As an experiment recently, Steven Crighton (LiveCode Product Manager and essentially a non-coder) challenged Ali Lloyd (Senior Developer of LiveCode) to a head to head: Steven would build a specified UI using PolyGrid, and Ali would build it in DataGrid. Which would come out tops? How fast could they build it and how good was the end result?

What are DataGrid and PolyGrid, and Why do they Matter?

These both provide a way to create beautiful, powerful and flexible spreadsheets or tabular layouts in LiveCode. If your app creates reports, you need a grid. If you want to display data for your end user, you need a grid. There are a vast number of uses for this type of object, and a great many apps need it. Up until now, LiveCode’s solution was the built in DataGrid. PolyGrid is the new kid on the block, and this challenge should help you to understand how good a replacement it really is.

In this blog over the last few weeks we’ve talked a lot about the various new addons that have become available for LiveCode. (And these are great.) Another part of your MegaBundle download is in danger of being overlooked however, and that is the two great books by Andre Garzia.

As a non-coder, I have been tasked with reviewing them, and my first comment is – I’m actually enjoying reading these books. They are interesting, they are clear, and they are hugely helpful to any new or even moderately experienced LiveCoder. I’m betting there are some tips in these books even our longest standing and most skilled LiveCoders could learn from.

I’m going to focus on LiveCode App Architecture in this post, and hopefully I will be able to review Development Oriented Development at a later date.