Develop Reference

Is there a way to update the data inside the application? Without updating the entire application?

I'm trying to build an application, "Journal for Drivers".
I would like to add new information to the driver in this application. This information will be in text format (or text with images)
My question is, if I want to add a news update to the application, a news for drivers, can it be solved for example by some storage on a server, where the application automatically downloads this news? Or do I have to write the entire app in Android Studio and update the original version of the app?

There are three main ways to accomplish this:
You can create a webpage and use webview component to load this website in your application. In this case you will have full control on the data (backend) while you can change the ui of this webview on the fly without releasing new versions of your application. called also hybrid application (which is part native you still need to create apk with this webview) and web part which will be where most of your code exists.
You can create a native application which will be written in native only (java or kotlin) in this way you will need to release a new version every time you will change anything in your application. (including logic change or ui change).
You can create PWA project which will simulate a "native" application in this way you control 100% of the code and it will based on web. You can open a url on your mobile browser and you could "install" a mobile version of the webpage on your mobile device which will simulate a "native" application it also other platforms such as iOS, windows and Mac (if I'm not mistaken)

This can achieved via an endless number of strategies. One such strategy uses deep links along with an API for this. For this to work, you will need to set up an online server which will serve as a back end. This is where you will post your news updates to an endpoint or endpoints. This can be implemented in many ways. For example, you may just hardcode your updates to the html, or more likely you will store each article to some sort of db. When a user of the app goes to view an article, it will send an HTTP request to the server asking for the article. The server will then retrieve said article from the db, process it in whatever way needed, and send it back to your app.
Using this method, you only need to change your article on the back end (or better yet add your article to db and update a pointer that points to current article).

Have user select contacts from HTML form?

Is it possible to have a control in a standard webpage that prompts a user on a mobile device to select a contact? I have a simple SPA that I would like users to be able to invite their friends to use. Rather than having them type in the names/numbers manually I'd like them to be able to select them from their contacts list directly. I don't need access to the whole list, just whichever ones the user selects, so it doesn't seem like there should be a security issues.
Edit: In that other question someone suggested using an API called BridgeIt, but that API has been discontinued. Someone suggested that the functionality of that API was available in HTML5 now, but didn’t explain further. Does anyone know if this is possible with HTML5 or if there is an alternative to BridgeIt available?

Creating a cross platform app that retrieves info from an online azure database in Visual Studio

I am making a sermon app for a pastor as a small project. The way the app works is that all his sermons and info about it like date, topic, etc is stored in an online database, then the user with the app would be able to scroll through all the sermons listed by title, click it, and open the full sermon. I can design the UI and local code for that fine, where I ran into problems was the backend.
The app is meant to retrieve this sermon info from the backend that way the actual application is lightweight.
I'm using this site to help me with the backend:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service-mobile/app-service-mobile-dotnet-backend-how-to-use-server-sdk
I just wanted to know if I was on the right track, is the site I'm using right for this project? and what else do I need? and how exactly should I go about this?

There are two services that I would look at. The first is Azure Mobile Apps, but that has a limited text field. That means you would likely have to store the text of the search somewhere else (blob storage, for example) for retrieval.
The second is Azure Search (which, like Mobile Apps, has a free tier for you to try out). Azure Search can handle bigger files, but is a pain to update the content. If you are uploading the sermons outside of the app (in a backend process), then this won't be an issue.
I cover both situations in my book - http://aka.ms/zumobook - Search is covered in Chapter 7 and Mobile Apps are covered in Chapters 1-4.

Access User's Browser (preferably Chrome) cache in Android

I'm working on something where I provide content to users based on the things they view over the internet, or by the kind of applications they use. Is there a way to get a user's search history, bookmarks or cache from various browsers (preferably Chrome). Also is there a way to get the 'search parameters' typed by the user to install apps on Play Store. The aim is to create a background service that helps understand user search habits on the mobile platform.

Unfortunately you can't because every android application in a sand box for more information go to this link:Sand Box
and if you want to do sort if thing you must implement rooted application and the database file in chrome is encrypted

Turning Drupal 7 mobile themes into apps that use both REST and a webview together?

I have a number of Drupal 7 websites (http://drupal.org) that have a mobile theme with JQuery mobile (http://jquerymobile.com/) for users browsing with smart phones or tablets. Although this provides a great mobile experience I would like to create an app for the Android and Iphone that uses a few built in features for content creation (mainly just the camera on node creation). I have eclipse and the android emulators all installed and have an installation of Phonegap working for Android testing. Here is where I need some advice on the best approach to my particular problem.
Basically each app can be almost entirely just a webview (easy), but I do need 2 features which should add enough uniqueness to make it able to get approved in the MAC app store.
Ability to add nodes using a REST service (along with phonegap) have access to the use phone’s camera to populate an image field.
A start or front-page has a fast login, and allows instant access to add content (all assets stored locally on phone, so even if the phone is offline, this page will still come up).
Ability to go from the regular mobile site (webview) back to the local node creation page (with access to the camera) or frontage.
Ability to pass something to the webview so I can hide content creation links that access the web version of node creation forms (which would not have the camera for example).
Here is where I’m confused. I don’t want to recreate the entire site and retrieve all the data using services (lots of tutorials and stuff I’ve seen are doing this including DrupalGap - http://drupal.org/project/drupalgap). That seems like a ton of redundant work that will require lots of continuous updates when the site is upgraded and changed with no real gain other than speed (For this it’s ok that it won’t be as fast).
For my mobile apps, when a user wants to view their profile, look at various pages etc, that should all happen in a webview, I only need services and the typical approach to mobile development for the front page, authentication and node creation. The rest should happen in a webview. So what is the best way to switch between adding nodes and authentication using a service and just going to a regular webview? Should I try embedding a webview in a page and having a small menu on the top that doesn’t’ change which links to the add content and login?
How do I setup the session for both the webview content and the service? Or how I can I force authentication through REST and then pass that on to the webview?
You don’t have to answer each one of those directly, I would just like some tips to get me started in the right direction. So far I’m thinking I create a “frontpage” for the app with all it’s assets stored locally on the phone, which has a login which authenticates through a web service (REST). After you login it shows the link to add nodes and a link to view the webview. The big question is how I use the same session for both and how to navigate between the 2 well?

I accomplished the goals stated above, by have the login use a REST service via jquery mobile in a regular html page (like this tutorial http://tylerfrankenstein.com/code/android-app-with-drupal-7-services-phonegap-and-jquery-mobile) this is also where the create content links can be placed. When you want the user to be able to open the "regular" mobile website and already be logged in, use the childbrowser phonegap plugin (https://build.phonegap.com/docs/plugins). Users can close the childbrowser and go back to the main dashboard by clicking the X, or you can create a listener that responds to them vising a specific URL (like the homepage).