Over 60 recipes to help you create professional and exquisite UIs to make your games more immersive About This Book Design and develop interactive and professional user interfaces (UIs) for games in Unity Discover how to implement and deal with various in-game UI elements that will impress your players This practical recipe guide will help you to efficiently create powerful and remarkable UIs using C# code Who This Book Is For If you are a game developer with some experience in Unity and C# and want to create the best interactive experience fast and intuitively, then this book is for you. If you are an intermediate game developer or an expert, these recipes will help you bring out the power of the new UI Unity system. What You Will Learn Implement different kinds of counters and healthbars Deal with timers and find out how to format them Animate and vivify UI elements Handle runtime customizations Add complex Head-up displays (HUDs) Design and implement 3D UIs Integrate minimaps in the UI In Detail With the increasing interest in game development, it's essential to design and implement a UI that reflects the game settings and shows the right information to the player. The Unity system is used to create complex and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces in order to give a professional look and feel to a game. Although the new Unity UI system is powerful and quite easy to use, by integrating it with C# *s, it's possible to realize the potential of this system and bring an impressive UI to games.This guide is an invaluable collection of recipes if you are planning to use Unity to develop a game. Starting with the basic concepts of the UI components, we’ll take you all the way through to creating complex interfaces by including animations and dynamics elements. Based on real-world problems, these recipes will start by showing you how to make common UI elements such as counters and healthbars. You will then get a walkthrough of how to manage time using timers, and will learn how to format them. You will move on to decorating and animating the UI elements to vivify them and give them a professional touch. Furthermore, you will be guided into the 3D UI world and into HUD *ing. Finally, you will discover how to implement complex minimaps in the interface.Style and approach Interactive, easy-to-follow recipes will help you create and implement UIs that make gaming an exhilarating experience.

Make applications cross-communicate using Apache Thrift! About This Book Leverage Apache Thrift to enable applications written in different programming languages (Java, C++, Python, PHP, Ruby, and so on) to cross-communicate. Learn to make your services ready for real-world applications by using stepwise examples and modifying code from Industry giants. Be a crackerjack at solving Apache Thrift-related issues. Who This Book Is For If you have some experience of developing applications in one or more languages supported by Apache Thrift (C++, Java, PHP, Python, Ruby, and others) and want to broaden your knowledge and skills in building cross-platform, scalable applications, then this book is for you. What You Will Learn Understand the need for cross-language services and the basics of Apache Thrift. Learn how Apache Thrift works and what problems it solves. Determine when to use Apache Thrift instead of other methods (REST API), and when not to use it. Create and run an example application using Apache Thrift. Use Apache Thrift in your applications written in different languages supported by Apache Thrift (PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, and C++). Handle exceptions and deal with errors. Modify code in different languages.< Use Apache Thrift in the production environments of big applications. In Detail With modern software systems being increasingly complex, providing a scalable communication architecture for applications in different languages is tedious. The Apache Thrift framework is the solution to this problem! It helps build efficient and easy-to-maintain services and offers a plethora of options matching your application type by supporting several popular programming languages, including C++, Java, Python, PHP, Ruby, Erlang, Perl, Haskell, C#, Cocoa, JavaScript, Node.js, Smalltalk, OCaml, and Delphi. This book will help you set aside the basics of service-oriented systems through your first Apache Thrift-powered app. Then, progressing to more complex examples, it will provide you with tips for running large-scale applications in production environments. You will learn how to assess when Apache Thrift is the best tool to be used. To start with, you will run a simple example application, learning the framework's structure along the way; you will quickly advance to more complex systems that will help you solve various real-life problems. Moreover, you will be able to add a communication layer to every application written in one of the popular programming languages, with support for various data types and error handling. Further, you will learn how pre-eminent companies use Apache Thrift in their popular applications. This book is a great starting point if you want to use one of the best tools available to develop cross-language applications in service-oriented architectures. Style and approach A stepwise guide to learning Apache Thrift, with ready-to-run examples explained comprehensively. Advanced topics supply the inspiration for further work.

Implement complex iOS user interfaces with ease using Swift About This Book Build compelling user interfaces that users will enjoy using the iOS UIKit frameworkMake your iOS apps easily recognizable and familiar with the UIKit frameworkUse this comprehensive, step-by-step guide to create a complete custom layoutWho This Book Is ForThis easy-to-follow guide is perfect for beginner-level iOS developers who want to become proficient in user interface development. It would also be useful for experienced iOS developers who need a complete overview of this broad topic all in one place, without having to consult various sources.What You Will LearnUnderstand the basic requirements to work with iOS user interfacesGet to know about the UI tools, frameworks, and built-in componentsPlot dynamic layout structures using Auto LayoutShape and implement adaptive user interfaces for different screen sizesDraw and animate your user interfaces using the CALayer and UIKit animationsIntercept and handle user touches to create user interface interactivity Create and depict totally custom controls Design with iOS through Core Graphics In Detail Through this comprehensive one-stop guide, you’ll get to grips with the entire UIKit framework and in a flash, you’ll be creating modern user interfaces for your iOS devices using Swift. Starting with an overview of the iOS drawing system and the available tools, you will then learn how to use these technologies to create adaptable layouts and custom elements for your applications. Next, you’ll be introduced to other topics such as animation and code-drawing with Core Graphics, which will give you all the knowledge you need to create astonishing user interfaces. By the end of this book, you will have a solid foundation in iOS user interface development and will have gained valuable insights on the process of building firm and complex UIs. Style and approach This concise yet information-packed guide is full of step-by-step instructions and screenshots of real-life examples, delivered in a direct manner, to get you creating modern user interfaces for your iOS devices using SWIFT in no time.

