Master the development of 2D games by learning to use the powerful GameMaker Language and tools provided by the GameMaker: Studio workspace and engine! About This Book Rapidly develop games using the powerful yet easy easy-to to-use GameMaker: Studio engine Comprehensive: This is a comprehensive guide to help you learn and implement GameMaker’s features. Go through step-by-step tutorials to design and develop unique games Who This Book Is For If you have at least some basic programming experience of JavaScript or any other C-like languages, then this book will be great for you. No experience beyond that is assumed. If you have no game development experience and are looking for a hobby, are an experienced game developer looking to master some advanced features, or fit anywhere in that spectrum, then you will find GameMaker: Studio and this book to be very useful in helping you create exciting games. What You Will Learn Understand the GameMaker: Studio interface and tools to quickly create the various assets used in your games Translate some of the GameMaker: Studio drag and drop functions to the GameMaker language Create games with random elements for exciting gameplay Use the basic GameMaker file I/O and encryption systems Utilize the GameMaker networking functions to create multiplayer games Give AI routines to your enemies to make challenging gameplay Create particle systems to give your game exciting graphics Understand the various debugging techniques available in GameMaker: Studio In Detail This book is excellent resource for developers with any level of experience of GameMaker. At the start, we’ll provide an overview of the basic use of GameMaker: Studio, and show you how to set up a basic game where you handle input and collisions in a top-down perspective game. We continue on to showcase its more advanced features via six different example projects. The first example game demonstrates platforming with file I/O, followed by animation, views, and multiplayer networking. The next game illustrates AI and particle systems, while the final one will get you started with the built-in Box2D physics engine. By the end of this book, you have mastered lots of powerful techniques that can be utilized in various 2D games. Style and approach A This step-by-step guide that follows and with details ons different topics throughout the creation of various examples.

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.

Improve search experiences with ElasticSearch’s powerful indexing functionality – learn how with this practical ElasticSearch tutorial, packed with tips! About This Book Improve user’s search experience with the correct configuration Deliver relevant search results – fast! Save time and system resources by creating stable clusters Who This Book Is For If you understand the importance of a great search experience this book will show you exactly how to build one with ElasticSearch, one of the world’s leading search servers. What You Will Learn Learn how ElasticSearch efficiently stores data – and find out how it can reduce costs Control document metadata with the correct mapping strategies and by configuring indices Use ElasticSearch analysis and analyzers to incorporate greater intelligence and organization across your documents and data Find out how an ElasticSearch cluster works – and learn the best way to configure it Perform high-speed indexing with low system resource cost Improve query relevance with appropriate mapping, suggest API, and other ElasticSearch functionalities In Detail Beginning with an overview of the way ElasticSearch stores data, you’ll begin to extend your knowledge to tackle indexing and mapping, and learn how to configure ElasticSearch to meet your users’ needs. You’ll then find out how to use analysis and analyzers for greater intelligence in how you organize and pull up search results – to guarantee that every search query is met with the relevant results! You’ll explore the anatomy of an ElasticSearch cluster, and learn how to set up configurations that give you optimum availability as well as scalability. Once you’ve learned how these elements work, you’ll find real-world solutions to help you improve indexing performance, as well as tips and guidance on safety so you can back up and restore data. Once you’ve learned each component outlined throughout, you will be confident that you can help to deliver an improved search experience – exactly what modern users demand and expect. Style and approach This is a comprehensive guide to performing efficient indexing and providing relevant search results using mapping, analyzers, and other ElasticSearch functionalities.

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.

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.

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.

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

Leverage the capability of Banana Pi with exciting real-world projects About This Book Delve into the expanse of Banana Pi’s self-managing functionalities and develop real-world projects Gain hands-on experience of developing various wireless, multimedia, robotic, and sensor-based applications with Banana Pi Develop your applications using Banana Pi through a project-based approach Who This Book Is For This book is designed for those who are interested in exploring the capabilities of Banana Pro. Basic know-how of Linux and embedded systems would be an added advantage. What You Will Learn Remotely connect to Banana Pro and program the embedded board Use Banana Pro as a hotspot or provide an AirPlay server for wireless audio transmission Find out about the different programming languages that can be used with Banana Pro Build and program your own multimedia centre in order to watch television and movies Connect peripherals such as a camera, LCD, or hard disk to Banana Pro Manage and regulate your Linux system with Banana Pro Stream music wirelessly from your mobile phone to Banana Pro In Detail This book follows a tactical plan that will guide you through the implementation of Banana Pro and its configurations. You will then learn the various programming languages used with Banana Pi with the help of examples. In no time at all, you’ll be working on a wireless project that implements AirPlay servers, hotspots, and so on. Following this, you’ll develop a retro-style arcade kiosk game. Then we’ll move on to explore the multimedia features of Banana Pro by designing and building an enclosure for it. After this, you’ll learn to build a remote-controlled smart car and we’ll examine how to control a robotic arm. The book will conclude with the creation of a home sensor system that has the ability to expand or shrink to suit any home. Style and approach This book follows a project-based approach that covers the most important features of Banana Pro. Every chapter dives into the practical side of the implementation.

Harness the power of VMware vRealize Operations to efficiently manage your IT infrastructure About This Book Extract the optimum performance, availability, and capacity of your IT infrastructure with the help of vRealise Operations Manager Leverage the power of strategic reports to drive tactful decision-making within the IT department A pragmatic guide to proficiently manage your applications and storage Who This Book Is For If you are a vSphere administrator and wish to optimize your virtual environment, this book is your go-to guide on vRealize Operations. As a vSphere administrator, it is assumed that you have a good understanding of both physical and virtual infrastructure. A basic knowledge of application monitoring and log analysis would be useful when we dive into the capabilities of the solution. What You Will Learn Architect, design, and install vRealize Operations Migrate from the previous vCenter Operations Manager 5.x version, configure vR Ops policies, and create custom groups Use out-of-the-box Dashboards, Views, and Reports and create your own customized Dashboards, Views, and Reports Apply the Alerting framework of Symptoms, Recommendations, and Actions, and create your own Alerting content Leverage the power of Capacity Planning to maximize the utilization of your virtual infrastructure Manage the rest of your infrastructure, including storage and applications, with vRealize Operations Management Packs Extend the solution with vRealize Hyperic and Log Insight In Detail This book will enable you to deliver on the operational disciplines of Performance, Health, Capacity, Configuration, and Compliance by making the best use of solutions provided by vRealize Operations. Starting with architecture, design, and sizing, we will ensure your implementation of vRealize Operations is a success. We will dive into the utilization of a solution to manage your vSphere infrastructure. Then, we will employ out-of-the-box Dashboards and the very powerful Views and Reporting functionality of vRealize Operations to create your custom dashboards and address your reporting requirements. Next, we go through the Alerting framework and how Symptoms, Recommendations, and Actions are used to achieve efficient operations. Later you will master the topic of Capacity Planning, where we look at how important it is to craft appropriate policies to match your requirements, and we’ll consider attitude toward capacity risk, which will aid you to build future project requirements into your capacity plans. Finally, we will look at extending the solution to manage Storage, Applications, and other IT infrastructures using Management Packs from Solution Exchange, as well as how the solution can be enhanced with the integration of Log Insight. Style and approach This book is a pragmatic, step-by-step guide that will quickly build your knowledge of the key capabilities of vRealize Operations. As well as learning about the solution, we will provide you with real-world examples that will help you customize and enhance your virtual environment.

Learn all the Java and Android skills you need to start making powerful mobile applications About This Book Kick-start your Android programming career, or just have fun publishing apps to the Google Play marketplace A first-principles introduction to Java, via Android, which means you’ll be able to start building your own applications from scratch Learn by example and build three real-world apps and over 40 mini apps throughout the book Who This Book Is For Are you trying to start a career in programming, but haven’t found the right way inDo you have a great idea for an app, but don’t know how to make it a realityOr maybe you’re just frustrated that “to learn Android, you must know java.” If so, Android Programming for Beginners is for you. You don’t need any programming experience to follow along with this book, just a computer and a sense of adventure. What You Will Learn Master the fundamentals of coding Java for Android Install and set up your Android development environment Build functional user interfaces with the Android Studio visual designer Add user interaction, data captures, sound, and animation to your apps Manage your apps’ data using the built-in Android SQLite database Find out about the design patterns used by professionals to make top-grade applications Build, deploy, and publish real Android applications to the Google Play marketplace In Detail Android is the most popular OS in the world. There are millions of devices accessing tens of thousands of applications. It is many people's entry point into the world of technology; it is an operating system for everyone. Despite this, the entry-fee to actually make Android applications is usually a computer science degree, or five years’ worth of Java experience. Android Programming for Beginners will be your companion to create Android applications from scratch—whether you’re looking to start your programming career, make an application for work, be reintroduced to mobile development, or are just looking to program for fun. We will introduce you to all the fundamental concepts of programming in an Android context, from the Java basics to working with the Android API. All examples are created from within Android Studio, the official Android development environment that helps supercharge your application development process. After this crash-course, we’ll dive deeper into Android programming and you’ll learn how to create applications with a professional-standard UI through fragments, make location-aware apps with Google Maps integration, and store your user’s data with SQLite. In addition, you’ll see how to make your apps multilingual, capture images from a device’s camera, and work with graphics, sound, and animations too. By the end of this book, you’ll be ready to start building your own custom applications in Android and Java. Style and approach With more than 40 mini apps to code and run, Android Programming for Beginners is a hands-on guide to learning Android and Java. Each example application demonstrates a different aspect of Android programming. Alongside these mini apps, we push your abilities by building three larger applications to demonstrate Android application development in context.

