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Bonus TIPS for Successful Posting

Try a Search First
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App created with alpha anywhere Question

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    #1

    App created with alpha anywhere Question

    Being new to mobile application development and I only have a desktop to test my app, I would like to know if the apps created will run on IOS, Android and WIndows Phone . I dont have any smartphone, tablet or Ipad to test it.
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: App created with alpha anywhere Question

    The main thing to understand is that you're creating a web app. Because of that, it will/should run in any browser... desktop or mobile device... because you're pointing your browser to your main page on your server. You have to build your app to fit on a target device.

    Now... if you want to create a device specific installation... like an iOS app, or an Android app, you can do that as well using PhoneGap Build to create a device specific installation that you'd then submit to Apple etc. This is just a really rough overview... there's a lot more to this process. Bascially, PhoneGap Build builds, in the case of iOS, an ipa file that installs under iOS and that points to your application start page on your server. It's kind of like a wrapper. If you want it on the Apple store, you'd still have to submit it to Apple.

    Comment

      #3
      Re: App created with alpha anywhere Question

      To be more complete, you might want to ask your question in two parts:

      (1) What kinds of mobile applications are there?

      (2) What kinds of applications can Alpha Five create?


      What kind of mobile applications are there?
      • Pure in-browser applications (HTML, javascript, etc)
      • Hybrid applications (a combination of in-browser and local-device-code)
      • Pure local-device-code applications


      What kinds of applications can Alpha Five create?
      • Alpha CAN create pure in-browser applications (HTML, javascript, and AJAX)
      • Alpha CAN create hybrid applications
      • Alpha can NOT create pure local-device-code applications
      • Note: Alpha can also create pure desktop applications and most of the in-browser apps can run on most desktop browsers, but the original question was purely about mobile apps



      So what's the difference?

      In-browser
      • Easiest to create with Alpha Anywhere or most other languages
      • Requires that you have a web-server to deliver your application pages (with code buried in the pages) to devices
      • There is nothing to install on any device (no actual "installed application)... you simply provide a URL to your page(s) with your app code
      • Simplest form: really simply HTML and JAVASCRIPT that works entirely within the browser page and device (think a UX component and a static LIST)
      • Complex form: more typical, this requires HTML and JAVASCRIPT within the browser and AJAX CALLBACKS to request work and data at the web-server
      • Penalty: Slower, only works when on the network, some advanced device functions will not be available to your code


      Hybrid
      • Takes more effort and more technology to create
      • You begin by building a basic in-browser app (HTML/Javascript/AJAX)
      • You host this app on an Alpha Webserver (either on your local development laptop or on a server exposed to the net)
      • Then you need to build a real local-device-code application that acts like a "shell". This "shell" can be downloaded from Apple's AppStore or Google Play or other locations. To the user, this seems pretty much like any other app.
      • However, once you run the downloaded local-device-code app, it quietly uses browser technology to reach out and load your in-browser pages/code. So it looks like an ordinary app, downloads like one, and installs like one... but it really operates like an in-browser app.
      • Penalty: You need to know and/or learn more to accomplish this (Alpha has lots of videos, but take a breath, this will take a bit of learning).
        • Alpha Five developer
        • Alpha Five webserver
        • Developer account(s) for Google Play ($25) and/or Apple Appstore ($99+))
        • A test device for each type of platform you wish to work with (e.g. Nexus 7 for Android, iPad mini for Apple)
        • A Mac computer if you plan to export/test on an iOS device (e.g. iPad Mini)
        • The Mac computer will also export to Android devices
        • Initial install of the local-device-code on each device occurs via a cable... not through the various stores
        • PhoneGap (an open source package now controlled by Adobe that will build a "shell" using several local-device-code languages)
        • PhoneGap will build an app in pure-Java for Android and Objective-C for iOS
        • You have to alter a couple of configuration files in PhoneGap to point at your webserver... so that when they launch they take the user to your in-browser app
        • When you're sure everything works, you can promote the app to a testing phase within Google Play and/or Apple AppStore
        • Finally, when it's ready, you can submit the app for final approval to Google or Apple. If approved, it will finally appear in the stores.

      • Seems like a lot. And it is. But... it's how you actually build an app.


      Local-device-code
      • If you only want to build for iOS devices then you can learn Objective-C and take a course in coding for Apple devices.
      • As with the hybrid app, you need a Mac computer to compile things on and you have to have an Apple Appstore developer's account.
      • If you only want to build for Android devices then you can learn Java, work with additional tools like Eclipse (a coding environment), and use libraries of functions. In this case you can work entirely in the linux or windows world... but you can also use a Mac computer.
      • And... with Android, Blackberry, Windows... you also need a developer's account.
      • Penalty: You have to learn a LOT about each platform's language and you have to code a lot of things from scratch. And... you will also then have to build a back-end database to manage user accounts at the very least and various other tables for things that need to be access or downloaded by users.



      Don't be afraid. This isn't an Alpha issue. This is a web-technology reality. Perhaps some tools will give you a fill-in-the-blank solution, but behind the scenes they have done all of the above and you would then be locked into their webserver, their "shell", and their database... and often you would owe them a slice of your revenue.

      So if you expect to truly own and control your app, one of the above options is in your future.

      I've just been through (and am still in process of going through) these very steps so this is not theoretical knowledge. Drinkin' the cool-aid here also!

      Comment

        #4
        Re: App created with alpha anywhere Question

        great article Allan, well written

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