not game... just apps. Is Corona the right tool?

Solar2D Daily Builds and Public Releases
#1

It seems that everyone is using Corona to build games, but is it the right tool to build just apps?

  1. I wanted to build an app, where i would retrieve text and pictures from a database, and the user would be able to search it based on pre defined parameters, like city, state, etc…
    I see all these APIS for gaming, and graphics, but where are the text presentation tools? Is there a visual tool for editing fonts, tables, etc… like CSS in Corona?
  2. This app the user would be able to vote, so that means saving data into a database. Now the database would be stored on the web and not on the phone… how do i retrieve data from a database in a web server?
  3. [import]uid: 51552 topic_id: 8763 reply_id: 308763[/import]
#2

They just (as in last night) released all sorts of new UI functionality for Corona:
http://blog.anscamobile.com/2011/04/whoa-major-corona-sdk-update/

how do i retrieve data from a database in a web server?

That’s mostly work done on your server actually. A script on your server written in PHP or Python will manipulate the database based on queries sent to it, and clients (such as a Corona program) send the queries when they want to get data or put new data in. Look in the docs for Corona’s networking commands. [import]uid: 12108 topic_id: 8763 reply_id: 32504[/import]