Posts by DecSoft

Hello Samuel,

I updated App Builder right now by adding a new Cordova custom plugins option into the app options dialog. We can put in the Custom plugins editbox one or more custom plugins by specifying the plugin ID, for example, "com.jsmobile.plugins.sms" for the SMS plugin we are talking about in this post.

App Builder automatically add custom plugins into their generated Cordova batch files and also into their generated Cordova "config.xml" file. This avoid the need to edit the batch files to add the plugins by ourself everytime we build the app, since the Cordova batch files are regenerated in every app build.

Hello Samuel,

You're welcome. Certainly the refered actions can be very useful. However maybe the actions is not documented very well, for example, how we can access app variables from a piece of Javascript added between the StartJS and EndJS actions?

Probably I need to enhance the documentation to talk about this, but, for information purposes, let me to say here that we can access app stuff from the Javascript using the "$scope" and the "$rootScope" variables.

For example, we can modify the above Javascript code in this manner:

In the above code we use the "Input1" and "Textarea1" controls "Value" variable, and also we use the "alertBox" action defined in our app scope. Basically "$rootScope" contains all our app controls and app variables. The "$scope" contains much of the app actions into their Javascript implementation, but not all.

Hello Samuel,

Firstly let me to say that I test right now the SMS plugin you refer and works like a charm. Certainly a possible good new App Builder help tutorial can be how to include and use additional Cordova plugins.

Basically we need to follow the instructions of the plugin author, but, in general all the plugins work in a similar way:

1º Setup the app in order to generate Cordova Batch files, for example, for Android.

2º To use the plugin in our app we must follow the author instructions and add this code to a button click event, for example:

As you view above we use directly the plugin Javascript code between the StartJS and EndJS actions.

3º Once the app is compiled, open the "cordova_android.bat" and add the plugin install call:

And that's all! We can build now the app using Apache Cordova in order to get our APK file.

What I can do in order to help a little more this process? Probably I can add some app options in order to allow us to add custom Cordova plugins. Basically I am thinking in some editbox which allow us to put plugin installation calls, in order to tell App Builder these calls must be add into the generated Cordova Batch files.

Hello Walter,

About the first question I don't understand what "True/False" means in this scenario. Do you want to disable it or what? Please explain me little more.

About the second question, as you say, disable the context menu help just a bit for downloading the video. If the user is a little smart, probably they can always access the video source. Maybe we can complicate the things from the webserver, but, to be honest, at this moment I can't imagine a way, since our apps running on the client and their source is available, even when minimized and obfuscate it.

Anyway I update App Builder in order to add some stuff related with this second question. I add to the Event's category the new PreventDefault action, and, also add a "ContextMenu" event to the app views and also to the Media Player control. Now we can prevent the browser contextual menu by using the PreventDefault action into the Media Player ContextMenu event in the below way:

We can prevent the context menu for an entire app view or an specific control by using the ContextMenu app view event, for example, the below code into such event prevent the context menu for the entire app view:

We also can disable the context menu for an specific control, for example, a "Button1", using the same ContextMenu app view event in this way:

Then what is the reason we can't use this approach to prevent the contextual menu in the Media Player event? Because the "target.id" of the app view Event variable are empty in this case and we need to deep into the Event object to properly access the Media Player name or ID. So I decide to put a ContextMenu event specifically to be used by the Media Player control.

Hope this can be useful for you, but, if you have any question don't hesitate to post here.

Hello Walter,

I recieve the errors capture. Certainly they appear to be some "problem" in your code, in the sense that probably you are using some Javascript code which can cause the problem. Maybe I can help you more if you send me such piece of code. Maybe the problem is not produced by such code but by the interpretation of App Builder of that code. Anyway I need such Javascript code in order to investigate it.

Hello Walter,

What about this issue? Finally you get working the code minimizer tool?

Hello Walter,

Firstly I need to say that I have not experience in this aspect. I try with an RTMP URL and they do not work, apparently this format is not supported by HTML5. For the Media Player component I use the fantastic Videogular player, which have certain plugin to deal with "Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH)".

