Version 2.0 of Smart Mobile Studio will soon be ready for the release.
Over the last few days, we have distributed a private beta to some selected users, and now we would like to make this available for everyone.
We know you have been waiting for this – and so have we!
Download the installer and follow the instructions.
We hope you’ll be as excited about this release as we are 🙂
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Sincerely,
The Smart Mobile Studio Team
At the moment we’re already in the last stage of testing before the next version 2.0 will be released as beta. We hoped to make this happen in November and it still might, but probably at the very end of this month as there are still about 30+ issues that need to be resolved before a beta release. Most of them are tiny things, but there are still some heavy one, that needs more work than others. As you are developers as well, you probably know what we’re talking about…
In the meantime, this post is meant to give you some ideas of what will be possible with the next version. The main topic is about the new build system. With this it is possible to inject custom code at several stage during compilation.
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While it might sound ridiculous in the first place, the new version 2.0 (planned for November, but slightly delayed) will ship with RTL units to make micro-controller programming possible. So it will be not just possible to develop very high level code with Smart Mobile Studio, but also to address the very low end. Also it’s not just a remote control, but really a programming of the hardware. With this the internet of things is not science fiction anymore, but can be reality under your hands!
With the help of Espruino it’s possible to program a micro-controller with Javascript. In conteast to the classic way of programming, the JavaScript code is only interpreted by the micro-controller. The hardware is accessed and handled internally by the firmware with low-level, high performance code, which can be scipted interactively by the standarized ECMAScript (better known as JavaScript). This event based language is well suited for micro-controllers.
So far several different boards are already supported by Espruino, which includes dozens of boards based on the STM32 microcontroller, but also other devices like the Raspberry Pi. A list of working devices is updated constantly on the Espruino’s github site.
Thanks to a very successful kickstarter project (in which we also invested some money), a special board has been developed by the Espruino developer, that is designed perfectly designed for the purpose of internet for things. Compared to other devices it is quite small, highly efficient (low power consumption) and ready for easy wireless access (either with Bluetooth or WiFi). The current price of 34.99$ (around 25€) makes it especially suitable for any device you want to bring to the internet.
The favored Espruino board incude the interfaces I²C, SPI, USART and CAN and features ADC, DAC, PWM and an SD card connector. Furthermore an option for Bluetooth/Wifi and an external clock can be attached. A large prototyp area with the option to host arduino shields makes it ideal for any type of project.
In combination with Smart Mobile Studio, the JavaScript interface is used as intermediate language. Our compiler condenses high level & well structured code to a minified, micro-controller optimized code that might be ugly to read, but fast to execute. In addition to the hardware drivers it will ship with several units that make access to the hardware even easier.
The code runs directly on the hardware and can be deployed either via USB or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Thus remote programming is possible. If you decide to make the code persistent (to survive a restart), just add a ‘save;’ (… to flash) to the end of your code.
With this solution cro-controller, but also reuse and interface existing code easily. By using conditional compilation you can even make the same code compatible for all supported boards (e.g. Espruino board, Raspberry Pi and Sony Smart Watch).
And not to mention the fact that you can easily write a remote control for the hardware easily with Smart Mobile Studio.
At the moments we’re still working on the basics, but a lot of things are already possible. For now you can have a look at an older video posted about 3 months ago, but we’re also working on newer videos to give you some more ideas of what you can do on the lower end with our new Smart Mobile Studio 2.0.
While we are very busy working on the next Smart release (2.0, scheduled for November), some parts of the new version are already completed. As we can’t release an alpha or beta version now (it’s just not there yet), I decided to write few short posts as new features reach maturity. The first part of Smart I’d like to talk about is the redesigned ‘Run’ experience.
In the Smart v1, results of Run depended on few options that were partly set in the Preferences and partly in the Options. The result was a bit confusing so we decided to clean the interface and improve the experience. In the v2 release, the only option to be set in the Preferences is the server port. Everything else is configured in the project Options.
Following execution targets are supported: internal browser (Chromium, built into Smart), default browser, custom browser (you can specify the command line). The latter two can be served from the file system (if “Use built-in server to run application” is not checked) or from the internal server. If the internal browser or server are used, the browser/server window is displayed.
The Browser tab displays the running program (just as in v1) using the built-in Chromium. The Source code tab displays the compiled program. The Server tab displays the QR code which you can use to quickly open the program in a mobile device.
You can also click the “Open in browser” button to open the program in the system default browser and the photo icon on the right to create a snapshot of the internal browser window.
The last trick we have added is that you can set up your program to be automatically reloaded when it is recompiled. Just go to the project Options and check “Automatically refresh in browser”.
If you now run the program (in any browser type), change the program and recompile, it will be automatically reloaded in the browser.
Just before the first round of summer holidays we managed to put together a beta version of the next Smart Mobile Studio, version 1.1.2. Installer is available on the download page (link removed, since beta 2 is ready).
