Snags (performance when altering DOM, and trouble getting release build working--Glass.app?)

[timothytoe]

Here's a slew of newbie questions. Code is working great in emulator,
but today is my first contact with actual hardware, so I'm a bit shell-
shocked.

1) Is it just me, or does the iPod Touch/iPhone have terrible
performance when manipulating the DOM? Trying to move the tiniest
things at a reasonable framerate (by manipulating a div's "top" and
"left") does not work well at all. I'm not expecting emulator
performance, but this just seems crazy slow. I'll be moving what I can
to css animations and transforms.

2) Secondly, is release any faster than debug when using phonegap? I'm
kind of thinking "no" because all the work is being done by the
webview. Or is release truly faster than debug? (See question #3 and
you'll understand why I don't know the answer to this.)

3) I can't run release right now because I get an error from the
compiler (having to do with the app being named PhoneGap.app in in
debug and Glass.app in release). How, exactly, do I fix that? Is there
a newer version of PhoneGap where the release app is not named
"Glass?" I don't seem to be allowed to rename the Glass.app file
directly.

4) Finally, when I get a new version of Phone Gap, how do I install
it? Do I just start all over with the certificate and keychain and all
that rigmarole Apple put me through?

[Adrian Goddard]

On 9 Mar 2009, at 22:06, timothytoe wrote:

>
> Here's a slew of newbie questions. Code is working great in emulator,
> but today is my first contact with actual hardware, so I'm a bit
> shell-
> shocked.
>
> 1) Is it just me, or does the iPod Touch/iPhone have terrible
> performance when manipulating the DOM? Trying to move the tiniest
> things at a reasonable framerate (by manipulating a div's "top" and
> "left") does not work well at all. I'm not expecting emulator
> performance, but this just seems crazy slow. I'll be moving what I can
> to css animations and transforms.

CSS animations will improve things considerably for u. I believe
jTouch for jQuery improves things for that framework but css
animations is the way forward.

>
> 2) Secondly, is release any faster than debug when using phonegap? I'm
> kind of thinking "no" because all the work is being done by the
> webview. Or is release truly faster than debug? (See question #3 and
> you'll understand why I don't know the answer to this.)
>
> 3) I can't run release right now because I get an error from the
> compiler (having to do with the app being named PhoneGap.app in in
> debug and Glass.app in release). How, exactly, do I fix that? Is there
> a newer version of PhoneGap where the release app is not named
> "Glass?" I don't seem to be allowed to rename the Glass.app file
> directly.
>
> 4) Finally, when I get a new version of Phone Gap, how do I install
> it? Do I just start all over with the certificate and keychain and all
> that rigmarole Apple put me through?

You shouldnt have to do anything wiht your keychain for another xcode
project. just a case of making sure the signing paramters are set up
for your new project. But those should be there for you to select.
> >

[reverend]

OK, I'll try to answer those...

1. The iPhone hardware is indeed much slower than your computer
running the Simulator. They did not throttle the simulator at all,
which would have been nice. But WebKit animations and transforms
work really well, in general. If you're doing a lot of animation or
alpha fades, you should get familiar with the statement "-webkit-
backface-visibility: hidden;", which helps keep the animations smooth,
without "flashing" at the beginning or end...

2. I haven't noticed any difference in performance between release and
debug.

3. Click on the "Targets" icon in the left menu in XCode, then select
the PhoneGap Target, and hit the "info" button up top. Select the
"Build" tab, and then scroll down (or search) for "Product Name", and
change it from Glass to whatever your app is named. You might need
to change the "Prefix Header" section to read "PhoneGap_Prefix.pch" as
well...

4. I think that's still an issue in the latest PhoneGap, but not
sure. To install a new version of Phone Gap, put your files into the
www folder, set your information in the info.plist file, and then
change the Product Name the way I just mentioned. And select the top
Project file, and hit the "info" button to go in and change the Code
Signing Identity to use your Provisioning Profile (which is already
installed in to XCode from your prior builds...)

Hope that helps

[Bennie]

Thanks for the answers.

By the way, I noticed that my app ran faster when I disconnected it
from the Mac. Is it attached to the debugger when tethered? If so, I
assume release may actually be faster than debug. Are there any
compiler settings that could make a difference?

[Bennie]

I'm thinking we need a big FAQ for the wiki for newbies. I wouldn't
mind working on that, if people think it would be helpful.

[Brian LeRoux]

definitely would be helpful!!!

[Adrian Goddard]

Yes i agree also, there are little jems that get mentioned in this
email list that could do with a better discovery method. I have been
flagging these and will hopefully start to add some stuff to phonegap
shorhtly:)

ade

[reverend]

Yeah, the debugger might slow things down a hair, I suppose. But
just run the app from the icon on the phone, instead of using "build
and go", and it will run without the debugger...