The Code was the Easy Part: Introducing an iOS Library at a Corporate

THE CODE WAS   THE EASY PART Introducing an iOS
Library at a Corporate @samjarman #DevWorld

NEW YEAR  HU DIS • Sam Jarman • iOS Apps
Since 2009 • Full time iOS 2018/2019 • Polyglot Programmer • Currently writing JS full time @samjarman  #DevWorld

@samjarman #DevWorld TODAY • This is a talk about software
engineering • Problems with existing code and processes • Introducing a iOS UI Framework • The mindset changes • The lessons learned

@samjarman #DevWorld SOFTWARE  ENGINEERING Software engineering is   multi-version, multi-person
  programming

@samjarman #DevWorld ACME • Two applications: • App A •
App B

@samjarman #DevWorld TEAM MAKE UP Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS 
Dev iOS  Dev Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS  Dev iOS  Dev Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS  Dev iOS  Dev Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner

@samjarman #DevWorld Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS  Dev iOS  Dev
Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS  Dev iOS  Dev Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS  Dev iOS  Dev Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner FEATURE A FEATURE B FEATURE C

@samjarman #DevWorld Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS  Dev iOS  Dev
Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS  Dev iOS  Dev Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner Android  Dev Android  Dev iOS  Dev iOS  Dev Tester Tester Biz Analyst Product Owner CHAPTERS

@samjarman #DevWorld

@samjarman #DevWorld CODE BASE App A App B “Common” (and
more)

@samjarman #DevWorld View Business  Logic Model APIs WHAT WAS SHARED?
App A App B Common

@samjarman #DevWorld if appA {} else {}

@samjarman #DevWorld

@samjarman #DevWorld TESTING • If you changed “common” • Testers
had to test the other app (manual) • Without context / cases / SLA cases • Without an expectation for what is normal • Doing the process without an impact on quality

@samjarman #DevWorld We realised we were performing a process without
impact on quality.

@samjarman #DevWorld Don’t share features across apps   unless they’re
never ever going to change between apps. LESSON 1

@samjarman #DevWorld Time for a change.

@samjarman #DevWorld We are working towards a Target State  
Architecture. MINDSET   SHIFT

@samjarman #DevWorld Target State   Architecture   (TSA) • An
agreement of what our codebase would look like without tech debt • What if it would look like if we built it today • What we want to get to • Check each time if a change is towards or away from TSA

@samjarman #DevWorld • Try this at your own company •
Take half a day with your engineers to think what perfection would look like • Maybe it’s micro-services, modularisation, etc. • Come back with a plan • Stick it on the wall, refer to it   again and again Target State   Architecture   (TSA)

@samjarman #DevWorld Take the time to make sure   your
team agrees on the target   state architecture. LESSON 2

@samjarman #DevWorld Sharing what is   truly common.

@samjarman #DevWorld View Business  Logic Model APIs WHAT WAS SHARED?
View Business  Logic Model APIs App A App B Common  (and more)

@samjarman #DevWorld THE GOAL App A App B Styleguide Styleguide
Utils Utils API API

@samjarman #DevWorld We are now making   code for our
teammates to use. MINDSET   SHIFT

@samjarman #DevWorld THE START • We’d start with a UI
Library   – “StyleGuide” • Needed to prove the concept to ourselves and internally • No time from the business for this – a secret skunkworks project

@samjarman #DevWorld The initial build.

@samjarman #DevWorld CONTAINED: • Cocoa Touch Framework • UIKit Subclasses
• Fonts • Colours • Typography • Some view controllers

@samjarman #DevWorld STYLE GUIDE  COMMITTEE • Four Devs – two
devs from each app group • Our iOS designer

@samjarman #DevWorld BUILD   TIME • Built the framework in
a few hours • Moved over most   existing components • Renamed • Fixed imports • Got it building

@samjarman #DevWorld Donezo! Right?

@samjarman #DevWorld Wrong.

@samjarman #DevWorld The proof of concept   is the easy
part. LESSON 3

@samjarman #DevWorld “Now, ﬁnish it.”

