developing downloadable mobile apps using html5 and phonegap

Developing downloadable mobile apps using HTML5 and PhoneGap “Apache Callback” Ron Perry, CTO, Worklight Inc... Downloadable apps Using HTML5 in downloadable apps: the hybrid model • H

Developing downloadable

mobile apps using HTML5 and PhoneGap “Apache Callback”

Ron Perry, CTO, Worklight Inc

Agenda

Downloadable (native) apps vs Web apps

• HTML5 web apps vs Downloadable apps

Using HTML5 in downloadable apps: the hybrid model

• How hybrid apps work

• Advantages and disadvantages

Writing an app with PhoneGap

• The concept

• Accessing device APIs

Our experience with PhoneGap

Critical HTML5 features are supported on mobile

• Canvas

• Audio

• Local Storage

• Geolocation

• Video

• CSS3 borders, anim

• Web Applications

• SVG

• Elements

• CSS3 position:fixed

• Drag & Drop

• Files

• WebGL

• IndexedDB, WebSQL

Desktop:

HTML5 makes mobile web apps possible

Native apps can still do much more

Video Processing

App-Store Presence

Downloadable (Native) Apps

File System (on Mobile Device)

Native App (Java/Obj-C/C#)

Mobile OS

Mobile Browser

Web Apps

Web App (HTML, CSS, JS)

Mobile OS Web Server

Hybrid to the rescue

Advantages

Portability Reuse of

existing skills

Access to device APIs

App-store presence

Combine HTML/CSS/JS with native code

User interface in HTML/CSS

Logic and interaction

in JS

Special functions written in platform-specific native code

Hybrid Apps

File System (on Mobile Device)

Mobile OS

Native Container

HTML, CSS, JS

Full

Native Speed as Necessary

Overhead

Hybrid

App Development Comparison

Native

Device

Approval Process

Development Cost

Expensive

Available

Web

Architecture of a hybrid app

Native container:

• Creates instance of UIWebView / android.webkit.WebView / etc

• Navigates to main html file

• Implements listener/handler for requests coming from JS code

• Activates JS code when necessary

HTML5/CSS3/JS code:

• Implements UI and app logic

• Activates native handlers through OS-specific mechanism (custom URL scheme)

• Receives responses through JS handlers

HTML resources can be packaged into downloadable app for performance boost

PhoneGap – Open Source Framework

The de-facto standard for hybrid app development

Now in transition into becoming “Apache Callback”

Provides:

• A template implementation for the native container

• Implementation of the JS<->Native bridge for 6 mobile OSs

• OS-independent JS APIs for activating device functions

PhoneGap provides JS access to device APIs

PhoneGap run-time (native+JS) is part of the app

Example: raising a native alert from JS code

Example: getting device info

Example: accessing the camera

Worklight Platform: PhoneGap-based client-side

The Worklight Platform provides an enterprise-grade

infrastructure for mobile apps

Includes features such as security, authentication,

data-integration, push notifications, diagnostics, direct update and more

We chose PhoneGap as the basis for our client-side technology, (while exposing the PhoneGap APIs) and are very happy with the result!

A couple of Worklight-based apps

Lotte Card (Korean credit card company):

• Combines 150 HTML5 screens with a

native augmented reality screen

• Developed very quickly for iPhone and

Android

RealNews (for iPad):

• Developed by RealCommerce, Worklight’s distributors in Israel

• Lists “hot” Israeli news articles by # of likes

• Freely available on the app store

For More Information

Apache Project Page http://incubator.apache.org/projects/callback.html

Worklight Webinars http://www.worklight.com/resources/webinars-and-tools

Thank You!