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AppStudio 4: Working with Dropbox

AppStudio 4.0 allows your mobile app to share data with other computers using Dropbox.

(If you haven’t used Dropbox, it’s an easy to use cloud based filing system. It is very nicely integrated with Windows and Mac: it becomes just another folder on your system. Dropbox takes care of all the behind the scenes file transferring, and it’s free with a reasonable amount of storage.)

You can create, read, update and delete files in your Dropbox folder using AppStudio. This makes it a powerful tool for synching data between your device and the desktop. It even works offline: the files you create or update will be synced with the desktop next time there is a data connection.
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AppStudio 4: PictureBox images are way easier!

One of the hardest things to explain to new AppStudio users has always been “Why is it so hard to show an image in a PictureBox?”

PictureBox is based in the HTML5 Canvas element. To display an image on it, you used to need the following code:

'Pre AppStudio 4.0 code
pb = PictureBox1.getContext("2d")
myImage=new Image()

Sub Main
  myImage.src="mario.jpg"
End Sub

Function myImage_onload()
  pb.drawImage(myImage,0,0)
End Function

Since an image can take some time to load, it is done asynchronously. When the load is complete, unload is called to finish the display.

In AppStudio 4.0, it’s much simpler, using the new addImage() function:
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AppStudio 4: Sounds just got better!

Before AppStudio 4, sounds were played using the Audio control. This had a few drawbacks: it was a bit complicated to set up, there was a noticeable delay before the sound started, only one sound could play at a time and it would insist on putting Play/Resume buttons on the screen. These made sounds useless for many applications, including user feedback and gaming.

In AppStudio 4, we have added a new function, PlaySound:

  PlaySound("Bubbles.wav")

It plays the sound immediately, with nothing appearing on the screen. Sound files can be .wav or .mp3 format.
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AppStudio 4: GetJSON() makes Web Services Easy!

AppStudio 4 has a number of features to make your life easier. We looked for ways to make code easier to write and understand.

First up is GetJSON. This function is used to get information from a web service. There are many web services available: making use of these is a great way to connect your app to the outside world. The Programmable Web lists over 10,000 web API’s you can use. APIs exist for almost everything: sports, games, the stock market, weather, inventory checks at retailers, Yahoo, Twitter, FaceBook and Google.
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jQuery Mobile 1.4: A new look and feel!

It’s not just AppStudio which got a makeover in Version 4. The default framework is now jQuery 1.4, which has had its own appearance updated.

After iOS 7 introduced its new look and feel, it was soon apparent which apps were paying attention and updated their own appearance. Apps which have not done so look old and tired. To stay competitive, apps need to updated.

Upgrading from jQuery Mobile 1.3 to 1.4 will give you that updated look.
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Upgrading to AppStudio 4

Upgrading to AppStudio 4.0 should be straightforward. Here’s the information you need.

Ordering the Upgrade

  • Upgrades are free for anyone who bought AppStudio 3 (or the upgrade to it) after January 1, 2014.
  • If you bought before Jan 1, the upgrade costs $49.95.
  • You can download the demo to give it a try.
  • You can buy the full version in the demo using PayPal or use our order form.
  • After you buy, restart the IDE and you will have the full licensed version.

Some technical stuff you should know

  • Keep a backup of your critical projects. (Always!)
  • jQuery Mobile 1.3 has been deprecated. While it will still work with AppStudio 4, support will be removed in a future AppStudio release. jQuery Mobile 1.4 has a much more modern look and feel, as well as many new features.
  • iWebKit has been deprecated. While it will still work with AppStudio 4, support will be removed in a future AppStudio release. When we first launched AppStudio, it was a great framework. However, it has been abandoned by its author: it has not been updated in years. Time to move on!
  • When you first load a project in AppStudio 4, it will ask if you want to update to jQuery 1.4. AppStudio will update all your jQuery Mobile controls.
  • It will also update most of your iWebKit controls. Some, like menus, will need to be redone.
  • Read about the rest of the breaking changes.
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AppStudio 4.0 released!

We’re pleased to announce that AppStudio 4.0 has been released.

There’s a lot of new stuff in it, but the first thing you notice is the whole new look and feel.

The old design looked like something from the last century, when a design by programmers was good enough. It worked, wasn’t pretty and was cluttered.

Software design these days has been strongly influenced by mobile devices. Nothing is put on the screen unless it needs to be. Colors are flat and harmonious, fonts are sans-serif. We enlisted Tomo Arakawa, a software designer and professional architect, to come up with a new design.

The comments so far have overwhelmingly positive:

    “Excellent Job…”
    “I think this is a great new look.”
    “Very nice… Good, and Clean and Fresh, and very responsive.”
    “George nicer look!”
    “I like it. A lot. Nice, specially the listing of all the functions ({..}), really nice.”
    “Sieht super aus.” (Looks super.)
    “It’s look very good”
    “Wow! New design is the bomb! Speechless…”

but also, inevitably, one comment of “Go back to the original it was far better.”

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A quick way to open a PDF…

PDF documents can be tricky to view. Different screen sizes, browsers and versions of the OS make showing a resizable, scrollable PDF within your app tricky.

Here’s a quick way around this:

  open("http://guu-izakaya.com/docs/2013.12_sakabar_menu.pdf")

The open function creates a new browser window which displays the pdf document. Once you are done viewing the PDF, you will need to use the OS to return to your app.

This method can also be used to open any document a browser can open, including web sites and images.

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New AppStudio Course available!

We have just added an AppStudio course to the Wiki:

http://wiki.nsbasic.com/AppStudio_Course

It assumes the trainees have a programming background. You can follow through the course notes and lab sessions on your own: if you would like on site training please contact us for details.

It includes samples, lab sessions and solutions.

Since it is in the Wiki, this is a living document. We will expand and update it as AppStudio progresses.

Have a look at let us know what you think!