This document discusses PhoneGap/Cordova, which allows developers to build HTML5 apps that can run on major mobile platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Cordova uses a WebView to render the app's UI and allows access to native device features through plugins. Developers can build Cordova apps like regular web apps and test them in a browser before packaging them as native mobile apps using either each platform's native tools or the PhoneGap Build cloud service. Resources for learning more about Cordova development are also provided.
11. How does Cordova work?
Cordova App Mobile Device
Cordova Cordova
JavaScript Native
Engine Engine
Access to
native
mobile
Your Code features
HTML/JavaScript/CSS/Images/
Frameworks/Libraries
Web View
Renders the app UI
12. Cordova Plug-ins
§ http://wiki.phonegap.com/w/page/36752779/PhoneGap%20Plugins
§ Examples of plugins: https://github.com/purplecabbage/phonegap-plugins
§ Extend the built-in functionality with custom plug-ins
§ Delegate heavyweight data processing to native code
§ Create background services
14. Build your Cordova app as you’d build a regular web app
§ Using your favorite editors (Eclipse, vim, Dreamweaver, Visual Studio)
§ Test and debug the app using your desktop browser
§ Test and debug the app using mobile simulators/emulators and the physical
devices
15. What can you use to build your app?
§ Remember your application will run on the device’s browser
§ You can use whatever JavaScript frameworks or libraries you like. Eg. jQuery,
jQuery Mobile, Sencha, Backbone, Liquid, Mustache, Bootrstrap, and so on
§ Pay attention to performance (mobile vs. desktop)
§ Pay attention to mobile browser features or lack of them (I am talking about
SVG)
16. Creating the native installers
There are 2 different methods to build the native installers for your PhoneGap
app:
§ Using the target platform tool chain
§ Using PhoneGap Build – a cloud service
17. Using the platform native tool chain
§ Use the OS and tools each platform recommends:
§ iOS - http://phonegap.com/start#ios-x4
§ Android - http://phonegap.com/start#android
§ BlackBerry - http://phonegap.com/start#blackberry
§ Windows Phone - http://phonegap.com/start#wp
§ WebOS: http://phonegap.com/start#webos
§ Symbian: http://phonegap.com/start#symbian
18. Using PhoneGap Build
§ http://build.phonegap.com - a cloud service
§ Supports: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, WebOS, Windows Phone 7, and Symbian
§ Supports one plugin (ChildBrowser); but you can hack in support for other
plugins
§ It is in beta and it is free; it will always be free for Open Source projects
§ You upload your files (index.html, CSS, JS, images)
§ Or you provide a Git / SVN link
§ Support for debugging