Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide
By Darren Cope
()
About this ebook
Appcelerator Titanium is the leading method for creating native cross-platform apps. This book guides you from the initial stages with the language right through to the submission of your app to the marketplace/app store. Specially crafted examples cover the most common requirements of an app programmer. This book will be your companion as you progress with the language.
"Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide" will guide you through the process of designing cross-platform apps using Titanium. It covers all areas of the language from installation through development to submission to the store.
This book will take a hands-on approach in teaching you how to write cross-platform apps using Titanium, as well as exploring the new features of Titanium 3. Each chapter will show you how to overcome specific challenges using Titanium. You will learn how to design your apps using MVC principles and Alloy, use the cloud to your advantage, develop apps that work on tablets and phones, use the phone gadgets like the accelerometer, integrate social media, record usage using analytics, and monetise your app. All tasks from installation to deployment to the store are covered and backed by examples. The book will be your companion from your first steps with Titanium to successful live deployment.
Approach"Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide" is an example-driven tour of the language that guides you through all the stages of app design. The style is relaxed and friendly whilst remaining concise and structured.
Who this book is forIf you are new to this technology or curious about the possibilities of Appcelerator Titanium then this book is for you. If you are a web developer who is looking for a way to craft cross-platform apps, then this book and the Titanium language is the choice for you.
Darren Cope
Darren Cope is an experienced Titanium developer having seen the light and the potential of what could be done with Titanium back in early 2011. Since 2011 he has released several cross-platform apps using the technology. He holds TCAD and TCMD certifications and along with creating apps, he has developed modules for the Appcelerator Marketplace. He attended the inaugural CODESTRONG conference in San Francisco in October 2011 and continues to preach the benefits of coding with Titanium through the Appcelerator Titans program. He is very eager to hear from other Titanium developers in the north of England and is trying to start a user group for them. He can be contacted either through his personal website at http://darren.cope.name or by e-mail on mail@darren.cope.name.
Related to Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide
Related ebooks
Mac Application Development by Example: Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRhomobile Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiveCode Mobile Development: Beginner's Guide - Second Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vaadin 7 UI Design By Example: Beginners Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhoneGap: Beginner's Guide - Third Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsiAd Production Beginner’s Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWordPress Mobile Web Development: Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHTML5 Web Application Development By Example Beginner's guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFacebook Graph API Development with Flash Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpring MVC Beginner’s Guide Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Spring MVC: Beginner's Guide - Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiveCode Mobile Development Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCouchDB and PHP Web Development Beginner’s Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEclipse Plug-in Development: Beginner's Guide - Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOUYA Game Development by Example Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhoneGap 4 Mobile Application Development Cookbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOracle ADF 11gR2 Development Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPentaho 5.0 Reporting by Example: Beginner’s Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPanda3D 1.6 Game Engine Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrimeFaces Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWordPress Plugin Development: Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMooTools 1.2 Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhoneGap By Example Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Celtx: Open Source Screenwriting Beginner's Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5GeoServer Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRavenDB 2.x Beginner’s Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsjQuery 2.0 Animation Techniques Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAndroid Sensor Programming By Example Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApache Roller 4.0 – Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIonic Cookbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Enterprise Applications For You
The Ridiculously Simple Guide to Google Docs: A Practical Guide to Cloud-Based Word Processing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCreating Online Courses with ChatGPT | A Step-by-Step Guide with Prompt Templates Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bitcoin For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5QuickBooks 2023 All-in-One For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe New Email Revolution: Save Time, Make Money, and Write Emails People Actually Want to Read! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excel Formulas and Functions 2020: Excel Academy, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5ChatGPT Ultimate User Guide - How to Make Money Online Faster and More Precise Using AI Technology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExcel : The Ultimate Comprehensive Step-By-Step Guide to the Basics of Excel Programming: 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5MrExcel XL: The 40 Greatest Excel Tips of All Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scrivener For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excel 2019 For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity: A Platform for Designing Business Architecture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Useful Excel Functions: Excel Essentials, #3 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5QuickBooks Online For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMicrosoft Power Platform A Deep Dive: Dig into Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents (English Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsData Governance: How to Design, Deploy and Sustain an Effective Data Governance Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excel 2016 For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excel Formulas That Automate Tasks You No Longer Have Time For Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5QuickBooks Online For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQuickBooks 2021 For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMastering QuickBooks 2020: The ultimate guide to bookkeeping and QuickBooks Online Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnterprise AI For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Experts' Guide to OneNote Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Evernote Essentials Guide (Boxed Set): Evernote Guide For Beginners for Organizing Your Life Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5101 Ready-to-Use Excel Formulas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide - Darren Cope
Table of Contents
Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more
Why Subscribe?
