Welcome to this great B4X community
@Lasix
Your questions with some BASIC
answers
Q. I used basic back about 35 years ago, so I'm not sure how much of it pertains
B4X (B4A in your case) uses a lot of syntax taken from BASIC as you know it, but Anywhere software has turbocharged the syntax and updated it to make it more viable for today development platforms.
Q. The app needs to be uploaded to google play.
- Use B4A.
Q. I'm a professor, and I'm looking to make study apps for my students, which would include a reading guide, long with some study questions.
- Use B4A and search/ask on the forum.
Q. The information can be packaged into the app, or it could be set to download the appropriate text files and populate based on variables (if that's possible).
- There are many ways to accomplish this. You've mention both viable way but it completely depends on how much information you are giving to your pupils and if that information changes on a regular basis. If the information does change (which I doubt) then you can always download the information directly into the app from a server.
Again, I'm new, and before digging too far into this language and IDE, I was looking for some more information.
Q. I've been looking around the site for a beginner guide, and that thread says it's obsolite, and the other link to the alternate PDF states it's for advanced users... I have found 1 book B4A by Seagrove, Is this book still relevant? are there other books? I learn best by reading and dissecting and experimenting with code.
- Just like other development platforms, B4X is constantly being updated. You will find that Anywhere Software are constantly working to make developing applications using B4A, B4J, B4i and B4R easier for us developers.
- If you see on the forum that a library, some code etc etc etc is obsolete, then there is always an alternative to to that obsolete solution. Book wise there are a few books on the market, the basics of those books are probably still viable in one way or another, but I would recommend clicking on the very top of this page where it ways
LEARN and watch the videos that you think might be relevant to you.
- @klaus has taken the time to create some fabulous documentations on how to learn to develop using the B4X platform of development tools.
CLICK HERE to download the booklets, you will learn a lot from them.
Q. The large forum here makes me feel comfortable regarding the possibilities to produce good app/products, but I am concerned about how to find the beginning knowledge because of the link that would suggest the "older way" is obsolete.
- This forum is more like a large local friendly community of developers than your average internet forum. You will be hard pushed to find a friendlier forum (community) anywhere else on the internet. You will find that developers of all skill levels of programming/development are always willing and able to help you with your queries. I strongly suggest that you first use the forum search bar at the top of each page, if you can't find either code examples or a general answers to your query, you should then create a new question and your post will be replied to relatively quickly.
Enjoy...