Since the first customers purchased a SwiftStarterKits license, the most frequent feedback I’ve received has been to improve documentation. So that’s what I’m focusing on.
Documentation can mean several things though. Am I documenting the classes and objects of the system, or writing guides that provide solutions to specific problems? Both are valuable, but lets focus on the beginner story of SwiftStarterKits first.
First we crawl.
Priority will be guiding customers through the setup experience. It should be obvious at a glance how to:
- Download the starter kit.
- Install dependencies.
- Build and run the project for the first time.
- Compile the local documentation reference. (with DocC).
- Integrate your own Apple Developer ID, RevenueCat and Firebase API tokens.
- Create new projects using the SwiftStarterKits workspace as a base.
- Receive and integrate starter kit updates.
That should hopefully cover the most common questions, ensuring everyone starts from the same spot before making the kit their own.
Then we take our first steps.
Once the basics are published, I’ll document some specifics about the system:
- Project architectural overview.
- Module architectural overview (The whole system is designed around “modules”, but I don’t explain this anywhere).
- Building and designing new modules.
This should provide enough context to start building effectively on top of the SwiftStarterKits system.
Then we run.
SwiftStarterKits will be in a much better place once I get all the above published. After this, I’ll focus on problem specific guides:
- How to store data locally.
- How to store data externally (cloud storage using Firebase).
- How to fetch data from an external data source (API requests and networking).
- How to initiate an in-app purchase or subscription.
- How to send and receive push notifications.
- How to manage and change themes globally.
- How to add analytics to your features.
- How to A/B test features.
- How to upload beta and release builds through TestFlight.
- How to get ready to release to the App Store.
- How to monitor for crashes in production
- How to localize and internationalize your app.
- How to write effect tests.
- How to set up CI/CD and build automation.
This covers a wide spectrum of problems that SwiftStarterKits aims to solve. Having the coverage of these guides is definitely a long term goal, and a fair amount of product work needs to happen first before they are relevent. I’m pivoting the next phase of product work to be focused on building documentation first. Let’s coin a new term, “Documentation Driven Development”.
Lots to do! I’ll eventually host an API reference on The SwiftStarterKits website, but for now I see it as secondary to everything else just listed given that customers already have access to it locally.