Free Access for Packt account holders
Preface
What this book covers
What you need for this book
Who this book is for
Conventions
Time for action – heading
What just happened?
Pop quiz – heading
Have a go hero – heading
Reader feedback
Customer support
Downloading the example code
Errata
Piracy
Questions
1. How to Get Up and Running with Titanium
System requirements and restrictions
Installing Titanium
Time for action – installing Titanium Studio
What just happened?
Setting up Titanium Studio
Time for action – setting up Titanium Studio
What just happened?
Installing the Android SDK
Time for action – configuring the Android SDK
What just happened?
Installing the iOS SDK
Time for action – configuring the iOS SDK
What just happened?
Installation problems – did something go wrong?
Your first cross-platform app
Time for action – creating an app from a template
What just happened?
Time for action – running an app in the emulator
What just happened?
Did the app fail to run?
A review of the first app
tiapp.xml
tiapp XML structure explained
Other files in the base directory
The Resources directory
app.js
KS_nav_ui.png and KS_nav_views.png
The Android and iPhone directories
Pop quiz - Titanium installation and configuration
Summary
2. How to Make an Interface
What's in the toolkit?
A recap
Window
Tab group and tabs
Creating a tab group
Creating a tab
Labels
Views
Time for action – adding a view to a window
What just happened?
Time for action – adding a button to a view
What just happened?
Time for action – making something happen when the button is pressed
What just happened?
Adding a settings screen – a TableView masterclass
Time for action – adding a new window
What just happened?
Time for action – adding a styled TableViewRow object
What just happened?
Platform-specific tools
Adding an Android menu
Time for action – adding an Android menu
What just happened?
Time for action – running the Android menu changes on iOS
What just happened?
Why did this fail?
Isolating platform-specific code
Time for action – add an iOS fix for the Android menu
What just happened?
Capturing debug messages
Coding iOS specific elements
Time for action – adding an info button to the navigation bar
What just happened?
Summary
3. How to Design Titanium Apps
JSON
Extending your app over multiple files
Titanium.include
Time for action – creating an activity indicator
What just happened?
Require
Require – loading a marketplace module
Time for action – adding an Appcelerator marketplace module
Have a go hero - enhancing the paint app
Require – promoting commonJS compliant code
MVC
Time for action – creating a better designed app using MVC
What just happened?
Behind the scenes – a look at the code
What does this mean?
An example of require
Alloy
Time for action – creating an Alloy app
What just happened?
Pop quiz - Titanium design
Summary
4. Gluing Your App Together with Events, Variables, and Callbacks
Sharing data
Execution context
Global variables
What is the right way to share data?
Time for action – sharing information between windows
What just happened?
Events
Event scope
Event properties
Making something happen – fireEvent
Time for action – creating a progress bar game
What just happened?
Global event listeners and garbage collection
Better event code using callbacks
Have a go hero - adding callbacks
Pop quiz - events
Summary
5. It's All About Data
External data
Time for action – creating an HTTP request
What just happened?
RSS reader
Time for action – fetching RSS
What just happened?
Time for action – parsing and displaying the RSS
What just happened?
Storing data on the device
Which one should you use; filesystem, database, or properties?
Storing data in files
Storing data in the database
Storing settings in Ti.App.Properties
Time for action – comparing the speed of database, file, and application properties
What just happened?
YQL
Time for action – creating a foreign exchange list
What just happened?
Have a go hero - adding offline storage
Pop quiz - data handling
Summary
6. Cloud-enabling Your Apps
Before the cloud
Which cloud services can you use with Titanium?
Clouds are everywhere
Appcelerator Cloud Services
Time for action – creating ACS custom objects
What just happened?
Uploading pictures
Time for action – uploading a photo to the cloud
What just happened?
Fetching ACS stored content
Time for action – creating a panel to show commentary entries
What just happened?
Parse
Time for action – storing custom objects using Parse
What just happened?
StackMob
Other cloud offerings
Choosing your cloud service
Pop quiz - cloud services
Summary
7. Putting the Phone Gadgets to Good Use
The camera
Time for action – using the camera
What just happened?
Time for action – selecting a photo from the photo library
What just happened?
Have a go hero - e-mailing a camera photo
The accelerometer
Time for action – showing the accelerometer on a slider
What just happened?
Time for action – smoothing the accelerometer response
What just happened?
