From the Forum — Issue #20

16 May 2014

From the Forum — Issue #20

Welcome to the latest installment of From the Forum. In this series, guest blogger Alex Jackson highlights outstanding threads from the Corona Forum. The goal is to bring attention to the most captivating, interesting, and thought-provoking discussions taking place in our very own backyard.

Please visit the forum to join these conversations or start your own!

1. IAP reviewer promo code solution

Generating good word of mouth can be tough for a struggling indie developer, and getting your app in front of as many eyeballs as possible can be the key to a successful launch. However, if you’re developing a paid app or an app that relies on IAP (In-App Purchases) for deeper gameplay, you must find ways for people to get it without jumping through digital hoops.

Developer schroederapps shared a useful idea to let folks get your app without giving away the farm. His concept is to use a custom, unique URL scheme which unlocks IAP in the app when the reviewer downloads and installs it, and this was not seen by any authorities as a red flag for app piracy.

Head over to the original thread to find more info on this solution, including a link for using custom URL schemes in iOS.

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/37264-rejected-by-apple-cause-of-promo-code-custom-solution/

2. Differences between native.newWebView() and native.showWebPopup()

I’m going to spare everyone the extensive preamble on this one: we’re going to get technical and I know you’re going to love it.

Calling URLs with either the native.newWebView() or the native.showWebPopup() APIs can do different things. In the following thread, developer ksan has a thorough and in-depth discussion on the differences and similarities of each, and why you might use one versus the other. Go check it out!

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/47121-nativeshowpopup-does-not-return-to-my-app-when/

3. Facebook friend tagging tips

Facebook has been a hot topic lately. Getting it into your app and making it play nicely with the rest of your code can be a struggle, but once you do it, you’ll feel like a superhero. Once you’ve done that, you may want to take the next step: friend tagging in photos. It sounds more complicated than it actually is, but you will need to understand Facebook Graph V2 API references.

Fortunately, schroederapps has us covered again with a useful little snippet in this thread:

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/47137-tagging-facebook-photos-using-facebookrequest-anybody-done-this/

About Alex

Alex Jackson is an indie developer and the founder of Panc Software, specializing in retro-style gaming. He has created several mobile applications, enjoys long walks on the beach, pixel art, and reading the Corona forums. Contact him by email or follow him on Twitter: @pancsoftware. Check out his new game Crosstown Smash on iOS, Android, and Amazon devices!