Near Field Communication with Android Cookbook. Discover the endless possibilities of using Android NFC capabilities to enhance your apps through over 60 practical recipes

Vitor Subtil

Inkscape Beginner's Guide. Create attractive layout designs, logos, brochures, icons, and more using the Inkscape vector graphics editor

Bethany Hiitola

Learning to use Inkscape, an exciting open-source vector graphics program, broadens your software toolkit as a graphic designer. Using practical, real-world examples, you'll learn everything about the software and its capabilities so you'll be able to design anything from logos to websites.Inkscape Beginner's Guide is a practical step-by-step guide for learning this exciting vector graphics software. Not only will it take you through each menu item and toolbar, but you will also learn about creating complex shapes, text styling, filters, working with images, extensions, and the XML editoróall using real world examples.The book starts with an overview of vector graphics and how best to use them when designing for digital and print mediums. Then we install Inkscape and start learning all the ins and outs of the software. You'll build your first vector graphic while learning best practices for using layers, and build simple and complex objects with shapes and paths that will ultimately become exciting graphics to be used in your designs. Beyond designing sample logos and brochures while learning the software, you'll also learn how to use filters, install and use extensions, and the ins-and-outs of SVG and the XML Editor in Inkscape.

Full Stack Development with Angular and GraphQL. Learn to build scalable monorepo and a complete Angular app using Apollo, Lerna, and GraphQL

Ahmed Bouchefra

GraphQL is an alternative to traditional REST technology for querying Web APIs. Together with Angular and TypeScript, it provides a tech stack option for building future-proof web applications that are robust and maintainable at any scale.This book leverages the potential of cutting-edge technologies like GraphQL and Apollo and helps Angular developers add it to their stack. Starting with introducing full-stack development, you will learn to create a monorepo project with Lerna and NPM Workspaces. You will then learn to configure Node.js-based backend using GraphQL, Express, and Apollo Server. The book will demonstrate how to build professional-looking UIs with Angular Material. It will then show you how to create Web APIs for your frontend with GraphQL. All this in a step-by-step manner. The book covers advanced topics such as local state management, reactive variables, and generating TypeScript types using the GraphQL scheme to develop a scalable codebase.By the end of this book, you'll have the skills you need to be able to build your full-stack application.

ReactJS by Example - Building Modern Web Applications with React. Building Modern Web Applications with React

Prathamesh Sonpatki, Vipul A M

ReactJS is an open-source JavaScript library that brings the power of reactive programming to web applications and sites. It aims to address the challenges encountered in developing single-page applications, and is intended to help developers build large, easily scalable and changing web apps.Starting with a project on Open Library API, you will be introduced to React and JSX before moving on to learning about the life cycle of a React component. In the second project, building a multi-step wizard form, you will learn about composite dynamic components and perform DOM actions. You will also learn about building a fast search engine by exploring server-side rendering in the third project on a search engine application. Next, you will build a simple frontpage for an e-commerce app in the fourth project by using data models and React add-ons. In the final project you will develop a complete social media tracker by using the flux way of defining React apps and know about the best practices and use cases with the help of ES6 and redux.By the end of this book, you will not only have a good understanding of ReactJS but will also have built your very own responsive frontend applications from scratch.

OpenStack Object Storage (Swift) Essentials. Design, implement, and successfully manage your cloud storage using OpenStack Swift

Kris Rajana, Sreedhar Varma, Amar Kapadia, Shilla Saebi

Moodle 2.0 First Look. Discover what's new in Moodle 2.0, how the new features work, and how it will impact you

Mary Cooch, Moodle Trust

Moodle is currently the world's most popular E-learning platform. The long-awaited second version of Moodle is now available and brings with it greatly improved functionality. If you are planning to upgrade your site to Moodle 2.0 and want to be up-to-date with the latest developments, then this book is for you.This book takes an in-depth look at all of the major new features in Moodle 2.0 and how it differs from previous Moodle versions. It highlights changes to the standard installation and explains the new features with clear screenshots, so you can quickly take full advantage of Moodle 2.0. It also assists you in upgrading your site to Moodle 2.0, and will give you the confidence to make the move up to Moodle 2.0, either as an administrator or a course teacher.With its step-by-step introduction to the new features of Moodle 2.0, this book will leave you confident and keen to get your own courses up and running on Moodle 2.0. It will take you on a journey from basic navigation to advanced administration, looking at the changes in resource management and activity setup along the way. It will show you new ways tutors and students can control the pace of their learning and introduce you to the numerous possibilities for global sharing and collaborating now available in Moodle 2.0

Artificial Intelligence for Robotics. Build intelligent robots using ROS 2, Python, OpenCV, and AI/ML techniques for real-world tasks - Second Edition

