Does Scirra create 2 official Node-webkit tools?

Does Scirra create 2 modules (plugin and exporter settings) about node-webkit features like AJAX to file:// path to resource loading, node.js basic API, window properties, etc.?

Just saying.

I'm not clear exactly what you're asking - we don't develop node-webkit or any plugins for it ourselves, if that's what you mean.

Then how will we be able to fully utilize these exporters? Like, right now you can only play a node webkit game at native resolution or fullscreen - how will we be able to change the window size at will? Can't expect them to go out of their way to write plugins just for C2.

I'm pretty sure some third party plugin developers have been working on this, but I do agree that it would be wise for Scirra to invest some time on a node-webkit object so that everything works perfectly with the engine.

So not only are we relying on 3rd parties for exporters, we're relying on other 3rd parties to write the plugins ensuring we can actually use said exporters? Lovely.

JohnnySheffield made four plugins to do at least some of the stuff node webkit can do, I'm not sure if anything was left out.

Node-Webkit<font size="2"> - JohnnySheffield</font>

Node-Webkit Node.js OS module<font size="2"> - JohnnySheffield</font>

Node-Webkit Node.js PATH module<font size="2"> - JohnnySheffield</font>

Node-Webkit Node.js FS module<font size="2"> - JohnnySheffield</font>

That's awesome and I appreciate the work he has done but it seems if he didn't take it upon himself to write these we'd never see them. Plus, with all the bad experiences I've had with unstable & unreliable 3rd party plugins, it'd be great to see Scirra do at least the exporter ones themselves. "Hastily written" & "I do not use these for my own projects anymore" are not very assuring.

Yes, These plugins what im talking about, according Ashley would cannabalize node-webkit that JohnnySheffield did.

I tought it would have official node-webkit plugin and exporter settings from package.JSON (You can't edit json after of exporting node-webkit)

Is true Scirra won't develop official platform plugin for node-webkit exporter?

node-webkit are kind of new for C2, they appeared in r115 beta, so they are still experimental and in test phase.

So maybe You could give Ashley a chance to fully implement that first.

Joannesalfa Ashley misunderstood your question I'm afraid.

...we don't develop node-webkit or any plugins for it ourselves, if that's what you mean.

He said that (as a Scirra) don't developed node-webkit or any plugins for it.

Not actual plugins for C2 :)

Yes, the main reason there aren't more node-webkit specific features is just time. They're still pretty new and I'll probably be expanding it through future releases.

Another point is that every platform-specific plugin makes it harder to port your project. Ideally a project designed for node-webkit would just export to the web or another platform like Windows 8 without losing too much functionality, or throwing errors on startup due to missing files on disk or whatever you relied on. So I'd want to very carefully design any node-webkit specific features and try very hard to integrate them with what can already be done in a browser.

For example, take file I/O. Chrome supports an experimental filesystem API and most modern desktop browsers support IndexedDB, both of which are suitable for storing large amounts of data in a filesystem-like arrangement. If we just quickly bolt on some file I/O functions to node-webkit via a platform-specific plugin, it's likely any games you design using it will be broken when ported to other platforms. However, if we very carefully design a file storage plugin that uses different storage backends (filesystem on Chrome, IndexedDB on Firefox/IE10, disk on node-webkit) then your game should still work in web browsers even though it uses local files. That's far more valuable than a single platform-specific hack - but it's also a lot more time consuming to design. The same goes for most other features you'd want from node-webkit.

Ashley thanks for your answer!

I missed this thread.

Actually, do you have some comments about export settings like desktop icon and task bar icon, Package.json to adjust windows size or some thing?

Yes, hopefully a future update will have better support for icons. The window size from project properties should already be used.

I'm opening an old thread, but i missed out on this, so here's my two cents:

Regarding my plugins, i wouldn't use any, except the "main" node-webkit plugin, that provides window control and some other stuff. That plugin is good enough, although it could use some improvements. Others, (especially FS) are just "proof of concept", whatever that means.

That said, I think node-webkit is a totally new and different platform, and provides a set of features we wont see implemented in Construct soon, and i'm ok with that. We need C2 to be stable and as multi-platform as possible, and Ashely is doing a perfectly good job with this. I'm happy with current implementation of node-webkit in C2.

I believe, that We as a community need to implement a whole Node.js API as a set of plugins. It's a set of features that is platform specific, and i think it's not Ashley's job to implement them beacuse it is not in the "write once export everywhere" spirit.

But, if we as a community make those plugins, it will make a totally new and powerful way to make node-webkit apps, and provide a totally new way to use C2.

I started some of that job with socket.io and http plugins (Ok, socket.io isn't part of node.js api, but i like it), and UDP plugin for C2, but decided not to release them, because i don't see any real need for them and not any developer interested it collaboration on improving them, and i don't want to make new members of community using something that is half-done. Current unfinished plugins are enough.

I would spend my spare time on developing these plugins further, but i haven't seen any real need for them, except "wow, this is cool".

If anybody is interested in collaboration, please contact me or start a new thread, we've got the whole task list done, it's right here

Cheers!