I appreciate the issue, but Corona needs to be careful promoting the SDK as suitable for Business Apps as people should also be aware that many of the typical components (like a text field) don’t behave and render anywhere near as good as they should, and for that reason I think it is worth pointing out.
It is a shame the business sample apps conveniently avoid needing text entry - I’d love to see how Corona would recommend you attack that problem!
G
Thanks for that G - I am evaluating building my next business app in corona. Not got as far as native text fields yet. Been bogged down for a week looking at tableviews !
I note that the examples also seem to avoid the issue of rotating the screen to match the device. Try that with a tableview.
Has anybody out there actually produced what could really be considered a business app, the ones I have seen quoted are all a bit basic and very limited ?
Hey guys - there are a few examples here:
http://coronalabs.com/resources/case-studies/ (under Business apps)
While I know not everything you would like is there yet, I do know it’s possible to do a very good business app with Corona.
I’ll see if we can add some text entry fields to this sample app as well.
Hi @dweezil. The first version depends on the iOS 7 Widget theme. It also has a dependency on custom map markers. Neither by themselves are a “Pro” feature, but they are currently only available in daily builds. We updated the sample app today to support the last public build with regards to the iOS 7 Widget theme. I’ll see if I can get the Map sample to make sure it doesn’t have problems with the last public build. The custom map markers won’t be available for the last public build.
These are some good questions. The URL “http://www.coronalabs.com/feed/” is the URL for the site’s RSS feed. Different content management system will have different URL’s for their RSS feed. There really isn’t a standard format for them, so you kinda need to know your sites format. In our case:
The feed is downloaded to system.CachesDirectory (network.download(feedURL, “GET”, networkListener, feedName, system.CachesDirectory )). If you’re looking on the simulator, it’s in the app’s sandbox and open that folder you will see Caches folder. That’s where you will find the feed file. On device, you probably won’t have access to the sandbox.
The easiest way to tell if it’s an RSS 2.0 feed or an ATOM 1.0 feed is to put the feed URL in the location bar of your browser and enter it and then do a “View Source” (or View Page Source) in the browser and look at the first line of the feed. If you see:
<?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“UTF-8”?><rss version=“2.0”
Then it’s an RSS 2.0 feed. If you see it reference Atom, then it’s an atom feed. The atom.lua file will process atom feeds, like the rss.lua parses RSS 2.0 feeds. They should produce identical output, so it’s easy to change in the feed.lua file.
Have you filed a bug report on this? I’m not sure anyone has. We will need one before Engineering can fix it. Please use the “Report a bug” feature at the top of the page to report it.
Thanks
Rob
Thanks Rob. So when will the the iOS7 theme be fuly supported in the public free release?
What ever support with have for iOS 7 in the daily builds when we make the next public build will make it into that public build. I suppose the real question here is When will there be a new daily build? and… I can’t answer that because we don’t know. We have to get the new Graphics 2.0 engine stable and it just went into public beta this week.
[quote name=“DavidRangel” post=“209566” timestamp=“1381447328”]While I know not everything you would like is there yet, I do know it’s possible to do a very good business app with Corona. I’ll see if we can add some text entry fields to this sample app as well.[/quote] Widgets 2.0 has yet to settle as a mature and robust platform from which we can build dependable apps. It works as long as you know what’s broken and either avoid or work around it. We desperately need the existing and growing bug list issues resolved. Graphics 2.0 might be full of promise for the gaming world and I do know it will improve the widgets in certain areas too (ie dynamic masking…) but I am really worried about all the new bugs it will add to the already sizable widgets 2.0 list. Great sample app but yes, please add text entry and also search function while you’re at it. Search is a very common need for a business app and the fact that there is an unfinished search widget in. GitHub tells me this is something you are aware too. Please consider getting this widget completed and available. Thank you very much.
Perhaps it might be a good idea if they stopped adding any new features until they make sure that what is there works as it should.
[quote name=“richard17” post=“209876” timestamp=“1381659419”]Perhaps it might be a good idea if they stopped adding any new features until they make sure that what is there works as it should. [/quote] I agree. Like graphics 2.0 right? 
There has to be a balance between features and bug fixes and improvements. Corona SDK is used by a wide variety of programmers and shops looking to do a wide variety of things. It would be really impractical to stop everything and spend all of our energy in one area. It’s amazing that we get as much done as we do for a shop our size.
Things also depend on each other. You want auto-masking widgets? Need graphics 2.0 for that. Want your picket wheel to look like its fading off into the distance? G2.0 needed.
Since we open-sourced the widget library, you are more than welcome to add features that you need, or change the behavior if our current behavior doesn’t fit your needs. And of course if you add something useful that the community could benefit from, you’re welcome to submit those features back to us for review and possible inclusion in the project.
Rob
Can you open source the ability to have a status bar on android 3+? I would really like to just have that…
Android’s status bar was always available.
hmm, i guess they should update the docs (and the code):
From the docs: While Android 2.x devices are supported, Android 3.x devices do not support status bar.
What link are you reading?
Ah, I see what you might have missinterpreted. What it means that status bar is unsupported is that modification of bar is not supported (dark, translucent). But you can show and hide bar freely on android.
Rob,
That balance between bug fixes and new features is indeed what we have been seeking. As far as I can tell, most if not all energy is going into the new features and specifically G2 right now. I can see how this is seen as a revenue and growth generator for CL especially given its promise in the gaming world. I don’t have the numbers of course but I can imagine 90%+ of CL users are game developers and hence the focus. This is the reality. Business app developers and widgets etc are always going to be second fiddle…
Regarding your question, yes auto-masking in widgets and fading off picker-wheel would be lovely but picker-wheel working as it should, returning values picked would be even nicer. Have you seen the Widgets sub-forum lately? There are so many fundamental issues we are having to fight and work around its not even funny anymore. I don’t really care for the polish G2 will bring to the table at the moment. I am very very concerned about all the new bugs it will introduce to an already very shaky widget foundation.
No reply needed. I hope to see a response in the form of a long awaited and promised bulk update to the Widget library.
Regards,
Kerem
@piotrz5, thank you for setting me straight on this. I assumed that since the new business app didn’t show the statusbar on my android and after seeing the docs, it wasn’t possible. I sent them a message so they can fix it (or make it less confusing).
I’m following this with interest. My needs are generic:
Data entry into screen form, save to database.
Retrieve record for edit/delete/computation/etc
Listbox of all records
So there above you have a todo list, address book, golf score keeper,etc,etc.
Jocala4,
You should be able to do this now. Use the SQLite for your database and the rest you can code in to do.
Warren