It is kind of like the serialized (or archived) version of what you put together at design time.
When you run your application and a .xib file is loaded the objects are deserialized (unarchived) and live objects are created...and their state becomes what it was at design time.
.xib files are created and manipulated (designed) with an application called the Interface Builder.
btw, on a MAC-OSX computer the Interface Builder is located in the /Developer/Applications directory.
From the Stanford course I've learned that the Interface Builder accomplishes the following jobs:
- Layout and configure the user interface
- Define a controller class and create an instance of that class
- Connect the user interface and the controller
- Generate source files for the new controller class
From Apple's site:
Key Interface Builder Features
- Helps you design Aqua-compliant user interfaces with the "Snap to Aqua Guidelines" feature
- Creates both Cocoa nibs and Carbon nibs
- A key part of the Cocoa application development process - lets you subclass, connect objects, and establish default values, helping your application require less code
- "Test Interface" mode lets you try your UI without writing any code
- Spell Checks your UI text as you go
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