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    Is Gideros a good framework to develop Desktop apps (Windows & macOS)

    MadDogDeanMadDogDean Member
    in General questions
    Hello all,
    We're looking to branch out and do more Windows Desktop and macOS apps & small games.
    How well suited is Gideros for developing for these.
    Of course the native languages are the best, but in the short span of a lifetime you can only learn so many languages & ecosystems :)

    Looking for any tips or feedback from the Giderosians!

    Cheers,
    MadDogDean
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    Comments

    • SinisterSoftSinisterSoft Maintainer
      Accepted Answer
      It's different to making a normal Win32 or MacOS program.

      The UI is not 'native' so the controls, buttons, windows, etc will have to be drawn by your app.

      This may be what you want though, it means the 'look' of your app is consistent between platforms, you can also have the same app running on HTML5. So when users ask 'Does it work on Chromebook', you can say 'Yes!'.

      I have a program called ReportComplete that's on Windows and MacOS. In spare time I'm 'experimenting' making a Gideros version.

      You can see screenshots of the Windows/Mac version here:
      https://reportcomplete.com/about

      You can see my current progress with the Gideros version here:
      https://web.reportcomplete.com/

      Don't forget, that Web (Gideros) version will just be another export to get it on Windows/MacOS if I eventually make it better than the existing Windows/MacOS version.
      Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
      https://deluxepixel.com
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    • MadDogDeanMadDogDean Member
      Thanks. ReportComplete is similar to the type of Desktop app I am referring.

      I've been scouring the forum for hours to see what others are talking about, but my eyes are about to drop out of my head!

      I am also looking to know if common actions, like working the Registry (including the WOW6432 Node), drag & drop, working with the file system, SQL capabilities are things that Gideros can do (on both Win/Mac). I don't want to be needing custom plugins for everyday "desktop" actions.

      If you don't mind, what did you use to code ReportComplete & what limitations (if any ;)) are you coming up against in Gideros?

      Thanks & cheers

      Likes: SinisterSoft

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    • keszeghkeszegh Member
      Accepted Answer
      i'm developing my animating app Fragmenter in Gideros and i'm completely happy with how it performs and can be exported to multiple platforms. you can try an older version here or download the latest if you are interested:
      Fragmenter online..
      of course you have to do your own gui but there are gui lua templates for gideros, so no need to reinvent the wheel.

      Likes: SinisterSoft

      Longtitle Productions, creator of
      Fragmenter - animated loop machine and IKONOMIKON - the memory game
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    • MadDogDeanMadDogDean Member
      Hey @keszegh
      That Fragmenter is pretty cool. I could see people losing hours just goofing with it :) (It's like Etch-A-Sketch on steroids!)
      Cheers

      Likes: keszegh, SinisterSoft

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    • SinisterSoftSinisterSoft Maintainer
      edited June 2020
      @MadDogDean ReportComplete (desktop) is an evolution of 'Elementary Reports' = a traditional desktop program thats only connection to the Internet was for downloading the latest version. I renamed Elementary Reports to ReportComplete Legacy (it's still available on the site).

      With ReportComplete, I changed it so it's basically a caching client that renders the data, with the data primarily being stored on the Internet. I don't use SQL directly, instead, I made a Ruby on Rails website (I later changed that to PHP) that is used to indirectly access the database using an API I made.

      That is what should make it relatively easy for me to get much of data access working on the Gideros version. It too will access the database through the same web api.

      With the desktop version, I don't access the Windows registry. The program runs directly as a standalone executable - there is no 'install', it runs in 'user' mode. The user is free to copy it where they want and doesn't need admin rights at any time. This is important for schools who are sometimes 'locked down' and have to get people in to install programs. So in my case, the Gideros version won't need to access the registry either.

      Regarding drag and drop, that's only needed to speed up (make it easier) adding pupil portraits to reports. As far as I know, Gideros doesn't support drag and drop - but I may be mistaken. But it's open-source, so it's possible that it could be added if needed.
      Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
      https://deluxepixel.com
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    • MadDogDeanMadDogDean Member
      edited June 2020
      @SinisterSoft Thanks for the details and the inputs.
      Concerning the drag & drop, I am looking to be able to drag a file from Explorer or Finder and not actually work with or open the file, but rather get the path information.
      I best download Gideros and get my feet wet for a while.

      Cheers

      Likes: SinisterSoft

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    • SinisterSoftSinisterSoft Maintainer
      btw, having the program so tightly coupled to the Internet is great for copy protection. You can keep track of how many users, etc - it also allowed me to change the licence system from a one-off purchase to software as a service (they buy each year).
      Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
      https://deluxepixel.com
      +1 -1Share on Facebook
    • MadDogDeanMadDogDean Member
      SinisterSoft said:

      btw, having the program so tightly coupled to the Internet is great for copy protection. You can keep track of how many users, etc - it also allowed me to change the licence system from a one-off purchase to software as a service (they buy each year).

