Develop fun and exciting games and create amazing animations for your existing apps with SpriteKit, Apple's 2D game development frameworkAbout This BookLearn the key concepts of game development in iOSTake advantage of SpriteKit to create your own games and improve your appsFollow the step-by-step chapters to create a complete product ready to submit to the App StoreWho This Book Is ForGetting Started with SpriteKit is for beginner-level iOS developers who want to add an extra edge to their apps and create amazing games using SpriteKit. It doesn’t matter whether you have experience in iOS development or not as this book will show you the swift tricks you can use to create games.What You Will LearnCreate and configure a SpriteKit project from scratchLoad and manage the basic elements of games such as sprites, labels, and geometrical primitivesHandle touch events, detect collisions, and play sound audio filesCreate complex elements, animate sprites, and run the parallax effectComplete your games with key components such as a main menu, transitions between scenes, a tutorial, and the ability to load and save dataIncrease the efficiency of your device using the accelerometer or by adding shaders, lights, and shadowsGain complementary techniques such as creating or finding audio resources, applying SpriteKit to apps, or using third-party toolsIn DetailSpriteKit is Apple’s game engine to develop native iOS games. Strongly boosted by the Apple Inc., Cupertino, it has increased in popularity since its first release. This book shows you the solutions provided by SpriteKit to help you create any 2D game you can imagine and apply them to create animations that will highlight your existing apps.This book will give you the knowledge you need to apply SpriteKit to your existing apps or create your own games from scratch.Throughout the book, you will develop a complete game. The beautiful designs implemented in the game in this book will easily lead you to learn the basis of 2D game development, including creating and moving sprites, and adding them to a game scene. You will also discover how to apply advanced techniques such as collision detection, action execution, playing music, or running animations to give a more professional aspect to the game. You will finish your first game by learning how to add a main menu and a tutorial, as well as saving and loading data from and to the player’s device.Finally, you will find out how to apply some mobile games techniques such as accelerometer use or touch detection.Style and approachWritten in an informal way with plenty of illustrative screenshots, this easy-to-follow and practical guide will help you get the most from SpriteKit. The main part of the book provides step-by-step instructions to develop of a complete product, while the last chapters give you some complementary techniques than can be used in mobile 2D game development.

Get to know techniques and approaches to procedurally generate game content in C++ using Simple and Fast Multimedia LibraryAbout This BookThis book contains a bespoke Simple and Fast Multimedia Library (SFML) game engine with complete online documentationThrough this book, you’ll create games that are non-predictable and dynamic and have a high replayability factorGet a breakdown of the key techniques and approaches applied to a real game.Who This Book Is ForIf you are a game developer who is familiar with C++ and is looking to create bigger and more dynamic games, then this book is for you. The book assumes some prior experience with C++, but any intermediate concepts are clarified in detail. No prior experience with SFML is required.What You Will LearnDiscover the systems and ideology that lie at the heart of procedural systemsUse Random number generation (RNG) with C++ data types to create random but controlled resultsBuild levels procedurally with randomly located items and eventsCreate dynamic game objects at runtimeConstruct games using a component-based approachAssemble non-predictable game events and scenariosOperate procedural generation to create dynamic content fast and easilyGenerate game environments for endless replayabilityIn DetailProcedural generation is a growing trend in game development. It allows developers to create games that are bigger and more dynamic, giving the games a higher level of replayability. Procedural generation isn’t just one technique, it’s a collection of techniques and approaches that are used together to create dynamic systems and objects. C++ is the industry-standard programming language to write computer games. It’s at the heart of most engines, and is incredibly powerful. SFML is an easy-to-use, cross-platform, and open-source multimedia library. Access to computer hardware is broken into succinct modules, making it a great choice if you want to develop cross-platform games with ease.Using C++ and SFML technologies, this book will guide you through the techniques and approaches used to generate content procedurally within game development.Throughout the course of this book, we’ll look at examples of these technologies, starting with setting up a roguelike project using the C++ template. We’ll then move on to using RNG with C++ data types and randomly scattering objects within a game map. We will create simple console examples to implement in a real game by creating unique and randomised game items, dynamic sprites, and effects, and procedurally generating game events. Then we will walk you through generating random game maps. At the end, we will have a retrospective look at the project.By the end of the book, not only will you have a solid understanding of procedural generation, but you’ll also have a working roguelike game that you will have extended using the examples provided.Style and approachThis is an easy-to-follow guide where each topic is explained clearly and thoroughly through the use of a bespoke example, then implemented in a real game project.

