The Xcode integrated development environment, which is offered free to developers of Apple iOS applications, suggests seven default application templates when you start a new project. Depending on your current project, picking the right template could decrease your development time considerably.

The seven

Here are summaries of the seven templates:

  • Empty: Provides a starting point for any application, but you’ll have to enter the controls yourself.
  • Master-Detail Application: Provides a user interface with a navigation controller to displays lists.
  • OpenGL Game: Provides the starting point for an OpenGL ES-based game.
  • Page-Base Application: Provides a page view controller.
  • Tabbed Application: Provides a user interface configured with a tab bar controller and view controllers for the tab bar items.
  • Utility Application: Provides the starting point for apps that require a main view and an alternative view.

See screenshots of each template’s Xcode description in this TechRepublic Photo Gallery.

I wonder which template gets used most often. If we go by the number of each application type in the App Store, it would probably be the OpenGL Game template.