I'm trying to create a application which will talk to a database and use a custom web service. But I did hear a year ago or so a library for Android, IOS and Windows mobile which basically allows you to call a website and display the website inside of your application, so it is a browser but there is no navigation or anything special it just uses Javascript (I think). Does anyone have any ideas on what this library is called or do they know of a similar library which would allow my goal to be reached.
Apache Cordova may be your answer, you can check it here : https://cordova.apache.org/
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I need help?
Can i make android apps using only html5, javascript and css and from
scratch.
Yes. Build your web application with responsive view features and add a json manifest file to let the android browser add it to the home screen as an app. The next time your users opens your app by clicking on your app icon in the home screen it will work like an app(full screen,no address bar etc.,) . You don't have to even put your app in web store.
But the API's supported are minimal compared to a full fledged native app.
The complete list of supported api's here . You might be surprised to see some api's like the battery api, offline storage so have a look.
Real world example:
visit aliexpress in your mobile browser and add to home screen.
React Native is probably the most popular library for developing Mobile Apps using Javascript. Note that it doesn't exactly use Javascript, but is built on top of the React library.
Alternatively, there's a framework called Electron that uses Javascript,HTML, and CSS to build an application. It is built on top of Node.js. It was primarily made for building Desktop Apps. But you can use their Native Node Modules for building Mobile Applications.
You can find Electron here: https://www.electronjs.org/
The docs for the Native Node module for Electron: https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/tutorial/using-native-node-modules
yes, you can do. please check following:
http://phonegap.com/products/
It will help you.
I am new to android programming and considering building my first app.
On doing some primary design research, got to know the popular MEAN stack for application building.
However, the android developer website, particularly this URL :-
http://developer.android.com/tools/workflow/index.html
does not mention anything related to MEAN stack.
What approach should I take ?
got to know the popular MEAN stack for application building
I am not aware of anything named "MEAN" with respect to native Android app development.
The mean-stack description says that MEAN is "a methodology that employs MongoDB, Express, AngularJS and Node.js to provide a complete end-to-end system". In that case, while some of that might be used server-side, a regular Android application cannot be MEAN, as a regular Android application is not a Web app and therefore would not use AngularJS.
You could create a MEAN application and use a WebView to wrap that in a native Android app. You won't see much written about that in Android developer documentation, as wrap-a-Web-site-in-an-app is not the sort of thing that such documentation focuses on.
What approach should I take ?
If you want to write a Web app, you could certainly use MEAN if you wanted.
If you want to write a regular native Android app, you will not use most of MEAN.
MEAN stack has both the server side and client side. Most probably you won't have server on your android app. If you just want your android app holding your client side only.
You can convert it the hybrid way(Often known as HTML5 App). You can use Phonegap or Cordova.
Here are the links:
Phonegap
Cordova
I am writing a very simple Phonegap application on android. The problem is how to automatically test the GUI part of it. QUnit looks like a good choice to test only Javascript but it needs jquery library to support testing user actions, according to the Cookbook. Is it appropriate to include JQuery library in Phonegap application for testing purpose?
Here is an simple scenario. I have an input field in the application. And I want to test it to see if it could accept value. How should I do with it in Phonegap? Or is there other choice to test the GUI part of Phonegap application?
I also found this question about Selenium but I am trying to find other possible ways to do it.
Cordova (formerly Phonegap), by itself (basically), nothing have to do with javascript, it just a tool to wrap your html/js/css code in android WebView element. Cordova has methods to access device internals via cordova provided JS calls.
Well, you can unit-test your application even in chrome desktop browser. Also, if you want, you can include any JS libraries to be used in App. If you have any questions- just write comment
What I am trying to do might not be quite difficult but I am confusing myself. I am trying to build an app only for Android that will play videos for my company.
As I am not an native Android developer what I did is using html, jquery and phonegap to create and bundle my app as a web view which will help the end user installing the app instead of going to a URL and then open it.
Now here the challenge starts for me, I am looking for touch optimized design which should look like a native app. I can use twitter bootstrap , foundation or any other CSS framework to make my design responsive. I also know how to make ajax based animated page loading which will help me in preventing complete page load.
The real issue: is css the only and right way to design a mobile app? Does apps like Facebook , Youtube also make use of Css to design their native apps?
I do not want to use jquery mobile because I simply don't like their design patterns.
Again, my question might seems to be foolish. What I want to use are industry standard tools to build my app, even if I have to dig into Android tutorials and learn it from scratch.
Any help ,links or guidance will be helpful.
Native apps do typically not use HTML/CSS, and instead use the widgets etc provided by the platform. That's what native means. Facebook recently switched from a web view/HTML5 implementation to native (at least on Android).
I am new to PhoneGap, and I have several questions:
I need a way to develop an application that will have iOS, Android, and other platform compatibility. In other words, I want to write 1 app and get compatibility versions for different platforms.
By reading the "Get Started" guide linked by the PhoneGap website, I found there are different procedures for different platforms. So to have compatibility versions across platforms, do I have to go one-by-one and change all of them if I make a modification to my app?
Also, what exactly is PhoneGap Build? It seems like I can avoid all that hassle mentioned previously and toss my app into the PhoneGap Build? Do I really not have to do anything besides writing the app? What if I need to make changes?
And finally, I've read that PhoneGap works with HTML, CSS, and Javascript, but not PHP. What if my app needs to contact a server? Can PhoneGap handle that?
Thank you for bearing with all these questions!
PhoneGap achieves platform compatibility by embedding a webview within your application. Therefore you can apply your knowledge in HTML, CSS, JavaScript and it additionally provides ways to interact with native features (e.g. camera, gps, ...).
With PhoneGap you write one general web app, tweak parts for the specific platform (sometimes you do not have to this at all) and build it for that platform. The latter can be handled with PhoneGap Build service: It takes your webapp and bundles it for the mobile operating systems out there (Embeds it within a Java app on Android, an Objective-C app on iOs)
PhoneGap is able to communicate with a server hosting a PHP script just as every other web application. Trying to dynamically load resources from remote sites can be quite a hassle but this is another question.
traumalles is correct. All your HTML/Javascript/CSS is running from within a webview on the device. Your code is, therefore, all "client-side." You can communicate with a server just like with any other page. When they say PhoneGap isn't compatible with PHP, they mean only that PhoneGap can't execute PHP code like it's a server, because it's not. It's just loading your webapp in, basically, a browser.
One other important question is what exactly do you mean with "other platforms" phonegap does provide many functionality for nearly every platform but the different webbrowser of the mobile devices have their problems and limitations.
For example are there many problems if you want to provide your application on a WindowsPhone Device because the Webbrowser has a few limitations which will cause your app to not look and behave like a native app.
Just look a bit through the phonegap API you will see that some functions are just available for IOS or for Android and there are a few only Blackberry methods and so on.
So you really have to be careful when a framework tells you it will work on all devices.
So i really don't have a problem with phonegap i worked with it very great but there will be limitations you have to deal with.
If you primarily want to develop for IOS and Android you can really achieve great native like results !