Transform your WordPress website into a fully-featured e-commerce store with the power of WooCommerce About This Book Offers do-it-yourself e-commerce solution using WordPress and WooCommerce Discover the new Onboarding wizard that makes complex processes user-friendly Manage your online store and expand its functions using plugins Who This Book Is For This book is suitable for everybody running their own WordPress website, such as small business owners and marketers. It has been written for users, not for programmers, who want to add e-commerce functionality to their existing WordPress website. The book will also appeal to Web design agencies working with WordPress and looking for ways to improve their services for clients working with WordPress. What You Will Learn Use WooCommerce settings to set up the behavior of the online store Get familiar with the downloadable and variable products Set up shipping and payment methods Use discount coupons for marketing purposes Choose the right WooCommerce theme for your online store Customize your website using the Storefront theme as a base Handle orders, payments, and emails on a daily basis with ease Work with WooCommerce reporting possibilities Expanding your online store with the functionalities offered by WooCommerce In Detail Building an online store is often considered to be a difficult, complex task. Using the combination of WordPress and the WooCommerce plugin, this is no longer the case. WooCommerce is the most popular e-commerce platform for WordPress and is being rapidly developed by WooThemes. It provides a strong e-commerce solution to set up your own online store in just a couple of hours. This easy and practical book will help you make the most of WooCommerce to be able to set up and run your online store yourself. Installing WooCommerce is an easy task, but this book will explain in detail all the possible settings. After that you'll be adding products, different payment methods, and shipping solutions to your store. You will then customize your store by adding themes to change the look and feel. Once your store is running, you'll learn how to use discount coupons, process your orders, look at reports, and even expand the functionality further with additional plugins. By the end of the book, you will learn everything you need to add a fully functional online store to you WordPress website and start running an online business. Style and approach This book is a practical, step-by-step guide that will help you manage your online store easily and efficiently, and expand its functions using the WooCommerce plug-in

Discover all the secrets of Unreal Engine and create seven fully functional games with the help of step-by-step instructions About This Book Understand what a Blueprint is and how to create a complex visual *ing code Discover the infinite possibilities that Unreal Engine offers, and understand which tool to use, where and when Learn to think like a real game developer in order to create enjoyable and bug-free games using this comprehensive and practical handbook Who This Book Is For This book is ideal for intermediate level developers who know how to use Unreal Engine and want to go through a series of projects that will further their expertise. Working knowledge of C++ is a must. What You Will Learn Write clean and reusable Blueprint *s Develop any kind of game you have in mind, following the rules used by experts Move through Unreal Engine 4, always knowing what you are doing and where to find the right tool for your needs Integrate C++ code into your projects using Visual Studio and the tools that Unreal provides Extricate between classes, nodes, interfaces, macros, and functions Work with different types of assets, from 3D objects to audio sources, from UI buttons to animations Explore all the aspects of the game logic—collisions, navigation meshes, matinees, volumes, events, and states In Detail With the arrival of Unreal Engine 4, a new wonderful tool was born: Blueprint. This visual *ing tool allows even non-programmers to develop the logic for their games, allowing almost anyone to create entire games without the need to write a single line of code. The range of features you can access with Blueprint * is pretty extensive, making it one of the foremost choices for many game developers. Unreal Engine Game Development Blueprints helps you unleash the real power of Unreal by helping you to create engaging and spectacular games. It will explain all the aspects of developing a game, focusing on visual *ing, and giving you all the information you need to create your own games. We start with an introductory chapter to help you move fluidly inside the Blueprint user interface, recognize its different components, and understand any already written Blueprint *. Following this, you will learn how to modify generated Blueprint classes to produce a single player tic-tac-toe game and personalize it. Next, you will learn how to create simple user interfaces, and how to extend Blueprints through code. This will help you make an informed decision between choosing Blueprint or code. You will then see the real power of Unreal unleashed as you create a beautiful scene with moving, AI controlled objects, particles, and lights. Then, you will learn how to create AI using a behavior tree and a global level Blueprint, how to modify the camera, and how to shoot custom bullets. Finally, you will create a complex game using Blueprintable components complete with a menu, power-up, dangerous objects, and different weapons. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide full of practical game examples. Each chapter contains step-by-step instructions to build a complete game and each game uses a different tool in order to cover all the topics in a detailed and progressive manner.

