Android Question Help getting started with new (out of the box) app

[Martijnsx2]

Hi to all B4A users/developers,

I really really want to get started with B4A. I made several attempts with no luck so far. Can anybody help me out getting started?

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I know that the first advice will be to keep it simple. I really want to but my goal is this app. I really want it. I have the idea for more than 8 years now. The next advice will be to start with the documentations. I found it and read a lot (not all). But making something specific work is a different story.

What would really help me if someone with a lot of experience can make/show me a simple example with some basics needed for this program. For example, the four tabs, links to other screens, how users can add/edit variables and how you can show these variabels/tables and edit/add/delete values for the variables. I think (hope) that someone with experience has this setup in 10 or 15 minutes. Then i can build on this example.

I realize i request for more than average. I really hope that there is someone out there that can steer me in right direction and can get me started.

Many many many thanks in advance!

Best regards,
Martijn

 

[Brian Dean]

You don't mention your current level of software writing experience, so it is difficult to give guidance. You have described a complex application so you need to start with the internal design - the system architecture. You will be collecting data in some sort of database. It looks as though this database will have to cope with widely different types of measurement - that could be tricky. You mention putting these "in some table form". This would be a good place to start - you cannot do much until you have solved that problem. I would expect to spend some time turning this over in my mind before I did anything else. It is harder work than thinking about what the app will look like, but it has to be done.

I have looked briefly at the "Memento" app and at your spreadsheet activity design. It looks to me that Memento handles any free-form text; your app will work with much more specific "variables" that will be tracked over a period of time and possibly statistically compared. Have you worked out how you will do this, and how you will manage an unspecified number of such variables? I suspect that when you used Memento you invented some rules to make your entries consistent; your app will have to ensure such discipline for its users.

Once you have done that start coding with just the database and an input screen. Probably around this time you will make a new discovery. Maybe it will be a simplification or some other breakthrough - that sometimes happens - but more usually it is a snag. At this point you will have to rethink and start again, but not from the beginning. You will have learned something and that will be an advantage. If you have been waiting eight years to do this then another couple of weeks will not be a major handicap.

Nobody is going to set this up for you "in 10 or 15 minutes". You will have to do most of this groundwork yourself because at the moment you are the expert. When you reach the stage of designing the activities then you might have some questions about coding techniques that other people can help you with. That is all ahead of you. If you work out how to manage the data you will find that a lot of the other problems begin to sort themselves out.

I hope that this is helpful.

 

[Martijnsx2]

Hi Brian and Syd,

Thank you for your reactions. I thinks i will have to find a way with trail and error myself.

I have some basic experience in programming with Delphi (pascal) and later visual basic in Excel.

Syd, i talked to family that run a company that develops apps for mobile. The total cost of making a good app with testing and debugging was around 70.000 euro. So that was no option for me.

I will start with finishing reading all the documentation.

Thank you for your replies.

 

[AnandGupta]

Hi Martijnsx2,

I suggest you to first read and try the samples of

[B4X] Documentation Booklets

The B4X documentation booklets are available in PDF format, Download Link. All files are included in the zip file in the link above, pdf booklets and all the source code. You can also download all the source code for al booklets, SourceCode. These booklets cover the four B4X platforms. Some...

www.b4x.com

Most of your queries are answered there with ample samples. It has helped me a lot and hope it will help you too.

Regards,

Anand

 

[Martijnsx2]

Thanks Anand!