How to get started with QuickConnect ?

[Michael]

Greetings, everyone;

I have been trying to get started using QuickConnect, and I am finding
it extremely difficult. I purchased the book (Developing Hybrid
Applications for the iPhone) and in three days have been unable to get
past page 2.

I have gone through the wiki and through Google Groups, and cannot
figure out how to get the development environment to work.

I have OSX version 10.5.8 (Leopard) and Dashcode 2.0.2, a combination
that people in this group seem to agree should work. I downloaded
QCFamily 1.5.1.2 from http://sourceforge.net/projects/quickconnect,
and have run the installer, which assures me that everything worked
and is ready to go.

However, when I start Dashcode, there is no QuickConnectiPhone icon on
the Dashboard widget screen. I have been told that since Dashcode 3.0
on OSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard) does not support custom widgets, the icon
will not show up and a file called 'QCDashcodeTemplate.dcproj' must be
found in the directory 'Snow Leopard Dashcode Templates' and renamed.
This would be fine, except for five things:

1) I don't have OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard, I have 10.5 Leopard.
2) I don't have Dashcode 3.0, I have 2.0.2.
3) Custom widgets ARE supported; there is even an icon for them.
4) There is no file called 'QCDashcodeTemplate.dcproj' anywhere in
the download.
5) There is no directory called 'Snow Leopard Dashcode Templates'
anywhere in the download.

Since I am not running Dashcode 3.0 or OSX 10.6, in theory, I should
not have to use the renaming technique. Yet there is no QuickConnect
icon anywhere to be seen. Can anyone tell me where I should be
looking for it or why it might not show up?

Failing this, I would be happy to rename the file if I could find it.
Can anyone tell me what the real name of the file is and where it is
actually located?
Do I need to move it somewhere? What kind of name(s) are allowable to
rename it to?

QuickConnect seems like a wonderful product and something that should
save me an enormous amount of development time, if I could just get it
to actually work the way the documentation says it should.

I'd greatly appreciate any help you can give me.

Regards,

Michael

[Michael]

OK, it occurred to me that maybe the file 'QCDashcodeTemplate.dcproj'
might have been inadvertently left out of the QC 1.5.1.2 package, so I
downloaded the 1.5.1.1 package from SourceForge as well - it doesn't
seem to be in there, either.

[Michael]

Even though I am told that the QC 1.6 release is a beta, and only for
use with OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard, I went ahead and downloaded it anyway,
and unzipped it.
I found the file 'QCDashcodeTemplate.dcproj' inside, and tried to open
it, but I get an error that it cannot be opened with Dashcode.

So now I'm totally stopped. I can't do anything without the
template, and I still can't do anything when I *do* have the
template.

ANY help at all at this point would be gratefully accepted.

Michael

[Mike Adkins]

Michael,

I know this is not the answer you are looking for but it is good
advice. Go to apple and purchase snow leopard. Even if I didn't use
qciphone I would still get snow leopard.

It is well worth the $29.

Mike

Sent from my iPhone

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[Michael]

Hello, Mike;

Thanks for the suggestion, but I can't - it's not my machine - it
belongs to the company.

The funny thing is that reportedly QC 1.5 is supposed to work on
Dashcode 2.0.2 without any trouble.

Michael

[Mike Adkins]

Why don't you just create the interface with Dashcode then import that
into Xcode? That is how I used to do it before I understood there was
a template for dashcode.

Once you design the interface you can just add the js in main.js and
define / create your db. It really isn't that bad. I don't think you
need the dashcode template either.

Have you considered doing it that way?

Mike

Sent from my iPhone

[Michael]

Hi, Mike -

Um... OK, how do I do that? I've never used either Dashcode or Xcode
before.

I'm trying to learn how to use them by reading my way through the
book, but I can't get any farther than page 2 before I have to stop
because the things the book says to do, don't work. Like clicking on
icons that aren't there, or using tabs that don't work.

Is there a book somewhere that teaches you how to use Dashcode? I've
never used a graphical environment for programming before; I'm used to
doing things in Assembly and C, down at the hardware register level.

Michael

[Mike Adkins]

Oh boy. ;) I have been there.

I am sure there are several books on Dashcode. I am not aware of any
good ones to reccomend. Sorry.

If I were you ibwould go through the demos lee has provide for us. You
can find them in the iPhone examples directory in the extracted file
you downloaded. You will see examples like JSONDataExample or
HistoryExample.

If you sign up on apple dev you can look at source code there. Keep in
mind that in Dashcode you are just writing js and HTML. Xcode you can
do the same but also modify the obj-c.

I would not worry about the template, once you open a Dashcode example
you have everything and more that the template has in it.

Sent from my iPhone

[Michael]

OK, thanks.

I'm finding it hard to work my way through the book when I can't
actually DO any of the things it says to do.

For instance, it says to drag a button in - but the button doesn't
stay there - as soon as you release it, it goes back where it came
from.

Um... maybe this is a bit presumptuous - but do you happen to have a
copy of the template that would work on Dashcode 2 ?

Michael

[Mike Adkins]

I will look tomorrow to see if I have an old copy of qc. In the mean
time take a look at this. http://developer.apple.com/safari/library/documentation/AppleApplications/Conceptual/Dashcode_UserGuide/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/MakingaWebApp/MakingaWebApp.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40004692-CH18-SW1

Mike

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 17, 2009, at 10:14 PM, Michael <michael_...@yahoo.com>
wrote:

[Michael]

Thanks very much.

I'll try that tutorial - although it specifically states that it's
only for Dashcode 3, not 2.

I really appreciate your help.

Michael

[luke BAKING barker]

it might help to get dashcode 3 (although i cannot say for certain).

I know why you havent got it i think, as it is hard to find on apples
site now - it seems you need snow leopard to run the latest xcode
download / dev tools dmg.

However, like you I only run leopard, and you *can* in fact still find
the developer tools download which features dashcode 3 in a cimpatible
Leopard (10.5) version.

I dont have the link but it is on apples site, go back through the
developer tools versions until you get a leopard compatible one.
(googe for mor info) no point running dashcode 2 now.

cheers

Luke

[luke BAKING barker]

right, in fact ignore all that - quick answer is:
go get iphone sdk 3.1.2 with xcode from apple site -worsk with leopard
and shd be all you need along with latest quickconnects :-)

Luke

[Lee Barney]

Michel,

In Dashcode select the Dashboard option.  You may need to scroll down in the right hand side in order to see the template.

Lee.Barney