how begin with appcelerator for desktop (and use the API's) - api

Question

I've a bit experience with qt+ and creating not so complex web pages, but I don't know how begin with titanium...when I run the default app this work...I can change the index.html like a web page...I can include javascript code and jquery too...very nice...but when I try run api functions I don't know how include these...all examples talk about iphone and a app.js file...I'm trying make a desktop app and don't appear any .js...I can create these but don't work
...in the docs I read things like these:
var win = Ti.UI.createWindow(); var view = Ti.UI.createView({backgroundColor:"red"}); win.add(view); win.open();
I don't know where I've put this code...I try put it inside a javascript inside the html (bad practice!) but it don't work...I put it inside a function onload but don't work neither.....there are any "convention" with the names for the files for this work?...I think this is like create a very dynamic web page but I don't know how work with the api....I see the example "kitchen something" but it wasn't so clear to mee...I see a examples like this:
http://mobile.tutsplus.com/tutorials/appcelerator/appcelerator-using-json-to-build-a-twitter-client/
but seems this work different when is an ipod to when it is a desktp app...I create an app.js (like the tuto) and put my code inside it but it never run...I look the source code and only need create a .js and inside my "home.html" link it..but it don't work...I create a index.js too but it don't work neither
please help..I'm very noob...thanks

Answer 1

Aaron:
This reply kindly brought something that could have been a solution but just made me lose more than 15 minutes of my time, as these first online courses have info about how to create a new project with a default html file, not about the original poster's issue.
The original poster's issue is that he has a new project with an index.html file, but no app.js file.
And he then doesn't understand where he could put the sampe code :
var win = Ti.UI.createWindow();
var view = Ti.UI.createView({backgroundColor:"red"});
win.add(view);
win.open();
... as whatever he puts in app.js is not executed.
The documentation in Titanium Dev Center fails to provide accurate information as it only mentions Titanium Mobile app.js and does not speak of index.html in the application structure.
After some starting experience on Titanium Mobile, I had to work on Titanium Desktop andactually just had the same problem as angel_ang, which brought me here.
So, here is the real answer :
Titanium Desktop applications do not need or start with an app.js file, but with index.html.
Deleting or removing this file never works as it will still be launched from the last build if need be.
Adding anything to app.js will never run as only index.html is run as a starting place.
Something that should have been a solution was found that to the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGVNB2nkKc&NR=1
This video is two online courses further from the link supplied by Aaron. At 0.19 seconds exactly, we see the starting code he has added to index.html.
You need to put a ... in your HEAD section, and add a function() there.
You may put the sample code inside this function.
Then you may even set the function to run when you click a button ().
Unfortunately, this doesn't work with me either.
I tried with the example code above but also with the other example (notification) mentioned in the online course.
It just seems that something is deprecated here and many documentations are outdated.
Anyone that could answer to this situation would be very helpful to us and many newcomers.
We just have an index.html that we can't use, instead of a running app.js file.