Is it possible to input variables via keyboard and then store them for a week and email them at the end of the week? Please help I have a big contract to fill and this could make or break our careers!
Thanks,
Brady E. Pennington CEO of LongSword Entertainment
Yes. You input things using native.newTextField(). You can store data either in a SQLite database or as part of a flat file. You could also store the data in an online service like Parse.com or Coronium.io.
You could use a local notification to trigger a reminder to the user to use the app in a week, but that still requires some user interaction. The online database could be a better option to give you more flexibility to run scheduled apps.
You can send email from the device either thru a simple form, but again that requires user interaction. You could code some low level TCP/IP code to implement some connection to a email sending service, but again, an existing online service like Parse.com or Coronium.io will make sending emails a bit easier.
Rob
I just got all of the text boxes on but, I can’t use them in the simulator… Is this normal?
native.newTextField() and such are not supported on the Windows. You have to build for and test on device. There is nothing we can do about this. Its a limitation by Microsoft on mixing Native and OpenGL windows on Windows. If you are on a Mac, what version of Corona are you running and what version of OS-X are you running?
Rob
I am currently using Windows 8.1 pro so, at least i know it is normal. I use oracle virtual box with OS X mavericks to build but, unfortunately it will not show up due to undefined GPU via virtual box so, i guess this is a leap of faith 
By the way is there anyway to submit all of the variables at once with a “submit” button? And I decided to go against the waiting one week then sending I wasn’t it to be sent when you click the button. That should be easier correct? Can you explain the process of doing so in detail please? By the way, thank you for being so helpful to me over the past year I don’t know if I could have finished half of my Apps without your support! 
Thanks,
Brady E. Pennington CEO of LongSword Entertainment
There is an api call called native.showPopup(). This has an email option. For this you form the email and use it as the text for the email. The user is responsible for hitting the send after they read what’s there, and they have the ability to edit it. This may not be what you want. I would recommend looking at Coronium. http://coronium.io
Their service uses Lua for the development language. They have API calls that handles doing storing data in the clouds. I really think this might be easiest path to what you need to do.
Rob
I think I got a working system using screenshot to capture the variables and email them… Can you test it and tell me exactly what it does? I can’t test it due to only having a Oracle VirtualBox so, I would have to wait for it to get approved…
Code:
display.setStatusBar( display.HiddenStatusBar )
local halfW = display.viewableContentWidth / 2
local halfH = display.viewableContentHeight / 2
local backgroundPortrait = display.newImage( “bgp.jpg”, halfW, halfH )
local backgroundLandscape = display.newImage( “bgl.jpg”, halfH - 80, halfW + 80 )
backgroundLandscape.isVisible = false
local background = backgroundPortrait
local stageGroup = display.newGroup()
local backgroundOrientation = function( event )
local delta = event.delta
if ( delta ~= 0 ) then
local rotateParams = { rotation=-delta, time=500, delta=true }
if ( delta == 90 or delta == -90 ) then
local src = background
background = ( backgroundLandscape == background and backgroundPortrait ) or backgroundLandscape
background.rotation = src.rotation
transition.dissolve( src, background )
transition.to( src, rotateParams )
else
assert( 180 == delta or -180 == delta )
end
transition.to( background, rotateParams )
end
end
Runtime:addEventListener( “orientation”, backgroundOrientation )
local name
local function textListener( event )
if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
print( event.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “ended” or event.phase == “submitted” ) then
print( "Submitted text: " … event.target.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “editing” ) then
print( event.newCharacters )
print( event.oldText )
print( event.startPosition )
print( event.text )
end
end
name = native.newTextField( 195, 260, 180, 30 )
name:addEventListener( “userInput”, textListener )
local reason
local function textListener( event )
if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
print( event.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “ended” or event.phase == “submitted” ) then
print( "Submitted text: " … event.target.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “editing” ) then
print( event.newCharacters )
print( event.oldText )
print( event.startPosition )
print( event.text )
end
end
reason = native.newTextField( 195, 395, 180, 30 )
reason:addEventListener( “userInput”, textListener )
local ID
local function textListener( event )
if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
print( event.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “ended” or event.phase == “submitted” ) then
print( "Submitted text: " … event.target.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “editing” ) then