Design and develop state-of-the-art applications using Force.com's powerful development platformAbout This BookFlaunt your skillsets by developing complex applications that include demanding concepts such as triggers, Visualforce controllers, batch jobs, and Lightning componentsEarn the gratitude of your colleagues by structuring a project so that multiple developers can work independently of each otherKevin Poorman, the author of the book and a Force.com MVP, shares his years of Force.com knowledge and experience with you through the medium of telling examplesWho This Book Is ForIf you're a Force.com developer with a fundamental understanding of Apex and JavaScript but now want to enhance your skills with tips, tricks, and guidance on the best architectural and engineering practices, then this book is for you.What You Will LearnCreating triggers, and the best practices for writing themDeveloping a number of Visualforce controllers and extensionsIntegrating third-party web APIs into your Apex codeWriting unit tests that cover testing bulk safety, user and profile settings, and negative testsCreating a Lightning component for use in Salesforce1Getting acquainted with various methods for deploying metadata between orgsUsing the Rest sObject API for access to Salesforce objects and data using the REST methodologyLearning about overarching architectural considerations such as naming conventions, testing practices, and data modeling practicesIn DetailForce.com is an extremely powerful, scalable, and secure cloud platform, delivering a complete technology stack, ranging from databases and security to workflow and the user interface. With salesforce.com's Force.com cloud platform, you can build any business application and run it on your servers.The book will help you enhance your skillset and develop complex applications using Force.com. It gets you started with a quick refresher of Force.com's development tools and methodologies, and moves to an in-depth discussion of triggers, bulkification, DML order of operations, and trigger frameworks. Next, you will learn to use batchable and schedulable interfaces to process massive amounts of information asynchronously. You will also be introduced to Salesforce Lightning and cover components—including backend (apex) controllers, frontend (JavaScript) controllers, events, and attributes—in detail.Moving on, the book will focus on testing various apex components: what to test, when to write the tests, and—most importantly—how to test. Next, you will develop a changeset and use it to migrate your code from one org to another, and learn what other tools are out there for deploying metadata. You will also use command-line tools to authenticate and access the Force.com Rest sObject API and the Bulk sObject API; additionally, you will write a custom Rest endpoint, and learn how to structure a project so that multiple developers can work independently of each other without causing metadata conflicts.Finally, you will take an in-depth look at the overarching best practices for architecture (structure) and engineering (code) applications on the Force.com platform.Style and approach A step-by-step tutorial, with plenty of tips and tricks that will help you develop complex Force.com applications.

Create powerful applications with the most robust open source web mapping library using this advanced guideAbout This BookDevelop responsive and platform-independent web mapping applications with OpenLayers 3Learn the key points of creating great applications with native JavaScript through the step-by-step examplesMaster the use of the library, from compiling custom builds to developing a complete WebGIS applicationWho This Book Is ForThis book is intended for front-end developers with basic understanding of JavaScript and GIS concepts, and preferably for those who are familiar with the fundamentals of OpenLayers 3. You might have never used OpenLayers 3 as a seasoned JavaScript developer. If this is the case and you are eager to learn web mapping, this book will definitely set you on the right track.What You Will LearnUse the advanced functionality of the OpenLayers 3 library effectivelyImplement the library in your application, shaping it to your needsManage layers and the layer stack dynamicallyCreate not only stunning but also accurate thematic mapsExtend OpenLayers 3 with your own custom classesDevelop mobile-friendly web mapping applicationsMake stunning effects with canvas manipulation, or visualize point clouds with WebGLIntegrate third-party applications, and create custom builds that completely satisfy your needsIn DetailOpenLayers 3 allows you to create stunning web mapping and WebGIS applications. It uses modern, cutting edge browser technologies. It is written with Closure Library, enabling you to build browser-independent applications without painful debugging ceremonies, which even have some limited fallback options for older browsers.With this guide, you will be introduced to the world of advanced web mapping and WebGIS.First, you will be introduced to the advanced features and functionalities available in OpenLayers 3. Next, you will be taken through the key points of creating custom applications with OpenLayers 3. You will then learn how to create the web mapping application of yours (or your company's) dream with this open source, expense-free, yet very powerful library. We’ll also show you how to make amazing looking thematic maps and create great effects with canvas manipulation.By the end of this book, you will have a strong command of web mapping and will be well on your way to creating amazing applications using OpenLayers 3.Style and approachThis is an advanced guide packed with comprehensive examples, and it concentrates on the advanced parts of OpenLayers 3 and JavaScript. It intentionally skips the basic and well-known methodologies, but discusses the hard-to-understand ones in great detail.

Explore the possibility of building truly native, cross-platform mobile applications using your JavaScript skill—NativeScript!About This BookSave your marketing time by building for iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile platforms simultaneouslyBe an ace at utilizing the features of NativeScript and its ability to communicate with each of the host device libraries nativelyProficiently, build your fully cross-platform communication application exhibiting the fundamentals of NativeScriptWho This Book Is ForIf you are a JavaScript developer and want to build cross-platform applications, then this book is just the right one for you!What You Will LearnInstall and compile your application in NativeScriptGet important know-how on the NativeScript project structureDevelop and style your screens for multiple platformsCreate a full-featured cross-platform communication applicationImport and use several third-party componentsSimplify and deal with device resolution and cross-platform issuesTest and deploy your applicationIn DetailNativeScript allows you to build a fast cross-platform application that has a native UI. NativeScript is a true cross-platform framework that generates native speed applications using the native components of the host platform, all using JavaScript. Although NativeScript allows you to build your application in JavaScript, you have full access to the host OS from your code, allowing you to easily tweak or use new platform features instantly at native code speeds.Whether you have already developed multiple applications or zero applications, this book will help you to develop your next application in a cross-platform framework quickly, saving you a massive amount of time and money.This book concisely shows you NativeScript’s built-in framework that allows you to rapidly develop a fully-working compiled cross-platform application in just a few chapters. It starts by laying the foundation of NativeScript and working through the fundamentals to create a basic shell of the application. Moving on, you’ll see how to build a full-fledged application step by step. We’ll show you how to use plugins, and how to communicate with the native OS libraries easily so that you can customize your application as if your app was created in Java or Objective C. We then deal with the issues that arise from being cross platform and compensate for the different screen sizes, screen resolutions, and device abilities. Finally, we progress to testing and deploying your app.Style and approach A stepwise guide for building cross-platform mobile applications with the help of easy-to-understand examples.

