a focused personal utility. No Swift experience is assumed, but the base guide deliberately stops before signing, TestFlight and App Store submission.
Inside the download
A working kit, not a long explanation.
- 01
The complete 19-page Field Guide in PDF, plus an editable working edition.
- 02
SoftList: a working SwiftUI and SwiftData reference project with no network or third-party package.
- 03
App Brief, AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md files that keep the build narrow.
- 04
Staged Codex and Claude Code prompts for screen, actions, persistence and polish.
- 05
A repeatable build-and-test script and three model tests.
- 06
Xcode error translator, manual acceptance scenario and a clean reference screenshot.
The method
Small decisions you can inspect.
Prepare Xcode
Open the reference project, confirm the scheme and Simulator, then make the first clean checkpoint.
Build through evidence
Add one screen and one behavior at a time. Build, launch and inspect after each material change.
Protect the data
Test the model separately, close the store, reopen it and confirm the saved item remains.
Tested before release
Built from the same files you receive.
The reference app was built with Xcode 26.6 for an iPhone 17 Pro Simulator. Three tests pass with zero failures, including a real SwiftData round trip that closes one container and reopens the same store.
Clear boundary
This is a self-serve Simulator guide. It does not include personal debugging, device signing, Apple account access, App Store submission, migration design for an existing product, private code review or custom features.
Field Guide 003