Francis X. Govers III, Dr. Kamesh Namuduri

Unlock the potential of your robots by enhancing their perception with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. From neural networks to computer vision, this second edition of the book equips you with the latest tools, new and expanded topics such as object recognition and creating artificial personality, and practical use cases to create truly smart robots.Starting with robotics basics, robot architecture, control systems, and decision-making theory, this book presents systems-engineering methods to design problem-solving robots with single-board computers. You'll explore object recognition using YOLO and genetic algorithms to teach your robot to identify and pick up objects, leverage natural language processing to give your robot a voice, and master neural networks to classify and separate objects and navigate autonomously, before advancing to guiding your robot arms using reinforcement learning and genetic algorithms. The book also covers path planning and goal-oriented programming to prioritize your robot's tasks, showing you how to connect all software using Python and ROS 2 for a seamless experience.By the end of this book, you'll have learned how to transform your robot into a helpful assistant with NLP and give it an artificial personality, ready to tackle real-world tasks and even crack jokes.

Web API Development with ASP.NET Core 8. Learn techniques, patterns, and tools for building high-performance, robust, and scalable web APIs

Xiaodi Yan

Web API applications have become increasingly significant in recent years, fueled by the ever-accelerating pace of technological advancements. However, with this rapid evolution comes the need to create web API apps that are not only functional but also adaptable, maintainable, and scalable to meet the demands of users and businesses alike. This book draws from the author’s immense technical expertise and decades of experience in software development to help you address this challenge head-on, equipping you with the knowledge and skills required to develop web API apps from scratch.By providing a deeper understanding of the various protocols implemented by ASP.NET Core, including RESTful, SignalR (WebSocket), gRPC, and GraphQL, supplemented by practical examples and optimization techniques, such as using middleware, testing, caching, and logging, this book offers invaluable insights for both newcomers as well as seasoned developers to meet modern web development requirements. Additionally, you’ll discover how to use cloud platforms such as Azure and Azure DevOps to enhance the development and operational aspects of your application.By the end of this book, you’ll be fully prepared to undertake enterprise-grade web API projects with confidence, harnessing the latest advancements in ASP.NET Core 8 to drive innovation.

ArcGIS Blueprints. Explore the robust features of Python to create real-world ArcGIS applications through exciting, hands-on projects

Eric Pimpler

This book is an immersive guide to take your ArcGIS Desktop application development skills to the next levelIt starts off by providing detailed description and examples of how to create ArcGIS Desktop Python toolboxes that will serve as containers for many of the applications that you will build. We provide several practical projects that involve building a local area/community map and extracting wildfire data. You will then learn how to build tools that can access data from ArcGIS Server using the ArcGIS REST API. Furthermore, we deal with the integration of additional open source Python libraries into your applications, which will help you chart and graph advanced GUI development; read and write JSON, CSV, and XML format data sources; write outputs to Google Earth Pro, and more. Along the way, you will be introduced to advanced ArcPy Mapping and ArcPy Data Access module techniques and use data-driven Pages to automate the creation of map books.Finally, you will learn advanced techniques to work with video and social media feeds. By the end of the book, you will have your own desktop application without having spent too much time learning sophisticated theory.

Instant Edublogs. Set up your blog, develop a thriving community of readers, and reach out to your students

Jason T. Bedell

Blogging is a way of publicly thinking and sharing. It allows us to connect with others, crystallize our thoughts, and get authentic feedback from others in education – parents, students, and educators from all over the world. This translates into becoming an effective practitioner. Edublogs allows you to build a platform where you can share your life and knowledge with others. Connect with other educators and support each other as you grow together.Instant Edublogs will show you how to start a blog and improve it with powerful plugins. It then goes into detail about how to choose and customize engaging themes, write and manage posts, and even more. It will delve into the most advanced features that Edublogs offers and help you start blogging collectively with your students.Instant Edublogs takes a systemic and step-by-step approach from the very beginning. It will show you how to start a blog, and choose a title and theme. It then moves onto the more advanced features, such as utilizing plugins for specialized functionality and growing readership through social media. This book also gives you tips and ideas on how to reach out to your students so that they can reap the benefits of community and public writing. Follow this book to become a pro at blogging with Edublogs.

iOS 14 Programming for Beginners. Get started with building iOS apps with Swift 5.3 and Xcode 12 - Fifth Edition