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.

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.

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.

Your one-stop resource for mastering extensions and customizations in JIRA 7+ About This Book Explore the new features of JIRA 7 and best practices for agile development and integration with development tools Customize the look and feel of your JIRA UI to match your specific user needs Create seamless reports that make sense of your data through easy-to-use techniques Who This Book Is For If you are a JIRA developer or administrator, or a project manager who wants to fully exploit the exciting capabilities of JIRA, then this is the perfect book for you. What You Will Learn Create and deploy your own JIRA plugins Manipulate workflows to transform JIRA into a user-friendly system Create custom reports that show statistics for particular people, projects, versions, or other fields within issues Simplify reporting by writing your own JIRA gadgets, which can be added into a user's dashboard Master database handling by extending and retrieving custom field details from the database Deal with custom fields on an issue and program custom field option In Detail JIRA provides issue and project tracking for software development teams to improve code quality and the speed of development. With the new version of JIRA, you can create your own JIRA plugins and customize the look and feel of your JIRA UI easier than ever. JIRA Development Cookbook , Third Edition, is a one-stop resource to master extensions and customizations in JIRA. This book starts with recipes about simplifying the plugin development process followed by recipes dedicated to the plugin framework. Then, you will move on to writing custom field plugins to create new field types or custom searchers. You will also learn how to program and customize workflows to transform JIRA into a user-friendly system. With so much data spanning different projects, issues, and so on, we will cover how to work on reports and gadgets to get customized data according to our needs. At the end of the book, you will learn how to customize JIRA by adding new tabs, menus, and web items; communicate with JIRA via the REST APIs; and work with the JIRA database. Style and approach The most unique aspect of this book is its approach. This book is recipe-based, with real-world examples, that will empower you to implement agile processes and explore the exciting capabilities of Jira.

Learn how to create effective data visualizations with Tableau and unlock a smarter approach to business analytics. It might just transform your organization About This Book Create stylish visualizations and dashboards that explain complexity with clarity Learn effective data storytelling to transform how your business uses ideas and makes decisions Explore all the new features in Tableau 10 and start to redefine what business analytics means to your organization Who This Book Is For Got dataNot sure what to make of itThis is the guide for you – whether you’ve been working with Tableau for years or are just beginning your adventure into business analytics. What You Will Learn Find out how to build effective visualizations and dashboards Prepare and clean your data so you can be sure Tableau is finding answers to your questions – not raising more problems Discover how to create advanced visualizations that explain complexity with clarity and style Dig deeper into your data with clustering and distribution models that allow you to analyze trends and make forecasts Learn how to use data storytelling to aid decision-making and strategy Share dashboards and visualizations to cultivate a culture where data is available and valued In Detail Tableau has for some time been one of the most popular Business Intelligence and data visualization tools available. WhyBecause, quite simply, it’s a tool that’s responsive to the needs of modern businesses. But it’s most effective when you know how to get what you want from it – it might make your business intelligent, but it isn’t going to make you intelligent… We’ll make sure you’re well prepared to take full advantage of Tableau 10’s new features. Whether you’re an experienced data analyst that wants to explore 2016’s new Tableau, or you’re a beginner that wants to expand their skillset and bring a more professional and sharper approach to their organization, we’ve got you covered. Beginning with the fundamentals, such as data preparation, you’ll soon learn how to build and customize your own data visualizations and dashboards, essential for high-level visibility and effective data storytelling. You’ll also find out how to so trend analysis and forecasting using clustering and distribution models to inform your analytics. But it’s not just about you – when it comes to data it’s all about availability and access. That’s why we’ll show you how to share your Tableau visualizations. It’s only once insights are shared and communicated that you – and your organization – will start making smarter and informed decisions. And really, that’s exactly what this guide is for. Style and approach Practical yet comprehensive, this Tableau guide takes you from the fundamentals of the tool before diving deeper into creating advanced visualizations. Covering the latest features found in Tableau 10, this might be the guide that transforms your organization.

