Code, Push, Deploy with JitPack

Recently, I released a Java connector for Appygram, available on GitHub in ready-to-use JAR format.  A useful library, for sure, but one glaring omission was the fact that it wasn't available via the popular means of Gradle or Maven.  That, for many, makes it not-so-useful.  Since, for now, I'm the only one working on this connector, having a publishing process that is fast and easy for me is important.

Enter JitPack.

JitPack (currently in Beta) is a package repository for GitHub that builds your GitHub projects on demand and publishes them, ready to download and use via the aforementioned popular means.

For me, this meant adding a pom.xml build file to my project, tagging my latest release, and pushing to GitHub.  Done.  Once I'm finished with my next round of coding and updates, I can do:

git commit
git push
git tag -a 1.0.3 -m "1.0.3"
git push origin 1.0.3

And now, my code is available to the JitPack package repository for everyone to use immediately.

If you're a developer looking for a fast and easy way to get your code available, try JitPack.  It's an interesting approach to skipping the build process and getting code assets available in a way that's easy for users, while being convenient to developers.  Tools like that are definitely gold!

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Carl Scott
Software Developer, Solertium Corporation

Give Your App A Voice With Appygram4J

Communication is key in any relationship, and if you're a software developer, that includes the relationship between you, your customer, and your software.  What are your users saying about your app and their experience? What statistics can you collect from your app to provide a better experience?  And, most importantly, how can you ensure that the right people are getting the necessary information to help?

Enter Appygram.

Appygram, simply put, is a message routing service that directs all types of communication from your application or service to the right people and/or places.  Appygram allows you to manage this routing through a web interface, so you can make changes on the fly without requiring end-user updates.  The types of communication captured are entirely up to the developer, so anything from feedback messages, user polls, questionnaires, application exceptions, notifications, and all in between can be captured and routed using Appygram.

If you're a Java or Android developer and eager to integrate this service in your software, I have released a connector library, Appygram4J 1.0, available on Github.  To start, this library provides objects and simple calls you can use to send messages from your software to Appygram, and all you need to begin is an Appygram API key.

If you haven't already, you can start using Appygram today with prices starting from free at http://appygram.com, then you can grab Appygram4J here:

https://github.com/GoGoCarl/appygram4j/releases/tag/v1.0.1

If you're using other languages, such as Ruby or Node, you can also grab those connector libraries for Appygram as well.

Here's to better communication!  Have you tried Appygram or Appygram4J already?  What do you use it for?  Feel free to comment below with questions, comments, or suggestions.

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Carl Scott
Software Developer, Solertium Corporation