print( event.newCharacters )
print( event.oldText )
print( event.startPosition )
print( event.text )
end
end
ID = native.newTextField( 195, 305, 180, 30 )
ID:addEventListener( “userInput”, textListener )
local period
local function textListener( event )
if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
print( event.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “ended” or event.phase == “submitted” ) then
print( "Submitted text: " … event.target.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “editing” ) then
print( event.newCharacters )
print( event.oldText )
print( event.startPosition )
print( event.text )
end
end
period = native.newTextField( 195, 350, 180, 30 )
period:addEventListener( “userInput”, textListener )
local name = display.newImage( “name.png”, halfH - 180, halfW + 100 )
local ID = display.newImage( “ID.png”, halfH - 180, halfW + 145 )
local period = display.newImage( “period.png”, halfH - 180, halfW + 190 )
local reason = display.newImage( “reason.png”, halfH - 177, halfW + 235 )
local snapshot = display.newImage( “snapshot.png”, halfH - 30, halfW + 280 )
local function takePhoto()
local baseDir = system.DocumentsDirectory
display.save( stageGroup, “LearningCenter.jpg”, baseDir )
local options =
{
to = “longswordentertainment@gmail.com”,
subject = “Learning Center”,
body = “A Student has checked into the Learning Center, open the attached image to see the Student’s information.”,
attachment = { baseDir=system.DocumentsDirectory, filename=“LearningCenter.jpg”, type=“image/png” },
}
native.showPopup( “mail”, options )
end
snapshot:addEventListener(“tap”,takePhoto)
Thanks for all of the Help Rob!
By the way I head you guys are in Tampa right? I live in Lakeland and it would be cool to meet you someday 
The Corporate offices are in Palo Alto, CA. We have some employees located at various locations outside of Palo Alto. None of us are in the Tampa area. We have met up with the IGDA group in Orlando before, but that was a one time site visit.
As for testing your app for you, unfortunately we can’t provide that support through the forums. That type of support would be a for-pay support service. It’s best that you ask the community and see if someone is willing to help you do that testing. You can also search for the Corona Beta Testing group on Facebook and see if someone there will help test your builds, though honestly, they will want a more functional app rather than be your virtual debugging machine.
You should have a device to test on at a minimum, and while it’s not as fast as just running in the simulator, there are other things like Facebook, maps and other services that can only be tested on the device. Or consider picking up an in-expensive Mac Mini to use for Corona SDK.
Rob
Also, you don’t want to advertise your virtual build rig. Apple has been known to blacklist devs that use VMs to build and submit apps.
Yes. You input things using native.newTextField(). You can store data either in a SQLite database or as part of a flat file. You could also store the data in an online service like Parse.com or Coronium.io.
You could use a local notification to trigger a reminder to the user to use the app in a week, but that still requires some user interaction. The online database could be a better option to give you more flexibility to run scheduled apps.
You can send email from the device either thru a simple form, but again that requires user interaction. You could code some low level TCP/IP code to implement some connection to a email sending service, but again, an existing online service like Parse.com or Coronium.io will make sending emails a bit easier.
Rob
I just got all of the text boxes on but, I can’t use them in the simulator… Is this normal?
native.newTextField() and such are not supported on the Windows. You have to build for and test on device. There is nothing we can do about this. Its a limitation by Microsoft on mixing Native and OpenGL windows on Windows. If you are on a Mac, what version of Corona are you running and what version of OS-X are you running?
Rob
I am currently using Windows 8.1 pro so, at least i know it is normal. I use oracle virtual box with OS X mavericks to build but, unfortunately it will not show up due to undefined GPU via virtual box so, i guess this is a leap of faith
By the way is there anyway to submit all of the variables at once with a “submit” button? And I decided to go against the waiting one week then sending I wasn’t it to be sent when you click the button. That should be easier correct? Can you explain the process of doing so in detail please? By the way, thank you for being so helpful to me over the past year I don’t know if I could have finished half of my Apps without your support!
Thanks,
Brady E. Pennington CEO of LongSword Entertainment
There is an api call called native.showPopup(). This has an email option. For this you form the email and use it as the text for the email. The user is responsible for hitting the send after they read what’s there, and they have the ability to edit it. This may not be what you want. I would recommend looking at Coronium. http://coronium.io
Their service uses Lua for the development language. They have API calls that handles doing storing data in the clouds. I really think this might be easiest path to what you need to do.
