10 April 2015
From the Forum — Issue #67
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. He shoots he scores!
Organization is the key to productivity. If you can’t keep your daily tasks, calendar, and yes, even your code nice and tidy, you’re not going to get very much done. That’s why having a mobile app that helps keep your day organized can be a life-saver.
I like to go back to older posts that I wrote about, taking a look at the new developments and learning more about what has come about since I delved into their depths. More often than not, there are comments from folks that are encountering errors and looking for help.
Today, however, we have a real treat. Distinguished Corona developer Christopher Bishop has released his open-source framework for business apps. The germ of the idea can be traced back to the notion that, because Corona doesn’t mirror iOS/Android native functionality, it can’t be used to professional purposes. Chris set out to prove that idea wrong, and in the process, came up with a crackerjack of a library that can be used by any Corona developer right now!
Head down to the original thread and check it out, and don’t forget to say thanks!
http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/55970-corona-business-uiux-framework/
2. Change the face but remain the same
Getting used to the changes and fixes made to the native.newTextField API is a great way to spend your time. It has come a long way since it’s inception, and the work that has been done on it really shows.
Now comes the fun part, which is making the text field appear unique to your app. In some cases, modifying a text field isn’t really that useful, but the techniques to accomplish it can come in handy in some important situations. The question on how to make these changes was posed in the below link, and some interesting solutions were provided. Have a gander at the original post, and if you have any ideas of your own, feel free to share!
http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/56075-change-how-nativenewtextfield-looks/
3. Social media workflow, and the best way to login a user
Getting a user to post to Facebook about your app can be the first step to app development supremacy. One user shares, five other users try it out, they like, and tell give more… well, you get the idea. Making it as simple as humanly possible for someone to post to Facebook about your game or app, whether it’s a picture of a status update, should be of paramount importance.
Using the native.showPopup() social plugin is a great way to take that first step. This allows users to share to any service recognized on a device. However, another developer wanted a way to let users post to Facebook, from the native Facebook app, without having several go-betweens and making the user login every time the app starts.
Check it out at the link below, and if you have any suggestions or optimizations, share them with the class.
About Alex
Alex Jackson is an indie developer and the founder of Panc Interactive, 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: @pancinteractive. Check out his new game Crosstown Smash on iOS, Android, and Amazon devices!
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