AppInventor's TinyDB possibilities and limits - android

I am a total beginner with programming and I have a little experience with mostly python, php and html.
I need to realize a very simple app for my smartphone that allows me to track a simple YES or NO every month for every customer.
It's strange but I need it to be like this.
So, asking for (e.g.) the March report the app would show me all user names and a simple YES or NO describing if that username paid me or not.
I can do this easily with an xls file but I want to realize it for fun and learning.
My question is: can I achieve a similar result (I need an Insert page where I insert customers, a modify page and a report page) simply using AppInventor?
Is TinyDB enough for this?
I could skip all this and realize a very simple webapp in php with mysql but I really dream about doing something "mine" and see it run on android.
I'd like to be able to realize it in a very simple and fast way: if AppInventor is not enough is there another solution "for dummies"?

My question is: can I achieve a similar result (I need an Insert page
where I insert customers, a modify page and a report page) simply
using AppInventor? Is TinyDB enough for this?
yes, that's easily possible, to start with App Inventor, do the tutorials to get to know how everything works
also helpful in your case is to learn, how lists work in App Inventor, more info see here
there is also a very helpful App Inventor forum in case you get stuck

Related

What tools are better to create a mobile app with a db, buttons, forms

I'm a noob self learning programmer and i'm wondering how can i make an application for mobile. As an example, so you can understand what i need (and easier for me to explain), think of an application where the user can store products and related information by filling forms (an icon, price, name, features, weight...) and then consult stored information.
For me it looks like the best way to create it is by using web related tools like HTML, CSS, MySQL...
The problem i find is that i don't know how to create a web shaped application and then turn it into a mobile app.
I'm sorry if i didn't explain the best way, but hope you guys get my point are able to put me in the right way!
Thanks a lot in advance!!
P.S. Beyond HTML and CSS and a little MySQL i have basic knowledge of JS, C++ and C#.
As a newbie, it's better to do the correct choice at the beginning.
For Android development, the entry point is the developer portal: https://developer.android.com/
The app you've thinking of is quite classic: You won't have troubles to find some tutorials on the web.
You can do that with either SQLite or Firebase Realtime Database, you choose.
I guess, the easiest way will be creating responsive website and then include that in your app as a WebView. However, this might give users the feel that you're just loading the website in a WebView if you don't include some features like, maybe, push notifications, update checker, theme changer, something like that.
You can alos find a lot of easy tutorials and templates to build a WebView app.
P.S.: I myself have made an Android app of my friend's blog by first making a website and then using WebViews.

Allowing a user to update the contents of an app

I just want to start by saying I am doing this for a friend as a general information app and I am receiving no money for doing this. He would like an app to help inform his clients of different treatments as well as adding in daily memos etc. I can create an app no problem and have only created apps for general use and for my University assignments (I will also add that this is not a university project but just more to improve my own abilities). I am hoping someone may have a suggestion for how I can allow my friend to update the apps information easily. For example, I will be creating a general app that will display information (contact information, advice, guidelines, exercises etc) most of which will need updated every so often. He has also said he would like to add a daily update (almost like a daily tip or piece of advice). What I would really like help with, is for guidance on how I can have my friend maintain the app after I have done the project. I want an easy way for him to add/remove/edit memos or information. I haven't come across anything like this so I don't know if it is possible or if it is possible but complex etc. I hope I have explained the scenario well enough. Only looking guidelines of things I can research and do on my own, I just don't know where to start looking.

