Posts by DecSoft

Hello to all,

I mean You can use AB for creating android TV apps but for LG WebOS you need to use their SDK and the IDE, JSON knowledge is required and java. etc.

The point is not if WebOS requires an specific IDE. When we develop apps for iOS, we compile our AB applications using Apache Cordova, and, what Cordova produces is an XCode (the IDE of MacOS) project, ready to be open with XCode if we wanted.

I think this case is more or less similar. AB produces an HTML5 application and the appropiate Cordova stuff, and, the project linked in the first post. take that application and convert it to a project for the WebOS platform IDE, ready to deploy the final app.

Hello to all,

The knowledge of AB will help you to some existent but you can not use AB because LG WebOS have his own IDE and and language structure.

I think this is not correct. The project linked in the first post requires an HTML application and a Cordova's "config.xml": both of them can be provided by App Builder without problems. In fact WebOS are one of the available platforms for Cordova sometime ago. Not right now. So I think the project linked in the first post allow us to create that kind of TV applications from an AB one.

cordova-tv-webos is an TV application library that allows for Cordova-based projects to be built for the WebOS TV Platform. Cordova based applications are, at the core, applications written with web technology: HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

So, as you can read, AB is capable to produce the HTML5 app and the Cordova's config file. All of this following the documentation of the project. Certainly I can't try it, because I dont' have the appropiate environment. But according to the project page that is possible.

Hello to all,

If you are using the "OpenWindow" action before the App Builder 2017.75 release (the current one), please, use the "Search tool" and be sure you add the new "target" introduced in this AB release. Just modify a code like this:

... by this other one:

Note the "_system" argument above, which, open the "URL" in the prefered system's browser in case we compile our application with Apache Cordova and add the (included "out-of-the-box") "Browser" Cordova's plugin.

Click here to read online help reference of the "OpenWindow" action.

Hello Joshep,

Certainly I don't know about that project (which sound interesting anyway) but apparently, between other instructions (refered in the project's page), we have these points:

1º Create a WebOS project with WebOS IDE and copy the www directory's content to the WebOS project.

2º Copy the built cordova-js/pkg/cordova.tv-webos.js to your WebOS project directory's root with name cordova.js.

3º Build the WebOS project.

Certainly, when we build an application from App Builder we get an "www" directory (between others directories and files). Insaid the "www" directory we can find the "cordova.js" file (generated also by App Builder). Apparently this file must be replaced by one created by the project that you refer (see above the point number 2).

In principle I don't know if more is needed or required. I have some doubt, for example, about if we must build the app using Cordova, that is, preparing the BAT files (App Builder do that) in order to compile the app for Android, for example,... but this is not apparently what we must to do, since one thing is the Android platform, and other thing what the refered project probably needs.

If I am not wrong (I am sorry, but I can't test it, because I don't have the appropiate WebOS environment nor IDE) we only need the "www" files of our application, and the apparently important point number 2, that is, replace the original "www/cordova.js" file by the created with the help of the refered project. After this the things probable can work (see the point number 3) but you must try it.

Hello tin,

Take a look at this sample: Transitions.zip

Hello tin,

I get it using the "opacity" CSS rule. Apparently we can't use the "display" CSS rule nor hidden the control by the "Hidden" control's option, but use the "opacity" CSS rule to hide the control at the start. Then, when certainly Input control take the focus we can shown (change the opacity) of the Label and hide it (change the opacity again) when the Input loss the focus. Take a look at this sample: MyApp.zip

Hello tin,

I am not an expert in transition effects, so I am not sure about how to replicate exactly the same effect that you shown in your sample. What I do is to prepare an small sample for App Builder that shown how we can use CSS transition effects in both ways: using the "SetStyle" action and also the appropiate CSS code in order to set the transition effects. Please, take a look at the sample, download it from here: Transitions.zip

What you can do is to learn about CSS transitions, tin, for example, a good article to start can be this from the W3 Schools: CSS 3 Transitions

Hello to all,

After a search on Google I find this service that may can be useful:

https://www.splitpdf.com/

P.S. I certainly did not try it, but it's the first result of the search: I mean probably we can find several tools that help us to split a PDF file into smaller ones, if this can be a possible solution for us.

Hello lanka,

First of all, I must recognize some AB lacks talking about download files, and, in general, when we must play with arbitrary files on the devices. Certainly we have right now actions like "FileWrite", "FileRead", etc. And of course we always can deal directly with the Cordova's File and FileTransfer plugins in order to download files, but the point is to allow to use these plugins in an AB style, in a more easy way.

Probably I must work on that lacks in the near future, however, I am not sure if here we are onto another kind of "issue". Certainly deal with a 80 MB PDF file is not too much efficient... no matter if we must download it, or include it with the application. However, probably the best approach is to download that file, even more if we can let the user the option to download that big file or not.

