In my current project I need to use some text field. The use of such native components with Corona SDK it’s really a pain. Due to the lack of support into the simulator the only way to use it is to build for a device, install it and test. In this way the usual developing process becomes too slow and problematic, the actually opposite of the fast-development philosophy which is the base of a tool like corona.
I consider that way unacceptable for a paying subscriber.
I hardly hope this kind of feature will be soon implemented into the SDK. [import]uid: 11400 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 308502[/import]
u can build to xcode and use xcode. that’s what the feature is there so that yo don’t have to install on device every sec.
the build for xcode simulator will launch xcode and you will be able to see edit controls, web popups … and few other things…
c [import]uid: 24 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 30550[/import]
That is such a pain in the ass though Carlos.
Wastes so so much time.
Like if you make a mistake and position the text box wrong or something similar you have to build it all over again.
Why can’t you guys add even a dummy text field and pop up keyboard? It doesn’t have to be the official iphone one, as long as it works the same.
I find it really frustrating that so many things are NOT supported in the simulator. What is the point in having a simulator if 30% of the features cannot be simulated?? [import]uid: 6981 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32131[/import]
building for xcode can be an alternative, it’s actually better then building for device, it reduces the time of the whole process.
beside I think that an app for the iPhone shouldn’t be based on many text fields, I’m trying to reduce them as far as I can.
having that said I think that text fields MUST be part of corona SDK. In a beta free version I can accept the lack of some kind of features, not in a “PRODUCT” which we pay for [import]uid: 11400 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32134[/import]
Thats exactly one of the reasons to build to the XCode simulator.
C. [import]uid: 24 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32135[/import]
Edit : After a talk with Carlos he explained the situation and I understand the reasoning now. [import]uid: 6981 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32155[/import]
Not sure if it’s of any use to you, but for making things easier in regards of the placement of textboxes etc in the simulator (and other things) I created Rum - http://monkeydeadstudios.com/rum.php
It makes native objects easier - http://monkeydeadstudios.com/rum.php?page=native - even the map view - http://monkeydeadstudios.com/rum.php?page=mapView [import]uid: 5833 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32312[/import]
Not bad Graham but I prefer to build for xcode. In that way I can test the behaviour of the app.
Thanks for suggestion [import]uid: 11400 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32332[/import]
Very true, this was mainly just for quick positioning code. [import]uid: 5833 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32335[/import]
If the corona sdk emulator can allow read key from the mac keyboard, it is good for testing. [import]uid: 12088 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32407[/import]
If this is at all helpful, you can use io.read() if you have corona terminal open, and it will capture anything you type until you hit enter.
Quick example:
[lua]local input = io.read()
print("You entered: "…input)[/lua] [import]uid: 8782 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32598[/import]
Thanks for the great tip Robert.! [import]uid: 5712 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32613[/import]
That is a really good tip Robert, thanks! [import]uid: 5833 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32659[/import]
+1 for this feature, especially since the Android emulator doesn’t support ARM7. Carlos says the Android 3.0 emulator should support ARM7, but who knows w/ Google [import]uid: 38398 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32697[/import]
I’m digging into Corona for various things and one of the first things I did today was build a simple json parser for on device native UI. After compiling a bunch of times to reposition some native UI, I got annoyed.
All it does is load a json file hosted on the local network (on my mac). It then programatically builds a layout with various native UI components by parsing the json file.
It’s pretty crude (given it took less than an hour) but no more recompiling a binary just to move or add iOS UI components. Just add various native ui widgets into the json file or tweak various properties and re-run the Corona app. MUCH quicker.
I’ll post it on the exchange in a week or two if folk think it’s useful. Won’t have time for the rest of this week to clean it up.
Cheers,
- Ian [import]uid: 238 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 32952[/import]
I have to echo many of the pain points from this thread. I’m currently building an app that is form based and have spent way too much time with placement/building to device/testing. I hadn’t tried the build for Xcode option so I’ll do that next to speed things up a bit, but the builds themselves are the time consuming aspect for me not the deployment to the device (we have a bunch of art assets to blame for the slow builds).
Here is a quick list of issues that take the ‘rapid’ out of development for me when using textfields:
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TextFields not visible in Simulator, positioning them is tedious because of trial/error workflow
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TextFields not debuggable in Simulator, have to resort to print statements to the console from device and wrapping code in xpcall() to isolate runtime errors.
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TextFields draw on top of all display objects so alot of code and trial/error is needed to maintain state when there are Corona UI controls on the same screen.
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TextFields don’t obey group layout rules and must be moved independently from the group
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TextFields don’t have max length properties so you have to manually limit the number of characters for validation
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TextFields don’t work with the Director class and we have to pop them in/out which looks bad with screen transitions
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There appears to be a bug in the events for TextFields when listening to “Editing” events. Getting the text property on that event trigger doesn’t get the last character entered. Is this a known issue?
So overall making this app has been a major pain. Everything else is pretty much done other than the UI and it’s taking us by far the longest. I hope this feedback is helpful for future improvements if Corona is going to be a viable option for making apps that require user input.
[import]uid: 8692 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 36165[/import]
I keep voicing my frustration with this. I can’t seem to find a way around multiline text input.
Different backgrounds.
Transparent input field.
So many options that are necessary to build utility apps that require text inputs are currently impossible to do.
Anyone has any solution to this problems. Ansca? [import]uid: 8192 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 36687[/import]
Here’s another option if anyone is just looking for a quick visual effect in the simulator for positioning purposes…
Viewing Native Text Input field in the Corona Simulator/a>
[import]uid: 48203 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 47946[/import]
Doing a build for xcode to test out text fields isn’t a viable option, it’s a joke. What’s the point in having the simulator if it’s rendered useless. And doing a build takes several minutes on my computer (not to mention it required internet access to connect to the Corona servers).
It’s a real shame that basic stuff like this doesn’t work effectively in Corona. [import]uid: 65371 topic_id: 8502 reply_id: 92329[/import]