I'm completely new to programming/coding/developing, but am very interested in learning how it works and am hoping to find a direction to take to get the ball rolling. I've created a series of plans and sketches for myself about how I want my app to look and function, but I'm not at all sure how to use all that's available to me on Buzztouch to create it. I'm tinkering around a bit on here, but I seem to not be able to create what I want and am left with a million new questions. I'm not stressing out, but I am hoping to find some help. I'm purposely not getting into the details of my app or what I'm trying to build, simply due to the fact that I really don't know where to start in asking questions...

Oh, whoops, I forgot to say what I'm developing on: since I have a PC and no Mac, I'm looking to create an Android app. Though, I'm not really sure if that matters at this point, since I'm nowhere near ready to compile anything. I need to build it first hahaha

First decide upon the type of menu that you will use. You have the choice of Menu Simple, Menu with Image, and Menu Buttons. If you just want to get something done, use Menu Simple. For each option in the menu, use one of the screens such as PDF Document, Quiz, Custom HTML, HTML Doc, Excel Doc, Word Doc and so on. Look for those developed by David @ buzztouch.com, since they will be free. Fill the screens with content -- and you have an app!

Hi @DoubleLive78, Excellent question! In my view writing the app down on paper is the best way to start. Then I would head down to the plugin section. Have a good read at the options for navigation menu like @Dusko wrote. Then have a good read at your options for the content plugins. This will most probably give you new ideas for exciting new content and functions. If you're stuck on anything, don't hesitate to ask. Farcat

Welcome to Buzztouch! I see you already have a couple of stars and became a member - congrats! You're well on your way to making some cool apps. Designing the app out on paper is a great best practice. What kind of screens do you have planned? If the plugins available don't seem to be a good match for what you're trying to accomplish, give us some details and I'm sure we can help you figure it out.

First off, thanks everyone for the support, I appreciate it! In regards to what @Dusko and @farcat have said, I've already done that throughout my tinkering around with what's available to me on the site. However, I find myself feeling like what I envision can't be created with the plugins. That's why I'm getting the most stuck getting things going, since the very basic essence of what I'm looking for seems to not be an option. @chris1, I'll summarize what I'm looking to create: I'm looking to make an app that both keeps master lists of things to study organized, along with little mini-lists the user will chunk out of the master lists, and also keeps you motivated to continue a regimented study routine that you decide for yourself by inputting a day to day goal for yourself. Study sessions are broken down into 20 minute chunks, which are monitored with a built-in countdown timer (which can optionally be turned off, it's really there just for ease of use since there is supposed to be a huge emphasis on 20 minute chunks for the study method this app will be used for). So with that information, I've already decided that I'll be needing screens (or tabs? How should I decide if I should use a tabbed or non-tabbed layout?) for storing the master lists to study (I figure this could be a simple menu screen that would lead to a screen for each master list as its name was clicked on the simple menu) and also a different screen for the timer settings (i.e. show/hide toggle and a start button). The timer would then be visible along the bottom of the screen as it runs, sort of like a footer in a word document, or even a header, either could work. Again, I figure the timer settings page could be a simple menu, but idk how I'd insert the countdown timer, as well as make it into a footer/header and not give it its own page. Another feature of the study method this app will be used for is that once 2 weeks pass from a study session, the student is supposed to revisit what he studied and pick out stuff he remembers and "discard" it as learned. So I want the app to keep track of how many days remain during the 2 week period, after the user indicates the date of study. At the 2 week mark, the app will notify the user (not exactly sure how just yet, but I'm kinda thinking like facebook works with their notifications) that the mini-list(s) are ready to study again. The idea behind the method is that gradually, in 2 week increments, the student will make their mini-lists smaller and smaller. Therefore, I was also thinking of a simple menu type screen for a mini-list tracker section, where it would display all mini-lists that are currently under a 2 week countdown and show how many days remain before they can be looked at again, as well as how many times they've been studied since the first study session of the given mini-list. Since I realize I've written a ton already, and it may not make clear sense to you guys, I'll stop there for now. These are the "easier" screens/tabs I'm looking to create. The home screen is the only other screen in the app (aside from a basic options screen that will really only be used for sound toggling), but it's definitely a different format than the above screens, in that it won't be a menu. So I can get into that later. Thanks again for the help!

Now it is much clearer. You will need a special plugin for this kind of programming request. That is why computer programs are now called applications -- a shorthand for "computer programming applied to a concrete problem at hand". It is quite unlikely that there will ever be a general plugin of this type on the market. General plugins cater to general needs of the majority of users of a given platform, so that the developer can sell to as many people as possible. What you have envisioned is quite specific, so someone will have to write it anew according to your specifications. Now let us see who that could be. You are the most obvious candidate, since you know what you want and -- more importantly -- why you want it. Learning computer programming is doable but will require perseverance and patience in the beginning. We are looking here at a couple of months of your learning experience in the least. The other option is to engage a developer, preferably someone from the buzztouch forum, since we here tend to know our platform well. You will have to pay for it, of course, if you would like to see your app up and running within a few weeks. Within this approach, you will also have to choose between two technical possibilities. One is to keep all the data on the Android device only, meaning that you will want a developer who is versatile with Android developement but need not know anything else. The other approach is to keep your data "in the cloud", which means on an independent server somewhere on the Internet, which will in turn require the developer to use PHP as well as the Android specific tools. In the former approach (all the data on the mobile device exclusively), once you publish the app in the app stores, you would be able to change it only by creating a new version of the app. In the latter approach, you publish your app once and then you change its data through the cloud. Which approach would work better for your app remains to be seen and will depend on the design of the app and so on.

@Duscko, wow, that may be the most concise, easy-to-understand explanation for a beginner I've heard yet. Very helpful.

@shenry You are welcome!