Ahmad Sahar

If you're looking to work and experiment with powerful iOS 14 features such as widgets and App Clips to create your own apps, this iOS programming guide is for you. The book offers a comprehensive introduction for experienced programmers who are new to iOS, taking you through the entire process of learning the Swift language, writing your own apps, and publishing them on the App Store.Fully updated to cover the new iOS 14 features, along with Xcode 12 and Swift 5.3, this fifth edition of iOS 14 Programming for Beginners starts with an introduction to the Swift programming language and shows you how to accomplish common programming tasks with it. You'll then start building the user interface (UI) of a complete real-world app using the storyboards feature in the latest version of Xcode and implement the code for views, view controllers, data managers, and other aspects of mobile apps. The book will also help you apply iOS 14 features to existing apps and introduce you to SwiftUI, a new way to build apps for all Apple devices. Finally, you’ll set up testers for your app and understand what you need to do to publish your app on the App Store.By the end of this book, you'll not only be well versed in writing and publishing applications, but you’ll also be able to apply your iOS development skills to enhance existing apps.

Learning JavaScript Robotics. Design, build, and program your own remarkable robots with JavaScript and open source hardware

Kassandra Perch

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009: Professional Reporting. Discover all the tips and tricks for Dynamics NAV report building

Steven Renders, Steven Renders

Microsoft Dynamics NAV is widely used in enterprises with its enhanced reporting features, but there still isn’t a book that covers reporting in depth, until now. This book will show you what’s possible and exactly how to develop reports for Dynamics NAV 2009. Learn why reports are designed in a specific way and then apply this knowledge to your advantage. Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009: Professional Reporting is an essential guide to understanding the effort involved in creating reports in Dynamics NAV 2009, and all of the available reporting possibilities. Reading this book will result in a better understanding and it will help you save time during development.The book starts with an overview of what kind of reports you can create without a developer using charts, dimensions, and analysis views. The next chapter will introduce the new architecture of Role Tailored Client (RTC) reports and the basics on how to create them or have them generated. Moving on we will discuss data visualization, where you will learn how and when to implement all the available Visual Studio controls. Document reports and other types of specific reports are covered next, and you will get to know all the best workarounds for getting them to work correctly.Knowing other related features is vitally important to obtain a helicopter view of all the reporting possibilities of Dynamics NAV, and the next chapter will introduce Business Intelligence concepts and available technologies that could be used in combination with the Dynamics NAV database. Technology is evolving rapidly and new versions of Dynamics NAV are in the pipeline, so the book will also provide you with a view to the future and how to prepare for it.

Learn Blender Simulations the Right Way. Create attractive and realistic animations with Mantaflow, rigid and soft bodies, and Dynamic Paint

Stephen Pearson

Blender is a free, open source 3D software that allows you to create stunning visual graphics, animation, VFX, and much more!This book is an in-depth guide to creating realistic and eye-catching simulations, understanding the various settings and options around their creation, and learning how to troubleshoot solutions to your own Blender problems. In addition, this book can also be used to simulate the behavior of certain physics effects, such as fire, fluid, soft bodies, and rigid bodies.You’ll learn how to use Mantaflow, an open source framework within Blender software, to create fire, smoke, and fluid simulations. As you progress, you’ll understand how to easily produce satisfying rigid and soft body simulations, along with cloth simulations. Finally, you’ll use Dynamic Paint, Blender’s modifier, and the physics system to create eye-catching animations.By the end of this Blender book, you’ll have created a number of animations on your own, such as a campfire, waterfalls, and explosions. You’ll also have gained a deeper understanding of all the simulation options in Blender, which you can use to create portfolio-ready animations.

Learning NServiceBus. Build reliable and scalable distributed software systems using the industry leading .NET Enterprise Service Bus

David Boike

Kali Linux Cookbook. When you know what hackers know, you're better able to protect your online information. With this book you'll learn just what Kali Linux is capable of and get the chance to use a host of recipes

David De Smet, Willie L

In this age, where online information is at its most vulnerable, knowing how to execute the same attacks that hackers use to break into your system or network helps you plug the loopholes before it's too late and can save you countless hours and money. Kali Linux is a Linux distribution designed for penetration testing and security auditing. It is the successor to BackTrack, the world's most popular penetration testing distribution.Discover a variety of popular tools of penetration testing, such as information gathering, vulnerability identification, exploitation, privilege escalation, and covering your tracks.Packed with practical recipes, this useful guide begins by covering the installation of Kali Linux and setting up a virtual environment to perform your tests. You will then learn how to eavesdrop and intercept traffic on wireless networks, bypass intrusion detection systems, and attack web applications, as well as checking for open ports, performing data forensics, and much more. The book follows the logical approach of a penetration test from start to finish with many screenshots and illustrations that help to explain each tool in detail. The Kali Linux Cookbook will serve as an excellent source of information for the security professional and novice alike!