Chapter 1: Getting Started

So what's Titanium?

Titanium is a rapid web application development platform that utilises the best of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to develop quick and dynamic applications.

The framework also has advanced scripting support for both Python and Ruby, with access to both the Titanium framework itself and the DOM.

You may have heard of (or used) Adobe AIR, and there's no hiding that Titanium is a very similar framework in a number of ways. The things that set it apart from Adobe's AIR include:

• The framework is released under the free/open source Apache license, for ultimate compatibility with your workflow, and infinite extensibility.
• Your existing skills in Python or Ruby are immediately useful, without needing to learn Flash or Actionscript.
• Cloud publishing features to compile and publish your application for multiple platforms.
• ...

How it all works.

Essentially, you can use your favourite back-end and front-end technologies seamlessly to create desktop web applications with little prior knowledge.

A Titanium application generally consists of a number of "resources" including HTML, CSS, Javascript, Python and Ruby scripts, images, sounds, and any other resources you require.

The application uses these resources in conjunction with a specialised Webkit-based client to create a professional, OS independent application.

If you're familiar with developing client side web applications for the web, you can transfer your skills to the desktop with relative ease.

What you can do with Titanium

We've already seen a multitude of interesting web/desktop mash-ups in recent years, but Titanium makes it possible to take that a step further.

The use of web markup languages makes it easy to rapidly prototype and implement applications, even basing portions on your existing web application.

The extensive API helps to bring more of the desktop to the web. Key features include:

• Advanced filesystem features allow you to read and manage files in a more web-independent way.
• Internal SQLite database makes storing local data a simple task.
• Advanced network features allow you to go beyond simple comparatively AJAX or JSON functionality. While all of this is still available, the Titanium API allows you to interface with HTTP at a much lower level, or even open socket connections to other services manually.
• Titanium includes wrappers around standard OS features such as notifications, tray icons, and window menus so you can create more natural applications for all the major systems.

Now you're convinced that Titanium is the framework for you, let's head to Chapter 2 and learn all about how to set up and get started with the Titanium Developer tool.