Get to grips with object-oriented programming in Swift to efficiently build powerful real-world applicationsAbout This BookLeverage the most efficient object-oriented design patterns in your Swift applicationsWrite robust, safer, and better code using the blueprints that generate objectsBuild a platform with object-oriented code by using real-world elements and represent them in your appWho This Book Is ForIf you are an iOS developer who has a basic idea of object-oriented programming and want to incorporate its concepts with Swift to optimize your application's code and create reusable and easily to understand building blocks, then this book is for you. This is a very useful resource for developers who want to shift from Objective C, C#, Java, Python, JavaScript, or other object-oriented languages to SwiftWhat You Will LearnBuild solid, stable, and reliable applications using SwiftWork with encapsulation, abstraction, and polymorphism using Swift 2.0Customize constructors and destructors based on your needsDevelop Swift 2.0 with classes, instances, properties, and methodsTake advantage of generic code to maximize code reuse and generalize behaviorsUse state of inheritance, specialization, and the possibility to overload membersWrite high quality object-oriented code to build apps for iOS or Mac OS XIn DetailObject-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects; these are data structures that contain data in the form of fields, often known as attributes and code. Objects are everywhere, and so it is very important to recognize elements, known as objects, from real-world situations and know how they can easily be translated into object-oriented code.Object-Oriented Programming with Swift is an easy-to-follow guide packed full of hands-on examples of solutions to common problems encountered with object-oriented code in Swift. It starts by helping you to recognize objects using real-life scenarios and demonstrates how working with them makes it simpler to write code that is easy to understand and reuse.You will learn to protect and hide data with the data encapsulation features of Swift. Then, you will explore how to maximize code reuse by writing code capable of working with objects of different types. After that, you'll discover the power of parametric polymorphism and will combine generic code with inheritance and multiple inheritance. Later, you move on to refactoring your existing code and organizing your source for easy maintenance and extensions.By the end of the book, you will be able to create better, stronger, and more reusable code, which will help you build better applications.Style and approachThis simple guide is packed with practical examples of solutions to common problems. Each chapter includes exercises and the possibility for you to test your progress by answering questions.

Integrate the power of R with the simplicity of Shiny to deliver cutting-edge analytics over the WebAbout This BookUse Shiny's built-in functions to produce engaging user interfaces, and integrate them into your own web pagesImplement powerful user-contributed packages to access graphics from the web, make your own dashboards, use interactive maps, and moreExtend Shiny using JavaScript and jQuery with minimal coding using this handy, step-by-step guideWho This Book Is ForThis book is for anybody who wants to produce interactive data summaries over the web, whether you want to share them with a few colleagues or the whole world. No previous experience with R, Shiny, HTML, or CSS is required to begin using this book, although you should possess some previous experience with programming in a different language.What You Will LearnBuild interactive applications using Shiny's built-in widgetsUse the built-in layout functions in Shiny to produce user-friendly applicationsIntegrate Shiny applications with web pages and customize them using HTML and CSSHarness the power of JavaScript and jQuery to customize your applicationsEngage your users and build better analytics using interactive plotsDebug your applications using Shiny's built-in functionsDeliver simple and powerful analytics across your organization using Shiny dashboardsShare your applications with colleagues or over the Internet using cloud services or your own serverIn DetailR is a highly flexible and powerful tool for analyzing and visualizing data. Most of the applications built using various libraries with R are desktop-based. But what if you want to go on the webHere comes Shiny to your rescue!Shiny allows you to create interactive web applications using the excellent analytical and graphical capabilities of R. This book will guide you through basic data management and analysis with R through your first Shiny application, and then show you how to integrate Shiny applications with your own web pages. Finally, you will learn how to finely control the inputs and outputs of your application, along with using other packages to build state-of-the-art applications, including dashboards.Style and approachLearn by doing! Each chapter includes code and examples to use and adapt for your own applications. As the chapters progress, the code and examples are built upon until you have all the materials required to build a large, complex, real-world analytics application.