      Clever ;)

      Likes: SinisterSoft

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    • keszeghkeszegh Member
      i think some of our core developers could quite quickly add drag-and-drop support for some donation.

      Likes: SinisterSoft

      Longtitle Productions, creator of
      Fragmenter - animated loop machine and IKONOMIKON - the memory game
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    • SinisterSoftSinisterSoft Maintainer
      Yes, @hgy29 also uses Gideros for more serious applications. I don't know if Drag n Drop has even passed his mind though. He might find it useful too.
      Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
      https://deluxepixel.com
      +1 -1Share on Facebook
    • SinisterSoftSinisterSoft Maintainer
      @MadDogDean Even if you decide to use something other than Gideros fo the serious application, you should try Gideros for making Games - it's great! Plus it's just had support added for the XBox One and joypad support for HTML5 !!!
      Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
      https://deluxepixel.com
      +1 -1Share on Facebook
    • MoKaLuxMoKaLux Member
      +1 for gideros.

      Likes: SinisterSoft

      my growING GIDEROS github repositories: https://github.com/mokalux?tab=repositories
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    • MadDogDeanMadDogDean Member
      edited June 2020
      @SinisterSoft Whoa!!! That XBox One support is pretty cool! I bought an XBox One X for my nephews last year and the graphics are definitely WOW! The typical MS menu system sucks, but that's Redmond for ya!
      Cheers

      Likes: SinisterSoft

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    • hgy29hgy29 Maintainer
      Yes, drag and drop support could be added.

      Likes: SinisterSoft

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    • MadDogDeanMadDogDean Member
      Hey all, great to hear so many thoughts and such positive & compassionate users. In itself that says a lot about the product, but more so about the community behind it!
      Cheers

      Likes: MoKaLux, SinisterSoft

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    • olegoleg Member
      MadDogDean said:

      Hello all,
      We're looking to branch out and do more Windows Desktop and macOS apps & small games.
      How well suited is Gideros for developing for these.
      Of course the native languages are the best, but in the short span of a lifetime you can only learn so many languages & ecosystems :)

      Looking for any tips or feedback from the Giderosians!

      Cheers,
      MadDogDean

      For desktop programs for Windows it is better to use Microsoft Visual Studio
      Gideros is more suitable for 2D games.
      my games:
      https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=razorback456
      мій блог по гідерос https://simartinfo.blogspot.com
      Слава Україні!
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    • SinisterSoftSinisterSoft Maintainer
      I think it depends on the type of Windows app and who is using it.
      Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
      https://deluxepixel.com
      +1 -1Share on Facebook
    • keszeghkeszegh Member
      the framework should at least be cross-platform, so qt or something similar i guess is still better than microsoft visual studio (or can it export to mac, e.g.?). but i have to admit i don't know any of these much, i work only with gideros.

      Likes: MoKaLux

      Longtitle Productions, creator of
      Fragmenter - animated loop machine and IKONOMIKON - the memory game
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    • olegoleg Member
      edited June 2020
      keszegh said:

      the framework should at least be cross-platform, so qt or something similar i guess is still better than microsoft visual studio (or can it export to mac, e.g.?). but i have to admit i don't know any of these much, i work only with gideros.

      https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/

      image.png
      1271 x 787 - 96K

      Likes: keszegh

      my games:
      https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=razorback456
      мій блог по гідерос https://simartinfo.blogspot.com
      Слава Україні!
      +1 -1 (+1 / -0 )Share on Facebook
    • olegoleg Member
      SinisterSoft said:

      I think it depends on the type of Windows app and who is using it.

      So you're right, but if I need to work with files, I need to work with databases, I need to work with computer ports -I don't know how to do it in Gideros

      On the other hand, when I write a specialized program for a PC, I do not need cross-platform, I make a program for the equipment that the customer has.

      Even large studios that make applications for mass use rarely make them cross-platform.

      Likes: SinisterSoft

      my games:
      https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=razorback456
      мій блог по гідерос https://simartinfo.blogspot.com
      Слава Україні!
      +1 -1 (+1 / -0 )Share on Facebook
    • keszeghkeszegh Member
      how hard would be to add drag'n'drop? i think i could also make use of it (and support the case with some donation).

      Likes: MoKaLux

      Longtitle Productions, creator of
      Fragmenter - animated loop machine and IKONOMIKON - the memory game
      +1 -1 (+1 / -0 )Share on Facebook
    • hgy29hgy29 Maintainer
      I also think it would be great to have it, actually I had some though about it already when implementing clipboard, since they DND and clipboard have things in common (multiple representations of a single content).

      Likes: keszegh, SinisterSoft, MoKaLux

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