Have a go hero - tuning the filer response
The compass
Time for action – displaying the compass heading
What just happened?
Augmented reality
Time for action – creating a simple augmented reality app
What just happened?
Have a go hero - extending the AR example
Maps
Time for action – adding a map
What just happened?
Time for action – adding annotations to a map
What just happened
Directions
Time for action – adding directions to a map
What just happened?
Geolocation
Are we allowed to get the location?
Accuracy and battery life
Time for action – getting the current location
What just happened?
Have a go hero - getting the address of a location using reverse geocoding
Computing the distance from a coordinate
Time for action – getting the distance from a coordinate
What just happened?
Showing the user's current location on a map
Time for action – showing the user's location on the map
What just happened
Pop quiz - gadgets
Summary
8. Creating Beautiful Interfaces
How to position and size items on a window?
So what is a DIP and what's so good about it?
Time for action - making DIPs the default unit for your app
What just happened?
What about percentages?
Using views to create your layout
Orientation
Restricting the orientation
Time for action – restricting the orientation of your app (iPhone)
What just happened?
Time for action – restricting the orientation of your app [Android]
What just happened?
Changing the orientation manually
Time for action – forcing an orientation change (all platforms)
What just happened?
Creating layouts for phones and tablets
Time for action – creating a multiplatform interface
What just happened?
Time for action – creating a phone layout for your app
What just happened?
Pop quiz - creating a layout
Summary
9. Spread the Word with Social Media
Time for action – registering your app with Facebook
What just happened?
Time for action – sending a screenshot to Facebook
What just happened?
Sending tweets
Time for action – registering your app with Twitter
What just happened?
Time for action – sending a tweet
What just happened?
Sharing and social media on Android
Time for action – sharing an update using intents
What just happened?
Pop quiz - integrating social media
Summary
10. Sending Notifications
How push notifications work
Why do you need to know this?
Setting up notifications - the prerequisites
Setting up iOS notifications
Time for action – getting a push certificate
What just happened?
Push notifications using Appcelerator Cloud
Time for action – registering for push notifications with Appcelerator Cloud
What just happened?
Have a go hero - sending push notifications
Push notifications using Urban Airship
Time for action – registering for push notifications with Urban Airship
What just happened?
Coding the interface to Urban Airship
Time for action – registering a device for push notifications
What just happened?
Have a go hero - sending a notification from Urban Airship
Pop quiz - push notifications
Summary
11. Testing and Deploying
Registering your app with Apple
Time for action – registering your app with Apple
What just happened?
Installing a development/distribution certificate
Time for action – installing a development certificate
What just happened?
Running the app on devices
Testing the app on iOS
Time for action – running the app on an iOS device
What just happened?
Testing the app on Android
Time for action – configuring your Android device
What just happened?
Debug your app
Publishing your app
iOS
All iOS platforms
iPhone
iPad
Android
Deploying the app to the Apple App Store
Time for action – deploying the app to the Apple App Store
What just happened?
Deploying the app to Google Play
Time for action – deploying the app to Google Play
What just happened?
Pop quiz - deploying your app
Summary
12. Analytics
Comparing the providers
Flurry
Time for action – setting up Flurry
What just happened?
Tracking page views
Time for action – registering a page view
What just happened?
Tracking custom events
Time for action – registering a custom event
What just happened?
Other items you can gather
Google Analytics
Time for action – setting up Google Analytics
What just happened?
Tracking page views
Time for action – registering a page view
What just happened?
Tracking custom events
Time for action – registering a custom event
What just happened?
Analytics using Appcelerator
Time for action – setting up Appcelerator Analytics
What just happened?
Catching custom events
Time for action – registering a custom event
What just happened?
Other suppliers
Pop quiz - recording analytics
Summary
13. Making Money from Your App
Displaying adverts in your app
Time for action – configuring Google AdMob
What just happened?
Time for action – incorporating AdMob into your app
What just happened?
In-app purchases
Time for action – adding in-app purchases for iOS
What just happened?
Have a go hero - recording a purchase
In-app purchases on Android
Time for action – adding in-app purchases for Android
What just happened?
Pop quiz - making money from your app
Summary
A. Git Integration
Importing a project
Time for action – importing an existing GitHub project
What just happened?
Time for action – uploading a project to GitHub
What just happened?
