This is an email I sent to the generic mail box - maybe someone here can assist as well, because wow, I am pretty tech savvy, but this is confusing! Thanks! I am thoroughly confused. I tried to start at buzztouch U, but the basic lessons claim to be "coming soon". Then, I tried to fiddle around with screens to see if I can build something basic - just an place holder, an start for fun. No screens are created though. Do I have to add my own images? I dont even see where to do that.... and what size should those images be to start with? I probably should install plugins, but do I have to pay for plugins to do even an basic build? Then it says to contact the appropriate team member for information, but given i have no clue what team member that is - well... Hmm? Your app builder left me scratching my head - hopefully it gets better from here. Malene Comes

Hi Malene, Welcome to Buzztouch! I'm sorry that things are starting off rough, but if you hang in there, I'm sure you'll be impressed with what you can do here! Are you developing for Apple, Android, or both? Some of the plugins will be free (the basic ones that you can totally use to construct an app), but some of the more advanced ones will cost. To be honest, I'd ignore the Buzztouch U videos. They're eventually going away anyway, and they'll just confuse you at this point. I do have a YouTube channel with some videos that might help: https://www.youtube.com/user/gonorthwest In a nutshell, what you do is piece together plugins in your Control Panel that become screens for your app. In order to see it all work, you have to download your project files, compile them in either Xcode or Android Studio, and then run it in am emulator or on an actual device. Sounds complicated, but I can assure you that people from all walks of life have made it happen! This forum is the absolute best place to get your questions answered, so keep them coming. Oh, and also check out the How To section of the site...there are tons of guides there. Looking forward to helping you get your first app up and running! Again, welcome to Buzztouch! Mark

Thank you Mark. Susan with technical support convinced me to give you guys an serious whirl. I need an lot of flexibility in my wysiwyg, and that always makes it an little harder to create "stuff". I am fairly technically savvy so should be able to teach myself ok. I do wish their help files were better though. I will take an look at your tutorials too. Eventually I plan to develop for both IOS and Android, but since I only have android and windows devices right now I plan to start there. Clearly I will have to learn gimp too to create my own art work. *sigh*.

Susan is a great resource, and a good friend of mine! Between her, me, and the rest of the community (which is the best on the internet, bar none), you'll have tons of great help! One thing to consider, and this is what makes Buzztouch so awesome: if you create a very basic app (say one or two plugins), when you create your project package, make sure to include ALL the plugins that are available to you. Then, when you compile your app and test it on a device or emulator, you have the flexibility to add screens (plugins) in your control panel, and have them show up IMMEDIATELY in your app! That way you can test out new things, and only have to compile once! This doesn't apply, however, to any media (images, files, etc) that you want to include with the app itself when you distribute it...those need to be compiled when you add them. GIMP isn't too hard to learn, but don't forget a Google images search. There is a TON of open source imagery out there...no sense in creating something that might already exist. Don't hesitate to give us a shout when you need some help! Mark

Thanks Mark!