iOS Question Install apps on own devices

[Peter Simpson]

Wow this is a first for me, it feels strange posting in the iOS section of the forum ?

I know that since 2015 it has been possible to install your own Xcode 7+ created apps directly onto your own devices without paying apple $99 per year for the privilege. You do still need an Apple developers account though because you need to enter your Apple ID.

My questions are quite simple really.

1. Is it possible to use B4i to create and install iOS apps just on my own devices which is 100% possible using Xcode, no App store needed?
2. If I were to expand out to iOS just for client work (not for the App store), how does that exactly work as once again apps would not be on the App store?

1 is a definite possibility for me.
2 is just a thought as I really do doubt that it would ever happen, me getting client work for Apple devices as I don't promote anything Apple and I don't wish to do so either.

I'm seriously considering purchasing B4i for learning/testing purposes only. I don't mind paying Anywhere Software for learning how to developing apps on iOS devices that I own, but I'm 100% against paying Apple for the privilege of putting an app on those devices especially as any apps created using B4i would never ever be uploaded to the App store

Thank you...

 

[MarcoRome]

Hi dear Peter and welcome.
Answer:
1. Yes
2. Look next link
First Step look this

Creating a certificate and provisioning profile

Don't panic! While this process can be a bit annoying it is not too complicated and you can always delete the keys and start from scratch (which is not always the case in Android). Note that you must first register with Apple as an iOS developer (costs $99 per year). The whole process is done...

www.b4x.com

and also this:

Is there a way to Install b4i ipa files to ios devices without publising to apple store?

Hello A private company call me to develop ios apps but they don't want their apps to be pushed in the ios store, I am honest, i only have experience with b4a & b4j not b4i and the process involved to publish or install apps to ios devices. This company tell me that a previous developer was...

www.b4x.com

 

[JohnC]

[tool] OTA Deployer - Easily distribute your app to beta testers

This is a tool for developers who use the hosted builder. With this tool your beta testers can install your app over the air by clicking on a link. In order to distribute your app you need to follow these steps: 1. Add the beta tester device UDID to the provision file and download the updated...

www.b4x.com

 

[Peter Simpson]

OMG this Apple iOS development procedure is rather complicated compared to Google Android.
Fast response as usual from @MarcoRome and @JohnC, I'll read 'ALL' the posts in the links that you've sent me.

Thank you both...

 

[JordiCP]

Welcome!

2 is just a thought as I really do doubt that it would ever happen, me getting client work for Apple devices as I don't promote anything Apple and I don't wish to do so either.

Don't discard this option at all. If you have a portfolio of templates/solutions working for Android, perhaps one day a customer will ask for the same functionality in iOS, and then another... this is what happened to me and now I live more in the iOS world than in Android.

 

[Peter Simpson]

Don't discard this option at all.

You are 100% correct @JordiCP.
I believe that my main issue was always that with Android and paying for B4A (which I didn't mind paying for), I could at the time learn and install applications on my own Android devices. But the last time that I look at Apple iOS deployment solutions before 2015, developers were being forced to pay Apple $99 just to install the mandatory first test applications 'Hello World' onto our own Apple devices, that just put me off for life, and that's $99 every single year.

With Anywhere Software creating B4X XUI, B4XBitmap, xCustomListView etc etc etc, plus other B4X developers creating XUI libraries from fabulous looking views to excellent charts, the list just goes on and on and on. I can now clearly see the potential of creating cross platform applications for both Android and iOS for clients as I believe that B4A and B4i share around 85%+ of the same code base, and Erel is slowly but surely logically bringing that figure higher and higher with almost every new release of a new B4X RAD IDE.

Now that it looks like I can learn B4i and not pay Apple for doing absolutely nothing for me, I will most probably take the leap in the next few days and just go for it ?

Thank you...

 

[sorex]

I believe that B4A and B4i share around 85%+

in my case (puzzle games) my own code is shared for 95+%.

