Question

I have used to loading a default image in my appication. So i have set to,

      Sleep(3); in my delegate.m class.

But sometimes it will take more than 6 to 7 minutes. So i want to display the image 3 seconds only and then it goes to my appilcation based on my requirements.

Which one is best way to do that?

     Sleep(3) or [NSThread sleepForTimeInterval:3.0] or something else; 

And i must display the image 3 seconds only. Please explain me.
(Note: And I declared setter and getter methods only in my deleagte class.)

Please explain me.

Answer 1

As Rob noted, Apple strongly recommends against a splash screen unless it hides some necessary behind the scenes process (like loading game graphics.) It is so strongly discouraged that some people have claimed that their apps have been rejected for using an unnecessary splash screen.

The default.png doesn’t exist to create a splash screen. Instead it exist to allow you to create the illusion that your initial view loads faster than it does. You supposed to use it to provide an image of your initial view so that the enduser can begin to cognitively orient themselves to the interface. By the time they have oriented themselves to the interface and moved their finger to touch the interface, it is live.

Why? Because iPhone apps are supposed be quick in, quick out. People don’t sit down to use them at a desk like a desktop. People use then on the go. Sometimes they use them in the middle of a conversation.

I tell my clients to test out the usability of their apps (except for games) while walking, riding an exercise bike etc as well as in the middle of a face-to-face and phone conversation. In those circumstances, a three second pause is a big deal and very noticeable especially if the app is a practical app. Imagine if every time you opened the Contact app you had to pause three seconds to see an Apple splash screen. You would get peeved in a hurry.

The key thing here is that an unnecessary splash screen doesn’t add any value for the user. It is a selfish act on the part of the software publisher to eat the end users time so that the publisher can build brand recognition for the sole benefit of the publisher. Wasting three seconds of the users time every time they use the app adds up in a hurry. (In my experience, it also makes the user perceive that the overall app is slow and clunky.)

However, if you do want to shoot yourself in the foot or if you have a client hell bent on a splash screen, you do it like this:

The splash screen appears until the first view loads so you delay the loading of the first view. In the app delegates applicationDidFinishLaunching: method, remove all the code that loads the first view into the window. Replace it with a NSTimer. Put the code to load the first view in the timer’s fire method.

With that setup the app will display the default.png as it launches, when it gets to applicationDidFinishLaunching:it will appear to pause from the end users perspective because no view will appear to replace the default.png.

You should note that the standard launch time for an app is 3-5 seconds. So you may not have to do anything to show the splash screen for 3 seconds. It might happen automatically.