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New Ionic 4 tutorials and guides are out! They focus on the most in-demand features of Ionic 4 like push notifications and linking Appery.io projects to databases of different types, so these should be of great interest to our user community.

Check out these six resources:

• Ionic 4 Todo List Tutorial
• Working with Appery.io Database and Server Code
• Ionic 4 File Upload App Using Cordova Plug-ins
• Ionic 4 Two-factor Authentication
• Push Notifications for Ionic 4 Apps
• Creating a Development Environment for Ionic 4 Projects

Ionic 4 Todo List Tutorial

First on the list is an easy-to-follow and very detailed Ionic 4 Todo List Tutorial explaining how to build a mobile app that displays a list of data from a cloud database and communicates with the database via a REST API. (A nice name for a to-do-tutorial, don’t you think?) What’s really useful for those only starting their Appery.io experience is that this tutorial shows how to create an Appery.io database from scratch and integrate the database service into the project.

As a bonus feature, new users can also just follow the tutorial to create the app from a ready-to-go backup.

Working with Appery.io Database and Server Code

In yet another detailed guide, Working with Appery.io Database and Server Code, we show you how to work with the Appery.io NoSQL Database using Server Code scripts. This will be welcomed by more advanced users, but should also not be too difficult for those who have just joined Appery.io. You will learn how to access the database and perform all the basic CRUD operations on the data stored: creating, reading, editing, and deleting with the Server Code Collection API.

Ionic 4 File Upload App Using Cordova Plug-ins

Another tutorial describes how to create an Ionic 4 app that can upload files from the device to Firebase project storage using several Cordova plug-ins: Ionic 4 File Upload App Using Cordova Plug-ins.

Ionic 4 Two-factor Authentication

The next guide, a two-part guide, Ionic 4 Two-factor Authentication, will walk you through the process of adding two-factor authentication using Twilio and a user registration feature with phone binding to your Appery.io app. In the first part, you will learn how to add a user registration feature with phone binding. In the second part, you will learn how to automatically read verification codes on Android devices.

Push Notifications for Ionic 4 Apps

The following quickstart tutorial will undoubtedly be very popular as it describes how to set up sending push notifications for Ionic 4 projects: Push Notifications for Ionic 4 App.

Creating a Development Environment for Ionic 4 Projects

And, last but not least, here’s the expert-level document that demonstrates how to create a development environment to be used for debugging the changes you have made for your app’s next release without interfering with the the app version in production: Creating Development Environment for Ionic 4 projects.

The May release for Appery.io mobile app platform is coming this weekend. The main new additions are:

• Default Proxy
• Ionic 4 DateTime component

Default Proxy

Our current implementation only allows calling REST services via the API Express service. Many users find this feature to be convenient. But, not all user do.

Starting with this release, you will be able to connect your REST APIs via proxy. We had such a feature a long time ago, but now we are reintroducing  it—this time much faster and even more stable.

Ionic 4 DateTime Component

We are constantly improving on our most advanced framework, Ionic 4. In this release, we are adding the DateTime component:

DateTime presents a picker interface at the bottom of a page, making it easy for users to select dates and times.

Bug Fixes

We work hard every day on bug fixes, many of which are rolled into this release. We are really happy to have you using Appery.io, so we want to make the platform the smoothest, most comfortable, most reliable place to work in possible.

In today’s time of unprecedented troubles and uncertainty we are happy to be able to give some bit of satisfaction to the Appery.io community: a bunch of new Ionic 4 tutorials have arrived so that you can immerse yourself in a new level of programming and be more optimistic about your future.

Over time we have been working hard to document Appery.io Ionic 4 components as thoroughly as possible. This documentation will help you understand better how the Ionic 4 app UI can be managed in the best possible way for your particular project.

App Template Tutorial

If you are only starting on your Appery.io programming journey, you will definitely find our pre-defined Ionic 4 app templates useful. To get oriented on this topic review: Ionic 4 App Templates.

Cordova Plug-in Tutorials

We have also published several easy-to-follow tutorials that demonstrate the effective use of Cordova plug-ins in Appery.io Ionic 4 projects:

Ionic 4 Calendar plugin Tutorial

Ionic 4 Document Scanner and File Read Plug-ins Tutorial

Ionic 4 Social Sharing plugin Tutorial

More Sample App Tutorials

These tutorials describe how to develop some cool Ionic 4 apps:

• Two sample apps that use form controls to perform specific data-entry tasks

• App where you can use the Camera service to run a camera on your device, take a photo, preview this photo in the image component on screen, and then upload it to a database

• Mobile application with a menu

• Simple mobile line chart app

Just take a look at how intriguing these examples are as you work through them!

