Posts by DecSoft

Always thanks you Ade! :)

Hello to all,

** Read this message below, because App Builder incorporates now visual tools to do this! **

This thread want to explain how to sign our APK files in order to be published in the Google Play Store. This post is based in the official Google documentation and uses the appropiate keytool and jarsigner programs, included by the Java JDK installation, as well the zipalign program, included by the Android SDK installation.

Step 1/4 - Prepare our release APK file

App Builder can creates three BAT files to prepare our application to be build with Apache Cordova. This three BATH files are "cordova_android_debug.bat", "cordova_android_run.bat" and "cordova_android_release.bat" file.

We normally use the first one or the second one in order to try our application's APK in our Android device, but, when we are ready to publish our application, we must use the third BAT file, in order to get an APK (yet unsigned) ready to be upload to the Google Play Store.

Once we execute the "cordova_android_release.bat" file we get our APK in the directory "MyApp_Compiled\platforms\android\build\outputs\apk\".

Step 2/4 - Prepare our "keys"

In order to sign our APK file, we need to create a couple of public/private keys for our own use. This step must be made at least one time, that is, once we prepare our "keys" file, we can use such file to sign various APK files.

We use the "keytool" to create our keys. The "keytool" is included by the Java JDK, something we have already installed (because it's required to installing Apache Cordova). The command we must use is the below one:

The above command creates our keys in the file "D:\MyKeys.keystore". Of course you can specify another path and file name. However, take care about such path, because we use later when sign the APK files. Also, you must replace this information with your own one:

Common Name = Your name, for example, David Esperalta
Organization Unit = Your organization unit, for example, AndroidSoft
Organization Name = Your organization name, for example, David Esperalta Soft
Locality Name = Your locality name, for example, Madrid
State Name = Your state name, for example, Madrid
Country 2 Digit Code = Your country 2 digit code, for example, ES (for Spain)

Note we need to replace the "MyAlias" too. Just choose an alias to be used later when sign our APK files. You also need to replace the "MyPassword" in the above command with your own password. I think we can use (for simplicity) the same password for both "keypass" and "storepass". Later we need to use this password when sign our APK files, so remember it.

If the above command is well executed, then the "D:\MyKeys.keystore" is created, and we can use in the below step.

Step 3/4 - Sign our APKs

Once we have created our "keys" we can use it in order to sign our APKs. This is does using the "jarsigner" tool, which is also included with the Java JDK installation. The command we can use is the below one:

The above command finally sign our APK file. Note we specify "MyPassword" in both "storepass" and "keypass". This password must be the same that we used above in the step 2. Also we use "MyAlias", that, again, must be the same we used above in the step 2.

On the other hand, as you can see, we specify in the above command the path for our "MyKeys.keystore" file and of course the path of our unsigned "MyApp.apk" file. Of course you must replace this paths by your own ones.

And that's all! Finally we can check (optionally) if our APK file has been correctly signed by this command:

Note we specify the path for our APK file.

Step 4/4 - "Align" our APK file

I am not completely sure if this step is really needed. Anyway, apparently we can use the "zipalign" tool (this time included by the Android SDK installation) in order to "provides important optimization to Android application (.apk) files.", as we can read here in the official documentation.

Anyway, using the "zipalign" tool is not too much complicated, just the below command:

As you can see, we indicate our signed APK file and must to provide an ouput file, different to the first one, in this case "MyApp_Aligned.apk", to save the aligned APK file. Is this final "D:\MyApp_Aligned.apk" the file that we must use to upload into our Google Play Store account, in order to publish our APK.

That's all! I hope this post can help to all. Fell free to post any question here.

Hola,

Ok, haré mas pruebas con las sugerencias que mencionas.

Muchas Gracias!!

¡Siempre gracias a usted por su interés! :)

Hola,

Acabo de comprobar qué ocurre con el control Input Number y su atributo "placeholder". Al menos en Android 5.1 funciona como se espera, así pues, creo que podemos achacar a algún problema o "bug" el que no funcione en la versión de Android en que usted lo ha probado. Creo que no podríamos hacer mucho, salvo saber que dicho atributo funciona en las nuevas versiones de Android.

