Posts by DecSoft

Hello again,

Finally I add a new "SplitStr" action which we can use to split an string into substrings in an Array variable.

That is, we can do something like this:

The "[Result]" variable is an Array which contains the elements: "Red", "Green" and "Blue" in this case.

We can use the separator what we wanted, then the bellow code works too:

Also, the "LoadVariables" and "ParseVariables" actions support now Array variable definitions. What we can do it's something like this:

In the above case the "[d]" variable is loaded as an Array with the elements "Red", "Green" and "Blue".

The separator "|" is now mandatory and, as we can see, the variable value must start with the same char: "|".

Then you can prepare a file like this Walter:

However, note one thing more. If you want to access programaticaly to the "[lcodes]" variable, you need to use the "ParseVariables" action and not "LoadVariables".

In fact we can use "LoadVariables" too, but, since these actions are executed asynchronously, only "ParseVariables" (we already have the file contents) can allow us to access the variables right after the action is executed.

Remember the two includes app samples: "LoadVars" and "ParseVars" and note the differences.

Hello Walter,

"LoadVariables" currently not support Arrays, sorry, but it's a good idea. Stay tunned Walter.

Hello,

Always thanks you Walter. Please, before anything, try with the added "ImagePick" sample. It's my intention, however, to prepare a non visual control to work with the Phonegap plugin. They don't work in browsers, of course, but works in almost all supported Phonegap platforms, including Android.

Hello Walter,

The problem is "getUserMedia" it's not very well supported at this time. In particular Internet Explorer doesn't support "getUserMedia", and for that cause you cannot go working in App Builder, because they use Internet Explorer for their debugger.

I investigate about this in the past and the problem is to choice the right API in order to provide a way to "make a photo", for example, in almost all platforms. The problem of course is this "perfect API" doesn't exists at this time.

A possible solution is to use the Phonegap Camera plugin, however, if we use this in some control or action in App Builder, there is the first time that a control or action can works ONLY in certain platforms, and not in all.

Even when this can represent a problem, probably we need to take this solution until a pure Javascript API are supported by all the mobile and desktop browsers, but, until this plugin can be easily used from App Builder, what we can do?

I am updated App Builder right now to enhance the File input control in order to allow us to use the Capture attribute and the Accept attribute. Then I add the Capture, the Accept and also I add a new Url variable to the Input control.

The Capture attribute is not perfect because they do not work at this time in all platforms, but in the Android version of the Chrome browser, for example, they allow us to take a photo in a very similar way than the Phonegap Camera plugin, even better.

I add a new app sample named "ImagePick" that show how to use these new variables, for example, how to use the new Url variable in order to show the user selected (or taken) image into an Image control.

So until the Phonegap Camera plugin can be integrated in App Builder, take a look at the refered sample, Walter, because probably this can work more or less that you wanted. If you have Phonegap installed (I hope yes) try to compile an try this sample.

In fact I can't try the sample in my Android device, because, my specific Android version doesn't allow Input files at all... a controversial change in Android 4.4.2 that the community report as a bug and apparently Google fix in later Android versions...

Welcome to the world of cross browser and cross platforms development! :)

Hello Walter,

Thanks very much. Right now I add two new actions into the Math category: "Random" and "RandomEx". The first one provide us with a random number from zero to 1^10 inclusives. The second one provide us with a random number from the specified min and max numbers inclusives.

Hello again,

I want to continue with our possible JSON interaction, however, if you update App Builder, you can view two new actions: "LoadVariables" and "ParseVariables". This action can be used to load variables from app or remote files in an easy way. Take a look at the action's help and don't forget to play with the new "LoadVars" and "ParseVars" app samples.

Probably you can achieve what you wanted using one of these actions Walter.

Hello Walter,

Hello David,

I want to use a filename.json as a kind of INI file, means I want to set certain default variabels out of the database. Now my questions are:

1.
If I set a query, how can I get the unique result of this query into a local variabel. I.e I want to set a new var with the single [Record.Name] I get out of my query? With Setvar "[NewVar]" "[Record.Name]" "String" I get an error ... undefined

This is an interesting question. Currently the only way to parse a JSON file is to use the Report control, which in fact do more because visualice the JSON data in an HTML table. However, currently is not possible to parse a JSON string and retrieve it using App Builder available actions.

