From the Forum — Issue #10

07 March 2014

From the Forum — Issue #10

Welcome to the tenth installment of From the Forum. In this series, guest blogger Alex Jackson highlights outstanding threads from the Corona Forum. The goal is to bring attention to the most captivating, interesting, and thought-provoking discussions taking place in our very own backyard.

Please visit the forum to join these conversations or start your own!

1. My Store is Broken! People Can’t Buy Stuff! PANDEMONIUM!!!

I find that implementing In-App Purchases (IAP) is a risk that’s worth the reward. The dividends are so enticing, taking on this task is incredibly tempting — but beware, if you run headlong into the briar patch, you’re likely to get scratched!

Taking a thorough, thoughtful approach to implementing IAP is always the best policy, but executing it is another matter. Fortunately, a lot of Corona developers (including myself) have found solace in the following forum post started by user -Garet-. Within, we see that it’s quite easy to “over-code” your store module, how to avoid doing so, and the best ways to identify issues. These tips are valuable whether you’re a first-time developer or a grizzled veteran of the app market.

So, push your shopping cart over to the forum post and learn how to avoid hours of wasted debugging time on simple issues!

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/38435-resolved-ios-iap-broken-storecanmakepurchases-storepurchase-throw-out-runtime-error/

2. I’m Sorry, but Your Princess is in Another Level…

Level selection and unlocking is a popular topic among game developers. Many people ask variations on the basic question: “How do I unlock levels like in [insert favorite game here]?”. As such, forum posts abound about how to create, manage, and unlock levels.

Most posts on this topic rely on the simple rules of JSON data persistence, and while great tutorials exist for JSON data maintenance, the forum thread below focuses on a simple way to create and support level management.

Jump over to the original post to see how easy it is, or if you have another method to contribute, the Corona community is always eager for new tips!

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/28822-level-lockunlocking/

3. Android “Back” Button Woes

Trapping and taking advantage of the Android “back” button is something we should all be aware of. It can be challenging to ensure that your app plays nicely with those hard-coded buttons.

Too often, how to handle the “back” button is a sticky wicket. Should it exit the app, or can we harness its potential to make a better app? Can we distinguish between a single and a double-tap? All of these are valid questions, but the first step should be structuring the code so that the app doesn’t self-destruct and crash. The thread below both poses — and answers — this very relevant question!

So, without further delay, check out the following thread about handling the “back” button:

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/42436-my-app-crashes-when-hitting-the-back-button/

About Alex

Alex Jackson is an indie developer and the founder of Panc Software, specializing in retro-style gaming. He has created several mobile applications, enjoys long walks on the beach, pixel art, and reading the Corona forums. Contact him by email or follow him on Twitter: @pancsoftware. Check out his new game Crosstown Smash on iOS, Android, and Amazon devices!