Leverage the power of Xamarin to create stunning cross-platform and native apps About This Book Helps you get a clear practical understanding of creating professional-grade apps with Xamarin Covers Xamarin.Forms, Xamarin Android, and Xamarin iOS If you want to transform yourself from an amateur mobile developer into a professional app developer across multiple platforms, then this is the ideal book for you Who This Book Is For If you are a mobile developer looking to create interesting and fully featured apps for different platforms, then this book is the ideal solution for you. A basic knowledge of Xamarin and C# programming is assumed What You Will Learn Discover eight different ways to create your own Xamarin applications Improve app performance by using SQLite for data-intensive applications Set up a simple web service to feed JSON data into mobile applications Store files locally with Xamarin.Forms using dependency services Use Xamarin extension libraries to create effective applications with less coding In Detail Do you want to create powerful, efficient, and independent apps from scratch that will leverage the Xamarin framework and code with C#Well, look no further; you’ve come to the right place! This is a learn-as-you-build practical guide to building eight full-fledged applications using Xamarin.Forms, Xamarin Android, and Xamarin iOS. Each chapter includes a project, takes you through the process of building applications (such as a gallery Application, a text-to-speech service app, a GPS locator app, and a stock market app), and will show you how to deploy the application’s source code to a Google Cloud Source Repository. Other practical projects include a chat and a media-editing app, as well as other examples fit to adorn any developer’s utility belt. In the course of building applications, this book will teach you how to design and prototype professional-grade applications implementing performance and security considerations. Style and approach A project-based approach that will solve all your needs when it comes to creating native Android, iOS, and cross-platform apps efficiently and effectively.

Utilize the power of modular programming to improve code readability, maintainability, and testability About This Book This book demonstrates code reusability and distributed development to get high speed, maintainable, and fast applications It illustrates the development of a complete modular application developed using PHP7 in detail This book provides a high-level overview of the Symfony framework, a set of tools and a development methodology that are needed to build a modular web shop application Who This Book Is For This step-by-step guide is divided into two sections. The first section explores all the fundamentals of modular design technique with respect to PHP 7. The latter section demonstrates the practical development of individual modules of a web shop application. What You Will Learn Discover the new features of PHP 7 that are relevant to modular application development Write manageable code based on the GoF design patterns and SOLID principles Define the application requirements of a working modular application Explore the ins and outs of the Symfony framework Build a set of modules based on the Symfony framework that comprise a simple web shop app Use core modules to set the structure and dependencies for other modules to use Set up entities that are relevant to the module functionality and see how to manage these entities In Detail Modular design techniques help you build readable, manageable, reusable, and more efficient codes. PHP 7, which is a popular open source *ing language, is used to build modular functions for your software. With this book, you will gain a deep insight into the modular programming paradigm and how to achieve modularity in your PHP code. We start with a brief introduction to the new features of PHP 7, some of which open a door to new concepts used in modular development. With design patterns being at the heart of all modular PHP code, you will learn about the GoF design patterns and how to apply them. You will see how to write code that is easy to maintain and extend over time with the help of the SOLID design principles. Throughout the rest of the book, you will build different working modules of a modern web shop application using the Symfony framework, which will give you a deep understanding of modular application development using PHP 7. Style and approach This book is for intermediate-level PHP developers with little to no knowledge of modular programming who want to understand design patterns and principles in order to better utilize the existing frameworks for modular application development.

