Getting started with Sencha Touch - sencha-touch

I'm an Ext veteran but have a few rather simple mobile apps i need to create and naturally i'm looking at sencha touch. Ting is - most of the examples don't run up in Firefox/Opera.
I'm happily using Monodevelop as my IDE - this will have an Asp.NET backend - but can't even get the most basic setup working with ST....
What does everyone use for their development setups? How do you debug your apps?

I'm working in a vaguely similar scenario, and I mostly go for Google Chrome's Developer Tools or sometimes Safari developer tools, that's far from perfect but at least something.
However, I often try to isolate out problems not directly tied to the interface and then go back and solve them with Firefox/Firebug, which I find the absolutely superior development environment. It's often more than you think, especially if you're experienced with TDD. Try QUnit, for example ( http://docs.jquery.com/QUnit ).
It's probably possible to use Apple's developer tools (XCode/Dashcode or whatever..) for a more ergonomic experience, but I still can't be bothered.
(Here's to hoping for more compatible mobile web frameworks! I want my Firebug!)

They have explicitly stated that Sencha Touch only works on Web-kit browsers, namely Chrome and Safari

I am using VS 2008 SP1 with a large solution in TFS with a web application that hosts the JSON WCF services and Sencha Touch clients for iPad, iPhone and more. I have it working with WCF and am still learning myself. I admit it was quite a bear to learn, but things are starting to work. I have lists sizing to the client as expected too. The hardest part was the fact that Casini only hosts locally so we need to publish the web application to test with real iPads and iPhones. I also use Safari in OSX to help debug.

I sat around with Chrome, an iPhone and the Android emulator when I did my first one. I thought multi browser testing was bad normally but it's nothing compared to all the different Android versions, densities etc.
Chrome developer tools was the best I could manage on the PC though.

The best IDE I've come accross is Netbeans. Here's a guide to start you off :
http://techtalktone.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/using-netbeans-ide-with-sencha-touch/
The browsers you can test it on are : Safari, Chrome
The OS's on which it works : Android, iOS, BB6+
Hope this helps
Cheers :)

Related

WebStorm, Meteor and phone tests

I am developing a web application with Meteor and WebStorm as IDE.
This application can be called from a PC, a tablet or a phone, which does not pose a problem of execution since it is called in the browser.
On the other hand problems appear, which are due to the size of the screen and the positioning portrait or landscape.
To test, a solution is to deploy the app, open it in the phone browser and see what works or does not work. A bit heavy ...
Is there a method to test a web application on a device connected to the development PC, through WebStorm, can be with an added package, or with another tool
Any leads or ideas would be welcome.
Thank you for your answers
YC
I have had a similar issue, I used Ghostlabs (https://www.vanamco.com/ghostlab/), to test different screensizes simultaneously. You will need to have physical devices present and connected to your development machine.
Saucelabs(https://saucelabs.com/) in my opinion is an extension of Ghostlabs, with the advantages of using the cloud.
One other tool I would recommend is Browser stack (https://www.browserstack.com/) it gives similar benefits as Saucelabs.
These tools I find are very effective for cross browser testing too.

Creating universal applications for Consoles (PS4/XBoxOne)

I have been looking all over the place for an answer but I haven't found anything on this yet.
I want to create an application (not a game) for PS4 or XBoxOne but so far none of the related websites provides either a good documentation or any answers on such a question. I want to create applications like Netflix and Hulu Plus.
Does anyone have any clue on how to do this either through Unity3D or through other IDE's, any links or tutorials will suffice?
Historically the PS4 and XboxOne have been a partner-only platform. Though Sony hasn't announced plans to make PS4 non-game apps available to indie-developers, I can help point you in the right direction.
Build your apps with WinJS 4.0.1 (or greater) and ES5
Package your Javascript-Based app for Windows 10 Hosted Web App (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/dn705792.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396)
Contact Sony Developer World (https://developer.sony.com/) to request Media Application (non-game) access
Hint: Sony non-game apps support something pretty darn similar to step #2
Good Luck!
Right now Xbox One development is not broadly available. Microsoft announced that with Windows 10, they will be opening up to a much bigger set of developers.
Get the Visual Studio 2015 preview and start learning how Universal Apps work on PC and phone. That will prepare you for when Xbox becomes available as a development target.
For PlayStation there is something called LibJScript. This is used primarily for application making on PS platforms (PS3/PS4/PS Vita). It also contains Canvas2D so if you have made any HTML games before it should feel familiar.
It is probably worth mentioning that you need to have access to a Sony development Platform. The process is detailed at https://www.playstation.com/en-us/develop/

