Posts by DecSoft

Hello to all,

Here is a new DecSoft App Builder with the below changes, fixes and enhancements:

Read the entire product's history

Hello Michael,

Ok, let me to think about and then I will try to help you as quickly as possible. :-)

Hello Michael,

The problem is the time... and that I am not very good with videos, in fact, I want to create some of them, but, english is not my first language, so I have found some difficulties... but in fact you talk abou a CRUD sample app... and what is exactly the Database sample app already existing! Is a sample app that show how we can Create, Read, Update and Delete records from a server database.

So... the point can be that you take a look at that sample... and try to understand it... and of course post in the forum if you find some problem or need something about: but in that case we deal with specific things, more easy to achieve than general ones. For example, I am considering a possible video tutorial (if can have some time to do it!), but what I am thinkin is not a CRUD tutorial... not right now... :-/

So why don't take a look at the Database sample app, step by step, view by view, control by control, and therefore you ask here if you have some specific question? I will be happy to help when possible.

Hello Michael,

I think that can understand what you wanted and I will try to prepare something like a small video tutorial to follow your proposed steps. I will do it as quickly as possible.

Hello Samuel, (now yes! :)

Various things to be considered here! First of all, we must to consider that I am the boss, the developer, and the guy who clean the office when finish. Said that, the first AB generation accumulated around four years of developments, but the new AB2 generation only some months, so, we can expect enhancements in the new generation of the IDE in the future.

Currently the new AB support all the official Cordova plugins, and, it's not clear how to do the things in the best way in order to support other plugins too, but, for sure, we want to work on that. But, said that... do you want to get a barcode scanner working? It's curious, because the first real app that I develop with AB included (requires) a barcode scanner (a QR code scanner), and, just look here... by adding the Cordova plugin ID in the app option (phonegap-plugin-barcodescanner), we can get a barcode scanned just by copy the plugin's sample code "as is", in any event:

And we can continue with other plugins... in the same way... so, we no need to wait for an "easy way" (maybe we must say here a more easy way, because the above is not difficult, I think...). Of course, said that, we want to find the right way to add other Cordova plugins, but maybe not exactly in the same way than before, so we have some doubts.

For example, certainly the HTTP client control can be good, and, even for advanced users, because can maintain the code separated, etc. However, take a look at the below code, which made an HTTP POST call and wait for the possible response, error, etc.:

So we ask us the question... it's really needed the HTTP client control? It's really needed a Barcode control? And we are not sure about... probably yes, that is, I am not talking to avoid work or something like that, but seriously thinking in what can be the best for the IDE and for our customers too.

I personally develop apps with AB from years ago and therefore see what is missing, what is good, what can be enhanced, etc. In one of my biggest app I use around 14 or 16 Cordova plugins: I can't simply wait for the IDE to be included, in the way that I expect, etc., etc. I simply use the right Javascript code and use the plugins, which is what my customer wanted: not how I do it, but what I do it...

So certainly the first AB attemping to be sold for beginners, and maybe the new AB is intended to be used for beginners too, but, also by more or less advanced users, and, this don't means that I forget the beginners... but I want that the beginners learn Javascript, since learn is always required, I see better (for us and for the beginner) to learn a powerful language, which can be used all around the world, and not some specific "actions", that can helps, of course, but that limit what we can do.

About the DecSoft App Builder vs other possible IDEs... I am not sure what to say, because, certainly I am really focused in the project... I can compare of course with the previous generation of App Builder, and, in fact, I start to write an entire article about what is new, because, as you already know, the new DecSoft App Builder has been written from the scratch, which give us lot of chances to enhance it and do the things in better ways. So yes... maybe finally someday I can prepare an article like that... but not right now, since I must clean the office right now! ;-)

What I hope, of course, is that the users (and with a better point of view previous AB users), can see the differences... AB apps compile fast, but AB2 compiles even more fast... the IDE reactions... we can see the events of a control in 1 second in AB, but we can see it in less than 1 second in AB2... In AB we play with various modal dialogs, for example, the functions managers, that force us to work in the functions... and close the dialog to continue working in other app place... in AB2 we have docks everywhere... all the managers (functions, files, resources, languages, but also the app options, the program options) are not modals... so we can simply go from one to another in a more comfortable way, etc., etc., etc.

So, if the question is, is AB2 better than AB1? The answer is yes, of course, because, in addition to other things, we apply our experience on AB when develop AB2, not only developing the IDE... but also from the point of view of an app developer who uses these IDEs too. If the question is, on the contrary, is AB better than other IDEs that we can find out there? I don't have a right answer... probably out there are very good programs that can help to develop apps, so, we trust in our work and think that our IDE is good, and we use it activelly to develop apps, but, the final user, you, the customer, have the final word, and it's good like that.

One thing to finish: DecSoft App Builder, like all the other DecSoft products, are not limited in time nor characteristics, so the users can try the product all the time he need, and with the very latest release and features. After that, he can decide if the product is useful for him and want to purchase one or more licenses, not only to revenew our current expended work, but also to support the future development of the product.

Please, Samuel, go ahead if you have any comments, etc.

P.S. Thanks for your kindly words, Peter, you are right: see this post of mine also as a possible answer / comment also to you.

Hello to all,

Here is a new DecSoft App Builder with the below changes, fixes and enhancements:

Read the entire product's history

Hello Peter,

You can be sure of that! And remember that what you are learning now is HTML, CSS and Javascript, which are important not only talking about AB, but also for other possible projects, made with other possible tools, now and in the future. So don't doubt about that: it's difficult to learn, requires lot of time, hours, works, sometimes is tired, but, finally we can got it.