Hola,

* Porque al instalar en el celular el apk solicita permisos para acceso total a la red ? Aun cuando mi app no requiera dicho acceso

Si no me equivoco el acceso a red es un permiso básico para aplicaciones "Cordova". Tal vez se trata de la arquitectura de la aplicación, tal vez es un permiso que no puede eliminarse. En todo caso yo no me preocuparía por dicho permiso: se sabe lo que significa, y, no es otra cosa que la posibilidad de acceder a internet. Esto, creo yo, no entraña en principio ningún riesgo para el usuario, no así otros permisos como el "envío de mensajes SMS", etc.

Hola,

* El control Number no muestra el placeholder en el celular, si que lo hace el control Text.

Ciertamente. No había caído en esto y tengo que revisar si se trata de un "bug" o de algo que "funciona así". Le mantendré informado de esto.

* Al introducir numeros al control Number en el celular el teclado de dicho celular "deforma" las entradas Number.

¿Está usando la opción "AutoScale" de la aplicación? Creo que es la forma de conseguir que las casillas se "deformen" de forma "escalable". Pruebe a usar dicha opción y mire a ver si los resultados son mejores. También la opción "FullScreen" puede influir. En general no es recomendable usar esta opción, salvo para posibles "juegos" y aplicaciones similares. Otra opción podría ser ocultar y/o mostrar la barra de estado según los casos.

Hola,

Muchas gracias a usted por su interés. Recuerde que estamos por aquí si necesita alguna cosa. :)

Hola onisabel,

No sé hasta qué punto podrían usarse algunos módulos de ionic o algo parecido, pero, como dice, App Builder se basa en Bootstrap y AngularJS sin conexión alguna, en principio, con ionic u otros frameworks. ionic usa AngularJS, si no me equivoco, así que, como digo, tal vez habría alguna posibilidad de usar algún plugin o módulo de dicho framework: pensemos que en App Builder, además de lo que viene "de serie", podemos utilizar Javascript, CSS, etc., de terceros, así que... todo depende de aquello que queramos añadir y de si existe la posibilidad de adaptación.

Hello Walter,

Anyway, if you get stuck or something like that, just post it here! :)

Hello Walter,

I think you must to use a Label or HTML control along the Image controls. That is, just positioning that label or HTML control (to show your image's label) below the Image controls. You can use Image control events like "MouseEnter" and "MouseLeave" to change the appropiate label, or just set the label with the appropiate text, depending on the app's language.

You found some problems with an approach like that Walter? I am missing something?

Hello Walter,

Are you tried with an HTML control using some of the available font-icons inside? Take a look at the below app sample to get an idea about this approach:

IconSample.zip

Probably we can take a similar approach using IMG tags inside the HTML control. However, we can also try with an Image control with a Label or HTML control below (for the image label).

Because we need to start with something, take a look at the above attached sample and tell me what do you thing about Walter.

Hello again,

Ok. Just use the app's "Ready" event. I just try it and they works like expected, that is, shows the banner when the application starts.

Hello,

Click can be a workaround Ade. Anyway, please, try with the "Ready" app event instead of the app's view's "Show" event. By my mistake I suggest you the "Show" event before, but this cannot be used, since they are fired before the "Ready" app's event, something needed to work with this Cordova's plugin. I am now preparing a sample which use the "Ready" event. Later I tell you what happend Ade.

Hello Ade,

You must use at least some of the events that the plugin provides, since such events inform us about possible errors, success, "leaves" (when the user tap the banner), etc. On the other hand, I suggest you these possible approach:

1º Try with the "Show" event, but, after call "AdMobShowBanner" use also the "ApplyModel" action.

2º Use another possible event like an app's view "Click" event if the "Show" event continue causing problems.

Please, tell me about your progress Ade.

Hello Ade,

Are the ads show in other place than the bottom one? Are you use at the "AdMobFailEvent" event to get possible error information? And what for other events?