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The 5 Best Kept Secrets Of Android App Builder Software

Delphi

Do you know, in the year 2021 when COVID was arguably heading towards dominance, the number of mobile app downloads skyrocketed to 230 Billion [1] worldwide? Of those downloads, a burgeoning majority were for the Android platform. Choosing and using Android app builder software to safely ride that tidal wave to create user-centric apps and capitalize on that demand. With pandemic upending people’s usual way of working and socializing the mobile market sky-rocketed towards a faster growth because of users’ demands for apps to interact, work, and divert. With COVID still very much around but with society coming to terms with how to mitigate the worst effects the growth in mobile devices still seems to be maintained; in fact, the research forecasts Google Play Store app installs to reach a whopping 613 billion alone by 2025. So, mobile is definitely a growth market which, as developers, we can’t really afford to ignore – and Android is very much the dominant player. But what should be the characteristic of the best Android app builder software? Let’s have a look! What are the characteristics of the best Android App Builder Software? Is it free to download so you can get started instantly? Explore the features using different ways like drag and drop an element, defining a button, etc.  Does it make coding and app development quicker, improves efficiency, and works as a comprehensive app that performs a variety of functions thus eliminating the need for multiple apps? By building your own custom business app through Android app builder software, you get overall control and don’t have to depend on stuff for anything, therefore, minimizing the licensing and maintenance expenses. Does the Android App Builder software come with ample support channels meaning it’s possible that it will work well with your existing software? Ensuring any new apps you develop will work together with any existing apps is important. Apps are designed to handle a finite number of resources and operations. These apps might not be able to handle the strain as your requirements expand. With the best Android app builder software, you can easily scale up the app when the need arises which makes scaling and consolidating easier.  Here you have the characteristics to look out for let’s get to the most interesting part – the secrets! What are the top secrets you need to know about the best Android app builder software – Delphi? 1. Use the Alcinoe component library for Delphi to make your Android apps have even more epic user interfaces Because of all of the varied formats (across devices), doing a video with Delphi FireMonkey can be intimidating, and constructing a high-quality video player is difficult for the faint of heart. The Alcinoe component library is an open-source package that has already done a lot of the legwork for you in order to get the video to operate in FireMonkey on Android and iOS. It also has” Android/iOS Facebook SDK login, native iOS/Android TEdit, Firebase cloud messaging, better FireMonkey controls, ImageMagick wrapper, WebRTC Delphi wrapper, Json Parser, MongoDb client, and much more” in addition to the video player capabilities. It also has a high GitHub Stars count, indicating that it is extensively used. 2. The TFDMemTable design time edit dataset allows you to visualize what your Android app will […]

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Extend TMS WEB Core with JS Libraries with Andrew: Tabulator Part 7: Performance

TMS Software

In our final outing in this miniseries about using Tabulator in your TMS WEB Core projects, we’re going to focus primarily on one area – performance.  While Tabulator in its simplest form is amazingly quick, there is a lot more to the performance equation than just Tabulator itself.  We’ll also look at one way to implement image lazy loading, potentially applicable to any TMS WEB Core project.  And we’ll even explore one way to monitor the progress of downloading data from an XData server. By the time we’re done, you should be well-equipped to build not only functional projects, but highly performant projects as well. Motivation. One of the defining characteristics of any application, whether it is a web app, a phone app or a Windows desktop app or any other app, is how much time the user spends waiting.  Waiting for the app to load.  Waiting for the app to display data.  Waiting for the app to respond to some kind of interaction. For example, clicking a button should ideally provide some kind of feedback, even if the action being triggered cannot be completed immediately.  Scrolling should also be as fast as possible.  “Buttery smooth” as one famous person in our field liked to describe it. There are plenty of statistics to be found (naturally, with varying degrees of applicability) that relate app performance to user retention.  If an app is slow, they’ll quickly move on to something else. So we owe it to our users (and ourselves!) to make things as absolutely performant as we can. There’s almost always something that can be done to make an app faster. But is it worth it? Tabulator. Just How Fast Is It? One of the first questions to address, then, is about Tabulator itself.  There are many JS grid libraries around.  Which one is fastest?  Well, we’re not the first to come up with that question.  In fact, there’s a GitHub project focused on exactly this – JavaScript Data Grid Performance Comparison. Unfortunately, the Tabulator figures are not yet included in their results, though a PR is pending. You can read more about it here, though. The news is good – the current version of Tabulator is easily among the top performers in this comparison in every respect.  So we’re already starting out strong in the performance department. While using Tabulator with all its defaults is great, one of the benefits to many of these JS grid libraries is the ability to customize what it is doing, as we’ve been seeing over these last several posts.  And sometimes, that customization can come at a cost if we’re not paying close attention.  As an example of this, in a previous outing, we made some changes to include the row count in the column header of our tables.  We implemented this using Tabulator’s own updateColumnDefinition() function, which did exactly what we wanted. However, it turns out that this function essentially drops and recreates the entire column (so it can be sure that all the column definition parameters are accounted for). When doing this with a column filled with images, this ended up being enormously expensive. And it also triggers a table refresh, which interferes with the live filtering function.  This particular issue is something that is being addressed by the Tabulator team […]