Become more fluent in Python—learn strategies and techniques for smart and high-performance Python programming About This Book Write smarter, bug-free, high performance code with minimal effort Uncover the best tools and options available to Python developers today Deploy decorators, design patters, and various optimization techniques to use Python 3.5 effectively Who This Book Is For If you are a Python developer and you think that you don’t know everything about the language yet, then this is the book for you. We will unlock the mysteries and re-introduce you to the hidden features of Python to write efficient programs, making optimal use of the language. What You Will Learn Manipulate object creation processes for instances, classes, and functions Use the best possible language constructs to write data structures with super speed and maintainability Make efficient use of design patterns to decrease development time and make your code more maintainable Write better test cases with an improved understanding of the testing framework of Python and unittests, and discover how to develop new functionalities in it Write fully-optimized code with the Python language by profiling, compiling C modules, and more Unlock asynchronous programming to build efficient and scalable applications In Detail Python is a versatile programming language that can be used for a wide range of technical tasks—computation, statistics, data analysis, game development, and more. Though Python is easy to learn, it’s range of features means there are many aspects of it that even experienced Python developers don’t know about. Even if you’re confident with the basics, its logic and syntax, by digging deeper you can work much more effectively with Python – and get more from the language. Python Unlocked walks you through the most effective techniques and best practices for high performance Python programming - showing you how to make the most of the Python language. You’ll get to know objects and functions inside and out, and will learn how to use them to your advantage in your programming projects. You will also find out how to work with a range of design patterns including abstract factory, singleton, strategy pattern, all of which will help make programming with Python much more efficient. Finally, as the process of writing a program is never complete without testing it, you will learn to test threaded applications and run parallel tests. If you want the edge when it comes to Python, use this book to unlock the secrets of smarter Python programming. Style and approach This is book had been created to help you to “unlock” the best ways to tackle the challenges and performance bottlenecks that many Python developers face today. The keys are supported with program examples to help you understand the concepts better and see them in action.

Master Material Design and create beautiful, animated interfaces for mobile and web applications About This Book Master the highly acclaimed Material Design paradigm and give your apps and pages the look that everyone is talking about Get a mix of key theoretical concepts combined with enough practical examples to put each theory into practice so you can create elegant material interfaces with Android Studio and Polymer Written by Kyle Mew, successful author with over a decade of mobile and web development experience, this book has both the touch of a developer as well as an experienced writer Who This Book Is For This book is ideal for web developers and designers who are interested in implementing Material Design in their mobile and web apps. No prior knowledge or experience of Material Design is required, but some familiarity with procedural languages such as Java and markup languages such as HTML will provide an advantage. What You Will Learn Implement Material Design on both mobile and web platforms that work on older handsets and browsers Design stylish layouts with the Material Theme Create and manage cards, lists, and grids Design and implement sliding drawers for seamless navigation Coordinate components to work together Animate widgets and create transitions and animation program flow Use Polymer to bring Material Design to your web pages In Detail Google's Material Design language has taken the web development and design worlds by storm. Now available on many more platforms than Android, Material Design uses color, light, and movements to not only generate beautiful interfaces, but to provide intuitive navigation for the user. Learning Material Design will teach you the fundamental theories of Material Design using code samples to put these theories into practice. Focusing primarily on Android Studio, you’ll create mobile interfaces using the most widely used and powerful material components, such as sliding drawers and floating action buttons. Each section will introduce the relevant Java classes and APIs required to implement these components. With the rules regarding structure, layout, iconography, and typography covered, we then move into animation and transition, possibly Material Design's most powerful concept, allowing complex hierarchies to be displayed simply and stylishly. With all the basic technologies and concepts mastered, the book concludes by showing you how these skills can be applied to other platforms, in particular web apps, using the powerful Polymer library. Style and approach Learning Material Design combines the theories behind material design with practical examples of how these can be implemented and further reinforcing the guidelines covering style, layout and structure.

Identify and resolve key Citrix XenAppissues using trusted troubleshooting and monitoring techniques About This BookUnderstand the key troubleshooting methodologies when working with XenApp 7.5 version and aboveUncover effective tips and techniques to solve real-world XenAppinfrastructure problemsThis is a fast-paced guide to developing key troubleshooting and problem resolution skills you can put to use in a Citrix environmentWho This Book Is ForThis book is for Citrix Administrators or Citrix Engineers who are currently managing Citrix XenAppin a production environment and want to learn how to troubleshoot XenAppissues in the shortest possible time. It is assumed that you have a basic understanding of XenApp’s components and how to implement and manage a XenAppinfrastructure.What You Will LearnGet to know about troubleshooting methodologies and perform a root cause analysis of the problemUnderstand the individual components and interactions required for a successful XenApp environmentsIdentify and troubleshoot issues around the core Citrix componentsIdentify XenAppcomponents and their roles and learn how they interact with the communication channelsGain tips and tricks to optimize Citrix deploymentsMonitor and optimize the XenAppenvironmentIn DetailCitrix XenAppis an application virtualization product from Citrix. It allows users to connect to their corporate applications from various computer systems and even mobile devices. XenApphas grown into a complex software with ever-expanding infrastructures in place. Together with tight integrations with other systems such as Terminal Services, Active Directory, and other third-party authentication services, troubleshooting XenApphas become more complicated.This book teaches you how to approach troubleshooting complex issues with XenAppdeployments and understand the problem, find a fix or workaround, determine the root cause, and apply corrective steps wherever applicable. The book progresses to give you an idea about the many supportive components that play an important role in XenApp’s application delivery model and should be considered while troubleshooting XenAppissues. It also shows you standard troubleshooting processes so that you can resolve complex XenAppissues in a mission critical environment.By the end of this book, you will see how and where to use supportive components that help minimize XenAppissues. Also, we’ll explain various tools that can be useful when monitoring and optimizing entire application and desktop delivery model.Style and approachThis is an easy-to-follow, fast-paced, example-oriented guide with a brief explanation on various troubleshooting methodologies to walk you through a host of real-life problems.

