Views Designer - Mobile version (WIP)

[Jim Brown]

I've always liked the idea of being able to design layouts directly from my Android devices (phone/tablet) whilst on the go, then being able to later generate B4A source code for pasting straight into a project

PREVIEW (YouTube) - Views Designer (Mobile app) for B4A

Whilst I have such a WIP project going on at the moment there is one major sticky area I need help with:

What is the best method to transfer data (raw text) from an Android device to a desktop PC?
What I plan is for the app to generate B4A source code. This code can then be pasted directly into a project

 

[Jim]

Since the idea is a mobile design platform, I think maintaining that mobility by emailing the attachment would be simplest. I send documents to myself in gmail all the time to access them on all my devices.

 

[Erel]

You can also use the Network library to connect the desktop to the device over the local network (this is how the IDE designer and B4A-Bridge work).

 

[hbruno]

Structure of .bal

Is it possible to have the structure of the .bal file ?
I want to try to make a designer in Linux.
thank's

 

[Erel]

The structure of these files is pretty complicated and also subject to changes. It will be easier for you to use a custom format and then load the layout with your own B4A code.

 

[hbruno]

Hello,
I do not understand how to read and write file .bal of B4A if I don't have its structure. If I create a file main.bal, for example, with a custom structure, I do not think B4A will accept the file when I'd be LoadLayout ("main.bal").
If you tell me the format .bal is a trade secret, I understand and I continue to use the designer integrated in B4A
So, I wonder how Jim did to create its application in the first post ?
Bruno

(French, like some others...)

 

[kickaha]

I think Jim is writing the CODE (to be pasted into the activity) for the layout, rather than constructing a .bal file.

 

[Kamac]

Nice one Jim, but the problem of it's useability is:

Creating a layout doesn't take too long anyways and it's more comfo with mouse (more detailed setting everything up). But it rocks anyway!

 

[Jim Brown]

True Kamac. My project is really for 'on-the-go' GUI designing. It works well on tablets but you just can just about get away with creating designs on a mobile (4") display. The main issue there is being able to 'touch' the little areas for re-sizing the Views on such a small screen

You can also use the Network library to connect the desktop to the device over the local network

Async Streams seems like a good fit for transferring text from Android to Desktop. I will have to play around with this though because its all new to me. Would I need to create a desktop program which waits for code being sent from the Android device though?