Alternative suppliers
Summary
B. Glossary
C. Pop Quiz Answers
Chapter 1, How to Get Up and Running with Titanium
Pop quiz - Titanium installation and configuration
Chapter 3, How to Design Titanium Apps
Pop quiz - Titanium design
Chapter 4, Gluing Your App Together with Events, Variables, and Callbacks
Pop quiz - adding callbacks
Chapter 5, It’s All About Data
Pop quiz - data handling
Chapter 6, Cloud-enabling Your Apps
Pop quiz - cloud services
Chapter 7, Putting the Phone Gadgets to Good Use
Pop quiz - gadgets
Chapter 8, Creating Beautiful Interfaces
Pop quiz - creating a layout
Chapter 9, Spread the Word with Social Media
Pop quiz - integrating social media
Chapter 10, Sending Notifications
Pop quiz - push notifications
Chapter 11, Testing and Deploying
Pop quiz - deploying your app
Chapter 12, Analytics
Pop quiz - recording analytics
Chapter 13, Making Money from Your App
Pop quiz - making money from your app
Index
Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide
Appcelerator Titanium Application Development by Example Beginner's Guide
Copyright © 2013 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.
Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.
Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
First published: April 2013
Production Reference: 1120413
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.
ISBN 978-1-84969-500-8
www.packtpub.com
Cover Image by J. Blaminsky (<milak6@wp.pl>)
Credits
Author
Darren Cope
Reviewers
Steve Dawes
Stephen Feather
Imraan Jhetam
Acquisition Editor
James Jones
Lead Technical Editor
Neeshma Ramakrishnan
Technical Editors
Chirag Jani
Devdutt Kulkarni
Project Coordinator
Arshad Sopariwala
Proofreaders
Maria Gould
Aaron Nash
Paul Hindle
Indexer
Monica Ajmera Mehta
Graphics
Aditi Gajjar
Production Coordinator
Manu Joseph
Cover Work
Manu Joseph
About the Author
Darren Cope is an experienced Titanium developer having seen the light and the potential of what could be done with Titanium back in early 2011. Since 2011 he has released several cross-platform apps using the technology. He holds TCAD and TCMD certifications and along with creating apps, he has developed modules for the Appcelerator Marketplace. He attended the inaugural CODESTRONG conference in San Francisco in October 2011 and continues to preach the benefits of coding with Titanium through the Appcelerator Titans program. He is very eager to hear from other Titanium developers in the north of England and is trying to start a user group for them. He can be contacted either through his personal website at http://darren.cope.name or by e-mail on
I'd like to thank Tracey for her love, support, and encouragement during the writing of this book, and thank the writers of NCIS who have provided the background noise for most of the time I was writing this book. I would also like to thank Steve Dawes who reached out to me with an opportunity to develop an app in early 2011 and in doing so started the process that got me here.
About the Reviewers
Steve Dawes is a delivery-focused IT consultant with senior management experience in global corporations and director level experience in SMEs.
Steve's experience includes end-to-end delivery of software and infrastructure projects, product development, and strategic roadmap formulation and business change in a variety of sectors including transport, retail, finance, construction, postal, and services with implementations of systems developed in e-commerce, the cloud, the Web, mobile, and SOA architectures.
Steve is a member of the BCS and APM and specializes in interim project management and business transformation projects. Steve works through his company Rockwave Consulting Ltd, www.rockwaveconsulting.co.uk.
Stephen Feather is an Appcelerator Titanium titan, holding TCMD and TCAD certifications. He is a frequent speaker on mobile strategies for small business and non-profit organizations. In 1994 he started his own consulting firm working directly with communications companies such as Netscape, Microsoft, and Oracle in the early days of the Internet. In 1996 he wrote JavaScript by Example, Que Publishing, one of the first publications on the then new scripting language. Over the next 17 years, his firm would grow to become a widely recognized vendor of multimedia software for language learning, providing support to colleges and universities throughout the southeastern United States.
In 2009, he co-founded Feather Direct, recognizing a need for quality mobile app development, reputation management, and SEO services for smaller organizations. He volunteers time to assist and train a new generation of mobile app developers through online forums and local user groups.
Imraan Jhetam is a medical doctor and entrepreneur living in England with an equal love for both medical law and technology. He earned his medical degree from the University of Natal in 1983, his MBA from the University of Witwatersrand, and a Master's degree in Law from Cardiff University.
Imraan has been fascinated by computers since his youth and taught himself the basics of programming during his university years. He has been writing programs since the mid 1970s in various languages and for different platforms and has fond memories of his first Apple//e with its then impressive 64 KB RAM.