Harness the power of Linux to create versatile and robust embedded solutions About This Book Create efficient and secure embedded devices using Linux Minimize project costs by using open source tools and programs Explore each component technology in depth, using sample implementations as a guide Who This Book Is For This book is ideal for Linux developers and system programmers who are already familiar with embedded systems and who want to know how to create best-in-class devices. A basic understanding of C programming and experience with systems programming is needed. What You Will Learn Understand the role of the Linux kernel and select an appropriate role for your application Use Buildroot and Yocto to create embedded Linux systems quickly and efficiently Create customized bootloaders using U-Boot Employ perf and ftrace to identify performance bottlenecks Understand device trees and make changes to accommodate new hardware on your device Write applications that interact with Linux device drivers Design and write multi-threaded applications using POSIX threads Measure real-time latencies and tune the Linux kernel to minimize them In Detail Mastering Embedded Linux Programming takes you through the product cycle and gives you an in-depth de*ion of the components and options that are available at each stage. You will begin by learning about toolchains, bootloaders, the Linux kernel, and how to configure a root filesystem to create a basic working device. You will then learn how to use the two most commonly used build systems, Buildroot and Yocto, to speed up and simplify the development process. Building on this solid base, the next section considers how to make best use of raw NAND/NOR flash memory and managed flash eMMC chips, including mechanisms for increasing the lifetime of the devices and to perform reliable in-field updates. Next, you need to consider what techniques are best suited to writing applications for your device. We will then see how functions are split between processes and the usage of POSIX threads, which have a big impact on the responsiveness and performance of the final device The closing sections look at the techniques available to developers for profiling and tracing applications and kernel code using perf and ftrace. Style and approach This book is an easy-to-follow and pragmatic guide consisting of an in-depth analysis of the implementation of embedded devices. Each topic has a logical approach to it; this coupled with hints and best practices helps you understand embedded Linux better.

Grok and perform effective functional programming in Scala About This Book Understand functional programming patterns by comparing them with the traditional object-oriented design patterns Write robust, safer, and better code using the declarative programming paradigm An illustrative guide for programmers to create functional programming patterns with Scala Who This Book Is For If you have done Java programming before and have a basic knowledge of Scala and its syntax, then this book is an ideal choice to help you to understand the context, the traditional design pattern applicable, and the Scala way. Having previous knowledge of design patterns will help, though it is not strictly necessary. What You Will Learn Get to know about functional programming and the value Scala's FP idioms bring to the table Solve day-to-day programming problems using functional programming idioms Cut down the boiler-plate and express patterns simply and elegantly using Scala's concise syntax Tame system complexity by reducing the moving parts Write easier to reason about concurrent code using the actor paradigm and the Akka library Apply recursive thinking and understand how to create solutions without mutation Reuse existing code to compose new behavior Combine the object-oriented and functional programming approaches for effective programming using Scala In Detail Scala is used to construct elegant class hierarchies for maximum code reuse and extensibility and to implement their behavior using higher-order functions. Its functional programming (FP) features are a boon to help you design “easy to reason about” systems to control the growing software complexities. Knowing how and where to apply the many Scala techniques is challenging. Looking at Scala best practices in the context of what you already know helps you grasp these concepts quickly, and helps you see where and why to use them. This book begins with the rationale behind patterns to help you understand where and why each pattern is applied. You will discover what tail recursion brings to your table and will get an understanding of how to create solutions without mutations. We then explain the concept of memorization and infinite sequences for on-demand computation. Further, the book takes you through Scala’s stackable traits and dependency injection, a popular technique to produce loosely-coupled software systems. You will also explore how to currying favors to your code and how to simplify it by de-construction via pattern matching. We also show you how to do pipeline transformations using higher order functions such as the pipes and filters pattern. Then we guide you through the increasing importance of concurrent programming and the pitfalls of traditional code concurrency. Lastly, the book takes a paradigm shift to show you the different techniques that functional programming brings to your plate. This book is an invaluable source to help you understand and perform functional programming and solve common programming problems using Scala’s programming patterns. Style and approach This is a hands-on guide to Scala's game-changing features for programming. It is filled with many code examples and figures that illustrate various Scala idioms and best practices.

Visualize and analyze your Hadoop data using Hunk About This Book Explore your data in Hadoop and NoSQL data stores Create and optimize your reporting experience with advanced data visualizations and data analytics A comprehensive developer's guide that helps you create outstanding analytical solutions efficiently Who This Book Is For If you are Hadoop developers who want to build efficient real-time Operation Intelligence Solutions based on Hadoop deployments or various NoSQL data stores using Hunk, this book is for you. Some familiarity with Splunk is assumed. What You Will Learn Deploy and configure Hunk on top of Cloudera Hadoop Create and configure Virtual Indexes for datasets Make your data presentable using the wide variety of data visualization components and knowledge objects Design a data model using Hunk best practices Add more flexibility to your analytics solution via extended SDK and custom visualizations Discover data using MongoDB as a data source Integrate Hunk with AWS Elastic MapReduce to improve scalability In Detail Hunk is the big data analytics platform that lets you rapidly explore, analyse, and visualize data in Hadoop and NoSQL data stores. It provides a single, fluid user experience, designed to show you insights from your big data without the need for specialized skills, fixed schemas, or months of development. Hunk goes beyond typical data analysis methods and gives you the power to rapidly detect patterns and find anomalies across petabytes of raw data. This book focuses on exploring, analysing, and visualizing big data in Hadoop and NoSQL data stores with this powerful full-featured big data analytics platform. You will begin by learning the Hunk architecture and Hunk Virtual Index before moving on to how to easily analyze and visualize data using Splunk Search Language (SPL). Next you will meet Hunk Apps which can easy integrate with NoSQL data stores such as MongoDB or Sqqrl. You will also discover Hunk knowledge objects, build a semantic layer on top of Hadoop, and explore data using the friendly user-interface of Hunk Pivot. You will connect MongoDB and explore data in the data store. Finally, you will go through report acceleration techniques and analyze data in the AWS Cloud. Style and approach A step-by-step guide starting right from the basics and deep diving into the more advanced and technical aspects of Hunk.