Note: Most of the tutorials come with app backups that make the tutorials easier to go through.

We hope this “to-do list” of Appery.io tutorials will help you get through these trying times and make your #StayAtHome times less burdensome and as efficient and pleasant as possible.

Stay with us and hope for better times soon!

Our March platform update rolled out on March 1. We continue to focus our main efforts on the most advanced Appery.io framework, Ionic 4. We have already added plenty of Ionic 4 tutorials for it (for example, making a todo list app, using Google maps, working with the ngx-translate library, and adding file uploading). Now we are going to add new components. Just take a look at the new palette:

Checkbox

Checkboxes allow the selection of multiple options from a set of options. Of course, you know this. And now the corresponding component is available for Ionic 4!

Form

And More…

We have simplified working with some Cordova plug-ins (Camera, Push), added the capability to quickly delete Server Code folders with content, and added the “File” type for an Input component.

This time we are happy to offer a new tutorial that describes step-by-step how to create an Ionic 4 app in which a login form with validation is used.

Prebuilt App Option

For this tutorial, we have added an option for you to explore a finished app before following the tutorial steps. To do this, first, download this backup file for the project. Then, click Create new app in the platform. Finish up with these steps:

1. Select From backup
2. Select the project backup file on your drive
3. Type in the app name
4. Click Create

Building from Scratch

However, if you just want to follow the tutorial to build the app from scratch, it’ll be quite easy. The tutorial includes many screenshots and detailed explanations to keep you from getting lost in the twists and turns of development.

And of course, stay tuned! We are working on adding even more Ionic 4 tutorials!

In our new tutorial, Ionic 4 Сhatbot App using Dialogflow, we demonstrate how to build the Ionic 4 Chatbot app using Appery.io and Dialogflow.

It’s that time of the year again, time to reflect, celebrate, and start planning ahead. As we look back over the year for our low-code development platform Appery.io, we have to say we are pretty proud!

In general, it was great to see a resurgence in the market for low-code development platforms. As IT leaders face more complexity and more pressure to innovate, low-code and no-code tools like Appery.io allow IT leaders to keep up with the pace of modern technology. Appery.io stands out for its excellence in this area—as shown by the more than 500,000 developers worldwide who trust Appery.io for their low-code and no-code development projects.

Having a platform that is both simple and extremely advanced is critical to the Appery.io team. This focus has enabled us to keep the platform up-to-date incorporating all the latest trends in mobile and app development—as seen in our many updates.

Along with many momentous feature updates, we have also published new resources and received many industry recognitions in 2019. We wanted to share some of the highlights of this activity, in case you missed it.

Major Feature Updates

• Progressive Web App (PWA) Support
• Codeless Features Added
• Ionic 4 Support

Progressive Web App (PWA) Support

PWAs are the new generation of web application development. These apps load like regular web pages but offer users more functionality, such as working offline, push notifications, and access to device hardware, traditionally available only to native applications. PWAs work seamlessly on desktop, mobile, and tablets from a single codebase. This enables PWA developers to be the sole managers of their application without having to jump through the hoops of multiple app platform uploads or review processes.

In Appery.io, users are able to turn apps into PWAs seamlessly with a few clicks, and without having to change any code.

Additional Resources on PWAs: 

• Go Digital on a Shoestring Budget with Appery.io PWAs 
• How to Test Progressive Web Apps on iOS Devices
• Some Useful Tips When Working With PWA 

Codeless Features Added

The Appery.io AppBuilder allows developers and technology leaders alike to create iOS, Android, or PWA apps with no or low code. Key codeless features in Appery.io include:

UI Composition: Build an application UI with a few clicks. Appery.io allows users to easily drag and drop a component from the AppBuilder palette to the design page. Switch design modes seamlessly to preview the UI on Android and iOS.

Event Panel: Allows users to set a single action or set of actions for every event in an app. In a few steps, users can select a component, open the Events Panel, and set an action that will run when the event appears.

Mapping: the Mapping Editor allows users to drag component properties to service request parameters. An arrow shows which way values will be mapped to take out the guesswork.

