5 Answers

• Accepted Answer

  For starters, I agree with you completely - the API documentation is still lacking and can be somewhat unclear. Once you learn a little about what they're saying, it is a LITTLE easier to follow, but still has a ways to go. Not to mention there are still major gaps.

  Let's use your example to "read between the lines" a bit with the documentation. All of the create*() methods only take one parameter, and that is a set of attributes. What are the possible attribute values? With a couple of caveats, those are the attributes that are listed in the "Properties" table on that page. You could also (in most cases) create it with no parameters and then set the properties/attributes on the object once it is created.

  What caveats? Well… theres the rub. The most important properties that seem to NEVER be listed are "width", "height", "left", "right", "top", and "bottom", which the KitchenSink illustrates all over the place. It also isn't clear in most cases when a value needs to be provided for one of these, when a value of 'auto' is allowed or desirable, or if a percentage makes sense. Are there other properties that are useful? For views, "layout: vertical" can be very useful. And I'm sure there are more that are murkily documented in the Sink somewhere.

  I had, and still have, a similarly uneasy feeling. For the most part, once you "decipher" the documentation, it isn't too bad, and people in the Q&A are helpful at getting past the rest (once you "decipher" the best way to use this forum, which is another can of worms).

  Welcome to the community, hope this has helped, and good luck!
  Allen

• At the bottom of each doc file there is an example on how to use it. just scroll down its inder all the eventlistners and all.

• I was just looking at button.js from KitchenSink, and I see the following:

  var b1 = Titanium.UI.createButton({
      title:'I am a Button',
      height:40,
      width:200,
      top:10
  });
  

  What I find the most interesting about that is, when I view the page listed above (about Titanium.UI.Button), it makes no mention of top, width, or height in the Properties section.

  I do know about the code example at the bottom of the page, but it does little good when I am looking for params/values information. I'm a fast learner, I just need the info to get going. As of yet, I haven't found it.

  Vadtec

• So simply put, it's going to come down to a mix of getting lucky with the docs, guessing, code delving, and just "getting use to it". sigh

  I would think that with Appcelerator/Titanium toting itself as a premier platform for developing apps in this fashion the documentation would reflect their dedication. What good is Titanium if you can't find documentation on how to work it?

  I know I'm beating a dead drum at the moment. Titanium is still young, and I'm sure the docs could use some help with becoming mature. If I had the time I would help work on it. Sadly, I don't have that much time to devote to the project right now. Maybe after the summer when I get a few projects out of the way.

  In the mean time, I guess I will do what I can and ask a lot of questions along the way (though having to ask a lot of questions annoys me to no end).

  Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

  Vadtec

• My sentiment exactly, we're evaluating an environment to write an iPhone and Android app, aside from the glaring fact that your source code is unprotected using Appcelerator, the documentation is horrible.. A lot of people will steer clear from adopting the system merely for those reasons alone..

  For this project we were willing to give up the security of code compilation to stick with "the best" but the documentation is really frustratingly poor.