I'm self-hosting and I'm wondering what are the best practices for using images in my app. Online? Store them within the BT images folder? Pros? Cons? Bruce

Hi @trailman, I believe images folder and of course referencing them all in the package is the best approach and using online for backup. LA

Hi Bruce, My personal opinion is the more you can include with your app, the better. Because, if it's not included in the app, it has to be downloaded, and that may cause people to get charged for data usage, which would not be cool. I think people would be more willing to invest the time in a longer download/install of the app because it has a bigger size (and would most likely use wireless), than trying to do it all over the cell network on a piece by piece basis. And, if the image is static...meaning it's not likely to change often (or never), then there really isn't a compelling reason to put that online instead of within the app. For me, it's all about providing a fast, always available app. Local media loads faster than stuff you have to download, and it's also available when the app is offline. Nobody likes to see the spinner when interacting with an app, unless they know it's updating very dynamic content like news articles. At least that's my perception. Just my two cents! Mark

Thank you for the thoughtful responses. I was under the impression that the images were downloaded or cached for later usage when using online images. Anyway, I'm going to include the graphics that are least likely to change, in other words anything that is content for the app I will include. Anything that is advertiser content (video, location, about, etc...) I should probably keep online because then I can refresh it anytime I want. That brings up the question: If I make changes, let's say add a new advertiser and all her content and I include it in the app (instead of on my server) won't I have to upload the apk's to market or the app store when I make changes to the app? Bruce

They are indeed supposed to be downloaded and cached for later usage when using online images. But that only happens after the person has made the first request for that media...it doesn't happen automatically just by opening the app. If you make changes to the app that change the overall package...things included with the app...then you would have to do an app store update. If the changes are just online resources, then no need. Mark

So if I include an image in the app itself and I want to change it, wouldn't I have to upload an update to the app store?

If you include an image in the app itself, and you want to change it, you have two options: * In the control panel, change the reference from a local image to a URL image. No update to the store required, however users won't see it until they perform and app refresh. * Swap out the images in the app, recompile and submit a new version to the store. Users would get the new image when they update the app via the store. Mark

Let me get this straight. There are 3 ways to work with images. Please correct me if I'm wrong here. 1. Include them in the BT_Images folder locally. (Which requires updating the app to the app stores) 2. Upload to the File Manager in the Self-Hosted option. (Will the images be downloaded with this method?) 3. Use a URL to link to an image on a server somewhere. (Which only requires a refresh, but can be possibly slow over cellular networks.)

Actually, only #1 and #3 are correct, though you could use the File Manager to accomplish #3. The File Manager is just a repository for your media...when you download the source for your app, nothing in File Manager comes with it. However, you can link to that media via a URL, as you want to in #3. Here's a video that explains File Manager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEFMUVfxreU Mark

Thanks for the clarification. I'm getting how this works more and more. b

Awesome! The more we talk about it, the more we learn! Keep the questions coming. Mark

Are there any gotchas that I need to know about with the placement of these images in the BT_Images folder? I assume one for the IOS folder and the same image for the Android folder Do I have to update the config data all the time? b

Hi Bruce, For iOS, images go into BT_Art in v2.0, and res > drawable for Android. If they are part of an HTML doc, then they need to go into BT_Docs along with the HTML doc itself. Remember that Android uses the a-z0-9 naming convention, which means no caps, strange characters or spaces. If you want to use the same image for both Android and iOS, stick to the Android naming convention. If you are going to use an image with the app, when you specify it in the control panel, that will change the config data automatically. Before you go to build the app to submit to the store as an update, make sure you sync the local and control panel copies of the config file, and you'll be fine! Mark

Ok, great! On a similar note. I bought these Glyphocean icons for the buttons in the tabbed menu but they don't look right. They're all soft and blocky, if you know what I mean. Do I have to do something to these icons to make them look correct? I did see a link to a tutorial in one of the forums on BT that addresses the proper setup for these icons but I can't find it anymore. Any ideas?

Those are pretty nice icons! I haven't much experience with tab icons beyond what buzztouch has supplied in the past, but at the very least, I think they should be png files, and scaled down from the highest resolution you can use. People like @MGoBlue and @MacApple have more image experience than I do with custom icons...perhaps a PM to them would get some help? I'll see if I can find any references in the forums to help out. Mark

I got 'em through an appsumo deal. They were like $27 or something like that. I'll pm those guys. Thanks again Mark