Develop real-world applications in Windows. About This Book Create diverse applications featuring the versatility of Small Windows C++ library Learn about object-oriented programming in Windows and how to develop a large object-oriented class library in C++ Understand how to tackle application-specific problems along with acquiring a deep understanding of the workings of Windows architecture Who This Book Is For This book is for application developers who want a head-first approach into Windows programming. It will teach you how to develop an object-oriented class library in C++ and enhanced applications in Windows. Basic knowledge of C++ and the object-oriented framework is assumed to get the most out of this book. What You Will Learn Develop advanced real-world applications in Windows Design and implement a graphical object-oriented class library in C++ Get to grips with the workings of the integral aspects of the Win32 API, such as mouse input, drawing, cut-and-paste, file handling, and drop files Identify general problems when developing graphical applications as well as specific problems regarding drawing, spreadsheet, and word processing applications Implement classes, functions, and macros of the object-oriented class library developed in the book and how we implement its functionality by calling functions and macros in the Win32 API In Detail It is critical that modern developers have the right tools to build practical, user-friendly, and efficient applications in order to compete in today’s market. Through hands-on guidance, this book illustrates and demonstrates C++ best practices and the Small Windows object-oriented class library to ease your development of interactive Windows applications. Begin with a focus on high level application development using Small Windows. Learn how to build four real-world applications which focus on the general problems faced when developing graphical applications. Get essential troubleshooting guidance on drawing, spreadsheet, and word processing applications. Finally finish up with a deep dive into the workings of the Small Windows class library, which will give you all the insights you need to build your own object-oriented class library in C++. Style and approach This book takes a tutorial-style approach that will demonstrate the features of a C++ object-oriented library by developing interactive Windows applications.

Develop applications on one of the most popular platforms for IoT using Particle Photon and Electron with this fast-paced guide About This Book Get an introduction to IoT architecture, command-line build tools and applications of IoT devices and sensors Design and develop connected IoT applications using Particle Photon and Electron in a step-by-step manner, gaining an entry point into the field of IoT Get tips on troubleshooting IoT applications Who This Book Is For This book is for developers, IoT enthusiasts and hobbyists who want to enhance their knowledge of IoT machine-to-machine architecture using Particle Photon and Electron, and implement cloud-based IoT projects. What You Will Learn Setup the Particle Photon and Electron on the cloud using the command-line tools Build and deploy applications on the Photon and Electron using the Web-based IDE Setup a local cloud server to interact with Particle Photon and Electron Connect various components and sensors to Particle Photon and Electron Tinker with the existing firmware and deploy a custom firmware on the Photon and Electron Setup communication between two or more Particle Photon and Electron Debug and troubleshoot Particle Photon and Electron projects Use webhooks to communicate with various third-party server applications In Detail IoT is basically the network of physical devices, vehicles, buildings and other items—embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data.. The number of connected devices is growing rapidly and will continue to do so over years to come. By 2020, there will be more than 20 billion connected devices and the ability to program such devices will be in high demand. Particle provides prototyping boards for IoT that are easy to program and deploy. Most importantly, the boards provided by Particle can be connected to the Internet very easily as they include Wi-Fi or a GSM module. Starting with the basics of programming Particle Photon and Electron, this book will take you through setting up your local servers and running custom firmware, to using the Photon and Electron to program autonomous cars. This book also covers in brief a basic architecture and design of IoT applications. It gives you an overview of the IoT stack. You will also get information on how to debug and troubleshoot Particle Photon and Electron and set up your own debugging framework for any IoT board. Finally, you’ll tinker with the firmware of the Photon and Electron by modifying the existing firmware and deploying them to your boards. By the end of this book, you should have a fairly good understanding of the IoT ecosystem and you should be able to build standalone projects using your own local server or the Particle Cloud Server. Style and approach This project-based guide contains easy-to-follow steps to program Particle Photon and Electron. You will learn to build connected applications with the help of projects of increasing complexity, and with each project, a new concept in IoT is taught.

Develop and implement a fully-functional, systematic CRM plan with CiviCRM About This Book Develop an integrated online system that manages contacts, donations, event registrations, memberships, bulk e-mail, campaigns, case management, and other functions such as activity tracking, grant distribution, and reporting. Plan a constituency relationship management strategy with ladders of engagement that will improve how your organization realizes its mission. Use case studies and step-by-step examples to put the raw concepts into real-life terminology and build your solutions. Who This Book Is For The book is primarily for administrators tasked with implementing, configuring, maintaining, and updating CiviCRM, and staff users who are looking to better understand the tools available in order to become power users. CiviCRM is software that may be used by advocacy groups, non-profit, and non-governmental organizations, elected officials, professional and trade associations, government entities, political campaigns and parties, and other similar organizations, and this book will prove useful to all such users. What You Will Learn Install and configure your CiviCRM Analyze your current workflows and processes to translate them effectively into the CiviCRM model Build an integrated system to solicit, retain, and manage your donors and members through robust management and reporting tools for administrators Raise more money with CiviCRM with effective solicitation campaigns Market events effectively and track registrations and payments Improve communications with constituents using targeted broadcast e-mail campaigns Track ongoing communications with constituents including from Outlook and Gmail using activities and case management tools Take advantage of the many CiviCRM tools to generate both simple and complex event structures and manage registrants through every phase of the project In Detail CiviCRM provides a powerful toolbox of resources to help organizations manage relationships with constituents. It is free, open source, web-based, and geared specifically to meet the constituent relationship management needs of the not-for-profit sector. Beginning with broader questions about how your organization is structured, which existing workflows are critical to your operations, and the overarching purpose of a centralized CRM, the book proceeds step by step through configuring CiviCRM, understanding the choices when setting up the system, importing data, and exploring the breadth of tools available throughout the system. You will see how to best use this software to handle event registrations, accept and track contributions, manage paid and free memberships and sub*ions, segment contacts, send bulk e-mails with open and click-through tracking, manage outreach campaigns, and set up case management workflows that match your organization’s roles and rules. With specific emphasis on helping implementers ask the right questions, consider key principals when setting up the system, and understand usage through case studies and examples, the book comprehensively reviews the functionality of CiviCRM and the opportunities it provides. With this book, you can help your organization better achieve its mission as a charity, industry association, professional society, political advocacy group, community group, government agency, or other similar organization and position yourself to become a power user who efficiently and effectively navigates the system. Style and approach This guide is packed with step-by-step tutorials and real-life examples interspersed with practical advice and best practices on how to use CiviCRM strategically. You will be able to quickly grasp and implement the basic elements of CiviCRM before moving on to more advanced tools.

Turn your Raspberry Pi into a secret agent toolbox with this set of exciting projects About This Book Turn your Raspberry Pi into a multi-purpose secret agent gadget for audio and video surveillance, Wi-Fi exploration, or playing pranks on your friends Detect an intruder on camera or with sensors and set off an alarm or receive messages to your phone Find out what the other computers on your network are up to and make yourself anonymous on the Internet This book has been updated for new additions to your toolkit featuring the tiny, recently released Raspberry Pi Zero board Who This Book Is For This book is for those who are new to the Raspberry Pi Zero ,Raspberry Pi 2 or Raspberry Pi 3 and have some experience with the original Raspberry Pi models, and even for those budding secret agents who would like to use Pi Zero as a secret agent toolbox. No programming experience is assumed. Suitable for the novice and expert alike, each topic provides a fast and easy way to get started with exciting applications, with practical examples in every chapter. What You Will Learn Install and configure the Raspbian Jessie operating system for maximum mischief Detect an intruder with motion detection or a laser trip wire and set off an alarm Listen in to conversations from a distance over Bluetooth Distort your voice in weird and wonderful ways Track the Pi's whereabouts using GPS Connect your Pi to the mobile Internet using a 3G dongle and make yourself anonymous on the net Display secret messages and codes to fellow agents on a LED display In Detail This book is for all mischievous Raspberry Pi owners who’d like to see their computer transform into a neat spy gadget to be used in a series of practical pranks and projects. No previous skills are required to follow along, and if you’re completely new to Linux, you’ll pick up much of the basics for free. We’ll help you set up your Raspberry Pi Zero , Raspberry Pi 2 and Raspberry Pi 3 and guide you through a number of pranks and secret agent techniques that are so inconspicuous yet high on mischief. You’ll learn how to configure your operating system for maximum mischief and start exploring audio, video, or Wi-Fi techniques. We’ll show you how to record, listen, or talk to people from a distance and how to set up your own phone network. Then, you’ll plug in your webcam and set up a motion detector with an alarm and find out what the other computers on your Wi-Fi network are up to. Once you've mastered the techniques, we’ll combine them with a battery pack and GPS for the ultimate off-road spy kit. Style and Approach This easy-to-follow guide is for budding secret agents who want to create tools for mischief, stealth, and reconnaissance. It’s full of fun, practical examples and easy-to-follow recipes, guaranteeing maximum mischief for all skill levels.