Simple Desktop Shell for HTML Apps

I am looking for a simple desktop application shell to display an HTML and Javascript application. The web code will be bundled with the app and the app won't need network access. Basically all I need is a window with a webkit view in it I can point to a file on the user's computer.
I thought this would be simple, but I can't find a quick solution to it. What I have looked at so far:
Adobe Air - Fails due to some crazy security choices that break my web framework.
Titanium Desktop - Fails due to some strange page loading sequences that result in dom weirdness.
Chromeless - Looks perfect but discontinued and their download code no longer works.
PhoneGap - No desktop component.
XULRunner - Looks very complex for my needs.
Various others - not cross-platform (I need Windows and Mac), discontinued.
All I want is a simple shell around to display my HTML and run my JS. Please tell me my only solution isn't to use the WebKit view in something like Qt.
Thank you!
See this: http://code.google.com/p/chromiumembedded/
There are also bindings for using this from other languages like Python.
AppJS have served me well in creating desktop shells for html5 apps. I think you should give it a try. It's quite easy to tinker with.

Desktop Application upon Gecko/Mozilla or WebKit

How can I develop an installable desktop application on top of the Mozilla Engine or the Webkit engine.
We want to have best of both worlds, ease of development with DOM+Javascript+RenderingEngine+ContinuedImprovements in a Browser and user's control as in a desktop app
I looked at using C++ XPCOM for Mozilla but it seems to be quite complicated, Is there any other way to code like a WebApp using Javascript but burn it into the browser and dress it to give a feel of a desktop app. Also I require that javascript is compiled into native so that one cannot sneak into the source code
Are there any examples of desktop applications done this way ?
Web apps are fine but there are concerns of piracy, privacy, security and version control. The moot point is that in a web app the control lies with the software vendor, moreover the data is also with the vendor. Not only these, any changes to the application may also necessitate another around of training. What we want is that once the customer buys a version he is sure of what he owns and that he is in total control of it and we as software developer do not exposed our source code.
The issue is we have expertise in Web App development and we want to utilize that to develop a Desktop App
Your last point is that :
The issue is we have expertise in Web App development and we want to utilize that to develop a Desktop App
Well then BowLine can be an option though it requires Ruby, so you need to consider that. You can also take a look at WebKitDotNet if you are with .net Background.
Use XUL for the user interface and code your functions using JavaScript. You problably only need C++ to expose native functionality not yet available in Gecko. Examples of software that works this way: Komodo IDE, Songbird, Firefox and Thunderbird.

Is WebKit gaining any traction in non-web applications?

I spoke to the boss of a major music software company a few years ago. He told me that if they were going to start again from the ground up, they might look at WebKit for their UI. This totally surprised me. But I'm wondering if other folks are thinking and acting this way. Is webkit working its way in to truly non-web software?
RealPlayer, iTunes, and many other applications are using it, so are some non-"web" apps such as desktop widget programs:
http://trac.webkit.org/wiki/Applications%20using%20WebKit
Designing "web-apps" with HTML/Webkit UI is beneficial for Mobile users, since many devices have Webkit built in. Even if it is currently only used on a PC, you would have the possibility of hosting it on the web or local network later, with less work to convert it.
Gwibber, a Gnome twitter client that ships with Ubuntu, uses WebKit for displaying timelines (although it uses normal GTK+ widgets for the surrounding UI).
I would consider WebKit a viable option for many pieces of UI, particularly if the program shell exposes appropriate hooks into the surrounding platform to do things like launch a real browser or hook in to system notifications. You run the serious risk, however, of building an application that doesn't fit well in the UI conventions of the user's operating system.
It's not WebKit, but building a UI on a rendering engine is essentially what Mozilla does - Firefox, Thunderbird, etc. are built in XUL rendered with Gecko.
Anything you can do on webkit can be wrapped as an application easily with PhoneGap or other tools.
For example, store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com could be wrapped as an OSX app, an Android app, and still act as a regular website very easily.
Also: https://products.sel.sony.com/opensource/source_webkit.shtml