Apparently the DASH MPD files are similar to RTMP but the browser support for DASH is very, very limited at this time. Maybe we can use some Flash player or something, but for sure we enter in possible lack of support for Flash in various platforms, then probably we can't do nothing about at this time Walter... I am sorry.

Anyway I am investigating about the Dash plugin for Videogular: maybe we can add it at least as an option.

Hello Walter,

We are talking about apps running in browsers or Apache Cordova compiled apps? Anyway take in easy with that Walter: the user must can made zoom to suit their needs. Then maybe disable the zoom is not a good idea, just let the app start without any zoom and let the user to choose the zoom level if they requires some special one.

Hello Walter,

Waiting for your mail.

Hello Walter,

Good error! Nope. I will take a look at this, however, can you tell me if Java is propertly installed in your PC?

And other point: please, try to create a Batch file (from the Tools menu) and choose to minimize the app code.

Then try to run the Batch that must compile and minimize the code of your app. Please tell me if this fail or what.

Hello Walter,

The "problem" is that Firefox support cross origin request for local files, but Chrome nor Internet Explorer support this. Use local files also have some other problems like the local storage support: again Internet Explorer, for example, do not support local storage for local files. This is the reason why I decide to incorporate an HTTP server which App Builder uses for debug purposes and not simple load local files.

Really I don't know if Chrome and Internet Explorer can be configured to support XHR and other stuff also in local files (probably yes) but this is not the configuration by default, then probably it's not a good idea to distribute our apps to be running as local files.

Hello Walter,

What is the error message that you get? The code minimizer tool is based in the YUI Compressor, which is included into the App Builder distribution. Since this program requires Java, maybe you have not Java installed? Anyway, please, post here the error message you get in order to try to help you.

Hello Walter,

The Pause app event is not available for browsers, just for apps compiled by App Cordova and for the Amazon Fire OS, Android, BlackBerry 10, iOS, Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 platforms. But this platforms or browsers does not have a method to "close" an app. The users just go ahead with other apps, and, can back later to our app or simply not. The platforms are responsible to close the apps when the memory is low, etc.

On the other hand, the "window.close" method available for browsers appears to works only for opened windows from a web app, that is, there is not possible to close a web app page by itself. So the only way I can imagine an scenario that allow us to close an app is to use a first app to open the second one. The first one can use the OpenWindow action specifiying the "index.html" of the second app. And the second app can call to the "window.close" method to close their window itself.

In order to keep simple maybe we can use a simple "index.html" as the first app. From this "index.html" file we can use the "window.open" Javascript method in order to open our app in a new window. And then yes, such app can use the "window.close" method to close such window by itself. This can work (remember the times when the webpages start by opening a new window?) and right now its the only scenario I can imagine in order to do something like you wanted. If you have any other question please don't hesitate to post it here.

Hello Samuel,

Yes; in principle we need the "config.xml" file. In fact the required plugin is also refered in the "config.xml" file. My concern is if need to specify we want to add the required plugin from the possible build file in Mac OS.

Certainly App Builder build files (for Windows) instruct Apache Cordova to add the required plugin, but I don't know if this is really needed in Mac OS or Apache Cordova can take what plugins are required from the "config.xml" file as we can expect.

Hello Samuel,

Certainly this can be a little confuse. If I am not wrong we can't use Apache Cordova to compile iOS apps from Microsoft Windows (*), and, since App Builder is a Windows program, there is no sense to include a builder file for the iOS platform.

However, App Builder produced apps can be compiled for the iOS platform using Apache Cordova, but this need to be does from a OS X computer and with the required software SDK installed, like is described in this Apache Cordova help.

So the help about the Launcher plugin mean is the plugin is only available for the iOS and the Android platforms. App Builder can help you with the build file for the Android platform, not for the iOS platform. But the plugin works in both.

(*) Maybe we can compile apps for iOS using the Adobe Build service, but I recommend the Apache Cordova CLI version, and, on the other hand, I never try with an iOS app, to be honest.