App Examples using App Inventor

  • Experiment with app examples that align with your solution idea

These are the activities for this lesson:

DIVE DEEPER

You are at a point now that you want to start coding your app.

Maybe you already have started!

Or perhaps you’re not quite sure how to combine the components you think you need to make your app work.

We’ve come up with a list of app types or categories that many Technovation projects fall into. The tutorials are examples for you to follow and learn from. They won’t show you exactly how to build your app (that’s no fun!) but they will hopefully give you an idea of how to use particular App Inventor features. It’s then up to you to transfer that knowledge into your project.

It’s not easy, but that’s what learning is all about!

scuba diver looking down

WHERE TO FIND HELP

Search Online

Google (or alternate search engine) "App Inventor" and whatever feature you want. For example, you might Google "App Inventor quiz" if you wanted to make an app that quizzed users on a topic.

App Inventor bee logo

App Inventor website

Lots of great resources provided by MIT. Start with App Inventor tutorials but check out the rest of the website for great resources.

Forum Help

Community forum for App Inventor users is a friendly place to post a question and get some expert help!

Youtube

App Inventor has their own channel with lots of great tutorials.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is great at helping with coding questions, even block-based coding platforms like App Inventor. You won't get visual blocks but very good text-based answers

Sign up for a Technovation coach

Technovation Coaches

Did you know you can get personal help from a Technovation coach? Your team can sign up for a one hour session to ask questions and get help with your app.

ACTIVITY: COMPLETE A TUTORIAL

Estimated time: 60 minutes

Follow a tutorial that aligns with your project

  1. Choose one example app below that has some of the features of your solution app.
  2. Complete the tutorial, bearing in mind that the app may not be exactly like your app.
  3. Use the experience to learn more about the components and how they can be used within an app.

Click on an app to access the corresponding tutorial.

Login App
location app screen
Location App
green tracking app
Tracking App
Forum app screen
Forum App

Login App

This tutorial shows you one way to add signup/login capability to your app using the CloudDB component. You can then add the critical features to your app that actually solve your problem.

Location App

This app is a good example of using the Map component to provide location-based information to users. In this case, volunteer opportunities. The app also uses WebViewer to display website information, and PhoneCall so the user can call volunteer organizations from the app.

Part 1 – add Map, Markers, and basic information

Part 2 – add second screen to display website and make phone calls

Tracking App

This app is an example of storing a user’s personal information on their phone using TinyDB so they can track something – in this case, how green they are acting.

Optional: 

Part 2 Add consecutive day tracking 

Part 3 (advanced) – Test using “Do it” to force date changes

Forum App

This app uses CloudDB to allow users to share information between each other – in this case, forum messages. It’s part of a larger app about diabetes, but you can just focus on the forum features.

Other parts of the full app tutorial are included for reference.

Here is the full playlist for the diabetes app tutorial.

The full app includes an information screen as well as user signup/login and the forum.

REFLECTION

The example apps in this lesson provide some features that you may have decided to include in your mobile app. Chances are they are not exactly like your app.

Consider these questions:

Italian bridge reflection
How is the example app similar to your solution?
What is different?
What have you learned in this lesson that you can apply when coding your own app?
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