#technical 1

[sharonjordan]

Sound issue resolved

The last two days have been very frustrating as I have been trying to load the sound files via xml and the various external classes.

The main problem was trying to figure out where to put the various elements of code required to get, load and then process the sound. Ian helped me resolve the errors, and finally the sound is loading.

I have subsequently applied the same principles throughout all the files to load a second sound, this time playing when the number on screen is selected.

Next steps with the sound:

add a soundChannel so that the sound can be controlled (stopped) - this will prevent the previous sound from continuing if the next or previous button is clicked.

add a movie clip placeholder over the story text to enable re-starting or replaying story if selected.

add background sounds for each page.

[sharonjordan]

audio in xml

Making headway...

I've worked through the tutorial and it works easily...but....all the code is on one page, and my main issue is trying to figure out where to put all the necessary parts because I am using a database and processor as separate as files.

Ian also pointed me in the direction of some information from adobe about loading external sounds, but my issue isn't really loading external sounds, it is loading them using xml and via my database etc to make sure that the sound is always aligned to and controlled in conjunction with the relevant image.

I've now added a few elelments of it and the file has no errors, so I will keep working in this way, adding bit by bit and ironing out errors as I go until I have it working (I WILL get it working!).

[sharonjordan]

I'm finding it difficult to add sound by loading it with the xml, so am going to try this tutorial to see if it helps.

[sharonjordan]

xml amends

I have made various amends to the xml file so far during the build process to streamline and/or increase  flexibility and the way the information is held and used.

For example, I decided to split each line of the story into a separate field in case I decide to highlight the text in some way.

I have also made slight changes to the layout/design to increase legibility.

[sharonjordan]

Iphone 4S resolution

I have decided to build the app for the iphone resolution - 640 x 960 on the basis that this would also work on an ipad. However, in the longer term it would be more appropriate to build a version specifically for the ipad to maximise the benefits of increased resolution and screen real estate.

I have also decided to create the background images for the ebook app in illustrator. This enables me to create vector based graphics that should reproduce better on the iphone 4S retina display.

[sharonjordan]

This presentation given recently by Geoff Stead at Tribal Labs points towards a blend of Native and HTML5 apps to create the optimum solution for mobile apps. This seems to be a developing trend, and a way of maximising the integration and functionality of native apps and the flexibility of HTML5 apps.

"The native app developers get better performance and integration, while the web app developers get broader reach and better standardisation."

Geoff Stead, 2011

[sharonjordan]

Tribal Labs has created a report comparing various cross-platform development frameworks for mobile devices. You can download it for free.