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Everything You Need To Know About The Skia Shader Language

Delphi, Noutați

This video will introduce us to the Shading language and what exactly it does to elevate your windows application development. Generally, a shading language is a graphics programming language adapted to programming shader effects. This program called Shaders simply tells the computer how to render each pixel to produce photorealistic or stylized surfaces to an object or image. These shaders are written in a special shading language. Currently, there is a great number of shading languages to choose from and while they all share common features and pretty much do the same thing, they might still vary in terms of restrictions and flexibility. What is the Skia Shader Language (SkSL)? Whether you are developing a game or a desktop application, the use of shading language is important to make everything visually appealing as it can drastically enhance the photorealism of an object, adding depth and texture, and even creating the illusion of three-dimensionality. The most popular shading language today is the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL). While it is a high-level shading language, the shader is made specifically for Open GL and cannot be used with Vulkan or Apple’s Metal. You can, however, use Skia’s very own Skia Shader Language (SkSL). SkSL is a variant of GLSL which is used as Skia’s internal shading language. SkSL is, at its heart, a single standardized version of GLSL which avoids all of the various version and dialect differences found in GLSL “in the wild”, but it does bring a few of its own changes to the table. For instance, GLSL code from sites like Shadertoy can be converted to SkSL. In this video, Jim Mckeeth will demonstrate how to successfully convert a shader from Shadertoy via Skia Shaders Playground. One of the cool things about Skia Shader Language is that it works across all platforms. It doesn’t require Open GL or any special drivers to be installed on the platform. To learn more about the Skia Shader Language, feel free to watch the video below.

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How To Create Mobile Apps Using React JS

Sencha

React JS is one of the most popular JavaScript libraries on the planet. It allows you to effortlessly create interactive UIs for your application. It is efficient, flexible, and intuitive. As a result, React has become massively popular among developers worldwide. It supports the responsive layout for all modern devices, including smartphones, laptops, and desktops. Therefore, you can create your mobile app using React JS. But is the process difficult? Can you easily create React apps for mobile devices? In this post, you will find all the details. Why Should I Create My Mobile App Using React JS? Supports Cross-Platform Application Development: By using React JS, you can make applications for a variety of platforms, including iOS and Android platforms. Therefore, you no longer have to learn different languages, like C++ and Java. By using JavaScript language and React framework, you can create applications for all platforms. Easier learning curve: React JS is very easy to learn. You just need to know JavaScript. You don’t have to learn other programming languages, like C# or Java. As a result, you can quickly pick up the technology and start creating your mobile app using React JS. Offers Code Reusability: React supports code reusability. It provides several big advantages. For example, it allows you to reuse the same code for similar features in multiple apps. As a result, you can quickly develop new applications. It can significantly reduce your development time. Open-source: React is an open-source framework. It is completely free. It doesn’t require you to pay any monthly or yearly fee. Hence, you can save a lot of money, which you can spend on other aspects of your business. Strong Community Support: React JS has a huge community. It is comprised of thousands of developers worldwide. The community is very helpful. Whenever you face any issue, you will always find a helping hand. Therefore, you should seriously consider creating your mobile app using React. It can make your life a lot easier. How Can I Easily Create My Mobile App Using React JS? You can easily create your mobile app using React JS by utilizing the power of GRUI by Sencha. It is a modern enterprise-grade grid solution. It offers 100+ data grid features, including virtual columns, infinite scrolling, and slider paging toolbars. By utilizing them, you can easily create data-intensive mobile apps using React JS. Why Should I Use GRUI By Sencha? Efficiently handle millions of records Support for large feature sets, including filtering, grouping, infinite scrolling, etc. Get full customization control over styling and theming Easily export data to different formats, including CSV, TSV, HTML, PDF, and XLS Easy React UI component integration Read: GRUI By Sencha vs. React Grid – Which Is Better? How Can I Create A Mobile App Using GRUI By Sencha? Sencha GRUI has made the process of creating mobile apps very simple. Let’s take a look at some practical examples. How Can I Create A Big Data Grid With GRUI? With GRUI, you can easily create Big Data grid. Here is an example: To create it, you have to follow these steps: 1. First, you have to import all the required libraries and components. import React, { Component, useState } from “react”; import { SenchaGrid, Column, CheckboxColumn, DateColumn, EmailColumn, MoneyColumn, NumberColumn } from “@sencha/sencha-grid”; import […]