I am happy with AB2, because, I am developing the first app for one of our customers, and, apparently run faster in Android, and, well, tools like the app languages manager... helps a lot in order to translate the app into another languages, for example. I am happy to choose the "only Javascript" way, because, now, when we enter in an event, we know exactly what we must to do, and how to do it, and, if the stuff is not ready (no action exists, for example), we can use the right piece of code to go ahead.

Well... it's not good that I say that... but yes... I work with the tools, not only develop it, and, I am happy with the results: and honestly think that we are talking about tools that others can find interesting too: get an app running in various platforms, with the same base of code, with lot of interesting and useful stuff, because HTML, CSS and Javascript are quite powerful, and, with the help of Apache Cordova when needed... we can do lot of good things with this technologies, and with the help of DecSoft App Builder, the intention is to get it faster, in a friendly way, using a good IDE.

Hello Peter,

Who knows... the point is that you can deal with it. As I mention above, the new AB compiler cache is more complex, since works at a control level, everything trying to get our app compiled and launched as quickly as possible (commonly in less than a half of a second), so, even when I expend lot of time and work enhancing and fixing the compiler cache, it's completely possible that a bug exists or some mistake happen.

So, please, just continue posting here if you find a problem like that: what we wanted is to have the best Javascript IDE as possible, because we work on it everyday too, and want to work with the best tool as possible, allowing to coding without worries about his errors, bugs, etc. In fact I must say that the overall results are more than satisfactory: AB2 is better than AB, in lot, lot of aspects. And we can feel it when develop with it.

P.S. We continue working in projects using AB, so, of course we wanted to continue do it in the best manner as possible too.

Hello Peter,

I will try to reproduce the problem in your sample app, however, the new AB no more stores the app project stuff in a sole XML file, but separate the stuff in various files. So I can't just save the above file, but also, at least, the files that you can see inside the "__project" folder. Feel free to send that files to my E-Mail, or upload it to some thirdparty server or your own one and post here or send me a link to the zip. :-)

Hello to all,

If we plain to target both Android and the browsers, then we must definetively do one thing in one platform and other thing in another platform, so use the Cordova plugin in Cordova platforms, and the browser stuff in the browser platform. There are ways to know if we are in one or another platform: not right now out of the box, but, it's possible by checking the existence of the "window.cordova" variable, for example. We can prepare an app function who tell us what we wanted, no matter in which platform we are.

Maybe we target Android and iOS, so Cordova platforms, but, not the browser, then maybe we no need to really use the browser stuff, but the referred possible app function can return certain specific value if the app is running in a browser (for testing purpose). That is, returns some "usable value", no matter if we are really online or not, reserving the "real value" when the app is running in the Cordova platforms. Both ways are possible, and, even when we don't have the right stuff (right now) out of the box, we can use the Javascript power (libraries, piece of code) all the time.

P.S. So, David, all the above to say that AB2 have nothing like "App.Online" right now? Well... I supose yes... that is, something like that (a method who returns "online" or "offline", no matter in which platform we are) can be expected in the future. Maybe what I want to say is that that is not a cause to stop our developing, there is not a problem to use any kind of Javascript stuff that can help us, instead we have another more direct method, to say like that.

In fact this is one of the best features of DecSoft App Builder: we are talking about a Javascript IDE, so almost all piece of Javascript is suitable to be used in our apps if needed, no matter if the IDE include it by default or not. :-)

Hello to all,

In addition to what Samuel suggest (thanks, sir!), if we plain to target Android, iOS, etc., we can use the Network Apache Cordova plugin, which is included out of the box.

Hello Peter,

Taking a look here... I can't reproduce any problem using frames related with the cache... that is, if I made a change in a control which is inside a frame, after I compile and run the app, I can see that change in any view that uses the frame. So apparently we are not talking about controls changes...

Before I post this message I also test to made changes in the frame controls events, searching for a possible problem while deal with the code, and not with the controls properties, but, again, I can't reproduce the problem: any new code that I introduce in a framed control, is there as expected at runtime.

So maybe you certainly find a bug... but we need a way to try to reproduce it, in order to search for a possible fix. Please, try to reproduce the problem, maybe in a new app, and therefore post here how you can reproduce the problem, in order to try it here by myself.

P.S. Maybe the problem is related in how you are launching / compile the app? Please, review this help topic. It's not the same to use the Run button, the Debug button, to save or not the app before compile or launch it, etc. Commonly we use the Debug button, since doing this the app is automatically saved (if needed) before be compiled and launched.

Hello Peter.

I will try to take a look... of course it's not the desired nor the expected behaviour. The DecSoft App Builder cache is a bit more complex than before, since it's working now in a control level, not an app view level. On the other hand, the frame control is a bit more complex, since contain other controls, etc. But of course this don't mean that the things must works like you see now... I will take a look and see what we can do about: fix the problem, so the cache start working as expected.

Hello Peter,

Glad to know that you got it. The template syntax can be really useful, because we can deal with virtually any kind of variable type, so we not only show "simple" strings, but also HTML, arrays, objects, etc. We can also show or not certain stuff, etc. It's quite useful. You can take a look at the HTML sample app and play a bit with it.

About the app resources, they are not exactly the same thing than the app global / reactive variables. The resources can be easily translated to another languages, for example, by using the app languages manager.

About the Text search, yes, I know is a must in the IDE and I want to implement it as quickly as possible, which mean that I can't place a date here, because I am really busy with other lot of tasks! (Developing with both AB and AB2, in addition to other things!), but it's a must and therefore must be incorporated in the IDE sooner or later.