New FaceBook Group

[Peter Simpson]

Hello everyone,
I like the look of these

Yes, they are obviously 100% fabricated and are for illustration purposes only. I was considering posting them on the Facebook group with a huge disclaimer stating the previously highlighted text (probably in bold uppercase letters), explaining that these images were made in GIMP from templates, and are clearly for promotional purposes only. But I’m hesitant to do so, as people often don’t read anything and will probably still ask where they can purchase them.

Template was not perfect, but hey, who cares, I sure don't
And yes, I forgot to adjust the brightness of the Anywhere Software logo. It's too bright and looks out of place.

I've created plenty of these books, and also leaflets, just for fun in my spare time. I might post them here, on the new Facebook group, or on both, just for the fun of it. We’ll just have to wait and see.

I remember buying the Build Your Own Android App book from WHSmith retail stores (which are still big here in the UK). I flicked through it, but most of it I already knew. The purchase was more to support the author, as all the information in the book was already available on the forum.

Does anybody remember these beauties???

Looking for B4A Books...

Well here are 4 books for you: I've read the first book as it was in my local store (W.H. Smith) when I went shopping one day, so I purchased it just because it was there...

www.b4x.com

Enjoy...

 

[Peter Simpson]

Here you go @Cableguy, this is just for you as I know that you need the lessons

Downloading and parsing a JSON file.

B4X Cross-Platform Developers | Hello everyone, | Facebook

Hello everyone, It's **short** #B4X **lesson time**, lets talk about downloading and parsing #JSON data. Do you want to download and parse JSON data from an API, it's extremely simple to accomplish...

www.facebook.com

After seeing Erels response to a question in the forum, I decided to spend about 10 minutes creating a Facebook post, it's basically all copy and past from the forum. The first part is about using 'Dim j As HttpJob' to download JSON data from a URL, and the second part is about using 'Dim Parser As JSONParser' to parse the downloaded JSON data. None of it has been tested, it doesn't need to be. The first part has been written in posts on the forum hundreds of times, and the second part was automatically generated by using the link below.

Thank you Erel for this solution, it saves developers time when it comes to parsing JSON data and creating the B4X code.
I had the necessary code within just a few short seconds.

http://basic4ppc.com:51042/json/index.html

I've shared the Fb post with a few other developer groups. Some other group members have definitely joined the new B4X Fb group, so let's hope that they decide to join b4x.com, install the IDEs, create apps with them, and donate to the developer.

The more posts that we on a whole can put on the new B4X Fb group, the better it is for promoting b4x.com. That is all we are doing, trying to promote B4X to get new blood


Enjoy...

 

[aeric]

Here you go @Cableguy, this is just for you as I know that you need the lessons

Downloading and parsing a JSON file.

B4X Cross-Platform Developers | Hello everyone, | Facebook

Hello everyone, It's **short** #B4X **lesson time**, lets talk about downloading and parsing #JSON data. Do you want to download and parse JSON data from an API, it's extremely simple to accomplish...

www.facebook.com

After seeing Erels response to a question in the forum, I decided to spend about 10 minutes creating a Facebook post, it's basically all copy and past from the forum. The first part is about using 'Dim j As HttpJob' to download JSON data from a URL, and the second part is about using 'Dim Parser As JSONParser' to parse the downloaded JSON data. None of it has been tested, it doesn't need to be. The first part has been written in posts on the forum hundreds of times, and the second part was automatically generated by using the link below.

Thank you Erel for this solution, it saves developers time when it comes to parsing JSON data and creating the B4X code.
I had the necessary code within just a few short seconds.

http://basic4ppc.com:51042/json/index.html

I've shared the Fb post with a few other developer groups. Some other group members have definitely joined the new B4X Fb group, so let's hope that they decide to join b4x.com, install the IDEs, create apps with them, and donate to the developer.

The more posts that we on a whole can put on the new B4X Fb group, the better it is for promoting b4x.com. That is all we are doing, trying to promote B4X to get new blood


Enjoy...

I posted an alternative code in comment.

 

[Peter Simpson]

I posted an alternative code in comment.

Nice one Aeric

I must say though, I make the Fb post on my phone whilst waiting in the reception area at my doctors surgery, we then went out for a pub meal.

Anyway, thank you @aeric for the excellent Fb post

 

[aeric]

Nice one Aeric

I must say though, I make the Fb post on my phone whilst waiting in the reception area at my doctors surgery, we then went out for a pub meal.

Anyway, thank you @aeric for the excellent Fb post

I also get problem with the code formatting. I copy your "tab" to format the code.

 

[Cableguy]

Only 3 new members away of reaching the 300 members mark in our Facebook Group!
I can't stress enough that the FBG is NOT a new forum, but a way to expose a bit more B4X existence and also a way to showcase some of the Forum highlight thread, like some major achievement by a few users like "mindfull games", or some successful stories, like Cesar Mourisco's Candy Bar Vending Machine... Anything created using B4X as part of it, can and should be showcased there, with a proper link to the Forum's Main Thread!
SO, came and join us in this endeavor to spread the word about B4X!!! (I almost sounded like a pastor, preaching the "word"... sorry for that)
Main FCG objective for 2025 is to get pass the 500 members mark, but cannot happen unless we all do our part!