Harness the power of procedural content generation to design unique games with UnityAbout This BookLearn the basics of PCG developmentDevelop a 2D game from start to finishExplore all the different ways PCG can be applied in gamesWho This Book Is ForThis book is for Unity game developers, especially those who work on indie games. You should be familiar with Unity and C# *ing but you'll be able to jump in and start learning PCG straightaway.What You Will LearnUnderstand the theory of Procedural Content GenerationLearn the uses of Pseudo Random NumbersCreate reusable algorithm designs for PCGEvaluate the data structures for PCGDevelop smaller games with larger amounts of contentGenerate content instead of spending time designing every minute detailLearn when and how to add PCG to your gameLearn the fundamental techniques of PCGIn DetailProcedural Content Generation is a process by which game content is developed using computer algorithms, rather than through the manual efforts of game developers. This book teaches readers how to develop algorithms for procedural generation that they can use in their own games. These concepts are put into practice using C# and Unity is used as the game development engine.This book provides the fundamentals of learning and continued learning using PCG. You'll discover the theory of PCG and the mighty Pseudo Random Number Generator. Random numbers such as die rolls and card drafting provide the chance factor that makes games fun and supplies spontaneity. This book also takes you through the full development of a 2D game.Starting with level generation, you'll learn how PCG can make the game environment for you. You'll move into item generation and learn the different techniques to procedurally create game items. Thereafter, you'll be guided through the more abstract PCG areas such as scaling difficulty to the player and even generating music! The book helps you set up systems within your games where algorithms create computationally generated levels, art assets, quests, stories, characters, and weapons; these can substantially reduce the burden of manually creating every aspect of the game.Finally, you'll get to try out your new PCG skills on 3D terrain generation.Style and approachAn easy-to-follow, project-based guide that will let you build a complete game by the end of the book using PCG.

Harness the power of Apple Pay in your iOS apps and integrate it with global payment gatewaysAbout This BookBe it adding an Apple Pay button to your app or calculating sales tax with Apple Pay- this book gives you all the information you need to build a fully-functional Apply Pay applicationPaying within iOS Apps made easier and secure with this no nonsense and powerful guideEscape tedious payment options by creating compelling product card screens that present the Pay button, which your customers can tap to quickly order your productsWho This Book Is ForThis book is for anyone who wants to integrate Apple Pay in their applications. Basic familiarity with programming and the Xcode developer tools is expected.What You Will LearnDesign a product card that includes the Apple Pay buttonImplement the Apple Pay workflow in an efficient wayUse NSDecimalNumber objects to perform financial calculations accuratelyManage custom order information in the Apple Pay workflow and your custom order management systemExtract payment information from a payment tokenImplement a secure, server-side payment-processor programFind out everything you wanted to know about Apple Pay in iOS 9In DetailApple Pay, one of the most talked about offerings of the latest iOS 9 release, is a digital wallet and electronic payment system developed by Apple Inc. Paying in stores or within apps has never been easier or safer. Gone are the days of searching for your wallet, and the wasted moments finding the right card! Now you can use your credit cards and rewards cards with just a touch.It allows payment to merchants, using Near field Communication (NFC), and within iOS apps. Implementing Apple Pay within apps for payment is a bit tricky, but our book solves this problem for you.Whether you are a brand new iOS app developer or a seasoned expert, this book arms you with necessary skills to successfully implement Apple Pay in your online-payment workflow.Whether you are a brand new iOS app developer or a seasoned expert, this book arms you with the necessary skills to successfully implement Apple Pay. We start off by teaching you how to obtain the certificates necessary to encrypt customers’ payment information. We will use Xcode and Objective C for the interface and Node.js for server side code. You will then learn how to determine whether the customer can use Apple Pay, and how to create payment requests. You will come to grips with designing a payment-processor program to interact with the payment gateway. Finally, we take a look at a business-focused view of Apple Pay protocols and classes.By the end of this book, you will be able to build a fully functional Apple Pay-integrated iOS appStyle and approachThis is an easy-to-follow guide on integrating Apple Pay in your iOS Application. With step by step instructions along with excellent screen shots you will be able to learn everything that you wanted to know about Passbook and Apple Pay in iOS 8.

Take your PhoneGap experience to the next level and create engaging real-world applicationsAbout This BookCreate a useful PhoneGap workflow for larger projects in order to simplify and manage the development processUse third-party plugins, IndexedDB, and SQLite for PhoneGap to develop large-scale, data-driven, and highly accessible applicationsA pragmatic guide to construct top-notch large-scale applications using PhoneGapWho This Book Is ForIf you have created simple applications using PhoneGap in the past and now want to take your workflow and apps to the next level, this book will help you reach your goals. You should have a good working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and prior experience with PhoneGap.What You Will LearnConstruct build workflows that simplify complex application developmentIntegrate the next version of JavaScript to simplify your codeCreate accessible hybrid applicationsPersist and query data using third-party database pluginsCreate your own PhoneGap plugins for your unique use casesCreate icons and splash screens suitable for submission to app storesPublish your app to the Google Play and Apple iTunes storesIn DetailPhoneGap is a useful and flexible tool that enables you to create complex hybrid applications for mobile platforms. In addition to the core technology, there is a large and vibrant community that creates third-party plugins that can take your app to the next level.This book will guide you through the process of creating a complex data-driven hybrid mobile application using PhoneGap, web technologies, and third-party plugins.A good foundation is critical, so you will learn how to create a useful workflow to make development easier. From there, the next version of JavaScript (ES6) and the CSS pre-processor SASS are introduced as a way to simplify creating the look of the mobile application. Responsive design techniques are also covered, including the flexbox layout module. As many apps are data-driven, you'll build an application throughout the course of the book that relies upon IndexedDB and SQLite. You'll also download additional content and address how to handle in-app purchases. Furthermore, you’ll build your own customized plugins for your particular use case. When the app is complete, the book will guide you through the steps necessary to submit your app to the Google Play and Apple iTunes stores.Style and approachThis book is a step-by-step guide, in which the concepts covered are explained with the help of hands-on examples

