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AppStudio 8.1 with VoltBuilder is coming!

Apple has set a deadline of April 30 for apps to support certain features, or they will not be approved for the iOS App Store.

Traditionally, AppStudio developers have used PhoneGap Build to make executables for the App Store. PhoneGap is no longer being actively supported, so it is unable to meet Apple’s requirements.

We’ve been working hard on VoltBuilder, a new service to replace PhoneGap Build. It’s in beta right now. The results have been promising: several beta testers have already successfully uploaded apps to Apple.

We expect to release it as part of AppStudio 8.1 in the very near future. In the meantime, if you need to submit to Apple, ask to join the beta program for 8.1.

There is more information in the wiki. Complete pricing details will also come soon.

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AppStudio 8.0.6 released!

We’re pleased to announce that 8.0.6 has been released.

The biggest change is that we’ve reworked the PhoneGap CLI interface. It’s now called Cordova and does a lot more of the work for you. Read more here.

Here’s what is new and fixed in the new release:

  1. PhoneGap CLI renamed Cordova
  2. Cordova: Completely renovated, simpler and easier to use.
  3. Cordova: Uses wxWebView (required by Apple)
  4. PhoneGap config.xml: Now uses wkWebView, as required by Apple.
  5. Project Properties: New Cordova Command property.
  6. Project Properties: PhoneGap section now named “PhoneGap and Cordova”
  7. BS4 Modal: Add ids to title, header, body and footer.
  8. Common Controls: Label – alignVertical with height=auto fixed.
  9. Controls: Add onfocusin event to list of events for all Input controls.
  10. Controls: Add oninput event to list of events for all Input controls.
  11. Cordova: Build using XCode 11 (required by Apple)
  12. Design Screen: Problem with rotation fixed.
  13. Electron: ElectronMain now passes eslint.
  14. Electron: Give error message if icon not found.
  15. Electron: was getting default icon from wrong folder.
  16. Electron: New electronIcon property.
  17. Forms: Bounds properties now properly note how fullscreen is handled.
  18. Installer: Properties for AppStudio.exe now shows the version.
  19. PWA: Don’t cache php files.
  20. PWA: Use default scope instead of explicit. Clears a Chrome warning message.
  21. Samples: Improved BS4 Modal sample. (Thanks, Gary!)

To install on MacOS Catalina, you may need to right click on the .dmg file. Apple has just increased the security requirements for apps, and one of the libraries we (and millions of others) use has not been updated to this standard yet.

The easiest way to get the update is on the Help menu – “Check for Updates…” or visit our Downloads page..

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AppStudio 8.0.5 released!

We’re pleased to announce that 8.0.5 has been released.

This release fixes a few problems and tidies up a few things. The internal save format of project has changed a bit, so keep a backup if you want to use this build with other releases.

Here’s what is new and fixed in the new release:

  1. BS3: Change icon color to red, so it looks more obsolete.
  2. BS4: Update Sketchy theme.
  3. Electron: Don’t include PWA files.
  4. Electron: Fix formatting error in electronMain.js.
  5. Electron: Use main icon, not PhoneGap icon.
  6. Offline Help: fixed on Windows (was OK on MacOS)
  7. PWA: Allow multiple apps on the same server by checking id when clearing cache.
  8. Samples: Fix problems with Camera samples. (Thanks, bsommer!)
  9. Samples: Update all PhoneGap config.xml properties

To install on MacOS Catalina, you may need to right click on the .dmg file. Apple has just increased the security requirements for apps, and one of the libraries we (and millions of others) use has not been updated to this standard yet.

The easiest way to get the update is on the Help menu – “Check for Updates…” or visit our Downloads page..

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AppStudio 8.0.4 released!

We’re pleased to announce that 8.0.4 has been released.

This release fixes a few problems and tidies up a few things. The internal save format of project has changed a bit, so keep a backup if you want to use this build with other releases.

Here’s what is new and fixed in the new release:

  1. BS4 Checkbox: Do not allow multiline strings for value property.
  2. BS4: Remove references to Bootstrap-theme.min.css
  3. BS4: Themes all updated.
  4. Design Screen: Do not allow designHeight/Width to be strings.
  5. Electron: Error on deploy fixed.
  6. Project Explorer: Do not append “copy” if not needed when cut/pasting controls.
  7. Project: manifest.json and package.json are pure JSON now.
  8. Samples: Camera sample is now in JavasScript.
  9. Samples: PhoneGap samples were trying to load unneeded files.
  10. Samples: Problem with PhoneGapCamera fixed. (Thanks, BSommer!)
  11. SQLite: Problem with deploying databases with app fixed.
  12. Translation: “Replace” on Find screen now appears in the proper language.
  13. Translation: Deutsch was adding an extra space to file names.
  14. Translation: German translations improved.
  15. Windows: Round icons now appear everywhere.

The easiest way to get the update is on the Help menu – “Check for Updates…”

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AppStudio 8.0.3 released!

We’re pleased to announce that 8.0.3 has been released.

This release fixes a couple of problems and tidies up a few things.

