I'm doing quite a lot of integration now between Livecode web export and web applications - the dance between them was always complicated - for a few reasons that no longer seem to be the case. I'm not 100% sure yet, but it looks good - subtle engine improvements (notably standard engine level json handling) and better two-way javascript help, but the main thing is the documentation fix that (please don't shout) comes through Marvin having a deep understanding of software and the Livecode architecture - this means when I want to fill those technical gaps that were confusing in the documentation, and too slow or difficult to get from the list + forums + Livecode themselves - I can ask the question in a rough direct way (without embarassment) and get a great response in seconds (not 6 months ago but now and getting better) - then and even more important I can ask Marvin for some demos and test stacks - make some coffee - come back test them - ask more questions in a fun direct way.
I miss doing that on the list - but the speed and fun cheerful helpfulness of the ai route is a good stand-in. Bringing them together is the holy grail. For Hitchhikers we'll be going out to communities to help write the tone and character of Marvin (and other characters) - but we'll also be crowd sourcing the widgets and "things that need fixing" - which mightbe integrating with Wordpress better. It's the social side, and the economic model of that sharing - how provenance and attribution works that gets sticky / tricky. I'd love more human freinds on that journey. On Mon, 10 Aug 2026 at 02:04, Alex Tweedly via use-livecode < [email protected]> wrote: > Great question Bill. And one I have been asking myself for a while now. > > There are many similarities : I am a long time user, I used to do lots > of programming projects in LC, but haven't found much enthusiasm, or > even much use, for LC recently. > > Here's the short version of my answer currently: > > 1. Recognise that the need for (almost all) apps to work on > phone/tablet, combined with the difficulties of ever-changing > Apple/Google requirements means that "deploy to web" is extremely > important - and make it central, rather than (as it currently feels) an > unimportant side-issue. > > that means: > > a. complete it - adjust to window size changes, document what kind of > local storage is available and how to use it, make.a *simple* way to > handle splash-screen / loading message, etc., make sure that I *never* > see or need the Javascript console or similar junk. > > b. accept that any apps used on web will need user registration / login > /auth - and provide either a library or a sample that provides a simple, > but extensible, way to do that. > > 2. a major feature is the data store - document it. Create example apps > that show off how to use it. > > 3. Many apps are (basically) an update to using Excel to manage some > data - so make it trivial to provide a CSV/TSV/XLS file and from it > create a data table, a single element form for entry/update, a > spreadsheet (or datagrid) view with editing, ..... Allow a way to add > constraints and verification rules. > > 4. STOP making new widgets that are simply a (poor) replacement for > existing functionality. > > case study : there are (fairly recent) widgets for "Date Picker" and > "Date field". Date picker is a widget that kind of does the same thing > as many previously available user sample stacks did - only it lacks many > obvious features, and is not easily modifiable or extensible. It should > be discarded and replaced by an (open source) script-only widget based > on the most functionally complete available stack - e.g. Sarah > Reichelt's (sp?) or Hugh Senior's - but built as a script-only widget so > the complexity and installation idiosyncrasies are overcome. > > (And it is sad that those are something like 20-year old stacks, and > this widget appears now with so much less capability). > > The date field widget should be a thin layer over the date picker - but > it isn't. It has its own built-in date picker, which is missing many of > the config options or features available in the date picker widget. So > instead of being "badly underspecified" it is "pathetically > underspecified". > > and I'll throw in a wild-card: > > 5. do a deal with Canela Software to use either the Appli Player, or to > create a LC player with the same base technology. > > and finally, > > 6. Make it easier (i.e. better documented with examples) to create > script-only widgets. AFAIK, it's only documented in a lesson, and there > is no (obvious) description of how to create the documentation for the > widget. Create a method to contribute / download such widgets. > > Best, > > Alex. > > On 09/08/2026 01:02, William Prothero via use-livecode wrote: > > Folks, I have used LiveCode for most of my projects in the past, but > have found it irrelevant to much of my work in Wordpress. It would be great > to be able to used LiveCode for some of my projects. Here’s what stops me.: > > 1) development still seems “in progress” with bugs regularly reported > > 2) I don’t see any easily tested and built upon “starter” stacks that > can be informative and that demonstrate examples of important operations. > > 3) It seems that all of the security (regularly changing) Apple > registration requirements are not needed for internet apps. Web > applications should be much easier to implement. > > > > I may be wrong on the above, but it appears that livecode’s web based > apps do not invite new users to join and experiment in the style of > HyperCard that encouraged newbies to “jump on in”, with immediate success > on simple calculations and that encourage more exploration. > > > > In the past, I did a lot of programming in Macromedia Director’s > programming language, which had super web animation capabilities, as well > as other programming capabilities. It was dropped (no longer supported) > when it was purchased by Adobe. Too bad. It was a good model for easily > deployed web applications. > > So, that’s where I’m at. I’m disappointed, but am retired anyway and > don’t do as much programming as I used to. > > > > Best to you all > > Bill > > > > William Prothero > > UCSB Prof, retired. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > use-livecode mailing list > > [email protected] > > Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your > subscription preferences: > > http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode > > _______________________________________________ > use-livecode mailing list > [email protected] > Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your > subscription preferences: > http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode > _______________________________________________ use-livecode mailing list [email protected] Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your subscription preferences: http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode
