Hi this is the daily overpass. My name is Eric
and I make apps.
Now today I want to talk about why even if you can't read the code
you should still learn how to build it.
All right. So I know a lot of you guys out there are software developers
but today I want to talk to people who are not software developers they're not coders
but they're still putting apps on on to the App Store.
So they're hiring somebody else being a software company
or a freelancer to do the code for them
and handing over the code. So today I want to give you a little bit of advice which is something I've learned myself
and also a lot of my clients have learned in the past which is this.
When you get your code from the developer even if you don't know what it means
you should still learn how to build it.
You should still know how to compile it and to release it to the App Store.
Right. And there's a few reasons for this.
The first one is that sometimes you're just going to have to release the app again without making any
changes to it especially on the Apple side.
So you're going to have to go through and release a new binary even if you just want to change the title
a little bit change the key words change the screen shots for some reason Apple
still requires that you upload a new binary
with that build you can't use an old binary.
I don't know why.
And this is kind of a hassle to have to go back to the developers
and do it yet. They're probably working on something else.
You have to pay them you have to wait for them is something you should learn how to do on your own
and sometimes even on the Android side.
If the grade file files set up a certain way you could just recompile it will update some
of the libraries it depends on how they're specified in the grade
or file type. The second reason that you should be able to do it is a lot of the times when you
get the code you're missing something so you're missing some sort of dependency
rate. Then I've done this. Well I've met
with lots of clients before with it.
We're looking to take over their project then say
and say Do you have the source code. No they'll rummage through things almost like to go through an old drawer
as they go through file folders. I think I have the source code here somewhere
and then I'll start showing me things. Is this the source code
and the like. No that's like a log file that looks like exported log file
or something like. You are blossum right so you're going through you trying to find where the code is
and when you finally get the code you're trying to run it you realize missing the keys store file
or something like that.
So it's easy or it could be a bit difficult.
You'd never know if you're missing something if you don't test out whether
or not you could build it yourself. It could be very very difficult to do.
This is something that I do back a lot of projects. So we have developers working on things
and sometimes my role is to just check over the code, right. So I'm not writing it.
I'm not writing it myself but I'm just checking to make sure it looks good.
When I trust developers it is pretty easy.
Yeah it looks like it's doing what it should do doing
but when I try to build that myself to make sure that I can deploy to the App Store
too that's when I realize I'm missing all kinds of dependency especially
on the on the code over frameworks
or even react native are missing that whatever the Babel libraries
or something. I have the wrong version
or the developer has an updated version there.
And this is where it gets really messy. This is where it is like it just takes too long.
At this point where they hand over the code where the developer is still there
and I could say hey you know.
This isn't working and getting this error where you think it is.
I mean I could research it myself but you know were did therefore they had been through it too.
So they could say oh yeah I forgot to include this one.
This dependency in the package Digex file already everything like that.
I can you know if there's one thing we know happens to developers all the time is that we get hit
by buses right. For some reasons every client I've ever spoke to says Eric
what are we going to do if you get hit by a bus.
Right now I'm thinking man I'm more concerned
with my family than with this project. And then I imagine being on my deathbed saying
that bitbucket password is pineapple ninety three dollars sign
but instead of E's we use threes
and somebody's shaking me and is it lower case.
That's not going to happen so he should make sure that you have all the code in the best way to know if you have
everything you need is to be able to compile it.
Now I thought about doing a tutorial on how to build an android in an iPhone app
but there are so many different ways and I know because I deal
with this all the time. If you doing it in Xcode it's going up to
the product and archiving just uploading.
I know a lot of develop and there are even developers there were people who would hire developers
they knew how to build the Xcode because they had to redo changed key words all the time for the ASO
afterwards. They don't know what the code does
but they're able to upload it right.
So if you use Android's studio you could do it through Android's studio user grade
or command line. If you're using on Ionic and Cordova build Android
build IOS. All this kind of stuff
or Chrome SDK.
So there's lots of different ways to do it in the best time to learn how to do it as soon as you're developer gives
you the code is to say. Can you show me how to build this.
It might be a little bit technical and you're developer will hate you for asking this question because
it's like it might be kind of difficult with you going back for all these questions like you know what does
it mean missing it the wrong Babel version
or what. I don't have the right Node version
or whatever but that's the time to figure this kind of stuff out.
So you might disagree with me if you're a developer
but I just I find that a lot of the times the clients they don't know they're
missing something or they did get something from the developers they may have fallen out
with the developers of the developers may have gone out of business got a job they no longer answering
emails whatever and they just don't have everything they need because they didn't run that local test
to make sure that they compile anything. So let me know if you disagree
with me and hopefully that's helpful for those of you who are going to hire a developer
or hire developers in the past just make sure you could do that.
There is little that I give you on Windows and you're trying to compile for iPhone.
That's not going to work but I mean in other cases you should just try to make sure that you have
everything there so quick that is it for today.
I'll talk to you guys again tomorrow.