Over 50 recipes to learn how to use Pentaho Analytics and MongoDB to create powerful analysis and reporting solutions About This Book Create reports and stunning dashboards with MongoDB data Accelerate data access and maximize productivity with unique features of Pentaho for MongoDB A step-by-step recipe-based guide for making full use of Pentaho suite tools with MongoDB Who This Book Is For This book is intended for data architects and developers with a basic level of knowledge of MongoDB. Familiarity with Pentaho is not expected. What You Will Learn Extract, load, and transform data from MongoDB collections to other datasources Design Pentaho Reports using different types of connections for MongoDB Create a OLAP mondrian schema for MongoDB Explore your MongoDB data using Pentaho Analyzer Utilize the drag and drop web interface to create dashboards Use Kettle Thin JDBC with MongoDB for analysis Integrate advanced dashboards with MondoDB using different types of connections Publish and run a report on Pentaho BI server using a web interface In Detail MongoDB is an open source, schemaless NoSQL database system. Pentaho as a famous open source Analysis tool provides high performance, high availability, and easy scalability for large sets of data. The variant features in Pentaho for MongoDB are designed to empower organizations to be more agile and scalable and also enables applications to have better flexibility, faster performance, and lower costs. Whether you are brand new to online learning or a seasoned expert, this book will provide you with the skills you need to create turnkey analytic solutions that deliver insight and drive value for your organization. The book will begin by taking you through Pentaho Data Integration and how it works with MongoDB. You will then be taken through the Kettle Thin JDBC Driver for enabling a Java application to interact with a database. This will be followed by exploration of a MongoDB collection using Pentaho Instant view and creating reports with MongoDB as a datasource using Pentaho Report Designer. The book will then teach you how to explore and visualize your data in Pentaho BI Server using Pentaho Analyzer. You will then learn how to create advanced dashboards with your data. The book concludes by highlighting contributions of the Pentaho Community. Style and approach A comprehensive, recipe-based guide to take complete advantage of the Pentaho Analytics for MongoDB.

MeteorJS makes full-stack JavaScript Application Development simple – Learn how to build better modern web apps with MeteorJS, and become an expert in the innovative JavaScript framework About This Book Get your dream project up and running by building exceptional MeteorJS applications in a matter of days Learn how to integrate other JavaScript frameworks into your MeteorJS project and become an expert in full-stack development Go beyond coding and learn how to make modern design decisions – from mobile design to SEO – that drive great user experiences Who This Book Is For If you’ve already had some experience with MeteorJS but want to learn how to build even better modern web application, this book has been created for you. It provides you with a comprehensive look at one of those most important frameworks being used for the modern web today.What You Will Learn Get to grips with the basics and learn how to build a complete real-time application with MeteorJS Find out how Meteor makes full-stack development simple – become a better developer, fast. Use some of the most effective testing tools in modern web development to troubleshoot, debug and optimize your app Find out how to write custom packages for applications – so you can build your project exactly how you want Integrate React and Angular into your project Design and develop high quality animations that will give your UI the edge Build MeteorJS to serve as REST-based application and reactive system Learn how to host a MeteorJS application and then scale it for data Find out how MeteorJS can help you build for mobile Learn how to make sure you implement an effective SEO strategy in your MeteorJS application In Detail The web is dead – applications now rule our online experiences. But how are you going to build themWell, if you’ve been paying attention, you might already have tried your hand with MeteorJS, the JavaScript framework that helps you build complete full-stack web applications that are responsive and fast with ease. Mastering MeteorJS Application Development shows you how to do even more with MeteorJS – if you’re ready to try a comprehensive course through one of the most exciting frameworks in web development today, this is the book you need. Designed to take you through the entire process of building an advanced multipage application with Meteor, you’ll be able to bring your web development ideas with surprising ease. You’ll not only learn how Meteor makes web development easier, but also how you can make using Meteor easier, by automating and simplifying tasks so you can be confident you have full control of everything in your workflow – especially everything that could go wrong. From automated testing to integrating other useful frameworks such as Angular and D3, each chapter covers a crucial element in the Meteor development process. Discover how to integrate animations using Meteor’s Blaze, to give your UI designs the edge, and explore reactive programming to effectively harness RESTful systems in your projects. You will also learn how to deploy and scale your application, two crucial aspects of modern development and vital in a changing digital environment with users expecting a product and experience that delivers. With further insights on developing for mobile – and how Meteor can help you tackle the challenges of the trend – and details on incorporating SEO strategies into your application, this book isn’t just a code tutorial – it’s about creating a product that users love. Style and approach This book is a practical guide that teaches you different ways to create custom packages, efficient client and server code, and more using Meteor. This book is packed with perfect examples and explanations to help you understand the concepts. With the perfect mix of theory and practical experience, it will equip you to become a professional MeteorJS developer.