Get up and running with Magento 2 to create custom solutions, themes, and extensions effectivelyAbout This BookCreate unique solutions for Magento 2 by developing and implementing solutions, themes, and extensionsBe proficient in the main functionalities, resources, and system structure of Magento 2Get to grips with this practical and hands-on guide to raise your web development skills to the next levelWho This Book Is ForIf you are a PHP developer who wants to improve your skills in e-commerce development by creating themes and extensions for Magento 2, then this book is for you.What You Will LearnInstall and set up the Magento EcosystemChoose the best options for Magento’s Sell System featuresWork with Search Engine Optimization in MagentoCreate and customize themes for MagentoDevelop extensions for new Magento functionalitiesPackage extensions to publish in the Magento Connect networkCreate Magento solutions for mobile devicesCarry out performance adjustments to speed up your Magento systemIn DetailMagento is the e-commerce software and platform trusted by the world's leading brands. Used by thousands of merchants for their transactions worth billions, it provides the flexibility to customize the content and functionality of your website. By strengthening your fundamentals in Magento development, you can develop the best solutions and take advantage of the growing market.This fast-paced tutorial will provide you with skills you need to successfully create themes, extensions, and solutions to Magento 2 projects.This book begins by setting up Magento 2 before gradually moving onto setting the basic options of the Sell System. You will take advantage of Search Engine Optimization aspects, create design and customize theme layout, develop new extensions, and adjust the Magento System to achieve great performance. By sequentially working through the steps in each chapter, you will quickly explore all the features of Magento 2 to create a great solution.With ample examples and a practical approach, this book will ensure your success with this astonishing e-commerce management system.Style and approachThis book would be a fast-paced tutorial guide that uses hands-on examples to developing new solutions for Magento e-commerce system. Each topic is explained sequentially in the process of creating a Magento solution, along with detailed explanations of the basic and advanced features of Magento 2.

Arm yourself with over 65 hands-on recipes to master the skills of building scalable web applications with Ember.jsAbout This BookThis book is your one-stop solution to the key features of Ember.js. Become skilled in the art of building web-apps in a fraction of the code you'd write in other frameworks.Build JavaScript apps that don't break the web! Our 100 recipes will make this a cakewalk for you!This books makes learning Ember.js easy by breaking down each topic into simple-to-understand recipesWho This Book Is ForAnyone who wants to explore Ember.js and wishes to get hands on making sophisticated web apps with less coding will find this book handy. Prior experience in Coding and familiarity with JavaScript is recommended. If you’ve heard of Ember.js or are just curious on how a single-page application framework works, then this book is for you.What You Will LearnSkip the boilerplate code with Ember CLI generatorsCreate a component with actions and eventsSet up a model with Ember Data using fixture dataCreate several different types of test cases and run themManage and set up user authentication using Ember Simple AuthAdd animated transitions to your app with Liquid FireSet up a service and initializer with dependency injectionCreate a working chat applicationSet up an Ember Service and initializer with dependency injectionCreate a working chat applicationIn DetailEmber.js is an open source JavaScript framework that will make you more productive. It uses common idioms and practices, making it simple to create amazing single-page applications. It also lets you create code in a modular way using the latest JavaScript features. Not only that, it has a great set of APIs to get any task done. The Ember.js community is welcoming newcomers and is ready to help you when needed.This book provides in-depth explanations on how to use the Ember.js framework to take you from beginner to expert. You’ll start with some basic topics and by the end of the book, you’ll know everything you need to know to build a fully operational Ember application.We’ll begin by explaining key points on how to use the Ember.js framework and the associated tools. You’ll learn how to effectively use Ember CLI and how to create and deploy your application. We’ll take a close look at the Ember object model and templates by examining bindings and observers. We’ll then move onto Ember components, models, and Ember Data. We’ll show you examples on how to connect to RESTful databases. Next we’ll get to grips with testing with integration and acceptance tests using QUnit. We will conclude by covering authentication, services, and Ember add-ons. We’ll explore advanced topics such as services and initializers, and how to use them together to build real-time applications.Style and approachEach recipe in this book will make it that much easier to understand Ember.js. Recipe after recipe, you will learn the concepts of Ember.js by following the simple step-by-step processes

Discover exciting and fun projects by building brilliant applications for the Apple WatchAbout This BookExplore the opportunities opened up to developers by Apple’s latest device: the Apple WatchBe a crackerjack at developing software across a broad range of watch app categoriesFrom an eminent author, master all stages of development, from the first stage through to a completed projectWho This Book Is ForIf you have some basic knowledge of programming in Swift and are looking for the best way to get started with Apple Watch development, this book is just the right one for you!What You Will LearnUnderstand the concept of the Apple Watch as an autonomous device as well as it being paired with the iPhoneGet your app up and runningDesign exciting, inspiring, and attractive layouts for your appsMake your user interface more engaging using images and animationEnable your Watch and iPhone apps to transport and share dataLeverage the feature-rich set of WatchKit technologies provided by AppleConnect your apps to the InternetSubmit your app to the App StoreIn DetailWith Apple’s eagerly anticipated entry into the wearable arena, the field is wide open for a new era of app development. The Apple Watch is one of the most important technologies of our time.This easy-to-understand book takes beginners on a delightful journey of discovering the features available to the developer, right up to the completion of medium-level projects ready for App Store submission. It provides the fastest way to develop real-world apps for the Apple Watch by teaching you the concepts of Watch UI, visual haptic and audio, message and data exchange between watch and phone, Web communication, and finally Visual, haptic as well as audio feedback for users.By the end of this book, you will have developed at least four fully functioning apps for deployment on watchOS 2.Style and approachThis is a step-by-step guide to developing apps for the Apple Watch with the help of screenshots and fully coded working examples.