I seperated the ads class & in some cases in-app purchases class. if I merged it like the rest it would be near 98-99%.
But as for example there is no Tappx for B4i (yet) it made sense to split things up instead of adding a bunch of conditions.

If you publish your apps on the apple store your income will increase aswell and (hopefully) it will pay back that $99 after a few months and the rest is profit.

 

[Peter Simpson]

Hello @sorex,
I've read your response to my post two or three times in the last 24 hours. I like the idea of using classes to share code, a lot of thought will have to go into that in my case as I'm so used to just creating in B4A or B4J that sharing code between two RAD suites is almost alien to me, but it's not difficult to do. I would need to be more forward thinking and start looking ahead of time about what code is needed where when it comes to creating apps on both B4A and B4i platforms.

Yes the potential is looking extremely good at the moment, especially as I've been reading up about XUI2D as well. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, that XUI2D is seriously complicated.

I'm thinking about using B4i mainly for bespoke business solutions, but who knows what the future will hold

 

[sorex]

well it's actually more simple than it sounds.

I just create a class with focus on XUI in any of the 3 packages let's say B4A.
The main module has just a declaration and init of the class and that's about it.

when everything is done I just create the project in B4i and add the existing class to it and work away the platform specific differences.

here aswell the main module is just the reference and init to the class.

you mention XUI2D but it's mainly aimed for gaming, the regular XUI is what you need for regular apps or non XUI2D games.

XUI kinda works away the differences between platforms so that you don't need all the conditional code as it was years ago.

Once you get the hang of it and have it all sorted the next project is just a copy of this project folder and erase or modify the parts that will be different.
(my apps has returning functions like createMenu, createGame, createInGameMenu, createScoring, createLeaderboard etc so the structure is the same but the code is different)

Depending on the game and differences going from Android to IOS app is a matter of an hour or less to a few hours if you didn't use XUI from the start.

It might be harder for regular apps tho as the differences are bigger UI component wise or some 'components' are not existing on the other platform.

 

[Peter Simpson]

well it's actually more simple than it sounds.

I just create a class with focus on XUI in any of the 3 packages let's say B4A.
The main module has just a declaration and init of the class and that's about it.

I will admit it sounds simple enough, I would definitely start with B4A as well and port over to B4i

you mention XUI2D but it's mainly aimed for gaming, the regular XUI is what you need for regular apps or non XUI2D games.

XUI kinda works away the differences between platforms so that you don't need all the conditional code as it was years ago.

Once you get the hang of it and have it all sorted the next project is just a copy of this project folder and erase or modify the parts that will be different.
(my apps has returning functions like createMenu, createGame, createInGameMenu, createScoring, createLeaderboard etc so the structure is the same but the code is different)

Depending on the game and differences going from Android to IOS app is a matter of an hour or less to a few hours if you didn't use XUI from the start.

It might be harder for regular apps tho as the differences are bigger UI component wise or some 'components' are not existing on the other platform.

Hmm, yes, I have had a certain game in mind for quite some time now. It's not a difficult game to create without using XUI2D, but it would be great to learn and use XUI2D to make this game that I have in mind. My partner Joanne says that I should just go for it, but as I also have got paid client work to develop. It's not easy for me to learn something new in the little spare time that I have between projects, and learning XUI2D is sadly not going to take me a day accomplish.

 

[Erel]

Make sure to see the "cross platform example": https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/b4x-cross-platform-example.114125/#content
It demonstrates several things that make it easier to target the three platforms.

 

[Dave G]

I ported an application from Xamarin to B4A. Once I got it working I converted it to XUI and then XUILIBS. 95% of the app is contained in shared class with very little conditional compilation (directory names, colors). I was able to copy and past the UI from B4A to B4I/J with ease. The I created a script to handle orientation change that worked for A/I/J. the resultant executables (APK, IPA) are significantly smaller than Xamarin and I didn't have to contend with XAML. Will be publishing the B4A version soon and then the iOS version.