Hello fellow B4X'ers
NO - This is not a tutorial.
PLEASE NOTE: To test the attached file, you need to sign up below for free to receive your free develop API key
This morning after reading Erels B4XPages tutorial, I spent about 30 minutes converting my B4A (Android) Pixabay code over to work with B4X Pages. Wow it's now working exactly like B4i (iOS), that's BRILLIANT
Previously when searching for and then selecting an image from the downloaded image list, the previous Activity would stop populating the list whilst the WebView (in the newly opened Activity) loaded to show you more information about the Image you selected. This DOES NOT happen in iOS, iOS keeps loading the searched for images into the list in the background on the previous page. Okay yes, there are ways to accomplish continuing loading images AFTER going back to the first Activity in B4A (Android), but that means adding more lines of code to the project and managing multiple panel code in just one Activity. Using B4XPages in B4A (Android) means that when selecting an Image to view more information, the previous list (B4XPage) still continues to load the images in the background, that's EXCELLENT. Now when you go back to the previously searched for images in the list, you will see that all the images have loaded into the list (an xCLV in this case) and not just the first few images.
Conclusion: This is a serious game changer for B4A, multiple pages accomplishing multiple tasks at the exact same time. I don't know what this means for CPU(speed)/Memory usage, but my basic tests done on a Pixel 3XL shows me excellent results. Please note that I DID NOT say multiple Activities as they are not Activities, they are pages (I think stacked above each other). I've only used B4XPages in B4A for about 30 minutes this morning and again just now for about 15 or 20 minutes whilst creating this post, but I can already see how B4XPages can make using Activities almost redundant. I can see how in certain circumstances processing visible data (lists, cards, images etc) or just processing plain old data on the first B4XPage (in the background) whilst viewing a second B4XPage (In the foreground) can be beneficial, this can already be accomplished easily in iOS using Pages and now it's possible in B4A using B4XPages. I can also see how using B4XPages can and will cut down on code whilst developing cross platform XUI applications whilst using B4A and B4i. On the odd occasion, I can see me using B4XPages for background processing in Android. The attached project is perfect proof of one of those odd occasions.
I did not do too much debugging, this test code is not 100% perfect as this is ONLY AN INITIAL FIRST TEST for me of using B4XPages.
First test of the Pixabay app using B4XPages
Lets hope that new developers find B4X.com and at least gives the B4X suite of RAD tools a chance to show them what Anyway Software can do for them. Hopefully all B4A developers will donate and keep donating as Erel does a lot of R&D to make cross platform development easier for B4X developers to accomplish.
Thank you Anywhere Software, and by the way if you want to move this post to Chit Chat or wherever then please be my guest
>>> CLICK HERE <<< to download the test example project
Enjoy...
#gamechanger
NO - This is not a tutorial.
PLEASE NOTE: To test the attached file, you need to sign up below for free to receive your free develop API key
Pixabay API Documentation
Documentation to Pixabay's API for searching and retrieving free images and videos.
pixabay.com
This morning after reading Erels B4XPages tutorial, I spent about 30 minutes converting my B4A (Android) Pixabay code over to work with B4X Pages. Wow it's now working exactly like B4i (iOS), that's BRILLIANT
Previously when searching for and then selecting an image from the downloaded image list, the previous Activity would stop populating the list whilst the WebView (in the newly opened Activity) loaded to show you more information about the Image you selected. This DOES NOT happen in iOS, iOS keeps loading the searched for images into the list in the background on the previous page. Okay yes, there are ways to accomplish continuing loading images AFTER going back to the first Activity in B4A (Android), but that means adding more lines of code to the project and managing multiple panel code in just one Activity. Using B4XPages in B4A (Android) means that when selecting an Image to view more information, the previous list (B4XPage) still continues to load the images in the background, that's EXCELLENT. Now when you go back to the previously searched for images in the list, you will see that all the images have loaded into the list (an xCLV in this case) and not just the first few images.
Conclusion: This is a serious game changer for B4A, multiple pages accomplishing multiple tasks at the exact same time. I don't know what this means for CPU(speed)/Memory usage, but my basic tests done on a Pixel 3XL shows me excellent results. Please note that I DID NOT say multiple Activities as they are not Activities, they are pages (I think stacked above each other). I've only used B4XPages in B4A for about 30 minutes this morning and again just now for about 15 or 20 minutes whilst creating this post, but I can already see how B4XPages can make using Activities almost redundant. I can see how in certain circumstances processing visible data (lists, cards, images etc) or just processing plain old data on the first B4XPage (in the background) whilst viewing a second B4XPage (In the foreground) can be beneficial, this can already be accomplished easily in iOS using Pages and now it's possible in B4A using B4XPages. I can also see how using B4XPages can and will cut down on code whilst developing cross platform XUI applications whilst using B4A and B4i. On the odd occasion, I can see me using B4XPages for background processing in Android. The attached project is perfect proof of one of those odd occasions.
I did not do too much debugging, this test code is not 100% perfect as this is ONLY AN INITIAL FIRST TEST for me of using B4XPages.
First test of the Pixabay app using B4XPages
Lets hope that new developers find B4X.com and at least gives the B4X suite of RAD tools a chance to show them what Anyway Software can do for them. Hopefully all B4A developers will donate and keep donating as Erel does a lot of R&D to make cross platform development easier for B4X developers to accomplish.
Thank you Anywhere Software, and by the way if you want to move this post to Chit Chat or wherever then please be my guest
>>> CLICK HERE <<< to download the test example project
Enjoy...
#gamechanger
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