from website to mobile app - a journey
DESCRIPTION
When you are about to make the step from developing web apps to making mobile apps, you should consider using a hybrid technology approach. The use of web technologies to build "native" mobile apps is a journey with a lot of choices to make and questions to answer. This presentation tells you, how we made our decisions and what options we had been looking at. It also introduces the Lungo-Angular-Bridge we use to bring together the best of Lungo and Angular to make mobile apps that rock.TRANSCRIPT
From web sitesto web appsto mobile apps
An interesting journey
The past: Web sites
Today: Web apps
Today: Web apps
● Single page applications● Communication via API● "Backend as a service"● Client side MV*-Frameworks● Templates rendered on the client● Data on the wire
Going mobile
With web technologies
Pick one
First fundamental question:
HTML / CSS / JSvs.
Pure JavaScript
Pick one
First fundamental decision:
HTML / CSS / JSvs.
Pure JavaScript
A tough choice● Javascript MV* Libraries / Frameworks
○ Backbone○ Ember○ Knockout○ Angular
● UI Frameworks○ Lungo○ Kendo○ jQTouch○ jQuery mobile
● Deployment frameworks○ PhoneGap○ Sencha○ Calatrava○ The M-Project
A tough choice● Javascript MV* Libraries / Frameworks
○ Backbone○ Ember○ Knockout○ Angular
● UI Frameworks○ Lungo○ Kendo○ jQTouch○ jQuery mobile
● Deployment frameworks○ PhoneGap○ Sencha○ Calatrava○ The M-Project
Problems with picking the right mix
● overlap between the three:○ multiple frameworks trying to be clever○ e.g. Calatrava: Deployment & UI○ e.g. Kendo: MVVM & UI
● finding good combinations:○ Knockout & Lungo○ Knockout & Kendo○ Angular & iUI○ Angular & Lungo
Our stack
Rails-APIAngular JS
LungoPhoneGap
Our stack
Rails-APIAngular JS
Lungo-Angular-BridgeLungo
PhoneGap
What's the bridge?
Lungo Angular
Routing
Two choices:
● I want the Lungo routing○ The Angular-Lungo-Adapter is for you
● I want the Angular routing○ There is nothing for that
Two choices:
● I want the Lungo routing○ The Angular-Lungo-Adapter is for you
● I want the Angular routing○ There was nothing for that
Centralway proudly presents...
Lungo-Angular-BridgeBatteries included!
https://github.com/centralway/lungo-angular-bridge
● Allows to use Lungo fancyness together with Angular awesomeness
● Use Angular routes but leverage Lungo transitions
● Comes with a set of examples● Extends Angular with the lab-view directive
LAB - Lungo Angular Bridge
Batteries included - get going!
Demo time!Fasten your seatbelts
Experiences & Learnings from us
Things you may hear
● "But it's soo slooooow"
● "What if you need something native?"
● "How does deployment work?"
● "But it won't look&feel native!"
Things you may say
● "But it's soo slooooow"
● "What if you need something native?"
● "How does deployment work?"
● "But it won't look&feel native!"
○ Only in a few cases, e.g. SVG on iPhone 4
○ You can do that >> Phonegap Plugins
○ Either manually or via App Stores
○ This depends solely on the UI Framework used - e.g. Lungo makes it feel native
In the trenches
The pitfalls of mobile development
<iframe src="http://example.com"></iframe>
<a href="http://somesite.com" target="_blank">Open</a>
What will happen?● Android
○ iframe loads in the page○ link opens a browser window
● iOS○ "stay-in-webview=false" (default)
■ iframe opens a new browser window■ link opens a new browser window
○ "stay-in-webview=true"■ iframe opens in the page■ link opens in the page
Round 1: iframes vs. iOS
Round 1: iframes vs. iOS
● 4 possible solutionsa. using "access" rule in Config.xmlb. using "InApp-Browser" (window.open)c. specify target="_self" for iframed. using ChildBrowser plugin
Round 1: iframe vs. iOS
● 4 possible solutionsa. using "access" rule in Config.xmlb. using "InApp-Browser" (window.open)c. specify target="_self" for iframed. using ChildBrowser plugin
Round 2: "HTML5 routing"$locationProvider.html5Mode(true);
Round 2: "HTML5 routing"$locationProvider.html5Mode(false);
● HTML 5 routing not supported properly○ weird behaviour○ non-routing relating things go wrong○ no error messages / warnings
● Setting to "false" uses "#/..."-style routing instead of "real" routing ("/...")
General conclusions
● PhoneGap plugins <3○ when it doesn't exist in PhoneGap○ when it is too slow in HTML / CSS / JS
● Active communities & many resources● Web is a powerful platform
Wrap-up
● Mobile is on the rise● Web technologies rock!● Find the right mix of Frameworks for your
needs is hard● Be aware of potential pitfalls● Leverage the active communities to work
around problems