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Building 'Real-time' Applications Using Web-Sockets

In a typical web-application the client makes a request to the server and the server responds. The server cannot send information to any client unless the client first requests it. However, in 'real-time' applications the server maintains a connection to the client and there is a two way channel for sending and receiving messages. When the server, or any of the connected clients, sends a message, the message is broadcast to all of the connected clients and an event will be triggered on each client when a message is received. The event handler can choose to handle the message, or to ignore it. A common pattern (which is discouraged because it does not scale) is to use timer events on a Grid or UX to make periodic callbacks to the server to see if there is any 'new information' that is of interest to the client. Real-time applications built on web-sockets are much more efficient than the pattern of executing Ajax callbacks on a timer. This video demonstrates how a real-time application can be built using Alpha Anywhere. The video demonstrates a chat application where any client can post a message that is instantly seen by all of the other clients.

Video: Web-sockets Overview


This feature is now in beta and available to current Alpha Anywhere subscribers by downloading the latest pre-release build. Become an Alpha Anywhere subscriber Now.
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About Author

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Chris Conroy

Chris Conroy runs digital programs for Alpha Software.


The Alpha platform is the only unified mobile and web app development and deployment environment with distinct “no-code” and “low-code” components. Using the Alpha TransForm no-code product, business users and developers can take full advantage of all the capabilities of the smartphone to turn any form into a mobile app in minutes, and power users can add advanced app functionality with Alpha TransForm's built-in programming language. IT developers can use the Alpha Anywhere low-code environment to develop complex web or mobile business apps from scratch, integrate data with existing systems of record and workflows (including data collected via Alpha TransForm), and add additional security or authentication requirements to protect corporate data.

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