Version 8

Major New Features

1. Auto Generate PhoneGap images
2. Python 3
3. wxPython 4
4. Better Electron support
5. Windows 64 is required. (MacOS already required 64 bit)

Upgrading

If you have AppStudio 7 or older and don't have a subscription, you will need to get the upgrade to use these new features. You can order it here.

If you like would to try it first, download from the 'Check for Updates' screen in the Help menu. You'll get a demo copy.

Version 8.0.0

Here's a list of what is new.

If you own a previous version of AppStudio and not have a subscription, you need to buy the upgrade to use Version 8. You can do this from within the app or from our order form.

Until you have bought the upgrade, you can use AppStudio 8 in Demo mode for up to 30 days. Once you buy, your copy will convert automatically to the full version.

IDE

General

1. AppStudio icon updated to a more modern circle style.
2. Dark Mode Support: AppStudio can now make Dark Mode apps. AppStudio does not support Dark Mode fully itself: there are still parts of the underlying wxWidgets library that its developer's need to work on.
3. Filename checking improved. Properly supports spaces, underbars, dashes and periods.
4. Opens to HelloWorld the first time AppStudio is started.
5. Check for updates on startup.
6. Tools Menu: New option to open project in GitHub website.
7. Tools Menu: New option to open project in GitHub Desktop app.
8. New version check on startup.
9. Landscape enabled in the Layout option of the browser's Print dialog.
10. Run menu: If Local Path is not defined, Deploy Local can now start the app after Deploy.
11. Run menu: Deploy option now uses the deploy method selected in the picker.

Code Window

1. More keyboard shortcuts now work on MacOS
2. eslint messages now show just the first 10,000 characters (fixes an error)
3. Pasted code with smart quotes no longer crashes Code Window.

Design Screen

1. Hang which could be caused by adding and deleting a jQM control fixed.
2. Right clicking on a control will refer to the control, not its parent.
3. Changes to Project CSS are updated in the Design Screen right away.

Preferences

1. A download directory has been added to PhoneGap Preferences.
2. Option to specify deploy location removed from Deploy Preferences.

Project Explorer

1. Filenames with spaces can be dragged and dropped.
2. Filenames now display their actual names.

Project Properties

1. Background: Set this to inherit to enable dark mode.
2. PWA: New 'disable PWA' property turns off creation of PWA.

Status Bar

1. Updates more frequently

Runtime

1. Async/Await support added.
2. "apple-mobile-web-app-capable" no longer included in head.
3. "jquery 3.3.1 SNYK-JS-JQUERY-174006 assets/www/nsb/library/jquery3.js" message from Google fixed.

Deploy Methods

Electron

1. 'Make Desktop App using Electron' added to Run menu
2. 'Make Desktop App for Distribution' added to Run menu
3. Electron build now uses Electron-build library.
4. ElectronWeather sample updated to use electron-build.
5. Electron Wiki article updated to show how to use electron-build manually.

PhoneGap

1. New PhoneGap icon property added. Should be 1024x1024 png.
2. New PhoneGap splash property added. Should be 2732x2732 png.
3. If icon or splash are the wrong size or missing, a 'Missing source image' message is shown.
4. All required icons are now automatically generated.
5. All required splash screens are now automatically generated.
6. Config.xml is automatically updated with the correct paths for icons and splashes.
7. 'Generate Icons for PhoneGap' removed from Tools menu.
8. Errors in config.xml now throw an appropriate message.
9. Build counter property added. Increments on each build and updates config.xml.
10. CSP is now required for all PhoneGap apps (Google requirement).
11. PhoneGap samples now give a warning when not run with PhoneGap.
12. PhoneGap Preferences: Download directory added.
13. Get Native Build Status: After PhoneGap app is generated, it is automatically downloaded.
14. A reasonable filename is now generated for download PhoneGap apps.
15. PWA code is no longer included in PhoneGap apps.
16. QR Code is no longer displayed if no PhoneGap account.
17. PhoneGap Status exits if new project loaded.

PWA

1. Errors in manifest.json now throw an appropriate message.
2. Add project property to turn off PWA code.
3. Better message given when starting PWA with file://. Must be started from a server.
4. 'scope' line added to manifest.json for iOS.

Frameworks

Another year has passed without updates to jQuery Mobile. That's 5 years now. While the controls still work, for the most part, they throw error messages in Chrome for using insecure libraries. We recommend converting to Bootstrap 4.

Bootstrap 3 has been replaced by Bootstrap 4. We recommend switching to the new version.

Bootstrap 4

1. Listgroup: Using button style with appearances now works properly.
2. Textarea: Use rows property, not height, to set size of control.
3. Updated to Bootstrap 4.4.1
4. Datatables controls updated to current version.

Bootstrap 3 (Obsolete)

1. Now marked as Obsolete in the Toolbox and Samples.

Common

1. Forms: iScroll no longer used - use native scrolling instead.
2. QRCode: setValue added to autocomplete in Code Window

jQuery Mobile (Obsolete)

1. Now marked as Obsolete in the Toolbox and Samples.

BASIC

1. Async and Await are translated properly.
2. False syntax error on Catch fixed.

Samples

1. All: All samples now use Bootstrap 4 controls.
2. New Async sample shows how to use Async/Await.
3. New DarkMode samples shows how to initiate dark mode.
4. PhoneGap samples now give a warning when not run with PhoneGap.
5. GoogleMaps sample now tells user an API key is needed.
6. jqxComboBox sample fixed.
7. StockQuote sample dropped.
8. Samples automatically have BASIC library included, in case they use those functions.
9. jQuery Mobile removed from all samples.
10. ScrollingForm sample now uses native scrolling, not iScroll.

Internals

1. Python updated from 2.7 to 3.7.
2. wxPython updated to Version 4 ("Phoenix")
3. All references to hfunc.js removed (obsolete)
4. jQuery updated to 3.4.1
5. Customer and level set in .env (affects dev environment only)
6. Code quality improved by linting
7. Windows installer: now built by InnoSetup 6.0.3
8. Windows installer: appearance updated

Breaking Changes

1. 64-bit Windows is required. 32-bit Windows will not work any more: some of the underlying libraries AppStudio uses are not available in 32 bit.
2. MacOS 10.9 or later is required.
3. The PhoneGap config.xml property needs to be updated. Fill in values for PhoneGap Icon (1024) and Splash (2732), then delete these lines from config.xml. AppStudio now generates this content automatically:
   * Sections with <icon lines
   * Sections with <splash lines
   * &ltgap:splash src='{splashscreen}'/>
   Or, start fresh by copying the config.xml sample in shown here and adding any other changes you have made.