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Hands-on: Delphi Web Services with TMS XData online course – 20% RAD discount!

TMS Software

Creating Secure and Manageable Database-driven Web Services with TMS XData and Delphi With great pleasure we announce another great collaboration with Wagner Landgraf, architect TMS Business tools and Holger Flick, TMS evangelist and Embarcadero MVP. As of today, this new course is available for those who are interested. The course will also have a RAD purchase option which will give you 20% off! Click on the link below or use the coupon code RADPURCHASE. All information can be found here. This course will teach you step-by-step how to create TMS XData Web services in Delphi. First, the main focus is to create a template that you will be able to use in all your future TMS XData projects. The template will get you set up to create Web services with: configurable database connectivity, server parameters in a resource file, a modern UI with tray icon, switching to deployment as a Windows service, logging access control using JSON Web Token (JWT) This template will then be used to great a Web service for an example scenario. In this scenario, you will design a database, connect it to the template, implement the Web service backend, and then implement three clients. One VCL client to upload data from a CSV file into the Web service, and another VCL client to browse data from the Web service in a data grid and visualize it in a chart. The last client will be written in TMS WEB Core as an example for a Web client. All clients will implement user access control using JWT and a login dialog. The course is grouped into the following sections: Introduction Detailed introduction to the course. Some videos are free to watch before purchase which will allow you to determine if this course hits “all the marks” for you. I will start by giving an overview of all the course topics, describe the example scenarios, but will also motivate this course by giving examples for real-world Web services. Finally, we will prepare the development environment installing all the products and learning about TMS project wizards. Create a new TMS XData project Jump right into the development of a Web service with Delphi! You will learn how to create a new server and its associated project structure, get a glimpse at using version control, and where to download the source code of this course The section will close with a detailed look at the different components of an XData server and how to set up Windows to host a server. Updating the server container The server container is the core part of an XData server and will be discussed in detail. In particular, we will introduce the Singleton pattern to facilitate its accessibility in the server application. Adding services to the server Services are the means how you can add functionality to your Web services. An XData server can hold as many services as you design. In this section, you will implement your first service and its endpoints. Lots of examples will be given. Focus will be how to look at the data that is returned, how the data is formatted, how you define the data that is returned, and how you can easily browse your XData server using SwaggerUI. Adding database connectivity Using databases with Web services is an […]

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Extend TMS WEB Core with JS Libraries with Andrew: Tabulator Part 6: Getting Data Out Of Tabulator

TMS Software

Last time, we took a look at some of the ways that we can edit data in Tabulator in our TMS WEB Core projects. And that was just the most basic introduction to a very large and complex topic overall.  This time out, in our penultimate stop in this Tabulator miniseries, we’re going to look at how to get those changes out of Tabulator and back into our databases or wherever else we need to send it.  We’ll also augment our example from last time with a proper navigator and clean up a couple of the editing options.  And then we’ll look at how to create PDF, XLS and CSV files directly from Tabulator. Motivation. Having any comprehensive JavaScript grid control is great, and Tabulator is just one of many such controls.  Having a grid control that can do almost everything all by itself is also great.  But there may come a time, specifically if your grid supports editing, when it has to give up its data, or at least its changes, so you can send it elsewhere. And giving the user some degree of control over that process, or at the very least, some level of confirmation, then everyone benefits.  The plan for this post, then, is to offer up some ideas, both on how to implement the actual data transfer-type mechanisms and on how to keep the user informed. Navigator. When doing database work in a traditional Delphi application, there’s a handy little DBNavigator component that you can link to your TDataSource that provides a consistent set of buttons for things like next/previous or save/cancel operations.  In TMS WEB Core, there’s also a TWebNavigator that can be linked to a TWebDataSource in the same way.  But a Tabulator table isn’t really a TWebDataSource, so they can’t be linked in that way.  So let’s start out by making our own navigator for Tabulator. The underlying purpose is to help become more familiar with how Tabulator tells us what is going on in the UI, via events and so on, so that we’ll be better able to understand how it does the same thing when data is changing. As a bonus, we’ll have a handy place to put some of the other things that we’ll need a spot for as well.  So to start with, we’re going to pretty up our example from last time and add a placeholder for the navigator.  We’ve covered some of these design items previously, so I’ll just list them here for reference purposes.  But by all means, please post a comment if you’d like a bit more information on any of them. Bit of styling for the whole Tabulator – rounded corners, new font, darker column headers. Added a CSS for the styling that we don’t handle in code. Put Tabulator inside another DIV, with some additional styling for the outer DIV. Added Interact.js so the DIV can be moved around and resized. Drag from the navigator. Added ‘selectable’ option, so we can visually see what record is currently active. Added a placeholder DIV below the table where the navigator will be Adjusted columns and layouts to be more ‘responsive’ – give it a try! Numerous adjustments to the individual columns and editors.  Check the code for details. So our starting point for today […]