Monitor and automate complex JavaScript tasks and processes by obtaining a practical understanding of Grunt About This Book Gain a solid knowledge of Grunt to achieve better process management by improving consistency, productivity, reliability, and quality of code Install, configure, and use plugins into your project with this hands-on guide This step-by-step tutorial will walk you through practical examples of workflow automation Who This Book Is For If you are a JavaScript developer and want to learn project monitoring and automation using Grunt, then this book is for you. Basic knowledge of Node.js and Angular.js is assumed. However, no previous experience using Grunt.js is required. What You Will Learn Install and configure Grunt and its dependencies such as Node.js and Node Package Manager (NPM) Create a sample application using Angular.JS Configure plugins to perform various tasks that will benefit your project Explore the task-specific methods available through the Grunt API such as configuration, externals, events, and logging Set up tasks to automate the build process of the simple contact application Build, test, and refine a sample project Get general tips, tricks, and troubleshooting strategies to identify and solve common issues in Grunt Advance your knowledge of Grunt with concepts such as configuration variables and test automation In Detail With the increasing focus on task automation, the Grunt task runner is a vast platform that allows you to incorporate automation into your workflows. At the outset, you will learn how to use Node.js and NMP through an example. You will then find out how to build a sample app and the development environment for it. You will further delve into the implementation of Grunt plugins and the configuration of Grunt tasks. Furthermore, you will explore the various methods and packages for workflow automation. The final chapter will cover some advanced concepts, such as configuration variables and how to create a Grunt plugin. By the end of the book, you will have gained the fundamentals of Grunt and progressed through advanced concepts, including building a Grunt plugin. Style and approach This book is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial that provides explanations and examples of deploying Grunt from scratch.

Over 90 hands-on recipes to help you learn and master the intricacies of Apache Hadoop 2.X, YARN, Hive, Pig, Oozie, Flume, Sqoop, Apache Spark, and Mahout About This Book Implement outstanding Machine Learning use cases on your own analytics models and processes. Solutions to common problems when working with the Hadoop ecosystem. Step-by-step implementation of end-to-end big data use cases. Who This Book Is For Readers who have a basic knowledge of big data systems and want to advance their knowledge with hands-on recipes. What You Will Learn Installing and maintaining Hadoop 2.X cluster and its ecosystem. Write advanced Map Reduce programs and understand design patterns. Advanced Data Analysis using the Hive, Pig, and Map Reduce programs. Import and export data from various sources using Sqoop and Flume. Data storage in various file formats such as Text, Sequential, Parquet, ORC, and RC Files. Machine learning principles with libraries such as Mahout Batch and Stream data processing using Apache Spark In Detail Big data is the current requirement. Most organizations produce huge amount of data every day. With the arrival of Hadoop-like tools, it has become easier for everyone to solve big data problems with great efficiency and at minimal cost. Grasping Machine Learning techniques will help you greatly in building predictive models and using this data to make the right decisions for your organization. Hadoop Real World Solutions Cookbook gives readers insights into learning and mastering big data via recipes. The book not only clarifies most big data tools in the market but also provides best practices for using them. The book provides recipes that are based on the latest versions of Apache Hadoop 2.X, YARN, Hive, Pig, Sqoop, Flume, Apache Spark, Mahout and many more such ecosystem tools. This real-world-solution cookbook is packed with handy recipes you can apply to your own everyday issues. Each chapter provides in-depth recipes that can be referenced easily. This book provides detailed practices on the latest technologies such as YARN and Apache Spark. Readers will be able to consider themselves as big data experts on completion of this book. This guide is an invaluable tutorial if you are planning to implement a big data warehouse for your business. Style and approach An easy-to-follow guide that walks you through world of big data. Each tool in the Hadoop ecosystem is explained in detail and the recipes are placed in such a manner that readers can implement them sequentially. Plenty of reference links are provided for advanced reading.

Build and customize a wide range of powerful Unity AI systems with over 70 hands-on recipes and techniques About This Book Empower your agent with decision making capabilities using advanced minimaxing and Negamaxing techniques Discover how AI can be applied to a wide range of games to make them more interactive. Instigate vision and hearing abilities in your agent through collider based and graph based systems Who This Book Is For This book is intended for those who already have a basic knowledge of Unity and are eager to get more tools under their belt to solve AI and gameplay-related problems. What You Will Learn Use techniques such as A*and A*mbush to empower your agents with path finding capabilities. Create a representation of the world and make agents navigate it Construct decision-making systems to make the agents take different actions Make different agents coordinate actions and create the illusion of technical behavior Simulate senses and apply them in an awareness system Design and implement AI in board games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Checkers Implement efficient prediction mechanism in your agents with algorithms such as N-Gram predictor and na?ve Bayes classifier Understand and analyze how the influence maps work. In Detail Unity 5 comes fully packaged with a toolbox of powerful features to help game and app developers create and implement powerful game AI. Leveraging these tools via Unity’s API or built-in features allows limitless possibilities when it comes to creating your game’s worlds and characters. This practical Cookbook covers both essential and niche techniques to help you be able to do that and more. This Cookbook is engineered as your one-stop reference to take your game AI programming to the next level. Get to grips with the essential building blocks of working with an agent, programming movement and navigation in a game environment, and improving your agent's decision making and coordination mechanisms - all through hands-on examples using easily customizable techniques. Discover how to emulate vision and hearing capabilities for your agent, for natural and humanlike AI behaviour, and improve them with the help of graphs. Empower your AI with decision-making functions through programming simple board games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Checkers, and orchestrate agent coordination to get your AIs working together as one. Style and approach This recipe-based guide will take you through implementing various AI algorithms. Each topic is explained and placed among other related techniques, sometimes building on the knowledge from previous chapters. There are also references to more technical books and papers, so you can dig deeper if you want to.

