Google App Inventor

[dhouston]

Anand,

I've been too busy with 15 different PCB prototypes to spend much time with B4A so I can't add to what Dave has said but everyone I know who has it has been impressed. There's a user forum that should give you a good idea of how it is used and how well it is supported. Anybody familiar with any dialect of procedural Basic (and especially VB) should find it easy to learn.

[ardhuru]

Dave (macrackit), thanks for the code; a working piece of code should be an excellent starting point while learning.

Dave (Houston), I remember you had referred to B4A in an earlier thread as well, and had meant to try it out back then, but somehow got relegated to the background. I see from the forums and the projects sub-section that people have done some pretty fancy things with B4A. What I need seems pretty trivial in comparison, so I'm pretty sure its doable.

I'll report back with the progress as I go.

Thanks, guys.

Anand

[mackrackit]

Here is the whole project, graphics and all.

[ardhuru]

Here I am, back as promised. Finally got the app done in App Inventor, and am pretty pleased with the results.

It does what I want well; send an ascii character over BT for each button pressed. Its supposed to be used as a numeric keypad for access control.

I would still be looking up Basic4Android (or other alternates) for a couple reasons, though.

1) Apps created with App Inventor cannot be installed to the SD card. (Not without a tweak, anyway)
2) The apk file size is not very compact; I've read it can be as much as 6 to 10 times larger than the same app developed in say, B4A.
3) Of course the degree of uncertainty regarding its new home at MIT; it goes off the Google site on the 31st.

Dave, your zip file would be the ideal starting point for me to get into B4A, thanks. Although it does look a bit daunting..

Regards,

Anand

[mackrackit]

Dave, your zip file would be the ideal starting point for me to get into B4A, thanks. Although it does look a bit daunting..

It is not as bad as it looks. Most of the stuff in the zip was created by B4A.

[ardhuru]

Oh okay, I will take the plunge then.

Also found their pdf manual to be a great way to start.

Regards,

Anand

[prstein]

Dave,

Thank you, thank you, thank you telling us about B4A! Trying to create Android apps using Eclipse and Java was driving me up a tree. I've purchase it and am absolutely delighted with it so far.

You remain the best!

Best Regards,
Paul