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What could the metaverse look like?

Noutați

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues are key to the success of the metaverse. These values are foundational for a great user experience and will certainly affect user adoption. What is true in our reality and all of the issues that we already face in our day to day, as a society, will transition to the metaverse; That’s why we need to prioritize tackling them as we build these platforms. We must enable users to live immersive experiences, and an important part of that equation is inclusivity and safety. For instance, we must see that all languages are well-represented and accessibility norms respected. On the question of representation, we should allow for diversity in avatars too. And not just in terms of race and gender, but in terms of all personal preferences, to guarantee an experience that people want to come back to. If the metaverse is truly the next evolution of the internet, then everything that is currently true (and not being addressed or prioritized) in the world of web 2.0 will remain true there as well. It would be foolish to think that we can take on these problems in the metaverse if we still can’t solve them in our current context. To conclude, I truly hope that the new opportunities offered in the metaverse will be a catalyst that prompts more focus on the things that matter in our lives so that we can make the entire world a better place – not just the digital side of it. Connect with Manu on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Getting to grips with Tentacular, Firepunchd’s chaotic kaiju “constructathon”

Noutați

Optimizing the quest system Progression in Tentacular is structured by main and side quests, each with their own stories and levels organized as Scriptable Objects. The quest system contains all elements from the game as well as the scenes that Firepunchd needed to load during each build. This enabled them to manage progression from one centralized location. “Some games manage this data with long lists, but I prefer modules,” shares Cubasch. “I can just click or duplicate a module, and I really like that workflow.” Structuring quest data with Scriptable Objects helped manipulate game data and keep Reference Exception errors to a minimum. “If we need to add more stuff or delete, it’s very easy to make adjustments,” specifies Scaramuzzino. “The iteration of level creation was much smoother because of that.” Speeding up character design Scriptable Objects also influenced character creation. The team worked on a large number of individual character assets – eye color, hair color, clothing, and headgear – and used parameters to generate configurations randomly. This sped up Prefab creation considerably. Most background characters are fully randomized, whereas main characters are customized in the Unity Editor. These Scriptable Objects are then exported and dropped into the game, where Prefabs are generated at runtime. Managing localizations To simplify switching between languages, Firepunchd linked a Scriptable Object to the database containing Tentacular’s localization strings. The Scriptable Object has functions for checking against the font/typeface and presence of certain characters. “We probably could have done this with different tech,” admits Cubasch, “but because Scriptable Objects are so convenient to use, for us it’s always a good place to go.” “All of the localization strings are in a Google Sheets document. You can pull the data from a Google document using the Google API and populate the Scriptable Object,” explains Scaramuzzino. “This way, we can be sure that every time we build, we have the latest version of the localization files.”