Definetively I need to think on this because it's very interesting. Of course if you use pure Javascript (with the StartJS and EndJS actions) probably you can do it, but my intention is to made it easy by using some kind of App Builder action or actions. Currently we can get the content of a file using "SimpleGet" action or the HttpClient control, but these are not thinked specifically for JSON files.

Currently I am a little sick, Walter, but I promise you I take a look at this question asa quickly as possible.

2.
My database.json has the fields Name and Value. After a query with only 1 result/record I want to use the following Syntax:
Setvar "[[Record.Name]]" "[Record.Value]" "String" - possible or a similar solution?

Anidated variables is something not available and probably it's not a thing which we can implement more or less easily, to be honest. However, we have actions like "Loop" or "While" and with the help of these actions and other possible actions to deal with JSON of course we must access individual JSON fields or iterate over records. Not currently, but probably in a near App Builder release.

3.
Do you think abaout a RANDOM control/function ?

Do you refer to a Random action which provide us a random number? Yes; of course some random related actions can be useful and probably you can count with something like that in a near release of the program. If I am wrong and you refer to other thing, please, tell me.

Hello Walter,

Thanks for posting. The SetOption and GetOption actions do not use files but the LocalStorage HTML5 API.

Hello,

Interesting information Nelson. Yesterday I try installing Visual Studio in order to get the SDK and other software ready to use with my Adobe Phonegap installation, however, maybe due to the options I choose during the installation, the build file start adding the platform and create some files, but terminates with some "requeriments" error.

I will try to do more test about that. Do not forget that Phonegap provide at least three ways for Microsoft platforms: Windows, which means our apps can be deployed to Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1; Windows Phone 7, suposelly to get our app ready to deploy in that version of Windows Phone; and also Windows Phone 8, to be used in order to deploy in this Windows Phone version.

I want to try with the first option, since a phone with the Windows 8.1 operating system have a more or less affordable price. Anyway remember that, at least at the current App Builder stage, we can try EVERYTHING in a browser, that is, using the App Builder included debugger. Or open our app in a browser using the HTTP served that AB incorporate. Maybe a couple of "Open in browser buttons" are a good idea.

This is the primary intention in App Builder: everything must run in a browser or must be emulated in a browser. An example can be the Vibrate and Beep actions. These actions relies on certain Phonegap plugins, Vibration and Dialogs, however, if they are not exists, the both actions works like we can expected by vibrating the screen (with a CSS animation) or play a beep sound. This primary intention, however, can be break by certain specific actions in the future.

When such time come, certainly, we need to think in how to emulate an Android device, for example, or how to connect a device in our computer in order to debug the compiled APK app. I have a better experience doing this instead of use an emulator, since the speed of the emulators are not too fast, at least in my computer.

Following with the Windows Phone or Windows platforms, maybe can be a good idea, at least to try, to using the Adobe Phonegap Build online service. I prefer the Adobe Phonegap CLI flavour, because the results appear better and also we do not get with the limitations of the free service of Adobe. I want to get an environment ready to deploy Windows and Windows Phone apps using the Phonegap CLI and the required Microsoft Windows software stuff, SDK's, etc.

Hello Nelson,

To be honest until today I am mainly focused in web browsers and Android platforms. Since I prefer that I am right now downloading the required software for the Windows and Windows Phone 8 platforms: http://short.cz/2N

As you can say we can expect the things currently works well, not only by the nature of HTML5 apps, but also by the nature of the App Builder itself, intented to work in almost platforms as possible, starting with the web browsers.

But certainly I am interested to try in some possible Windows Phonen emulator and even I am thinkin in buy a more or less cheap Windows phone in order to test my own apps. Maybe another mate made some efforts on this platform and can help us.

Thanks Eric. Hopefully we can create useful apps with App Builder. :)

Hello Nelson,

According to my database any of your NeoPlugins are expired. I plain to send by email your NeoPlugins personal registration data after write this post. Since your plugins are not expired you can use the latest releases downloading from the NeoPlugins website.

