Xojo vs Livecode best option for iOS Development?

I use both Livecode and Xojo I like them both. Xojo is way better than Livecode when it comes to Mac OSX and Linux. And Livecode way better at Windows. Livecode also supports Android and is one of the best 3rd party android development tools on the market.

However when it comes to iOS what my thoughts on the subject. First off Xojo just released version 1 of iOS support and Livecode has supported iOS for several years now. I used Livecode for iOS and liked it, but when I heard Xojo was going to support native iOs GUI I was excited.

Once iOS was released for Xojo I became disappointed fast, it was missing so much basic stuff that it was uncanny. Xojo is very very limited out of the box when compared to Livecode for iOS.

It was so limited that I made a chart highlighting some of the different things I came to need to when making iOS apps. Livecode supports most of them. Xojo supports only few of them. Lets take a look.

I really like how Xojo works and prefer it still over Livecode for Mac and Linux. And I like the IDE and the way BASIC works over small talk and Livecode IDE. However when it comes to Mobile Livecode wins for now. It supports more stuff out of the box for iOS and also supports Android with most of the same items as it does for iOS.

Another area that impressive is Livecode is now cheaper than Xojo if your going to make iOS apps. With Livecode your required to have Livecode Commercial License to sell iOS apps which cost $299 each year (that also includes 7 platforms for now and up to 8 in the near future.) For Xojo since there pricing change iOS cost $299 a year for only iOS. For Desktop its an extra $299 and for Pro its $699.

Also if your interested in just iOS and want to only do free iOS apps , Livecode for iOS only can be as low as $99. Xojo does not even have this option.

However Apple new swift changes the game even more. You can always switch over to Xcode and use swift for free, and that supports everything out of the box. The reason anyone would use Xojo or Livecode would be to make cross-platform apps.

I still like both tools and will keep using both tools, but for now Livecode wins iOS based on it supports way more needed stuff. However if you need or want Native GUI and learn declares for Xojo then Xojo can be a real improvement in overall quality of the end product.

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I personally have moved to Xcode and Swift for iOS as neither Xojo or Livecode does what I need to grow as a developer of iOS apps.

Swift is very easy to use as a programming language and Xcode supports everything. The case its not cross platform is not valid to me because Xojo and Livecode are not really cross-platform either when it comes to iOS. You can not take the same code base as a Linux or windows app and make it work with iOS with either of those tools without re programming it for iOS.

That fact of that alone makes Xcode and swift the best overall option. Plus its free to use, there millions of developers using it. Which gives more chances to get answers if you get stuck. And last if your looking for a paying job you likely find one for swift than with either of those tools.

Xojo for iOS Tip; Where are the iOS docs.

When your in Xojo for iOS and click on the toolbar help icon. The iOS help docs are not accessable, The Help button bring up the Docs for Mac, Windows, Linux and the Web.

There two ways to get it. One is to just use your web browser. And go to this web page: http://xojo.helpdocsonline.com/home

The other is to go to the menubar / help and select iOS Language Referance, which opens it it in the Xojo help viewer.

Adventures of iOS with Xojo Part 2 Tab Bar Now Working

If you been following along the first part I had a hell of an time figuring out the Tab bar set up. Well after a good night sleep and a good tip from a beta user,who had more info than me. Now it works and did another video showing how it does work.

When the help docs are vague it often seems harder than it actual is. Since I do not work for Xojo I can not help document for them but I can make a video like this in no time flat.

Adventures of iOS with Xojo Part 1 Tab Bar Blues

I was super happy to finally have a chance to work with iOS for Xojo. I knew there would be a learning curve. However never thought the would be a learning curve to just add user interface element like a tab bar.

Xojo included example project of a tab bar however that example has no code. It was done some way by the IDE. Trying to figure out how is the topic for this first part of the Adventures of iOS with Xojo.

I feel this is fitting for the first part because Xojo for iOS is not as easy as Xcode without better help docs. Would have thought it should have been, but its not. Since this has taken up hours trying to understand how Xojo for iOS works with just adding tab bars. also hearing other are experiencing about the same thing. Its fitting to start this series off this way.

Part 1; Xojo iOS Tab Bar Blues (in full motion color)

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Xojo for iOS is here, a first look.

Xojo for iOS is here, a first look. I have some screenshots and basic info. Later in the week maybe a video.

Xojo has a pricing change so depending on what you need. you maybe paying less or if your like me you be paying more. Xojo has a blog post on this info.

Above is a screen of one of the included example apps in the Xojo IDE. (One of those annoying and reject-able noise apps.)

Above is a iOS simulator view of a date picker running on the iPad. This uses declares.

Above is the example notes app running in the iPad simulator.

Xojo for iOS is done very well. I have used several development platforms for iOS over the years (including such; Livecode, Unity, Cornia SDK, Phone Gap, Ruby Motion and a few others) And to be fair when I compare Xojo for iOS Xojo is one of the best I seen.

However Xojo does not have a full out of the box feature set at this time. It is a little limited what you can do without writing declares. However declares are pretty simple to understand and use, that it not that bad. However for the price some may think some of these things should be added out of the box and I would agree.

One thing xojo does that basically no one else has done besides Ruby Motion and Xcode is have Native iOS controls built in. Corona & Livecode has no native controls and was one major reason both tools are a disappointment.

iOS Xojo control palette

Another awesome feature is the code signing is built in to Xojo so we do not need to sign it ourselves our pay some other app developer some huge overprice license to do it either (like you do on mac).

One of the neatest but confusing features is the auto layout. What cool is it has auto layout, however it works no where close to Xcode and swift in ease of use. here a image below.

Auto layout palette

Xojo for iOS gets a thumbs up from me. However It still needs work to be a really contender to several other iOS toolsets for its cost. Consider that iOS for Xojo is at 1.0 I say its pretty good. It still has much more it needs to do to get many to switch however. I still think its worth checking out. 

More info at Xojo.com