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10 Signs You Should Invest in Cross Platform Apps

Delphi

Cross platform apps are becoming increasingly popular as they allow users to access their favorite apps and programs on multiple devices. If you are considering investing in cross platform app development, here are ten signs that it’s a good idea! How to determine if your business needs cross platform apps If you are not sure whether your business needs cross platform apps, there are a few things you can consider.  First, think about what kind of business you have. For example, cross platform apps might not be necessary if you have a brick-and-mortar store. However, a cross-platform app could be very beneficial if you have an online or service-based business. Second, think about what kind of customer base you have. If your customers primarily use iOS devices, then an iOS app might be all you need. However, if your customers are using various devices, cross-platform apps could be beneficial for reaching them all.  Third, think about your budget. Developing an app can be expensive, so you’ll need the device if the benefits of cross platform apps are worth the cost.  Ultimately, only you can decide whether cross platform apps are the right for your business. However, these are some things to remember as you make your decision.  Do you want to reach the broadest possible Audience with cross platform apps? Cross platform apps are becoming increasingly popular in reaching the possible broadcast audience. Cross platform apps can be installed on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers. This means that your app will have the potential to reach a wide range of people.  Are you targeting multiple demographics? If you’re trying to reach multiple demographics with your app, then cross platform development is a good option. This way, your app will be accessible to a broader range of people.  Targeting a precise user or users across multiple platforms is called cross-device targeting or cross-device marketing. The main goal is to analyze and understand your audience so that you can reach them through their favourite platforms or mediums. Do you want to improve employee productivity by using cross platform tools? If you want to improve employee productivity, investing in cross platform apps is a pragmatic approach. Utilizing cross platform app development tools provides a set of flexibilities to software engineers. With the correct cross platform app development ecosystem, employees can collaborate on projects regardless of where they are. This ensures that deadlines are met, and tasks are completed efficiently. With the RAD Studio ecosystem, you can get the highest productivity level. For instance, hundreds of built-in components and the UI development environment are among the best in the market. The latest version of RAD Studio 11.1 Alexandria has all the latest functionalities and support for the latest technologies. Besides, the pool of third-party components is so prominent in Delphi and FireMonkey ecosystem that if you want to make something big, there is already a library or component available. Do you need an app that can be used on multiple devices? If you need an app that can be used on multiple devices, then investing in cross platform apps is the best idea. Cross platform apps are designed to work on numerous operating systems with exact functionalities (except the UI/UX). Moreover, investing cross platform apps is also a good idea if you want […]

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What Is A Low Code Application Platform? An Overview

Delphi

The idea of a low code application platform has become a trend in recent years. By 2024, Gartner projects that low code will comprise more than 65% of app development activity. The need to offer digital solutions for COVID-19 has increased this trend. It’s vital to understand the notion of low code. A low code platform is a development environment. It allows non-technical users to create applications. These apps can be deployed on the cloud. Low code platforms use visual programming languages. They are typically compatible with multiple devices. Also, they are featured to work with operating systems. With a little research, you can easily find a perfect low-code application platform for you that suits your needs.  What is a low code application platform? The low code application platform is a method of designing and developing software. They are specifically used to design software with no coding. Low code application platforms enable enterprises to create unique solutions. For these unique solutions, they provide cutting-edge features. These features are tailored to certain business models. These platforms provide easy visual builders, ready-to-use code snippets, and form & report templates. They also have built-in connectors. These are used to accelerate development. Also, they expand the potential to innovate to a wider audience. Users can also get right to work on their apps. These platforms automate common coding tasks. These common coding tasks include framework creation, data modeling, and user interface development. What are the benefits of using a low code application platform? Here are some advantages of low-code development. A low code application platform is often easier to use The platforms provide drag-and-drop interfaces and visual editors. They allow non-technical business users to create apps quickly. Business users can design screens using the platform’s visual editing tools. They can easily connect them with data sources, business rules, and other functionalities via connectors. This makes it possible to develop complete custom applications. Also, there’s no need to write any code as well in these low code application platforms.  A low code application platform can promote increased development agility Low-code platforms can help companies accelerate application development. With them, they can create custom applications quickly. Also, teams can work together better. Thus, they can work on the same app in real-time. A low code application platform allows you to create interfaces with Drag-and-Drop Drag-and-drop usage is available on every established low-code platform. It is one of the most significant and beneficial elements. It facilitates the development process.  It assists both citizen hobbyist and professional developers. The time to market can be much quicker with a low code application platform Low code platforms allow businesses to create applications. These apps can be deployed directly and quickly. This means that businesses can get their products and services to market faster. This is important in today’s fast-moving environment. Lower usage cost Low code platforms are cheaper than traditional software development. They do not require developers to write code manually. Low code platforms are also easy to use. Less experienced IT experts can operate them without compromising processor security. Increased productivity with low code application platforms – little or no code means less work and more efficiency Because low code platforms are so intuitive, you can build your entire application without writing any code. This means that you don’t […]

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