Create and develop exciting games from start to finish using SFML About This Book Familiarize yourself with the SFML library and explore additional game development techniques Craft, shape, and improve your games with SFML and common game design elements A practical guide that will teach you how to use utilize the SFML library to build your own, fully functional applications Who This Book Is For This book is intended for game development enthusiasts with at least decent knowledge of the C++ programming language and an optional background in game design. What You Will Learn Create and open a window by using SFML Utilize, manage, and apply all of the features and properties of the SFML library Employ some basic game development techniques to make your game tick Build your own code base to make your game more robust and flexible Apply common game development and programming patterns to solve design problems Handle your visual and auditory resources properly Construct a robust system for user input and interfacing Develop and provide networking capabilities to your game< In Detail Simple and Fast Multimedia Library (SFML) is a simple interface comprising five modules, namely, the audio, graphics, network, system, and window modules, which help to develop cross-platform media applications. By utilizing the SFML library, you are provided with the ability to craft games quickly and easily, without going through an extensive learning curve. This effectively serves as a confidence booster, as well as a way to delve into the game development process itself, before having to worry about more advanced topics such as “rendering pipelines” or “shaders.” With just an investment of moderate C++ knowledge, this book will guide you all the way through the journey of game development. The book starts by building a clone of the classical snake game where you will learn how to open a window and render a basic sprite, write well-structured code to implement the design of the game, and use the AABB bounding box collision concept. The next game is a simple platformer with enemies, obstacles and a few different stages. Here, we will be creating states that will provide custom application flow and explore the most common yet often overlooked design patterns used in game development. Last but not the least, we will create a small RPG game where we will be using common game design patterns, multiple GUI. elements, advanced graphical features, and sounds and music features. We will also be implementing networking features that will allow other players to join and play together. By the end of the book, you will be an expert in using the SFML library to its full potential. Style and approach An elaborate take on the game development process in a way that compliments the reader’s existing knowledge, this book provides plenty of examples and is kind to the uninitiated. Each chapter builds upon the knowledge gained from the previous one and offers clarifications on common issues while still remaining within the scope of its own subject and retaining clarity.

Master the advanced concepts of game development for iOS to build impressive games About This Book Create a complete game with advanced techniques through the course of the book using in-depth, hands-on instructions Learn how to multi-task and improve performance optimization in your game playing experience The author, Miguel, has 11 years of iOS game development using xcode and has released over 10 games to the Apple AppStoreMaster player movement using touch controls as well as discuss motion controls Who This Book Is For This book is for those who have created an iOS game already and want to hone their skills. A reasonable level of knowledge and an understanding of the core elements and applications would be helpful. What You Will Learn Blast off and start developing fun games Optimize the assets for the best performance in the game app Master player movement using touch controls as well as discuss motion controls Perform bug Squashing by testing and debugging Design interesting various characters and enemies for your game Test your game on both, the simulator on the computer and on real devices Tweak and fine tune the code and graphics before the release of your app Uncover some awesome new gameplay by adding in multiplayer elements, to get more people playing together In Detail iOS is an operating system for Apple manufactured phones and tablets. Mobile gaming is one of the fastest-growing industries, and compatibility with iOS is now becoming the norm for game developers. SpriteKit is part of the native SDK from Apple, and enables developers to make simple entry into game development without unnecessary overhead and a long learning process. SpriteKit also provides other functionality that is useful for games, including basic sound playback support and physics simulation. In addition, Xcode provides built-in support for SpriteKit so that you can create complex special effects and texture atlases directly in Xcode. This combination of framework and tools makes SpriteKit a good choice for games and other apps that require similar kinds of animation. Become a master in iOS game development through this fast and fun guide! In the beginning, we’ll tell you everything you need to plan and design your game. You’ll then start developing your game through step-by-step instructions using the various built-in technologies of Xcode. From there on, we discuss how to deploy your game to the iOS App Store, as well as monetizing it to make more revenue. You will also learn advanced techniques to improve your game playing experience, including better multi-tasking, improved performance optimization, battery management, and more. To end the book off, we’ll show you how to update your game with different features, then port the update to the App Store. Style and approach This book provides an easy-to-understand and fun approach to game development, with step-by-step instructions and detailed explanation of each block of code. The topics covered range from easy to advanced, so buckle up for a fast-paced ride!

Successfully deploy XenDesktop sites for a high performance Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) About This Book Size the VDI environment so the administrator has breathing room to design and build their XenDesktop systems efficiently Use desktop virtualization tools to provide users fast, convenient access to their Windows Desktops Understand the key pinch points in the resource layers such as; the Client layer, Network Layer, Access Layer, Control Layer, Services Layer and Resources Layer Who This Book Is For Citrix XenDesktop High Performance is written for administrators who would like to deploy Citrix XenDesktop in their enterprises with the aim of providing high efficiency. Basic familiarity with Citrix XenDesktop is assumed. What You Will Learn Understand key concepts, terminology, and system requirements Discover how components work in regards to virtualization and performance Identify architectural resource layers and components Explore the hypervisor virtualization software that runs on top of the hardware and learn how to tune it for maximum performance Analyze client hardware and software, including thin clients and mobile devices In Detail Citrix XenDesktop is a suite of desktop virtualization tools designed to provide users with fast and convenient access to their Windows desktops and applications through any device. Virtual desktops mean that rather than setting up hundreds or thousands of individual computers in an enterprise, companies can instead opt to create servers with large amounts of memory, disk, and processing resources, and use virtualization to offer these resources to end users. The result of this is that users are provided with an experience that appears to be identical to having an individual desktop PC. Each user has some disk space, processor time, and memory allocated to them, as though it is present on their own physical machine, when in reality, the resources are physically present on a centralized server. This book starts by answering the basic questions you need to ask when considering XenDesktop, followed by methods of how you can properly size your server infrastructure for XenDesktop. You’ll discover how to optimize the virtual machines used in XenDesktop, how to optimize your network for XenDesktop, and how to optimize the hypervisor and the cloud. You’ll also learn how to monitor XenDesktop to maximize performance. By the end of the book, you will be able to plan, design, build, and deploy high performance XenDesktop Virtualization systems in enterprises. You will also know how to monitor and maintain your systems to ensure smooth operation. Style and approach This book is an all-inclusive guide that uncovers hidden and previously unpublished performance improvement areas for any XenDesktop site.