Rob
I think I got a working system using screenshot to capture the variables and email them… Can you test it and tell me exactly what it does? I can’t test it due to only having a Oracle VirtualBox so, I would have to wait for it to get approved…
Code:
display.setStatusBar( display.HiddenStatusBar )
local halfW = display.viewableContentWidth / 2
local halfH = display.viewableContentHeight / 2
local backgroundPortrait = display.newImage( “bgp.jpg”, halfW, halfH )
local backgroundLandscape = display.newImage( “bgl.jpg”, halfH - 80, halfW + 80 )
backgroundLandscape.isVisible = false
local background = backgroundPortrait
local stageGroup = display.newGroup()
local backgroundOrientation = function( event )
local delta = event.delta
if ( delta ~= 0 ) then
local rotateParams = { rotation=-delta, time=500, delta=true }
if ( delta == 90 or delta == -90 ) then
local src = background
background = ( backgroundLandscape == background and backgroundPortrait ) or backgroundLandscape
background.rotation = src.rotation
transition.dissolve( src, background )
transition.to( src, rotateParams )
else
assert( 180 == delta or -180 == delta )
end
transition.to( background, rotateParams )
end
end
Runtime:addEventListener( “orientation”, backgroundOrientation )
local name
local function textListener( event )
if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
print( event.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “ended” or event.phase == “submitted” ) then
print( "Submitted text: " … event.target.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “editing” ) then
print( event.newCharacters )
print( event.oldText )
print( event.startPosition )
print( event.text )
end
end
name = native.newTextField( 195, 260, 180, 30 )
name:addEventListener( “userInput”, textListener )
local reason
local function textListener( event )
if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
print( event.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “ended” or event.phase == “submitted” ) then
print( "Submitted text: " … event.target.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “editing” ) then
print( event.newCharacters )
print( event.oldText )
print( event.startPosition )
print( event.text )
end
end
reason = native.newTextField( 195, 395, 180, 30 )
reason:addEventListener( “userInput”, textListener )
local ID
local function textListener( event )
if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
print( event.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “ended” or event.phase == “submitted” ) then
print( "Submitted text: " … event.target.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “editing” ) then
print( event.newCharacters )
print( event.oldText )
print( event.startPosition )
print( event.text )
end
end
ID = native.newTextField( 195, 305, 180, 30 )
ID:addEventListener( “userInput”, textListener )
local period
local function textListener( event )
if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
print( event.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “ended” or event.phase == “submitted” ) then
print( "Submitted text: " … event.target.text )
elseif ( event.phase == “editing” ) then
print( event.newCharacters )
print( event.oldText )
print( event.startPosition )
print( event.text )
end
end
period = native.newTextField( 195, 350, 180, 30 )
period:addEventListener( “userInput”, textListener )
local name = display.newImage( “name.png”, halfH - 180, halfW + 100 )
local ID = display.newImage( “ID.png”, halfH - 180, halfW + 145 )
local period = display.newImage( “period.png”, halfH - 180, halfW + 190 )
local reason = display.newImage( “reason.png”, halfH - 177, halfW + 235 )
local snapshot = display.newImage( “snapshot.png”, halfH - 30, halfW + 280 )
local function takePhoto()
local baseDir = system.DocumentsDirectory
display.save( stageGroup, “LearningCenter.jpg”, baseDir )
local options =
{
to = “longswordentertainment@gmail.com”,
subject = “Learning Center”,
body = “A Student has checked into the Learning Center, open the attached image to see the Student’s information.”,
attachment = { baseDir=system.DocumentsDirectory, filename=“LearningCenter.jpg”, type=“image/png” },
}
native.showPopup( “mail”, options )
end
snapshot:addEventListener(“tap”,takePhoto)
Thanks for all of the Help Rob!
By the way I head you guys are in Tampa right? I live in Lakeland and it would be cool to meet you someday
The Corporate offices are in Palo Alto, CA. We have some employees located at various locations outside of Palo Alto. None of us are in the Tampa area. We have met up with the IGDA group in Orlando before, but that was a one time site visit.
As for testing your app for you, unfortunately we can’t provide that support through the forums. That type of support would be a for-pay support service. It’s best that you ask the community and see if someone is willing to help you do that testing. You can also search for the Corona Beta Testing group on Facebook and see if someone there will help test your builds, though honestly, they will want a more functional app rather than be your virtual debugging machine.
You should have a device to test on at a minimum, and while it’s not as fast as just running in the simulator, there are other things like Facebook, maps and other services that can only be tested on the device. Or consider picking up an in-expensive Mac Mini to use for Corona SDK.
Rob
Also, you don’t want to advertise your virtual build rig. Apple has been known to blacklist devs that use VMs to build and submit apps.