Here’s what is new and fixed in the new release:

  1. PWA: ‘disablePWA’ is now called ‘Make PWA?’
  2. PWA: Test new variable NSB.PWA if see if running as a PWA.
  3. PWA: If not running as a PWA, don’t initialize PWA.
  4. esLint: Handles Windows line ending properly.
  5. Design Screen: Problem with deleting controls which have been cut and pasted fixed.
  6. Samples: Fix JavaScript version of Camera sample.
  7. BS4 themes: Fix spelling of Lumen.
  8. BS4 themes: Paper and Readable shouldn’t have been listed.
  9. BS4 themes: Litera and Sketchy added.
  10. Libraries: Updates to Python, Node, obfuscater, eslint and more.

The easiest way to get the update is on the Help menu – “Check for Updates…”

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AppStudio 8.0.2 released!

We’re pleased to announce that 8.0.2 has been released.

This releases fixes most of the issues that remaining. If you’re using 8.0.1, you should definitely upgrade. If you’re not on Version 8 yet, give it a try!

Here’s what is new and fixed in the new release:

  1. Bootstrap 4: bootstrap-enhanced.css removed – obsolete.
  2. Controls: Emoji in text fields now display properly.
  3. Deploy: obsolete code for nsbapp.com removed.
  4. Images: Do not delete image file when control referencing it is deleted.
  5. Properties Grid: Duplicate ID numbers checked.
  6. Samples: Dark Mode sample improved.
  7. Windows: File Version fixed in Windows’ Properties.
  8. Windows: Signing certificate updated.

The easiest way to get the update is on the Help menu – “Check for Updates…”

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AppStudio 8: Dark Mode

AppStudio 8 brings Dark Mode support to your apps. To enable it, go into Project Properties and set backgroundColor to inherit

Dark Mode makes software easier on your eyes at night, according to some. It certainly makes it easier for other people in the room who are trying to sleep.

Here’s how to turn on Dark Mode on Windows and on MacOS.
For Android, the setting is in Chrome menu, settings, themes, dark. (Thanks, Gary!)

Dark Mode is a fairly new feature for both Windows and MacOS. Not all frameworks, utilities and apps are ready for it.

Dark Mode in AppStudio

Dark Mode is only partially supported in AppStudio 8.0. The Design Screen will show the app you are creating in Dark Mode (if your computer is set to Dark Mode). However, not all features in AppStudio itself support Dark Mode yet.

AppStudio 8 is built using wxPython 4.0, which is a wrapper for wxWidgets. The developers of wxPython expect to have support for Dark Mode in wxPython 4.1, which is under development. We expect to adopt that as soon as it is released.

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AppStudio 8: What’s new with PhoneGap?

AppStudio 8 brings a number of improvements to PhoneGap Build.

Two factors made these changes important. First, as of November 1, 2019, Google Play toughened up its requirements for apps. Second, as the number of device screen sizes proliferated, dozens of sizes of icons and splash screens had to be supplied, along with modifications to the config.xml.

We made things much simpler for our users. Just supply a 1024×1024 icon and a 2732×2732 splash screen, and AppStudio will automatically generate all the required images and update the config.xml file.
Continue reading “AppStudio 8: What’s new with PhoneGap?”

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AppStudio 8.0.1 released!

We’re pleased to announce that 8.0.1 has been released.

As the first point release to 8.0.0, it fixes most of the issues that have been encountered so far. If you’re using 8.0.0, you should definitely upgrade. If you’re not on Version 8 yet, give it a try!

Here’s what is new and fixed in the new release:

  1. About: Display serial number
  2. Bootstrap: Make themes easier to see and preview.
  3. Electron: IScroll now loads properly.
  4. Code Window: Remembers position when switching forms.
  5. IDE: Copyright dates changed to 2020.
  6. IDE: Fix error on startup – deploy_deploymode not initialized
  7. MacOS: Builds are notarized, so they should work with Catalina’s security.
  8. MacOS: Minimum version is now 10.13 (High Sierra).
  9. PWA: Duplicate filenames are handled properly.
  10. PWA: Filenames with spaces work properly.
  11. PWA: Fix missing function in PWA.js
  12. PWA: new onPWAReload() event gets called when new version detected. Can be used to override default behaviour.
  13. Translations: Add full Chinese Traditional
  14. Updates: URLs are no longer hard coded.
  15. Validation: Library updated to 1.19.1.
  16. Wiki: Offline edition’s Search feature fixed.

The easiest way to get the update is on the Help menu – “Check for Updates…”

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AppStudio 8: What’s new with Electron?

Electron is a tool which lets you build Windows and MacOS apps. Furthermore, it allows you to include Node libraries in your app. There are more than a million of them, adding all sorts of features.

AppStudio 8 makes it much easier to use Electron in your project. Add the libraries you need (if any), then choose Electron from the Run menu to build your project.

Specific changes in Version 8 are:

  • ‘Make Desktop App using Electron’ added to Run menu
  • ‘Make Desktop App for Distribution’ added to Run menu
  • Electron build now uses the Electron-build library.
  • ElectronWeather sample updated to use electron-build.
  • Electron Wiki article updated to show how to use electron-build manually.

There is no need to used the command line or enter npm commands with AppStudio 8.

There is a tutorial which takes you through creating your first Electron app. You can try here: Using Node and Electron to build Desktop Apps

Also check out the electronWeather sample, which uses the weather-js Node library to get weather information from the MSN Weather API. You could access the API directly, but the library makes this much, much easier.