So what I propose? I think maybe you can consider to split that PDF file in various parts, of course, if that is possible. Then you can place the PDF files inside the application or in the app's server. In the first case the size of the application can continue be big (since the PDF, even divided, continue to be big), but, maybe this can be acceptable if we consider the advantages: we no need to download the PDF files at all. But we can gain some advantage if place the small PDF files in the server, because the time to visualize it is reduced.

But what solution I propose? Taking the above paragraph in consideration, if you finally can split the PDF into smaller files, then probably the app's server solution is enough: the users can visualize the PDF files from the server, but no need to download 80 MB everytime they wanted to take a look. If you can't or do not want to split the big PDF file into smaller files, then maybe the only solution right now are to include the PDF with your application, or, deal with the refered Cordova's plugins directly.

This last is perfectly possible, you must to follow the plugins documentation and use the appropiate Javascript API from AB. If you finally decide to choose this option, and need ANY help, just post here your specific problems, lanka, and we will try to help you.

Hello to all,

Hi David,

Thanks for the information. I will stick to the old method. Because if I want to update my apk file on apps store I need the store key file.

Thanks

Maybe you did not understand the point, or maybe I did not explain it very well? With the Key Store tool already incorporated in App Builder, we can create Store key files and private keys. With that information (a store key path and a private key) we can use now the new options and the JSON config file. Then we no need to do anything else, because when debug, run or release our apps, they are automatically signed based on the JSON config file provided information.

Of course we can continue using the Android specific tools that AB incorporate (because, for example, we want to sign an specific APK file), but the new JSON config build file allows to sign our applications at the same time they are debug, run or release, then we save our time. :)

Hello to all,

From some recent Cordova's version it's possible to sign our iOS applications by preparing certain JSON file ("build config") in which we can specify the appropiate information to sign our applications when debug and release it.

This message is to inform that App Builder incorporates now the right app's options in order to generate the refered JSON file, and use it from the generated SHELL files. So we can now sign our applications in one step.

Hope this information are useful!

P.S. The same options are also available for the Android platform: the right JSON file can be generated by App Builder now and used it in the generated BAT files for Windows.

Hello to all,

From some recent Cordova's version it's possible to sign our Android applications by preparing certain JSON file ("build config") in which we can specify the appropiate information to sign our applications when debug and release it.

This message is to inform that App Builder incorporates now the right app's options in order to generate the refered JSON file, and use it from the generated BAT files. So we can now sign our applications in one step.

The specific Android tools that incorporates App Builder too still existing, because, for example, using that tools we can create the appropiate storekey file, something that we need to use it in the above options.

Hope this information are useful!

P.S. The same options are also available for the iOS platform: the right JSON file can be generated by App Builder now and used it in the generated SHELL files for UNIX.

Hello tin,

Certainly the framework you link uses AngularJS, however, they are not an stylesheet and some Javascript code, they are a complete framework, tin, for example, in the sense that they uses some special HTML code to declare text inputs, email inputs, etc. But AB already offers that kind of controls!

Maybe you can adapt the CSS code, or get some Bootstrap CSS theme that emulates the "material design" of Google... one thing is this, in which we have one ore more stylesheets, one ore more JS files, and, other thing is a complete framework like the linked one. With some works maybe you can get it working...

But probably this is not the objective of AB, which try to offer an easy way to create applications: and try to use an enterely different framework on App Builder is not something easy nor required. Anyway, if you have any specific question don't hesitate to post in the forum tin and we will try to help you.

Hello Samuel,

Hello David,
Thanks for the great improvement. If, not perfect as you said, in my opinion, it seems to perfectly reply to the need because there is some logic in the way the code is indented.
So the brain can get used to the way the code appears and can learn how to quickly find the information.

Again, thanks a lot for your great support David :)

Always thanks you! Certainly the indentation is a task from us, in the sense that we are responsible about how the code finally looks. At least the recent changes do not break the indentation when edit action. The "autocompletion" list also respect the indentation. Even the new actions from the actions' dock window (a bit more problematic) works like expected... if we previously set the cursor on the right place. Certainly this is not perfect, but better than before. :)

Hello Samuel,

It's not perfect yet, however, I improve a little the indentation task and you can see it working on the current App Builder release. Why I say it's not perfect? Right now (with the latest changes) we don't loss anymore the indentation when edit actions, no matter the amount of indentation space.

However, when we insert a new action from the actions' dock window, I can't calculate (right now) the intentation in the proper way, so, even when the action is inserted in the right place (respecting the indentation) then a new line is also inserted and they do not start at the indentation point (of the above line) but at the start. So we must press the space key if we want to continue adding more actions from the actions' dock window.

Maybe I can improve this in the near future. Anyway I hope the introduced changes help us.

P.S. Something I forget to say. The "indentation option" of the code editor is not exactly related with the indentation than AB try to maintain when insert and edit visual actions. The code editor's indentation option means the editor respect the indentation of the previous line when we press the enter key, basically. So this option is not certainly useful when insert new actions and edit existing ones.