Over 60 recipes that will tailor and customize your experience with Magento 2 About This Book Solve common problems encountered while extending your Magento 2 store to fit your business needs Delve into the exciting and enhanced features of Magento 2 such as customizing security permissions, intelligent filtered search options, easy third-party integration, among others Learn to build and maintain a Magento 2 shop via a visual-based page editor and customize the look and feel using Magento 2’s offerings on the go Who This Book Is For This book is for every developer who has knowledge of PHP and wants to extend or customize the functionality of their Magento 2 system. If you have prior experience of the Magento platform, you will find this book useful in exploring the advanced features. What You Will Learn Install a Magento 2 shop with sample data Upgrade the data in a Magento 1 shop to a Magento 2 shop Manage the look and feel of the shop with custom themes Extend the shop with custom functionality such as forms, grids, and more Accelerate your store with some performance tool Build and structure your own shipping module Test your shop with automated tests and manage your product display In Detail With the challenges of growing an online business, Magento 2 is an open source e-commerce platform with innumerable functionalities that gives you the freedom to make on-the-fly decisions. It allows you to customize multiple levels of security permissions and enhance the look and feel of your website, and thus gives you a personalized experience in promoting your business. Style and approach This book is packed with a wide range of techniques to modify and extend the functionality of your online store. It contains easy-to-understand recipes starting with the basics and moving on to cover advanced topics. Many recipes work with code examples that can be downloaded from the book’s website.

Deliver a better mobile user experience by improving and optimizing your website – follow these practical steps for cutting-edge application development About This Book Optimize your website or application for an improved mobile performance Learn how to create lightweight, intuitive mobile UI and make sure it's supported by a robust application architecture Find out how to improve the performance of your applications by asking the right design questions at each stage in the development workflow Who This Book Is For This book has been created for web developers who want to optimize their website for today’s mobile users. If you understand just how important user experience is, this book is for you – it will help you throughout the entire optimization process. What You Will Learn Learn the three pillars of mobile performance Find out how to ask – and answer – crucial design questions such as ‘mobile or responsive?’ Learn how to minify CSS and JavaScript for improved performance Monitor and debug your website with the leading browser testing tools Explore the impact of caching on performance – and improve it using JavaScript and CSS frameworks Make third-party plugins your friend – avoid common issues and pitfalls In Detail With users increasingly accessing the web on mobile devices, it’s crucial to make sure your website is built to seamlessly fit this radical change in user behavior. Mobile Web Performance Optimization is designed to help you do exactly that – it’s been created to help you build fast, and mobile-user-friendly websites and applications. Featuring guidance through a range of techniques and tools essential to modern mobile development, this accessible guide will make sure you’re delivering a seamless and intuitive experience for your website’s users. Begin by exploring the fundamental components of mobile web design and website optimization, before learning how to put the concepts into practice. Featuring cross-platform solutions, insights on developing lightweight yet robust UI, and insights on how to successfully manage data, this application development book takes you through every stage in the development process – so you can be confident that you’re asking the right questions and using the best tools in the most effective way. By the end, you’ll understand implicitly what it means to ‘build for performance’- you’ll be a more confident developer, capable of building projects that adapt to a changing world. Style and approach This book takes a step-by-step approach to mobile web optimization, explaining the topics in a conversational and easy-to-follow style. Each topic includes detailed explanations of the basic and advanced features of mobile web optimization.

Learn to code like a professional with Python – an open source, versatile, and powerful programming language About This Book Learn the fundamentals of programming with Python – one of the best languages ever created Develop a strong set of programming skills that you will be able to express in any situation, on every platform, thanks to Python’s portability Create outstanding applications of all kind, from websites to *ing, and from GUIs to data science Who This Book Is For Python is the most popular introductory teaching language in U.S. top computer science universities, so if you are new to software development, or maybe you have little experience, and would like to start off on the right foot, then this language and this book are what you need. Its amazing design and portability will help you become productive regardless of the environment you choose to work with. What You Will Learn Get Python up and running on Windows, Mac, and Linux in no time Grasp the fundamental concepts of coding, along with the basics of data structures and control flow. Write elegant, reusable, and efficient code in any situation Understand when to use the functional or the object oriented programming approach Create bulletproof, reliable software by writing tests to support your code Explore examples of GUIs, *ing, data science and web applications Learn to be independent, capable of fetching any resource you need, as well as dig deeper In Detail Learning Python has a dynamic and varied nature. It reads easily and lays a good foundation for those who are interested in digging deeper. It has a practical and example-oriented approach through which both the introductory and the advanced topics are explained. Starting with the fundamentals of programming and Python, it ends by exploring very different topics, like GUIs, web apps and data science. The book takes you all the way to creating a fully fledged application. The book begins by exploring the essentials of programming, data structures and teaches you how to manipulate them. It then moves on to controlling the flow of a program and writing reusable and error proof code. You will then explore different programming paradigms that will allow you to find the best approach to any situation, and also learn how to perform performance optimization as well as effective debugging. Throughout, the book steers you through the various types of applications, and it concludes with a complete mini website built upon all the concepts that you learned. Style and approach This book is an easy-to-follow guide that will take you from a novice to the proficient level at a comfortable pace, using a lot of simple but effective examples. Each topic is explained thoroughly, and pointers are left for the more inquisitive readers to dig deeper and expand their knowledge.