In case you are using the snippets functionality of the Smart Mobile Studio, you should first make a backup copy of the snippets file, because the installer will silently overwrite it with a fresh version. (Yes, this is a bug. Yes, we will fix it.) Navigate to Documents, Smart Mobile Projects and make a copy of the snippets.xml file (in another folder). Restore it after the installation.
Before the installation you should check that SmartMS.exe process is not present in the memory. Due to a bug in the 1.1.1 version, closing Smart Mobile Studio sometimes left SmartMS.exe process active in memory and that would prevent the new version from being installed. Just run Task Manager and kill any SmartMS.exe you can find (or reboot the computer, that would also work).
If you are upgrading an existing installation, please run Tools, Rebuild RTL Index the first time you start Smart Mobile Studio. This should be done automatically on the first run but we made a mistake preparing the installer and this step is skipped. It will be fixed in the real 1.1.2 release.
The focus of this release was mainly on fixing old bugs and making everying run smooth. We did, however, add some useful new features.
As you’ll probably notice looking at the changelist below, we didn’t fix most of the problems with the form designer. The reason for this is that we’re working on a completely new designer which will be included in the 1.2 release (expected to be released in autumn).
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Sincerely,
Primož Gabrijelčič, product manager
There was a question about “adjusting the background color of a form” a while ago. There are actually several ways to adjust the background color of a form, and one should know how Smart works on this area to be able to give the app you’re working on a visual face lift.
Since the various methods might interfere with each-other, it’s important to know the dependencies between the various methods. For example, if you set color by code in the OnCreate method, this will ignore the color in the Object Inspector…
I’ll go trough the various methods by using the classical “Calc (by Eric Grange)” demo in the Demos folder.
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We have fixed a few issues in the v1.1 release and wrapped up a new release with these hotfixes included.
Just download the latest installer directly from the download page.
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Sincerely,
The Smart Mobile Studio Team
Primož Gabrijelčič is our new product manager.
We are proud to present Primož Gabrijelčič as the new product manager for Smart Mobile Studio.
Primož has followed the project since the early conceptual stages back in 2010. He joined as a very active alpha/beta tester when we started the full-time development back in 2011, and he contributed with useful code and components. When we released v1.0 of Smart, Primož released “A Smart Book”, and he established the smartprogrammer.org blog.
During the autumn of 2012, Primož gradually joined as an active developer, and it’s really a pleasure to hand over the product management to such a skilled and talented person.
Welcome Primož! We look forward to bring Smart Mobile Studio to the next level with you 🙂
Thank you, Lennart, for the effort you have put into Smart during your time behind the wheel. It has been a pleasure to work with you trough these years.
It’s already May, and that means Smart Constest Round #2. This time we’re really going for the playful parts of the competitions, because we have “Game development” on the menu this time.
Join the competition and have fun! You might even win an exciting prize by showing off your Object Pascal skills!
The rules are as follows:
Wartrail, by Eric Grange.Created in Smart Mobile Studio
First prize is a tablet device of your own choice (up to USD 750). So have your pick between
Eric Grange
He is the developer of several popular Delphi projects, among them the Delphi Web Script project – the compiler in Smart Mobile Studio. He is the author of the blog delphitools.info where you will find lots of interesting articles and projects.
Jon Lennart Aasenden
The main developer of Smart Mobile Studio since the beginning. De describes himself as “an unorthodox, hyper creative and passionate software developer”. He has contributed with several interesting project to the Delphi community.
All contributions must be delivered in full source and binary with no missing pieces. The project must compile with the current version of Smart Mobile Studio (v1.1) with no external dependencies. External libraries must be included in project. Project name, short description, screen shot and browser requirements must be specified along with the delivery.
Delivery to contest@smartmobilestudio.com.
Q: Will it be possible to participate with a trial version of Smart Mobile Studio?
A: Yes! 😀
Happy coding!
The Smart Mobile Studio Team
In the first installment of this article we had a look at how to load and display a tile based map. In this second post we will take it one step further by implementing scroll (movement) management – which is an essential part of our chosen genre of games.
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Double Dragon on the Amiga 1989
When I was a kid I used to play tons of games on my Commodore 64 machine. This was the number one gaming machine of the early 80’s and was only surpassed by the Commodore Amiga in the late 80’s early 90’s in terms of popularity. The reason these machines were so popular was not just the games you could play on them, but also the fact that you could make your own games and applications on the same machine. They were not like the PlayStation or the xbox of our days – which turns brilliant children into customers only, with no means of playing with the device and exploring what it means to create.
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We are definitely in a playful year this year.
“The Smart Contest” is soon entering the second round.
The topic this time will be “Game development”.