Build well-structured, testable applications and APIs using hapi.js About This Book With the help of this book, you will improve your productivity as a developer and that of your team by focusing on business logic utilizing the structure that Hapi.js provides You will be introduced to a real-world problem and we’ll demonstrate how to use the tools Hapi provides to resolve it This is the only book with a learn-by-example approach Who This Book Is For If you are a JavaScript developer with or without Node.js experience and would like to learn to build applications, APIs, and web servers with the best-in-class framework hapi.js, this book is perfect for you. What You Will Learn Increase your productivity by taking advantage of the out-of-the-box features hapi.js provides Build secure API servers Create websites and applications using your favorite templating language Leverage hapi.js plugins to better structure your codebase Simplify your security workflows with the built-in authentication and authorization functionality of hapi.js Ensure application reliability with testing and code coverage Reduce code complexity using reusable validation logic with joi Gather insight into your application performance via logging Start the journey to building robust production-ready applications In Detail This book will introduce hapi.js and walk you through the creation of your first working application using the out-of-the-box features hapi.js provides. Packed with real-world problems and examples, this book introduces some of the basic concepts of hapi.js and Node.js and takes you through the typical journey you'll face when developing an application. Starting with easier concepts such as routing requests, building APIs serving JSON, using templates to build websites and applications, and connecting databases, we then move on to more complex problems such as authentication, model validation, caching, and techniques for structuring your codebase to scale gracefully. You will also develop skills to ensure your application's reliability through testing, code coverage, and logging. By the end of this book, you'll be equipped with all the skills you need to build your first fully featured application. This book will be invaluable if you are investigating Node.js frameworks or planning on using hapi.js in your next project. Style and approach This book takes a step-by-step approach to building an application or web server using hapi.js though examples.

A step-by-step introductory guide to mobile app development with App Inventor 2 About This Book Get an introduction to the functionalities of App Inventor 2 and use it to unleash your creativity Learn to navigate the App Inventor platform, develop basic coding skills and become familiar with a blocks based programming language Build your very first mobile app and feel proud of your accomplishment Follow tutorials to expand your app development skills Who This Book Is For App Inventor 2 Essentials is for anyone who wants to learn to make mobile apps for Android devices – no prior coding experience is necessary. What You Will Learn Perform technical setup and navigate the App Inventor platform Utilize the interactive development environment by pairing a mobile device with a computer using Wi-Fi or USB Build three apps: a game, an event app and a raffle app Create the user interface of the app in the Designer and program the code in the Blocks Editor Integrate basic computer science principles along with more complex elements such fusion tables and lists Test and troubleshoot your applications Publish your apps on Google Play Store to reach a wide audience Unleash your creativity for further app development In Detail App Inventor 2 will take you on a journey of mobile app development. We begin by introducing you to the functionalities of App Inventor and giving you an idea about the types of apps you can develop using it. We walk you through the technical set up so you can take advantage of the interactive development environment (live testing). You will get hands-on, practical experience building three different apps using tutorials. Along the way, you will learn computer science principles as well as tips to help you prepare for the creative process of building an app from scratch. By the end of the journey, you will learn how to package an app and deploy it to app markets. App Inventor 2 Essentials prepares you to amass a resource of skills, knowledge and experience to become a mobile app developer Style and approach Every topic in this book is explained in step-by-step and easy-to-follow fashion, accompanied with screenshots of the interface that will make it easier for you to understand the processes.

