Wow…so that was exciting.

I just developed and published my first app using Unity 3D. I’ve learned a couple things along the way that might help someone else. For what it’s worth, I monetized with AdMob…not because I think AdMob is the best option (I don’t believe that at all), but because AdMob is a pretty solid mobile ad server. I may use a different solution in the future, but I’m not investing big money until I see how this pans out.

Which reminds me, I’ll also buy a Mac if this pans out. Using a VM was a pain in my ass (the setup went really quick). First, install your Mac OS X virtual machine on an SSD. I guarantee it will make a world of difference. Second, I like to work in big screens. It didn’t help me do that at all. I’m sure there’s a way, but in the last three weeks I’ve learned the basics of Unity 3D, C# (for scripting in Unity), how to basically use XCode (having never done it before). In the event you’re looking to build iOS apps with Unity…you need access to a Mac in some form or fashion. You can’t export iOS code without XCode (and integrating the AdMob SDK requires XCode anyway).

Second, make sure you have your code-signing ducks in a row. In XCode, this means using Apple’s Developer and iTunes Connect sites. There’s a caveat—you’ll need to make sure your account allows for push notifications, even if your app doesn’t push. Whether it was Unity 3D or the AdMob SDK, I’m not 100% sure, but you’ll save a step now (and potentially later) by enabling it (it requires you to generate some keys; Apple does a pretty good job of explaining how). However, Apple doesn’t really tell you how to get your keys, so I’ve included that below. For Android, you have to view the build settings in Unity 3D, create a new keystore (check the box, enter and confirm your password, click “Browse Keystores,” and save the keystore), and then create a new key with Unity (you’ll have the option to do so from the “Alias” drop down). Sign your code before you upload it.

1. Log into iOS Dev Center
2. Select “Certificates, Identities, & Profiles” from the “iOS Developer Program” menu on the right-hand side (click here for a screen shot)
3. Choose “Provisioning Profiles” under the iOS Apps header
4. Select “App ID’s” under “Identifiers”
5. Click the “+” at the top
6. Name the App ID, determine whether you want a specific or wildcard ID, and select the services you want (make sure to select “Push Notifications”)
7. Confirm the information is correct and submit
8. You will have to set up SSL certificates to use Push Notifications; Apple will walk you through it
9. Select “Distribution” under “Provisioning Profiles” in the right-hand navigation
10. Click the “+” at the top
11. Select “App Store” under distribution and click “Continue”
12. Select the App ID you want to create the profile for
13. Select the associated certificate (may have one or more to select from)
14. Name and generate the profile
15. You’ll have to download the profile but everything else is pretty clear-cut

Feel free to post questions here as you have them!

I’ve found programmers that I’ve worked with lately don’t like my use of null declarations in PHP. I come from a Perl and JavaScript background (with just enough C++ to be dangerous but not particularly useful), so I tend to declare variables before assigning them values (granted, it’s not a requirement in Perl, just a good idea).

If it adds to the complexity (and/or size) of code, why do it?

Yes, it will make the file a little bit larger…but I’ve never seen—or heard of—a minimized PHP file. Minimizing is great for client-side code (primarily JavaScript, HTML, and CSS) but unnecessary when servers handle the workload. You can find discussions of single- vs. double-quotes all over the Internet, even on PHP.net, but declaring variables in PHP seems odd because there’s no requirement to do so (technically, a variable in PHP has a NULL value when declared…but that doesn’t mean you won’t flag a notice).

Why do I [usually] declare NULL?

1. Clarifying code; by declaring everything before I use it, I know what variables to look for later when I’m debugging (OOP PHP does this out of necessity with class-level variables)
2. When using an IDE, the software auto-references those variables later; if I don’t have a matching variable, it won’t reflect in the IDE and I can catch typos before they become time-sucking issues
3. Finally, PHP flags a notice-level error when a variable is referenced that has not been pre-declared; not everyone knows to turn off notice-level errors, and it’s a waste of log space (and effort to dig through logs full of notices)

I highly recommend working with other programmers; I believe it makes us better coders, we learn new ways of doing things and thinking about things. For continuity, you need to agree on programming conventions. I’m not overjoyed about giving up NULL declarations, but all things change—Facebook just released their fork of PHP, Hack.