Lately I've been thinking quite a bit about what scratch would look like on a phone. Some of my fondest memories in school was programming on my trusty TI-83 calculator during class. So far nothing I've found comes close to that experience for a phone. Without a doubt it would be difficult to pull off with such limited screen space, but I couldn't help myself from trying out some ideas. This is totally just for fun as a thought experiment, but I figured I'd share them on the forums in case anyone was interested.

To kick off the thread, here is an animation I made depicting a possible flow for script-editing:


The block-chooser is accessed by swiping from the left of the screen. You can jump to a category via the colored icons to the right of the tray. Once a block has been selected, the tray automatically retracts allowing you to place the block where you want in your script. To make things easier on mobile, scripts can only be assembled vertically (no placing of blocks out of line). Playing a project would need to be modal - no being able to view the canvas and edit scripts at the same time.

That design is great! I hope someone makes it.
I also love the animation. What did you use to make it?

Thanks, I made the animations and design in photoshop.

Provided Scratch allowed it, my development studio could actually handle it (we've published iOS apps and have plenty commercial experience) - but somehow I doubt that would be something they'd consider.

The best part about this is that it looks like, and behaves like an iPhone app. If something like this came out in the future I would use it.

fezzinate wrote:

Thanks, I made the animations and design in photoshop.

Provided Scratch allowed it, my development studio could actually handle it (we've published iOS apps and have plenty commercial experience) - but somehow I doubt that would be something they'd consider.

Well you can't use “Scratch” in the name or the Scratch cat. Other than that, it should be alright.

Add it for android 2 <3

The ST *is* in the process of developing a Scratch app for iPad, so they might be interested in this. Also, have you seen pocket code? It's a Scratch-like app for android with a similar design. http://pocketcode.org

Also, that design is beautiful, well done!

technoboy10 wrote:

The ST *is* in the process of developing a Scratch app for iPad, so they might be interested in this. Also, have you seen pocket code? It's a Scratch-like app for android with a similar design. http://pocketcode.org

Also, that design is beautiful, well done!

I'm just going to repeat the above. Here is the Google Play link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.catrobat.catroid. It's definitely something anyone interested in Mobile Scratch should look at.

Unfortunately, this cannot work (at least on iOS via native code). Apple's App Store states that apps may NOT interpret or compile code at active runtime. Meaning Scratch, by interpreting code, won't be accepted on the App Store. The same thing happened with the official Scratch project player, as it interprets Scratch projects (and that, by Apple, is considered code).

Go Everywhere, the project my team was working on (until we got to a choke-point :-/ ), is made using HTML5. To get this on iOS, we use web apps; a website you add to your home screen as an app. It has full screen (no Safari overhead), custom launcher icon & splash screen, and even the ability to work offline.

If you really want to make this, it's going to have to be made using Web Apps. You could use Google's new material-design (or whatever they called it; the JS library that makes smooth animations and interfaces at 60fps no matter what), you could use Canvas, or what GE does and plain old HTML5 elements w/ jQuery UI.

Android, however, don't have this restriction. You could make the web app for iPhone, and on Android use PhoneGap to submit the app into the app store.

Yeah apple does have that policy, but they tend to selectively enforce it (there are a number of BASIC interpreters currently on the app store). I have an Apple contact who I'll be talking with to see if they'd allow something like this or what would need to happen to allow for it. But like you said, even if it's not allowed, going via the browser is a viable option - and the route I had intended in my mind.

Also I think Apple must have changed their stance just a bit, because, y'know, Scratch Jr.

technoboy10 wrote:

Also I think Apple must have changed their stance just a bit, because, y'know, Scratch Jr.

^that

MrFlash67 wrote:

technoboy10 wrote:

Also I think Apple must have changed their stance just a bit, because, y'know, Scratch Jr.

^that

Dynamic ART has been on the App Store for a while now. There is also Pyonkee.
I can't think of any reason why it shouldn't be accepted.

Nice design!!

Love it!

If you were wondering if there is a “mobile scratch”, check out Pyonkee. It is Scratch 1.4 for iPad, but sadly not iPhone.

ZoruaAl wrote:

If you were wondering if there is a “mobile scratch”, check out Pyonkee. It is Scratch 1.4 for iPad, but sadly not iPhone.

Please don't necropost.

CatsUnited wrote:

ZoruaAl wrote:

If you were wondering if there is a “mobile scratch”, check out Pyonkee. It is Scratch 1.4 for iPad, but sadly not iPhone.

Please don't necropost.

I saw a post by “Magnie” and was so confused… then I looked at the date.

bump

TurtleLegos wrote:

bump

Why did you bump this?