Build better software with concurrent JavaScript programming, and unlock a more efficient and forward thinking approach to web development About This Book Apply the core principles of concurrency to both browser and server side development Explore the latest tools and techniques at the forefront of concurrent programming, including JavaScript promises, web workers, and generators Learn how concurrent and parallel programming can help you tackle the challenges of fast, data heavy web development Who This Book Is For JavaScript Concurrency is written for any JavaScript developer who wants to learn how to write more efficient, powerful, and maintainable applications that utilize the latest developments in the JavaScript language. All aspects of concurrent, asynchronous, and parallel programming are covered from first principles and by the end of the book you’ll be able to create a fully-worked application that leverages all the topics covered in the book. What You Will Learn Understand exactly how JavaScript works in a web browser environment, and how these mechanisms power our event-driven JavaScript code Use promises to turn complex synchronization scenarios into readable and maintainable values Compute values lazily and avoid unnecessary memory allocations using generators. Write concurrent code that doesn’t feel like concurrent code by abstracting away boilerplate chores Leverage true hardware parallelism with web workers to get a better performance Get to grips with the NodeJS model of concurrency and learn why it’s good for I/O-intensive web applications In Detail Concurrent programming may sound abstract and complex, but it helps to deliver a better user experience. With single threaded JavaScript, applications lack dynamism. This means that when JavaScript code is running, nothing else can happen. The DOM can’t update, which means the UI freezes. In a world where users expect speed and responsiveness – in all senses of the word – this is something no developer can afford. Fortunately, JavaScript has evolved to adopt concurrent capabilities – one of the reasons why it is still at the forefront of modern web development. This book helps you dive into concurrent JavaScript, and demonstrates how to apply its core principles and key techniques and tools to a range of complex development challenges. Built around the three core principles of concurrency – parallelism, synchronization, and conservation – you’ll learn everything you need to unlock a more efficient and dynamic JavaScript, to lay the foundations of even better user experiences. Throughout the book you’ll learn how to put these principles into action by using a range of development approaches. Covering everything from JavaScript promises, web workers, generators and functional programming techniques, everything you learn will have a real impact on the performance of your applications. You’ll also learn how to move between client and server, for a more frictionless and fully realized approach to development. With further guidance on concurrent programming with Node.js, JavaScript Concurrency is committed to making you a better web developer. The best developers know that great design is about more than the UI – with concurrency, you can be confident every your project will be expertly designed to guarantee its dynamism and power. Style and approach Beginning with the fundamentals of concurrency and how they apply to JavaScript development, the book then takes you through the relevant constructs that will help you implement concurrent code. You’ll learn how even the most abstract and theoretical aspects of concurrent programming help you solve real world challenges, with clear and practical demonstrations that show you how concurrent JavaScript will make you a better developer.

Learn and explore the fundamentals of data analysis with power of Mathematica About This Book Use the power of Mathematica to analyze data in your applications Discover the capabilities of data classification and pattern recognition offered by Mathematica Use hundreds of algorithms for time series analysis to predict the future Who This Book Is For The book is for those who want to learn to use the power of Mathematica to analyze and process data. Perhaps you are already familiar with data analysis but have never used Mathematica, or you know Mathematica but you are new to data analysis. With the help of this book, you will be able to quickly catch up on the key points for a successful start. What You Will Learn Import data from different sources to Mathematica Link external libraries with programs written in Mathematica Classify data and partition them into clusters Recognize faces, objects, text, and barcodes Use Mathematica functions for time series analysis Use algorithms for statistical data processing Predict the result based on the observations In Detail There are many algorithms for data analysis and it’s not always possible to quickly choose the best one for each case. Implementation of the algorithms takes a lot of time. With the help of Mathematica, you can quickly get a result from the use of a particular method, because this system contains almost all the known algorithms for data analysis. If you are not a programmer but you need to analyze data, this book will show you the capabilities of Mathematica when just few strings of intelligible code help to solve huge tasks from statistical issues to pattern recognition. If you're a programmer, with the help of this book, you will learn how to use the library of algorithms implemented in Mathematica in your programs, as well as how to write algorithm testing procedure. With each chapter, you'll be more immersed in the special world of Mathematica. Along with intuitive queries for data processing, we will highlight the nuances and features of this system, allowing you to build effective analysis systems. With the help of this book, you will learn how to optimize the computations by combining your libraries with the Mathematica kernel. Style and approach This book takes a step-by-step approach, accompanied by examples, so you get a better understanding of the logic of writing algorithms for data analysis in Mathematica. We provide a detailed explanation of all the nuances of the Mathematica language, no matter what your level of experience is.