Articles by Nate Swanner

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  Swift Tutorial: Structs and Classes for Beginners

  In the Swift programming language, structures (structs) and classes are similar. Both are general-purpose constructs, but flexible. They’re great features for building solid, reusable code chunks…
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  Swift Tutorial: Learning Enums and Switch Statements

  Swift enums aren’t quite as easy to master as some other aspects of the Swift programming language, but it’s a feature you should familiarize yourself with early in your quest to learn Swift. Tho…
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  Swift Tutorial: Getting Started with Functions

  If you’re learning Swift, Apple’s new(ish) language for iOS and macOS development, trust us when we tell you that functions are about to become your best friend. Of all the topics we’ve covered i…
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  Swift Tutorial: Getting Started with Loops

  Within the Swift programming language, loops play an important role. For anyone just learning the language (in which case, we can humbly recommend our other articles on arrays, strings, sets, and…
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  Porting iOS and iPad Apps to Mac Using Catalyst

  It’s 2020, and Mac and iOS apps are apparently meant to be shared. This wasn’t always the case, of course: For the longest time, macOS and iOS apps ran on completely different tracks by design. B…
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  Iowa Caucus Disaster Shows How Apps (and Teams) Melt Down

  The Iowa Democratic caucus was supposed to provide some clarity for the very tight race for the Democratic nomination. Unfortunately, it spiraled into a tech-related disaster: The app meant to he…
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  Swift Tutorial: Getting Started with Sets

  Over the past few years, Swift has grown into a much more fully-featured programming language for building apps for the Apple ecosystem. If you’re learning it for the first time, there are some k…
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  Learning SQL: Skills and Knowledge You Need to Know

  You’ve likely heard a lot about SQL (structured query language). Originally created as the standardized language for relational database management, it’s essential to database work (and backend p…
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  Database Administrator: Salary, Skills, Job Prospects

  Database administrators (DBAs) are the unsung heroes of tech. They keep the backbone of any company or service—i.e., the actual database—running smoothly and available to users and customers. No…
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  Swift Tutorial: Getting Started with Arrays

  Interested in learning Swift in the New Year? Excellent idea! Apple’s newer programming language for building iOS, macOS, and watchOS apps is more fully-featured and robust than ever, making it a…