LiveCode Forums.

Hi folks, my question besides been very naive has probably been asked before but I wasn't able to find a definitive answer. Sorry for that...

Question is: are there cheaper options (LC HTML license is $ 499/year...) to deploy a LC app to the WEB?

Any ideas/suggestions?

Many thanks to all.

Use the community version.

Thanks for your reply, I guess I should have been more detailed on my question.

Using the community version wouldn't be an option because even though my app doesn't have enough commercial potential to justify spending $500,00/year it does deal with confidential information and since the community version implies sharing the source...

That does make a large difference to your original question.

In fact if you want to make protected HTML stuff via LiveCode, as far as I can see, that
will cost you more than $500, as the $500 is for the HTML add-on which has to be
added onto some sort of commercial licence:

https://livecode.com/products/html5-edition/

"To protect your source code and/or build commercial web apps you need to purchase this HTML5 commercial edition.
You can purchase this separately, add it to an existing mobile and desktop license or
buy HTML5 alongside a mobile and desktop license."

emphasis added.

Sorry for not being clear enough the first time.

You are right, it will cost more than $500.00/year ( I already own an Indy license) and this is precisely why I rise the question...

Maybe there is some magic solution out there!

simon.schvartzman wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:38 pm

Using the community version wouldn't be an option because even though my app doesn't have enough commercial potential to justify spending $500,00/year it does deal with confidential information and since the community version implies sharing the source...

Is the "confidential information" data or code?

Either way, you will want to try the HTML export before committing any resources, including time, to it. The Community Edition will at least let you evaluate its fitness for your specific project.

LC's HTML export is amazingly ambitious, something almost no other native-app development tool even attempts. It's able to accomplish this uncommon goal only through uncommon means, resulting in a very large JS lib needed to drive your project, making downloads prohibitively slow for most public uses. Moreover, native apps are so fundamentally different from the confines of a browser that many aspects of application design that work perfectly well on the desktop are not at all well suited for the web.

Give it a try before you decide to embark on any path depending on it. I know a couple developers who enjoy it for highly-specialized deployments, but those expecting it to be a great option for most types of apps are likely to be disappointed when they discover the vast and often-uncrossable gulf of differences between native and web application design and implementation.

Could Livecode Server be the proper solution ?

Or a desktop app created with your LC Indy... and connected to... the web, via a dedicated and secured web server ?

Afterwall... what is a "web deployment" ?

Perhaps a mix of both.

As for Livecode Server and/or the mixed solution... there are hosting companies that propose Livecode Server. In standard.

I use :
https://www.hostm.com/livecode-hosting

Affordable... super easy to create/use/maintain... Really handy (for people who needs a LC Server, somewhere in the "cloud").

They even take care of the SSL stuff.

And as bonus you can have FTP, databases, email etc.

@Richard, thanks for your advice, I was already skeptical about devoting resources for the HTML5 license...

As per your remarks @bangkok I'll be more specific about what I would like to achieve.

I have this mobile LC developed free App (iOS and Android) by which users upload pictures (to Dropbox) and metadata (to a mySQL server) capturing images and info according to certain guidelines given by the paying customers.

I then have another LC developed App running on the desktop that allows the paying customers to access the uploaded data in order to see/classify/approve such data.

Instead of forcing the paying customers to install a desktop App in their machines I'd like to send them just an URL where they should have the same functionality as with the App.

I'm pretty sure I can achieve such a goal with PHP and/or other Site development tools but I'd like to avoid the pain to learn another tool as I've already developed what I need on my much beloved LC environment.

Lazy me...

I suspect the answer will be Lc server, which will introduce only a slight learning curve.

simon.schvartzman wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 18, 2020 4:37 pm

I'm pretty sure I can achieve such a goal with PHP and/or other Site development tools...

HTML is the client side of the app, while PHP is on the server side. If PHP is a good solution for you then you'll find LiveCode Server right up your ally. It's quite robust, reasonably efficient, and it lets you enjoy the LiveCode you know and love.