[s]You can found the current and old releases here in DropBox:[/s]

The old releases of all DecSoft's software can now be found in the customer's area of the DecSoft's website!

Hello Walter,

Thanks for posting. Before all, update your App Builder copy: you can discover great news (read the History file from the Help menu for more information). After this note I will try to answer your question as best as possible.

1. I´m really a newbie in this kind of app devolopement, but my interest are apps for mobile devices which also run offline - means after installing all media etc. are on my phone,tablet. Where and how do/can I manage this?

In the future I want to integrate Phonegap into App Builder to made easy to use. Today, what you obtain when Build an app with App Builder is the right HTML5, Javascript, CSS and Config files (along other of your app files) ready to be deployed in a web server to be running from a mobile or desktop web browser and also ready to be compiled using Phonegap. However you need to install Phonegap by yourself and then compile the produced app.

May you can also use the service of Adobe Phonegap Build to do the same, but I get better results using the CLI version of Phonegap. If you have Phonegap installed and ready to use, you can put a BAT file into your app compiled directory (in the same place than the "config.xml" file) containing the below code in order to add the Android platform, the appropiate Phonegap plugins, and finally build your app to obtain your APK file ready to be deployed in an Android device:

call cordova platform add android cordova plugin add org.apache.cordova.device cordova plugin add org.apache.cordova.dialogs cordova plugin add org.apache.cordova.vibration cordova plugin add org.apache.cordova.inappbrowser call cordova build android

Files like images, JSON, HTML templates, etc., are put with your app and compiled in order to be availables. Video and audio files to be reproduced with the MediaPlayer control, unfortunatelly, cannot be locally to your app in Android, due to an issue in Phonegap/Android that disallow the access to these files. You can always put these media files in some web server since in this way the refered issue dissapear. If you refer on how to refer to your app files, if you take a look at the app file's manager, you can view the relative URLs which you need to use, and copy these URLs into the clipboard if your right click some app file item.

2. At the moment I have to add every file I use in my app at least in the app file list before compiling. Could this be done in future dynamically? Imagine for example a slideshow of pictures - to handle this with a var based code I have to update the apps file list every time I have a new picture ...

The problem now with the app file's manager is you only can put files one by one. This is something you can view fixed in the latest App Builder release, that has enhance the app file's manager in order to allow us to choose more than one file at the same time. Of course, once you Build your app, you can add whatever files you wanted into whatever directory and refer to that files from your app. But this probably is not a recommended way.

The app file's manager exists in order to maintain the files uses by the app, not only in a simple list, but also "refered" to the app, in order that you can translate your app and their files from one computer to another without loss the files references. In some situation like when you choose an image from the object inspector to be show in an Image control, such image is then compiled dinamically when you Build your app.

In any other case and to be honest, I think the app file's manager is the best way in order to manage our app files.

My main issue in that question is to keep my app maximum open and define controls properties with vars whereever possible. By the way doing this with Top and Left doesn´t work ?

Are you read the Responsive app tutorial recently included into the help file? Read it Walter. Of course you can set the top and left position for the controls using the "SetStyle" action by the way. However we need to take in consideration several possible approach if we want our apps run in almost available platforms and screens. In general, if you choose the "Scaled" app option and plain to deploy your app in mobile devices, probably you no need to do too much things.

The same can be say for larger screens, and, in any other case, we need to take in consideration what I try to explain in the refered tutorial which I carefully recommend you.

Thanks again for posting and don't hesitate to do again if you need Walter.

Hello,

If the transparency option of the line object doesn't nothing,... I think we can't do nothing in order to get working with something like you refer, sir. If we hide the rectangle/line, we hide the line too, because the line is draw inside the rectangle. You can view this when you move or resize the line in designtime: what you can view is moving or resizing the rectangle which contain the line. Then when you put a rectangle/line on top of another rectangle, what you do is to put a rectangle inside the cam rectangle, not to draw a line inside the cam rectangle.

Hello,

You're welcome Nelson. ;)