From the Forum — Issue #125

31 May 2016

From the Forum — Issue #125

Welcome to the latest installment of From the Forum. In this series, guest blogger Alex Jackson highlights outstanding threads from the Corona Forum. The goal is to bring attention to the most captivating, interesting, and thought-provoking discussions taking place in our very own backyard.

Please visit the forum to join these conversations or start your own!

Security-minded Coronium instances

Coronium-based apps are coming out of the woodwork these days. Having a Corona-supported server solution developed completely in Lua is a fantastic resource to new and veteran Corona users alike.

However, it’s important to remember that not everything is served on a silver platter for us. The steps available to shore up endpoints and security are not unique to Coronium, so research on those fronts is paramount. One developer, in kicking the tires on his app and Coronium instance, was wondering what was going on with their iOS 9 test device. As it turns out, the app was running afoul of the App Transport Security policy instituted by Apple.

A potential fix is referenced in the original post. Click on through to find out more about making your Coronium instance that much more secure!

https://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/63216-coronium-setup-and-ios-app-transport-security-policy/

Coronium step-by-step walkthrough

Coronium’s server solution has been talked up quite a bit in this running feature. For good reason of course, as having a server implementation written in pure Lua means not moving between languages during development and not fragmenting your workflow.

While Coronium is relatively intuitive, there are still portions that may not be clear to new users. There are security concerns that may not occur when a developer’s primary experience is in game development. The installation guide is incredibly valuable, but having something from a user’s standpoint can be useful as well.

The original thread below goes through a step-by-step installation, created by a genuine Corona developer, of the Coronium product. It’s a great read, and Develephant himself commented on how useful of a resource it is. Jump on over and check it out for yourself!

https://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/63256-step-by-step-installation-walkthrough/

Understanding auto-backup workflow

These days, business apps are expected to allow users to pick up where they left off, regardless of device or location. The million dollar question: how can we ensure a user’s app data is available across the globe? The low barrier to entry for database implementations means that a simple SQL configuration can house any information necessary for a user to bounce around at will.

If you’re using that SQL database, though, how you’re going to manage all that data becomes the primary concern. You want to make sure that you’re doing your level-best to maintain the integrity of the data that has become the real currency in your app.

The below thread contains an interesting back-and-forth discussion surrounding the best way to handle data being passed between an app leveraging a SQL database, and the database itself. Have your own take? Add to the dogpile!

https://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/63167-backup-sqlite3-db-to-mysql/

About Alex

Alex Jackson is an indie developer and the founder of Panc Interactive, specializing in retro-style gaming. He has created several mobile applications, enjoys long walks on the beach, pixel art, and reading the Corona forums. Contact him by email or follow him on Twitter: @pancinteractive. Check out his new game Segreta on iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Amazon devices.