Developing an Android app with monthly subscription

I want to develop an app which I stream basic text information about sports. First of all I believe I need a server which my users connect to see my stream as soon as something new is published. But I don't have an idea about how to build something like that. I did some search on web to find lessons or answers but I wasn't able to find anything useful. If it's true that I need a server, is Java language good to code server's program? Because I only know a little bit of Java.
And I want my app to have a monthly fee. I'm completely new to programming but I guess I need a database to keep track of my user information. Do I have to build my own user membership system - which people register with their e-mails etc- for all this? Is it hard to do that? And again I don't have any source of information about this one too.
I'm lost at this point. I don't know what to search to get some answers. So I'm asking you guys. What do I need to build an app with monthly fee that streams live information? I'm not expecting a full answer here but at least I believe you guys can tell me where to look for answers. Thanks.
While I agree the question is very vague and open (we could write a thesis on the topic in question and everyone will have their own way to complete) my suggestion would be to research the following:
Java - read as much as you can about the language and ensure that you are happy with (or know where you can get access to good helpers) the syntax (you mention that you know a little about Java so that is a good start).
Android programming in general. Look up the Activity lifecycle (The Android documentation is good, read as much as you can, follow the examples and try out the tutorials! https://developer.android.com/training/basics/activity-lifecycle/index.html)
Read up on Firebase; this should make the server side a little simpler (although I have only a parsing knowledge (i.e., none) of Firebase, it looks like it will be a good start). Again walk through the examples / tutorials; do the Hello World and then pull it apart to see if you can figure out how it is holding together.
Then when you have questions (which you will, we all do!) come back and I know that you will get some great help!
Once you have a few applications under your belt (personal 'play' apps) then and only then would I consider looking at the Google Play API (https://developers.google.com/android-publisher/).
Hope this gets you on the starting grid at least! Good luck!
Gav

Android App with HTML/CSS/jQuery. [How] Can it be done?

I know this has been asked before (did not find a straight forward answer) but can I (Or how can I) create and Android App using CSS/HTML/Jquery ?
I will not need to hook into native functions, such as the accelerometer, camera, or even the Toast Messages...I only need to create an app to show a list of names and some details when name is selected, therefore I don't know if it's worth learning to make my life more complicated for something like this.
PS: I need the app to work offline, otherwise I would have just made it with jQuery Mobile and uploaded it on a server.
UPDATE AFTER GETTING DOWNVOTED
Ok, so I get downvotes for this question, probably because it's been asked before, or maybe not, since he/she didn't take the time to write a reason...
Anyway, my point is: I did googled it and searched, but at this moment there are a lot of ads of websites and web apps that will help you do this BUT are they reliable, safe..do they really do the trick or it comes with bugs? That is why I asked the question, to see who used what and what was their experience with it. So yeah, you can downvote me for not trusting every ad and not taking the time to try out everything out there!
Well you can use https://software.intel.com/en-us/html5/tools to develop cross-platform apps. I used it to develop too. It is quite good but it only has one major issue: you can't use php. It also enables you to do on-device testing.

Storing large data locally or online for Android app?

First time posting and first time working on Android, so go easy if I am breaking any rules :)
Anyways, I just got into making an Android app and I'm trying to create a simple trivia game. I plan to have many questions (hopefully about 5000+ questions) made. No data manipulation made, just straight up reading the questions and presenting it to the user. I am now faced with the dilema in how to store the questions.
I have two choices:
1.) Bundle the questions with the app: Possibly store the information in SQLite. Originally, for demo purposes, I placed the questions in an XML file, but I quickly realized how inefficient it will be once the questions start piling up. First, I am concerned if opening up such a huge XML file would suck up Android's memory. Secondly, I am worried how large the app would be if it contains 5000+ questions. I read here about the pros of XML vs SQLite. In that example, the user has 70,000 entries so maybe my 5,000 questions would be enough?
OR
2.) Host the questions on a server: I believe the upside is the app wouldn't need to be bundled with a vast amount of questions and wouldn't need to worry about the logic of opening and assembling the questions. It would just hit a PHP page and depending on the parameters sent, the PHP page would return the questions in XML format. The downside is the user would need to be online (to retrieve the questions) in order to play the game and my server would need to be up and running 24/7.
Has anyone encountered this design issue of how and where to store vast amount of data in an Android app?
Thanks, any help would be much appreciated!
From a marketing perspective, I think the right approach is #1. Just looking at the top app list, it's filled with apps that work offline. I don't know why most people fail to mention this one important criteria when they talk about marketing apps... especially in Android, where lots of people don't have a data plan. Plus, a trivia app sounds like something someone would probably use during a commute in a train as opposed to something like Facebook Chat that they'd use when they're online.
From a technical perspective, storing 5000+ questions really won't take a huge amount of space. There's this app called "MyFitnessPal". It stores maybe over 30,000 foods in a SQlite database, with nutritional information. So don't overestimate how much space it will take.
The advantage of going with #2 is if the questions or answers change often, you might want to go with that approach.
I think that the best option for you is to store the questions in SQLite.This way the users can have access to your game even if they are offline,which is one of the important things as Hisoka mentioned. So I think you should try using SQLite.

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