From the Forum — Issue #46

14 November 2014

From the Forum — Issue #46

Welcome to the latest 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. Efficient and succinct database maintenance

Maintaining and using database entries effectively can be the difference between a working app, and one that slows to a crawl whenever a query has to take place. Using SQLite3 and reading to and from it often is the modus operandi for many business apps, and in developing the architecture, the eventual question comes up: Leave the database open for the app’s session, or open and close it depending on the situation.

A Corona developer posited this very question and was given some good advice regarding how to allow their database to interact with their app. In addition, a tip was provided that outlined the best way to handle many data inserts when you were working with SQLite, you that the db instance doesn’t need to work through each individual record. SQLite can be dense for beginners (or advanced users, for that matter) so any tips that can be gleaned should be added to your toolbelt.

Check out the tips in the original thread below. Have a question or a tip of your own? Feel free to add it in.

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/38491-efficiency-question/

2. IAPv3 Google Play

Google is going to necessitate a move to version 3 of their In-App Purchases API. It’s going to be mandatory in 2015, and Corona has thankfully already built this change into their codebase. They also created a migration guide which walks a developer through the process of going to the new version. You can find that guide here.

Early adopters are getting in on the action and making sure their apps and games work fine, before the mandated switch-over. However, a few folks are getting new ANRs (Application Not Responding) reports after the change. It’s a tough issue to track down, and there aren’t many clues to go off of, in order to find a nice resolution and get your users back on that yellow brick road.

Fortunately, the developer in the below thread found that including a timer before some store calls kept the issue from occurring. Go ahead and check out the original post to learn more, and if you have been encountering these issues, and more importantly, if you’ve found your own solution, please let us know!

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/52201-increase-in-anrs-on-google-play-with-iap-v3/

3. Status bar behind background

This is a simple one, but it’s a topic that I think it’s addressed nearly enough. What if you want the device’s status bar to be visible in your app, but your app has a dark background which makes everything blend together?

Kind of an annoying quirk, but it can mean the difference between a seamless experience and bad reviews for what some would consider a “broken” feature. The easiest method to resolve the problem is to place a small banner rectangle at the top of the app where the status bar resides. Simple, but effective.

The original thread below discusses the problem, and even provides a bit of code that will let the status bar become visible. Have your own solution? Don’t be shy, let us know!

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/52520-status-bar-mixing-with-background/

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!