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What programming language should you learn if you want to make apps?


Newcomers ask this question a lot. I’ve posted my response to this under the link, “Which programming language should I learn to make apps?” I hope it helps to narrow down your choice of languages to start learning. I posted it here so I can point to it when I encounter the question in forum posts.

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Downloading Apache-Cordova PhoneGap 2.6.0rc1 on Mountain Lion 10.8


Requirements

Before you can install the app you create with PhoneGap on your device, you need to sign up as a Developer with Apple and go through the business documentation, Certificate Signing, and Developer Certificate process, all of which are detailed on Apple’s web site (https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/), under Prepare for App Submission. Nevertheless, you can skip all those steps and still see your work in the the iOS Simulator included with Xcode — you just won’t be able to view the app in your device or App Store. Xcode is a free download you can download now, but the Developer status comes at $99 a year. Continue reading →

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Converting to Universal App with Zurb’s Foundation using Responsive Web Design Techniques


This article records the steps I followed to convert my mobile phone app into a Universal app good for mobile and tablet screen sizes.

Normally, on the mobile device, the user follows this navigation paradigm: screen showing article categories, tap through to show article headings (titles) for that category, then tap on the article heading to show article. For the mobile version, I want to retain this path. For the tablet version, though, I want to show the article headings at left and article detail pages at right, side by side. For both mobile and tablet, I can show the article categories on the home page as large graphical buttons. A text footer with copyright information will stretch across the bottom; this footer will not be fixed.

How do I create both navigation types without duplicating pages for both? By using responsive web design (RWD) techniques, in which the layout changes with the screen width, repositioning the content at certain “breakpoints” of screen widths. Normally, when you narrow the browser window for sites that did not implement RWD techniques, the browser will cut off the site at the right end. As a positive example of RWD, go to the Microsoft web site and narrow your browser, and you’ll see the content adapt to fit. So I want one set of files to work across several screen widths, specifically various sizes of mobile screens and tablets.  Continue reading →

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Building a PhoneGap Android App in Windows: Cordova 2.3.0 with Eclipse 4.2.1


I already have the major software installed on my Windows machine from my last Eclipse build, detailed in http://iphonedevlog.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/building-a-phonegap-android-app-on-windows-cordova-2-2-0-with-eclipse/. If this is your first time with Eclipse and PhoneGap, follow the link above and pay careful attention to the following setup sections:  Continue reading →

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PhoneGap 2.3.0 in Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8: from Download to iOS App Store


These instructions follow the Getting Started with iOS guide at http://docs.phonegap.com/en/2.3.0/guide_getting-started_ios_index.md.html#Getting%20Started%20with%20iOS.

Before you can install the app on your device, you need to sign up as a Developer with Apple and go through the business documentation, Certificate Signing, and Developer Certificate process, all of which are detailed on Apple’s web site (https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/), under Prepare for App Submission. Nevertheless, you can skip all those steps and still see your work in the the iOS Simulator included with Xcode. Xcode is a free download you can download now, but the Developer status comes at $99 a year. If you are new to creating apps for the App Store, you’ll want to peruse the App Store Review Guidelines to make sure your app falls within acceptable limits: https://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/approval/guidelines.html  Continue reading →

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Book review: PhoneGap Mobile Application Development Cookbook, by Matt Gifford


October 2012. Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84951-858-1.
Packt asked me to review the book, which I did in PDF format.

About the author: “A regular presenter at national and international conferences, Matt Gifford also contributes articles and tutorials in leading international industry magazines, as well as publishing on his blog (www.mattgifford.co.uk).”

This book functions as a cookbook, so it creates spare apps that do exactly what they set out to do and little else. As a result, there is no disc of complicated code included. The benefit of this approach is that you don’t get lost in the programming of a more fully functioning app. The cookbook format, however, means that you will get only little more explanation of the code than what you’ll see on PhoneGap’s site. So this is not a book for those already comfortable using the code on PG’s site. Continue reading →