@samjarman #DevWorld THE LONG   TAIL BUILD Sketch Files Swift
Files • Build complex TableView rows • Buttons • Text Fields

@samjarman #DevWorld DISCUSSIONS • Nut out API design • Component
boundaries • Naming schemes • Best practices • Wrote up documentation for chapter

@samjarman #DevWorld (Like these slides before @HelloMissPotter helped me out.)
The goal of the StyleGuide   was to not let developers create something ugly.

@samjarman #DevWorld API DESIGN • Alloc init with? • Dequeue
and setup()? • Factory? • Conﬁg objects? • Builder pattern? • Getters and setters for everything?

@samjarman #DevWorld SETUP() • Init’d by you, or by tableview/collectionview
• Setup took args that gave strings, ﬂourishes • For complex args, we’d use conﬁg objects (structs) • If you can pass in an arg set, it should support it • Optionals were API  Eg: Optional subtitles (string?)

@samjarman #DevWorld COMPONENT BOUNDARIES • A ﬁrst attempt at this
was something known as a “Flexi-Cell” • A super conﬁgurable cell • Hard to edit • Easy to use • Trivial to make something ugly

@samjarman #DevWorld BEST PRACTICES Use Optionals Produce a Cell version
Don’t move to SG if just for your app Ask for help Variation or new component Push back on design if new Test it yourself Collab with designers Straight to master Ask around to avoid duplication If the API won’t let you, don’t

@samjarman #DevWorld Think of the advice and   mindset you
had and   document it for others. LESSON 4

@samjarman #DevWorld NAMING • AccountSummaryView • IconTitleSubtitleView • FourDataView •
Preﬁx? Yes no? • Cell vs View name?

@samjarman #DevWorld ARBITRARY • No one right way • Went
with what makes sense • Debate and commit

@samjarman #DevWorld SOLVING   ARGUMENTS • Arguments are common •
Often leave people feeling disengaged, angry or resentful • It’s simpler than you think?

@samjarman #DevWorld Give all evidence  Hear all evidence LESSON 5

@samjarman #DevWorld And everything went great after that.

@samjarman #DevWorld The End

@samjarman #DevWorld um…there were some problems.

@samjarman #DevWorld THE   PROBLEMS • Committee got gatecrashed •
Other team members weren’t   told of impact • Low Buy-in • New hires • Poor knowledge of modules

@samjarman #DevWorld HOW THE   SAUSAGE   IS MADE •
A team member once gate crashed a meeting • “I just want to see how the sausage is made.” • What was our impression?   Fun? Cowboys? Malicious?

@samjarman #DevWorld Employ empathy to   see how your work
  might be perceived. LESSON 6

@samjarman #DevWorld SOLVING IT • More outwards communication • Weekly
updates • More documentation • A bit more training/walkthroughs • Pairing on tasks

@samjarman #DevWorld • Opened up committee meetings • We had
to explain everything • Debates re-visited • Work undone • Progress halted NOT  SOLVING IT

@samjarman #DevWorld Not all code we're working on is for
our team’s feature. MINDSET   SHIFT

@samjarman #DevWorld We got momentum as a team of  
teams when we looked to make   common components as   we built individual features. LESSON 7

@samjarman #DevWorld OTHER TEAM   MEMBERS • BAs • Product
Owners • Testers • #

@samjarman #DevWorld BUSINESS   ANALYSTS • BAs at ACME are
scrum masters • Wanted to know how to size stories • Dependants/Dependencies • Solved quite easily with conversation

@samjarman #DevWorld PRODUCT   OWNERS • Ultimately own the teams
time at ACME • Goal is products out the door • Had to be convinced that internal tooling would pay off in the long run • Solved by pointing out this is standard practice already at ACME • Saw beneﬁts of the process for ACME as a whole

@samjarman #DevWorld Think about what mental models people might have
for their own roles. LESSON 8

@samjarman #DevWorld PROBLEMS:  TESTERS • Not developers at ACME •
Wanted to know what to test • How to test it • Where to test it

@samjarman #DevWorld • StyleGuide Test App • Test it in
that • All scenarios displayed • Test it in both apps* SOLUTIONS:  TESTERS

@samjarman #DevWorld Our phase one was just a   smaller
shared library. We didn’t   have a true dependency yet.