Attain expert-level proficiency with Git for enhanced productivity and efficient collaboration by mastering advanced distributed version control features About This Book Set up Git for solo and collaborative development Harness the full power of Git version control system to customize Git behavior, manipulate history, integrate external tools and explore platform shortcuts A detailed guide, which explains how to apply advanced Git techniques and workflows and ways to handle submodules Who This Book Is For If you are a Git user with reasonable knowledge of Git and familiarity with basic concepts such as branching, merging, staging, and workflows, this is the book for you. Basic knowledge of installing Git and software configuration management concepts is essential. What You Will Learn Explore project history, find revisions using different criteria, and filter and format how history looks Manage your working directory and staging area for commits and interactively create new revisions and amend them Set up repositories and branches for collaboration Submit your own contributions and integrate contributions from other developers via merging or rebasing Customize Git behavior system-wide, on a per-user, per-repository, and per-file basis Take up the administration and set up of Git repositories, configure access, find and recover from repository errors, and perform repository maintenance Chose a workflow and configure and set up support for the chosen workflow In Detail Git is one of the most popular types of Source Code Management (SCM) and Distributed Version Control System (DVCS). Despite the powerful and versatile nature of the tool enveloping strong support for nonlinear development and the ability to handle large projects efficiently, it is a complex tool and often regarded as “user-unfriendly”. Getting to know the ideas and concepts behind the architecture of Git will help you make full use of its power and understand its behavior. Learning the best practices and recommended workflows should help you to avoid problems and ensure trouble-free development. The book scope is meticulously designed to help you gain deeper insights into Git's architecture, its underlying concepts, behavior, and best practices. Mastering Git starts with a quick implementation example of using Git for a collaborative development of a sample project to establish the foundation knowledge of Git operational tasks and concepts. Furthermore, as you progress through the book, the tutorials provide detailed de*ions of various areas of usage: from archaeology, through managing your own work, to working with other developers. This book also helps augment your understanding to examine and explore project history, create and manage your contributions, set up repositories and branches for collaboration in centralized and distributed version control, integrate work from other developers, customize and extend Git, and recover from repository errors. By exploring advanced Git practices, you will attain a deeper understanding of Git’s behavior, allowing you to customize and extend existing recipes and write your own. Style and approach Step-by-step instructions and useful information make this book the ultimate guide to understanding and mastering Git. This book will show road to mastery example by example, while explaining mental model of Git. The Introduction section covers the 'Essentials' just for refreshing the basics. The main highlight is that the concepts are based on HOW the technology/framework works and not just practical 'WHAT to do'.

Develop testable, modular, and maintainable Ruby software for the real world using RSpec About This Book Explore the concept of testability and how to implement tests that deliver the most value Maximize the quality of your Ruby code through a wide variety of tests Master the real-world tradeoffs of testing through detailed examples supported by in-depth discussion Who This Book Is For This book is aimed at the software engineer who wants to make their code more reliable and their development process easier. It is also aimed at test engineers who need to automate the testing of complex systems. Knowledge of Ruby is helpful, but even someone new to the language should find it easy to follow the code and tests. What You Will Learn Identify a unit of software for the purposes of testing Manage test states with hooks, fixtures, and mocks Handle external web services in tests using various techniques Configure RSpec flexibly and cleanly using support code and environment variables Interact with rich web apps in tests using Capybara Build the right feature with behavior-driven development Customize matchers and failure messages Verify correct development and production environments In Detail This book will teach you how to use RSpec to write high-value tests for real-world code. We start with the key concepts of the unit and testability, followed by hands-on exploration of key features. From the beginning, we learn how to integrate tests into the overall development process to help create high-quality code, avoiding the dangers of testing for its own sake. We build up sample applications and their corresponding tests step by step, from simple beginnings to more sophisticated versions that include databases and external web services. We devote three chapters to web applications with rich JavaScript user interfaces, building one from the ground up using behavior-driven development (BDD) and test-driven development (TDD). The code examples are detailed enough to be realistic while simple enough to be easily understood. Testing concepts, development methodologies, and engineering tradeoffs are discussed in detail as they arise. This approach is designed to foster the reader’s ability to make well-informed decisions on their own. Style and approach This comprehensive tutorial is packed with real-world examples of testing with RSpec. The most important features of RSpec are introduced in the early chapters and are used in examples of growing complexity in the following chapters. Concepts and methodologies are discussed in detail.

Over 70 recipes to get you writing powerful and efficient multithreaded, asynchronous, and parallel programs in C# 6.0 About This Book Rewritten and updated to take advantage of the latest C# 6 features Learn about multithreaded, asynchronous, and parallel programming through hands-on, code-first examples Use these recipes to build fast, scalable, and reliable applications in C# Who This Book Is For This book is aimed at those who are new to multithreaded programming, and who are looking for a quick and easy way to get started. It is assumed that you have some experience in C# and .NET already, and you should also be familiar with basic computer science terminology and basic algorithms and data structures. What You Will Learn Use C# 6.0 asynchronous language features Work with raw threads, synchronize threads, and coordinate their work Develop your own asynchronous API with Task Parallel Library Work effectively with a thread pool Scale up your server application with I/O threads Parallelize your LINQ queries with PLINQ Use common concurrent collections Apply different parallel programming patterns Use Reactive Extensions to run asynchronous operations and manage their options In Detail Multi-core processors are synonymous with computing speed and power in today’s world, which is why multithreading has become a key concern for C# developers. Multithreaded code helps you create effective, scalable, and responsive applications. This is an easy-to-follow guide that will show you difficult programming problems in context. You will learn how to solve them with practical, hands-on, recipes. With these recipes, you’ll be able to start creating your own scalable and reliable multithreaded applications. Starting from learning what a thread is, we guide you through the basics and then move on to more advanced concepts such as task parallel libraries, C# asynchronous functions, and much more. Rewritten to the latest C# specification, C# 6, and updated with new and modern recipes to help you make the most of the hardware you have available, this book will help you push the boundaries of what you thought possible in C#. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide full of hands-on examples of real-world multithreading tasks. Each topic is explained and placed in context, and for the more inquisitive, there are also more in-depth details of the concepts used.