NaviCu – HUGE Design
Overview
NaviCu have been a proud Claris partner since 1996. They help clients solve business problems with innovative solutions enabling them to increase profitability and efficiency. NaviCu approached LiveCode for FM to expand their overall client offering by allowing multi platform deployment including Android. Their first LiveCode for FM project was for a client developing a conceptual app for a prototype gaming device similar to a tablet. It allows them to show video of the game as well as themselves in a thumbnail.
Project Requirements
Paul Costanzo from NaviCu approached LiveCode for FM to enquire about adding native Android deployment to his overall offering as a business that creates innovative solutions for their clients.
NaviCu had a client project that was perfect for getting started with LiveCode for FM. The app is for a conceptual prototype gaming device similar to a tablet. It allows them to show video of the game as well as themselves in a thumbnail. It is used alongside the popular streaming platform, Twitch.
NaviCu decided to partner with us as they required some very specific features to be supported including:
- Play a live feed from the device camera in an object playing OVER A VIDEO (similar to the MBS AVRecorder function)
- The ability to start and stop the video using the AV Player function in a script, and NOT showing the default video controllers for the device
- The ability to control the sound volume on the device using the AV Player function in a script
It was very important to NaviCu and their client that this app look and perform just like a native FileMaker solution running on an iOS device. It was also crucial that the service we were delivering in partnership be completed by their deadline.
Working with LiveCode for FM
Paul originally started using LCFM Native as part of the Claris ETS Program. Right from the very start Paul has been very complimentary of the ease of use of the LiveCode for FM tool. It was during this testing NaviCu noticed that not all features they required were yet supported by LiveCode for FM, it was at this stage they joined us in partnership.
Our development team got to work with covering the specific features required for this app to faithfully compile and run on Android. One of the features we added support for was in fact a feature that was only available in FileMaker through a third party plugin.
Our quality engineers regularly would test new builds of LiveCode for FM and the compiled app on our suite of test devices and once we reached the point where we had all features supported and tested we handed this over to NaviCu and their team to complete the final testing and deploy the app for their client.
The LCFM Native tool allowed us to extend our FileMaker iOS SDK development experience to the Android platform. The ability to quickly, and easily, compile the code for testing on our specific target tablet made the development streamlined and efficient. Using the Partner Program, the LiveCode team was able to quickly implement custom features, unique to our needs, to ensure the final app exceeded the expectations of our client.
Paul Costanzo, President & Founder, NaviCu
Project Results
After complete testing from our QA Team, NaviCu compiled their solution using the LiveCode for FM tool and produced a native APK which they were able to successfully demo to their client.
The client requested some final tweaks which NaviCu and their team carried out and recompiled the app in LiveCode for FM.
The client filmed a presentation video for their new Android app and it is being considered by management for potential final development at the time of writing this case study.