@samjarman #DevWorld A new, smaller co-dependency isn’t an external dependency.
LESSON 9

@samjarman #DevWorld MODULARISATION   PROJECT • Our work was noticed!
Positively! • Leadership decided we should push forward with TSA and modularise properly • It was time for a…

@samjarman #DevWorld ~*Dependency Manager*~

@samjarman #DevWorld If you want to ﬁght with an iOS
Developer, just say your favourite dependency manger on ‘three’

@samjarman #DevWorld DEPENDENCY   MANAGER • CocoaPods? • Carthage? •
Git sub-modules/subtrees? • Swift Package Manager?

@samjarman #DevWorld • Went with Carthage • Corporate Networks •
Ease of Use • Ease of Changing Mind Later DEPENDENCY   MANAGER

@samjarman #DevWorld Take the time,   do the research. LESSON
10

@samjarman #DevWorld What worked at your last company might not
work at the next. LESSON 11

@samjarman #DevWorld Solving the   Testing Problem

@samjarman #DevWorld Semantic versioning. MINDSET   SHIFT

@samjarman #DevWorld X.Y.Z • X = Major Version. • Breaking
Changes. Non-compatible. • Y = Minor versions. • Additions and deprecations. • Z = Patch versions • Under the hood changes. Bug ﬁxes. SEMANTIC  VERSIONING

@samjarman #DevWorld Semantic versioning is about much   more than
a fancy number system.    It’s about making a promise to   your consumers.

@samjarman #DevWorld 1.2.1 → 1.2.2  I promise not to break
your   code in this version.

@samjarman #DevWorld 1.2.1 → 1.3.0  I promise you’ll see new
stuff in this   version, but it won’t break old stuff.

@samjarman #DevWorld 1.2.1 → 2.0.0  Somethings gonna break.

@samjarman #DevWorld SEMANTIC  VERSIONING • Two Promises • Code API
Promise • Visual Promises A STYLEGUIDE

@samjarman #DevWorld PROCESS  CHANGES • This was a big mindset
change for a lot of the developers • Upfront thinking about versioning threw some people • Testing ﬁt into this…how?

@samjarman #DevWorld • More testing by developers before handing it
off • Testers not equipped to test if SemVer was correct • SemVer being correct was important PROCESS  CHANGES

@samjarman #DevWorld • “I don’t see how I wouldn’t have
to   test both apps?” • “How can I prove my code is correct before integrating it?” • “Who updates it if we get too   far behind?” • “Wait, why do I not have to test   both apps?” PROCESS  CHANGES

@samjarman #DevWorld Pushing Code   vs   Pulling Code MINDSET
  SHIFT

@samjarman #DevWorld • Old code / mindset / processes /
training was Push. • You made a change to something common, it was forced into the other app at compile time. • Therefore, while making the change, you have to test that push scenario. PUSH VS PULL

@samjarman #DevWorld • New process was pull • You would
pull in a new update and that would come with a promise of visual and code compatibility • You, then and there, would have to resolve those changes PUSH VS PULL

@samjarman #DevWorld What may be an obvious   way of
working to you might be dramatically new to others. LESSON 12

@samjarman #DevWorld "What if you couldn't get out of  
your chair and ask questions   or give advice?”

@samjarman #DevWorld Internal Dependency External Mindset MINDSET   SHIFT

@samjarman #DevWorld COMMS • Great README • Great SemVer discipline
• Great change log • Great/Clear API • Great documentation • samjarman.co.nz/dxguide

@samjarman #DevWorld Good communication is how you scale. LESSON 13

@samjarman #DevWorld And so, we went on.

@samjarman #DevWorld Happily   Ever   After! • SemVer clicking
with most • We made multiple new versions per week (decreasing) • We introduced another couple   of dependencies • On our way TSA

@samjarman #DevWorld SOFTWARE  ENGINEERING Software engineering is   multi-version, multi-person
  programming

@samjarman #DevWorld He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. What is the most important thing in   the world? It is people, it is people,   it is people.

THE CODE WAS   THE EASY PART Introducing an iOS
Library at a Corporate @samjarman #DevWorld

@samjarman #DevWorld Thanks!

The Code was the Easy Part: Introducing an iOS ...

The Code was the Easy Part: Introducing an iOS Library at a Corporate

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