Best practice about app using splitview controller, and can my app be rejected?

Question

I am really having issues with this "fantastic" splitviewcontroller... I am building an app for iPad that uses a splitviewcontroller since it is the logic way to use the App. However, I am worried that my app will be rejected because my rootviewcontroller in my storyboard is not the splitview.. My initial controller is a "main page" with some buttons that can take the user to specific parts of the app. I do this by changing the rootviewcontroller of my app delegate in the different segues from the buttons on the main menu page... I cannot get the segues to work out of the box to a splitviewcontroller. But actually, I don't like this approach, I just don't know what else to do.. I need the user to log in when the app launches, and my main page just displays this log in page modally.. This logic seems so simple to me coming from the JSP world, but I feel limited... maybe I just don't get it yet :)

Can I use 1 splitviewcontroller with different master/detail viewcontrollers, and what is the best way to change those ? Should I instead make my Menu page appear modally on top of the splitview from appdidfinishlaunching, and then dismiss itself(also a no no, since it is always the view that is presenting that should take it away) ?

I guess my question is, what should be the design of an App that is supposed to have a menu page with login, and then 2 or more "splitviews" ?

I am using IOS5 and storyboards, and would like to keep doing that :)

The pain of it all is that maybe i can "get it to work" but i like clean and proper code, so i hate doing things "the wrong way"...

Thank you very much.

Answer 1

Apple encourages developers to think outside the box when using these developer tools. If your use of the UISplitViewController is easy to understand, not prone to crashing, and makes sense, there is no reason to think Apple would reject your app.

The key reasons for Apple rejecting your app are:

• Crashes, crashes, crashes. If you have a solid app that doesn't crash, you are halfway home
• Doesn't do anything. The app needs to be useful (Assuming you have this covered)
• Does what you say it does. Don't lie on your description. Be accurate in what you can and can't do.
• Don't use any undocumented API's. Also assuming this is not the case.

I would say, go for it. If you found a cool way to implement the split view, by all means release your app. If you do a really great job, maybe people will copy your app or navigation flow. While that might be a bummer, it is really the best compliment you can get as a developer. Good luck.