Wartrail, by Eric Grange.Created in Smart Mobile Studio
Hopefully, you learned a few things from our articles on “Graphics programming”. These tips and tricks might come handy now. If you missed them, take a look here:
Take also a look at the entries from the first round of the Smart Contest:
During the last few days of April we will publish a series of articles to get you started on game development in Smart Mobile Studio. Stay tuned! This will be a comprehensive step by step tutorial.
In the mean time, you should head over to delphi.org and listen to Jim McKeeth’s interview with Jason McMillen on game development. Jason is the guy behind Pascal Game Development, and he shows you several interesting resources.
If you google “HTML5 games”, you will find lots of cool examples of what Smart Mobile Studio is capable of producing.
So, pick your favorite game and start the thinking 😉
In case you missed it:
First prize in each round will be a tablet (iPad, iPad mini, Android based tablet, Windows tablet). Value ~750 USD
Q: Will it be possible to participate with a trial version of Smart Mobile Studio?
A: Yes! 😀
Best regards,
The Smart Mobile Studio Team
This article will be published on the 25th.
Stay tuned…
Do you wanna try Game Development with Smart Mobile Studio?
Then this is your big chance.
The second round of “The Smart Contest 2013” will be all about “Game development”.
Take a look at the announcement.
Best regards,
The Smart Mobile Studio Team
You can now take a look at all the entries for “The Smart Contest 2013, Round 1 – Graphics”.
All the projects are presented in our showcase area.
Round 2 will be conducted in May, so stay tuned. The topic for this round will soon be announced…
We are proud to present the winner of the Smart Mobile Studio graphics competition!
And the winner is .. Bioptopia webgl demo by Mattias Andersson – Congratulations!
Biotopia
You can testdrive the demo live by clicking here (Chrome is prefered)
In Mattias own words:
The demo consists of two parts — the first part is about drawing isosurfaces constructed by using a marching cubes implementation by Aaron Hochwimmer. The second part unites the isosurfaces with an extension of the CFDG language, which I call “3D-CFDG” (see http://www.contextfreeart.org for the original 2D implementation.) This was an idea that I had planned to implement at some point and this contest seemed like the perfect opportunity.
We congratulate Mattias with the #1 demo – job well done!
I kindly asked if the author could write a few words about himself, his background in demo coding and where he came from in terms of technology (being old Amiga hackers we naturally asked him if he ever did some coding on 16 bit computers). He was kind enough to reply with a short description. Again — hat off Mattias! Great work!
Lennart asked me to write a few lines about myself, so here it goes:
While I was certainly around in the old Amiga days (I’m born in 1981), I was a bit too young to actively engage in the “demo scene” myself. However I did help a friend of mine set up a BBS (we spent a lot of time working on fancy ANSI animations.) Those days you would download things by dialing up different BBSs with your 56k US Robotics modem; things such as music modules, demos and other cool stuff.
Some of the more prominent demo groups at this time were “future crew” and “triton” and they made some really spectacular demos. Triton was from Sweden (like me) and they wrote an amazing piece of software called FastTracker II, which was really way ahead of its time as far as software development goes (IMO.) I guess one thing I learned from this episode is that you don’t have to be a huge corporation in order to produce something great that a lot of people can benefit from. Ideas always originate with the individual and by crafting your ideas into something useful, it will benefit the whole of humanity (and quite possibly your own ego as well.) I guess this is one of the things that have motivated me to participate in various open source projects, such as Graphics32. I have also worked for a few years on a quite advanced image editing software that incorporates a node-based filter graph editor as well as a whole bunch of filter modules. I’m planning to continue this project after releasing my current Android project (a Z-brush-like software for Android that seemed like a more achievable short-term goal. P.S. Very good to now be able to test it on a tablet!)
Alright, now some words about my contest entry. The interesting part is clearly the CFDG implementation that I’ve managed to extend to three dimensions. CFDG is a simple language for describing geometric vector objects. There are some basic operations: scaling, translation, rotation and color adjustment. Additionally you know some predefined 3D “drawables”, such as a sphere, a cube or an extrusion along a lattice (you can add any primitive you like.) You define rules that will recursively invoke other rules. Recursion stops when the current scale parameter is smaller than a certain threshold value. Multiple versions of a rule can be implemented, whereby the effective rule will be randomly selected. This produces some very interesting geometric objects as can be seen by the end of the demo. One challenge in the implementation was how to move from one 3D reference space to another space transformed by a certain rotation. Fortunately I realized that quaternions would work ideally for this application. I encourage anyone interested in 3D graphics to learn about the benefits of quaternions.
Norway and Sweden have always been like two brothers. We like to tell jokes about each other, since we live right next to each other on the map I mean), have fun competitions from time to time (like the fact that we beat the crap out of your ice-hockey team last year) and we all meetup in the viking ship demo party once a year. Following Norwegian tradition we decided to deduct 10 points from the demo since you are in fact from Sweden — but we have to admit that even then you still won, so fair is fair: great work Mattias! You won this compo lock, stock and barrel!