iOS 8: Creating a Today Widget

One of the most popular new features introduced in iOS 8 is the ability to create several types of extensions. In this tutorial, I will guide you through the process of creating a custom widget for the Today section of the notification center. But first, let's briefly review some topics about extensions and understand the important concepts that underly widgets.

What Is an Extension?

An extension is a special purpose binary. It's not a complete app, it needs a containing app to be distributed. This could be your existing app, which can include one or more extensions, or a newly created one. Although the extension is not distributed separately, it does have its own container.

An extension is launched and controlled via its host app. It could be Safari, for example, if you're creating a share extension, or the Today system app that takes care of the notification center and other widgets. Each system area that supports being extended is called an extension point.

To create an extension, you need to add a target to the project of the containing app. The templates provided by Xcode already include the appropriate frameworks for each extension point, allowing the app to interact with and following the correct policies of the host app.