2017’s first “What is Xojo?” webinar was well received and there were lots of questions. Rather than include the questions in the video, I’ve included a selection of those questions and detailed answers.
If you missed it, the recording of the presentation is available in the Dev Center: What is Xojo?
Q: I would use Microsoft SQL Server Express with Xojo Lite. Is this possible?
A: You can certainly use Microsoft SQL Server with Xojo, but you will need to upgrade to a Desktop, Web or Xojo Pro license. Contact customer support to get a quote.
Q: Will Xojo be supporting build apps for Android?
A: Yes! We announced plans for Xojo to be able to create Android apps at the Xojo Developer Conference in October 2016. We will post milestones as we reach them on the Xojo blog.
Q: Is it possible to deploy an iOS app to my own iPad?
A: Yes, absolutely. If you don’t have an Apple Developer account, you can follow these steps to get your free Provisioning Profile from Apple. If you do have an Apple Developer account, the steps are much easier: Deploying to Device.
Q: Is there a way to show the Library and Inspector at same time?
A: Yes! Xojo has a preference to change the Library and Inspector to display as floating palettes. When you do this you can have both open at the same time and can even position them on a second display.
Q: Can iOS apps make use of low-level APIs?
A: You can use the Declare command to directly access iOS APIs. Some examples are also included with Xojo. The open-source iOSKit library provides access to many additional iOS features as well.
Q: How do you connect to database(s)?
A: Xojo has built-in support for SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. In addition you can use ODBC to connect to any other database (as long as you have a driver).
Q: How easy is it to access the hardware features of apple devices, such as the GPS or its movements?
A: Xojo has a built-in class for accessing location/GPS information: iOSLocation. The iOSMotion class gives you access to information about device movement from the accelerometer and gyroscope.
Q: How do you create apps that work on both iPhone and iPad, switch screens as appropriate?
A: You can specify different views that are used for iPhone and iPads by setting the Screens. Also, the Split Screen topic in the User Guide shows how iPad apps can have two views displayed at once. There are a few example projects that show this as well:
- Examples/iOS/Apps/XojoNotes
- Examples/iOS/Navigation/SplitViewExample
Q: Where can I find Xojo training materials?
A: You can access our vast library of online learning materials at the Xojo Dev Center. There you will find Quick Starts, Tutorials, User Guide, Reference Guide, Videos and much more. From our Resources page you can access our free textbook, Introduction to Prog
Q: How would I transition a desktop Xojo app to a web service + custom web UI?
A: You can move your desktop app’s business logic to a web app that functions as a web service. More information about that is in the Web Services topic, which has links to many videos on this topic. Another option to help with this is the Luna open-source framework. Once you have your web service set up, you can use the HTTPSocket in desktop, web or iOS apps to connect and use the web service.
Q: As a Filemaker developer, can Xojo display/play photos,video, mp3 files?
A: Yes, Xojo has built-in controls to display pictures, play video and mp3 files. Some of them include: ImageWell, WebImageView, iOSImageView, MoviePlayer, WebMoviePlayer. Also there is a web project that shows how to play audio using HTML5: Examples/Web/Controls/AudioPlayer.
Q: How do I convert my FileMaker Apps (desktop and mobile apps) to Xojo?
A: You’ll find some ideas at the Migrating from FileMaker topic at the Dev Center.
Q: Where can I find examples for developing Xojo plugins?
A: Included in your Xojo download (in the Extras folder) is the PluginsSDK, which has documentation and examples on how to create your own plugins.
Q: Can you say a bit about reports?
A: Xojo desktop projects can use the Report Layout Editor to design reports that can be printed or displayed on the screen. There are also several 3rd-party reporting products available.
Q: Info about Raspberry Pi and for Apple TV?
A: Xojo can create desktop, web and console apps that run on Raspberry Pi 2 and 3. You can find more information, with some example hardware projects here: Raspberry Pi. Xojo cannot directly create Apple TV apps, but you can use a Xojo web app as a web service to send content to Apple TV TVML apps using the open-source Viewpoint project shown by Tim Dietrich in the most recent Virtual Xojo User Group meeting.
Q: What happens with my Xojo Apps when the user updates their Operating System? Will I have to make an update for the Apps?
A: Your Xojo apps are generally not affected by OS updates. Of course, you’ll want to use the latest version of Xojo to ensure you have the most recent support for the latest operating systems.
Q: How active is the referral forum for the Pro users, specifically from the freelance developer perspective?
A: This varies greatly, but currently there are about 2 posts per week on average with about 28 items currently listed.
Thanks!
Thanks to all the attendees for the great questions! Be sure to give Xojo a try today. It’s free! You’ll soon be making apps faster than you ever thought possible. Additional “What is Xojo?” webinars are scheduled for February and March. Be sure to join so you can ask your own questions. For more casual conversations, join our Lunch with Xojo hangouts in February and March.