 

[Peter Simpson]

Congratulations @Cableguy

Enjoy

 

[Cableguy]

We keep growing!!! Slower, as it is to be expected, but still at almost 10 new members a week... which would mean we can still get to 500 members by Year's End!!!
SO keep posting on our FB Group, and also sharing posts from our FB Group onto other related Groups!!!

 

[LucaMs]

but still at almost 10 new members a week

With 10 new members per week, 56,728 weeks = 1,091 years will be enough to reach that number.


(Sorry, I'm nervous about losing over €4,000 and I can't "hold my tongue", I have to write/say what I think).

I love B4X but I'm sure this is a pointless initiative.

 

[Cableguy]

(Sorry, I'm nervous about losing over €4,000 and I can't hold my tongue.)

I would be too!

I love B4X, but I'm sure this is a pointless initiative.

Well, in the famous words of Forest Gump.... "stupid is what stupid does", meaning that, if YOU think it's pointless, Then it is pointless to YOU!

 

[LucaMs]

Well, in the famous words of Forest Gump.... "stupid is what stupid does", meaning that, if YOU think it's pointless, Then it is pointless to YOU!

Quoting Forrest Gump is almost better than quoting Einstein.

There are things that are objectively beautiful, objectively stupid; furthermore, I haven't written, and I never would, that "this is stupid"; it would be pointless, totally insufficient to achieve the goal (unfortunately).

 

[LucaMs]

There are things that are objectively beautiful, objectively stupid;

For example, writing posts like this:

is objectively stupid!

 

[Cableguy]

For example, writing posts like this:

View attachment 166441

is objectively stupid!

I wouldn't call it "stupid"... just.... pointless

 

[Cableguy]

Well, 4 months have past since the creation of OUR FaceBook Page, and new members signing in have stalled...
Last month we barely had 20 new members.

Even though we are far better than a few other pages I had found related to Programing Languages, for a community of well over 100K members, we have less than 0.3% of FB Page members. A few of the current 330 FB Page members discovered B4X via the FB Page, and subsequently became B4X.com forum members.

I had hopes that we would be able to reach 500 members by 2025 end, clearly we will not...
Why? Simply because the FB Group Page reflects what happens in this forum... 110K registered users, but well less than 1% of that do post or answer posts in this forum.
The FaceBook Group Page will continue, and grow, just not as fast as most of us would like to...
We can easily find threads about how to promote B4X, but when the opportunity is real and presents it self, very few respond and act.

So, Thanks for all the effort put in by some very few members that post their creation there, that really helps making the page more visible to others.
I took the time to create and maintain the Group Page, as I have done with so many other endeavors here in the forum, for as long as I've been a member, and will continue to do so... but instead of just asking yourselves what could be don to promote B4X... DO! create and promote! Post on all your social media! create dedicated channels/pages/thread on them so that people can discuss and discover B4x.
I don't do Instagram, X, tik-tok or any of those other "younger" social medias, but some of you do... so what is your excuse?

I take the opportunity to thank @Peter Simpson, @Cesar_Morisco, @aeric, @Mashiane and a very few others that do post on the Group Page

 

[aeric]

One thing makes me concern is the growing of new AI tools. Newbies are told that they don't need to have strong skills in programming to build a full working production ready app.
I just saw videos of POS system developed using Flutter and an AI app generator tool that can generate a corporate website in minutes with very easy to use and customize. We need to accept what is happening now. Programming language choices is no longer an important thing to consider. Developers don't need human opinion or advices. Like an average Joe can now become the next billionaire startup founder, without a strong skills in programming. He can create a MVP in just a few minutes or days, not months.

 

[Sagenut]

Joe, supported by AI, can create the new Miracle Startup or something similar.
But everyone else have the same power.
So why should I trust Joe and not try it by myself?
Is Joe just simply better than me in explaining to AI what he want?
I really hope to be wrong, but the future of developers looks a bit foggy in this exact moment.

 

[Cableguy]

@everyone, this is NOT an AI discussion thread!

 

[aeric]

My point is don't put a high hope that Facebook is a good channel to promote B4X.

Allow me to share my point.

For me, Facebook is more suitable for posting an update on a product, usually if it is already known or for people who will search for it.

If I share B4X or any programming tools to my friends, no one is interested. Nowadays, less and less of my friends are active on Facebook.

Slowly, it will become a place for people to find the nostalgia of a topic which were once recognized.

The trend is changing. Social media will become a thing of the past.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we should stop promoting and share to more people about this great tool.

B4X is still my primary programming language. I don't use others. I already abandoned VB6, VB.Net and PHP.

Nowadays people are more excited on a hype than a boring matured tool.

Unless you use Facebook marketing tool such as boosting the post or sponsor ads, there is no way we can reach more audiences.

To let more people know, one source is not enough.

See how other programming languages stands out.

They published news and articles on popular news site.

There are popular YouTuber or tech influencers talks about them and recommend it.

Nowadays, people don't use search engines. They ask AI.

AI will provide the answers based on information it scrape from different sources.

Beside popular news site and YouTube, another popular place where AI will check is GitHub, where people share their open source projects.

AI doesn't give you answer taken from Facebook post as I know.

Finally, if you ask me, I will say more efficient platforms to promote B4X now are YouTube and GitHub.

To let more people know about something is to tell it to the AI. AI will tell it to others.

 

[Cableguy]

As I said, I use Facebook...
Any one who use other social media can create a channel on that social media to promote...
Anyway, this has been discussed far too long