Additional Resources on Codeless for Appery.io: 

• Codeless Ionic Support for Appery.io Available
• Ionic 4 Todo List Tutorial
• Learn How to Show Information in Ionic Pop-ups

Ionic 4 Support

Keeping up with modern development trends, Appery.io now offers the Ionic 4 App Builder as a production-ready solution for building mobile apps. Ionic 4 allows developers to build PWAs in a way that is future-proof, fast, and framework-agnostic. Bringing Ionic 4 to Appery.io gives users the flexibility and intuitive design they need to craft modern applications.

Additional Resources on Ionic 4: 

• An Introduction to Appery.io’s Ionic 4 App Builder
• Learn How to Use the Google Map Component in an Ionic 4 App
• Check Out Our New Ionic 4 Tutorials

More New Appery.io Resources

• A Quick General Guide to App Management
• Learn How Technology Can Improve Healthcare Supply Chains with Appery.io
• New Tutorial on Using IndexedDB to Work with Images Offline

Industry and Community Recognition

We ❤️  the developer community. It’s the reason we do what we do! What motivates us is the continuous support and feedback we receive in blogs, industry reports, and other honorable mentions. We’d like to take a moment to share some of what the community had to say about Appery.io this year:

Ovum On the Radar: Appery.io facilitates rapid mobile application development
Thanks to Ovum analyst Michael Azoff for featuring Appery.io as one of their On the Radar platforms. Download the report to find out what makes Appery.io different, how the Innovation Cloud supports development and more.

The 15 Best App Makers to Build Your Own Mobile App in 2019
By: Aasif Khan on HackerNoon
“As this is a cloud-based app building platform, there is no need to download and/or install anything, which makes it convenient to begin the process of building your app quite quickly.”

Best Mobile App Development Software/Tools for 2019 
By: Sourodip Biswas on KapokCom Tech
“The main feature of this platform is its visual app building tool which uses jQuery Mobile, Ionic, AngularJS, Bootstrap, and HTML5 components inside the Visual Editor.  Samsung and AT&T are few of the companies that utilize Appery.io for their app development.”

Top Platforms For Building Mobile Apps
By: Wilfredo E. Keeling on iCharts
“A powerful and useful visual app builder tool, Appery.io is considered by mobile apps developers to be responsive and easy to use.”

We think it is safe to say that 2019 was one of the best years yet for Appery.io—maybe even the best, if we dare to be so bold! However, this is by no means a stopping point. We have a lot in store for 2020 and expect to be keeping our pulse on the latest trends in mobile and web app development to make sure Appery.io users have the latest and greatest features they need to build complex apps, simply. Have an idea or suggestion for Appery.io? Drop a note in our forum here: https://appery.io/forum.

Happy New Year!

Recently we rolled out a new Google Maps Tutorial for Appery.io’s Ionic 4 Builder. But, today, the Appery.io team can offer more help for our valued users to get the most out of Ionic 4! We have always tried to make developing with our platform as easy as possible, and, this time, we do so by presenting two more step-by-step tutorials on building with Ionic 4:

• Ionic 4 ngx-translate Tutorial
• Ionic 4 SweetAlert2 Tutorial

Ionic 4 ngx-translate Tutorial

The first tutorial will guide you through the process of creating an app using the ngx-translate third-party internationalization (i18n) library to build a spectacular multilingual application:

Ionic 4 SweetAlert2 Tutorial

The second tutorial will help you add the SweetAlert2 external module to display modal windows in your Ionic 4 app:

Both of these topics have often been requested as tutorial subjects, so we look forward to seeing a lot more implementations in Appery.io apps. We also hope our tutorials help you build up a broader understanding of how everything works with Appery.io backed up by Ionic 4 features.

We have some good news for Appery.io users. Another tutorial on Ionic 4 has arrived!

You should have already seen that Appery.io offers an Ionic 4 Google Map component. In this new tutorial, follow step-by-step how to use this component in creating an Ionic 4 app with the Geolocation service to show current coordinates on a map. (Google Maps API key required.) Working with this component is easy. Simply drag it to the page, configure it via the PROPERTIES panel like any other UI component, and then use it with the Google Maps API via JavaScript.And, as a bonus, please check our new instructional video that shows how to use a Google Maps component in Ionic 4 apps here.