When he is not busy seeing patients or writing medico-legal reports, he spends his time developing applications and developed Snappa, a social sharing game that is the better way to draw something for friends. This was written using the incredible Titanium Studio tools and Appcelerator Cloud Services and is now in the Apple and Android app stores. He was also third prize winner at the first Codestrong Hackathon with two e-payment apps, PayBill and PayPad, that also included social media, geo-location, photos, and barcodes, and which were developed in a restricted and short time using Appcelerator Titanium Studio.
You can contact Imraan via www.snappa.mobi or via Twitter @The__i.
www.PacktPub.com
Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more
You might want to visit www.PacktPub.com for support files and downloads related to your book.
Did you know that Packt offers eBook versions of every book published, with PDF and ePub files available? You can upgrade to the eBook version at www.PacktPub.com and as a print book customer, you are entitled to a discount on the eBook copy. Get in touch with us at
At www.PacktPub.com, you can also read a collection of free technical articles, sign up for a range of free newsletters and receive exclusive discounts and offers on Packt books and eBooks.
http://PacktLib.PacktPub.com
Do you need instant solutions to your IT questions? PacktLib is Packt's online digital book library. Here, you can access, read and search across Packt's entire library of books.
Why Subscribe?
Fully searchable across every book published by Packt
Copy and paste, print and bookmark content
On demand and accessible via web browser
Free Access for Packt account holders
If you have an account with Packt at www.PacktPub.com, you can use this to access PacktLib today and view nine entirely free books. Simply use your login credentials for immediate access.
For Tracey and Emily.
And for Chris, gone but not forgotten.
Preface
It's fair to say that while Steve Jobs didn't necessarily start a smartphone revolution with the iPhone and iPad he certainly championed it and in doing so created beautifully designed devices that rightfully became both massively popular and highly desired.
Not long after the introduction of these seductive devices came another masterstroke, the App Store. Apple generated massive developer interest by promoting the dream of becoming a rock-star developer by creating apps for this new platform. It was a massive success; a new breed of indie developers flocked to the platform pushing new apps into the App Store hoping their app would be the one to make it big.
The App Store opened in June 2008 with only 500 apps. By October 2011 there were over half a million apps, and it continues to grow with over 500 new apps published everyday. There will soon be 1 million apps available which has resulted in an ecosystem that has paid out over six billion dollars in royalties. Thanks to a lucrative payment strategy whereby Apple gets 30 percent of revenue from every sale, they have become one of the biggest companies in history.
Success of that size doesn't go unnoticed or unchallenged. The monopoly didn't last long and soon after Google came along with Android and its own Android marketplace. While initial take-up was slower than Apple, it has gained ground and by late 2012 both stores had equal number of apps available.
Now the app market has two major players. You can create an app for iOS or Android, but unfortunately there are no common compilers for the two systems, so if you want to write a native app for iOS, you have to use objective-C and Java for Android.
Jeff Haynie and Nolan Wright (the founders of Appcelerator) were ahead of all of this; they already had a way of creating native apps for iOS using JavaScript, and it just so happened that the methodology they used in their Titanium tool would also work for Android. Titanium was launched in 2009 and since then it has attracted over 400,000 registered developers.
Titanium allows you to create native apps that will run on both iOS and Android. A Titanium app can be run on both platforms without changing a single line of code. Over 50,000 apps have been released using the technology; this book will help you to add your app to that list.
The book will guide you through the process of creating a cross-platform app, an app that can be released to both Android and iOS app stores.
The book has been written in a relaxed and friendly manner with carefully selected examples that highlight the core concepts of the chapter. All examples, unless specifically stated, are written so that they may be run on both platforms.
The chapters have been ordered to reflect the order in which I believe the tool should be learned. The initial chapters will provide guidance on how to install and configure the tool before moving on to how to create apps using Titanium. The book then looks in detail at how to design and structure apps. This is the content that will be invaluable later when your apps become larger and more complex. Being able to easily modify and extend your apps because they have been designed with a well-defined structure will be a significant advantage.
The next few chapters then focus on some of the core components of apps with chapters on the cloud, phone gadgets, and data. After this we move on to an important area, interface design, and how to create apps that will run and look good on phones and tablets from both iOS and Android.
Next, the book has a couple of chapters that look into a few optional extras such as social media integration and push notifications, before moving on to the final phase of testing and deploying your app to the app store.
The final two chapters focus on areas that are often considered by developers after an app has gone live, namely analytics and making money from your app.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, How to Get Up and Running with Titanium, guides you through the process of