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I created an trying for my ipad. I want to install it into my ipad. Is there a command line code I can use to install and launch my app on ipad. Or can it be done through C#. Is it possible only in MAC or it is also possible in Windows.

Basically I am trying to find a way I can automate the process of installing and launching the app on an ipad.

Any help will be really appreciated.

user1683289
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2 Answers2

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The short answer is, you can only do iOS development on a Mac.

iOS apps can only be created using Apple's tool, XCode (which is only available for Mac). There are tools which will allow you to do some degree of cross-platform development, e.g. MonoTouch and PhoneGap ... but you still have use XCode to create a deployable app "package".

The only supported language for iOS development is Objective-C. (Monotouch will let you develop in C# ... but you still need to drop the results on a Mac to build the app.)

In order to load apps onto an iOS device -- other than via the app store -- you will need to sign up for the iOS developer program (which will cost you at least USD 99). You will typically also need to register ("provision") each test device in your Apple developer profile (both on the Apple developer site and in your copy of XCode).

TestFlight is a free service to help you deploy your app to beta testers (it allows you to email updates to your testers, for example). But that does not eliminate the need for the developer program membership (or the device provisioning).

More information is available on the Apple developer site.

David
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  • Thanks for your quick reply. This clears lot of my doubts. I was also wondering, after the app is created using the XCode in MAC, if I pay for the developers program, will I be able to automate the build, install and launch process using terminal or any other. My idea is to automate the process of installing and launching the app. – user1683289 Mar 08 '13 at 18:13
  • I have not personally tried to create an automated build environment, but I understand it's possible using Jenkins. – David Mar 08 '13 at 18:52
  • If you hook up an iOS device to a Mac, you can debug your app on it. It will automatically build and download the app to your device. But note that the device will typically have to be "provisioned" first as I indicated in my response. – David Mar 08 '13 at 18:55
  • As for deployment from the command-line, I'm not sure. But understand that apps should ordinarily be installed from the store -- that's how Apple wants it. So the only kind of supported "deployment" is going to be to the store. I don't know if that can be automated or not. – David Mar 08 '13 at 18:58
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You can use Xamarin.iOS to build iPad apps in C#. You can write code on Windows computers, but the final build and deployment must be done on a Mac with XCode.

If you are very familiar with C#, that might be a way to go. Regardless, you must use a Mac for deployment.

Xamarin.iOS plugin diagram

David Rinck
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  • I would like to only test the apps in my ipad. i dont require any publishing. Even in this case do you think there is a way for automating this installing or launching the app in MAC. – user1683289 Mar 08 '13 at 18:14
  • For just your iPad, not that I know of. You could kind of use the Enterprise development program to go around the App store procedure, but that's really designed for a far different use case than you seem to want: https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/ – David Rinck Mar 08 '13 at 20:21