Mastering Apache Cordova

Create dynamic, interactive, and highly scalable hybrid mobile apps with Apache Cordova 6.XAbout This Book* Leverage the latest Cordova CLI, UI, and UX design features to design high-performance apps* An advanced guide with a combination of iOS Application and Custom Plugin development* Integrate third-party front-end tools such as, Angular 2, and jQuery 3.0 to give your apps that stunning lookWho This Book Is ForThis book is for developers who have a good understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript but little to no knowledge of Cordova.What you will learn* Design, develop, test, and debug Apache Cordova apps* Empower your Cordova apps by creating custom Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Cordova Plugins* Create nifty-looking Cordova apps using jQuery mobile and Ionic* Enhance your Cordova apps by utilizing Push Notifications* Connect your Cordova apps to Cloud* Leverage the best of native and web worlds to create convenient mobile apps* Increase your Apache Cordova apps' quality by developing automated JavaScript testsIn DetailIf you want to create modern day dynamic apps that run seamlessly across multiple platforms, then this is the ideal book for you. Apache Cordova is ideal to build cross-platform hybrid apps with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript and gives developers freedom from platform-specific UIs and frameworks.This book will transform you into a pro hybrid mobile developer and let you create dynamic, scalable mobile apps with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. You'll start by getting a refresher on Cordova and will see how to configure your development environment.Then we move on to the business end by implementing the Cordova 6 CLI, which has gone through a number of key changes in the latest version. You will create and customize dynamic UIs that support real-time data update facilities. You will learn to improve your UX design by implementing industry-leading best practices and techniques. The last part of the book will show you how to test and deploy your apps to different platforms.

Using Apache Cordova 4, you can leverage native technologies and web standards to quickly build cross-platform apps for most mobile devices. You can deliver a high-end user experience where it matters, while radically simplifying code maintenance and reuse. Apache Cordova 4 Programming is the most concise, accessible introduction to this remarkable technology. In this essential guide, expert mobile developer John Wargo quickly gets you up to speed with all the essentials, from installation, configuration, and tools, to building plugins and using Cordova’s powerful APIs. Wargo helps you make the most of Cordova 4’s major enhancements, while offering practical guidance for all versions, including Adobe PhoneGap. Full chapters are dedicated to five major mobile platforms: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Firefox OS, and Ubuntu. Using rich, relevant examples, Wargo guides you through both the anatomy of a Cordova app and its entire lifecycle, including cross-platform testing and debugging. Throughout, he illuminates Cordova development best practices, streamlining your development process and helping you write high-quality apps right from the start. Topics include Installing and configuring Cordova’s development environment Working with the Cordova command line interfaces Creating Cordova plugins, using Plugman and the PhoneGap CLI Cordova’s support for Firefox OS and Ubuntu devices Automation (Grunt and Gulp) and Cordova CLI hooks Microsoft’s hybrid toolkit for Visual Studio Third-party tools, such as AppGyver, GapDebug, THyM, and more Beautifying Cordova apps with third-party HTML frameworks, such as Bootstrap, OpenUI5, Ionic, and Onsen UI Running, testing, and debugging Cordova apps on each major mobile platform Access the full code examples at cordova4programming.com, where you’ll also find updates reflecting Cordova’s continuing evolution. This book is an ideal companion to Wargo’s authoritative collection of Apache Cordova code recipes for each Cordova API, Apache Cordova API Cookbook (Addison-Wesley, 2015).

Summary Apache Cordova in Action teaches you to create and launch hybrid mobile apps using Cordova or Phonegap. By following carefully selected examples, step-by-step tutorials, and crystal-clear explanations, you'll learn to build apps from the Cordova CLI, how to make use of device features like the camera and accelerometer, how to submit your apps to Google Play and the Apple App Store, and more. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Book Developing a mobile app requires extensive knowledge of native programming techniques for multiple platforms. Apache Cordova lets you use your existing skills in web development (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) to build powerful mobile apps. Your apps also get the power of integration with native device features like the camera and file system. Apache Cordova in Action teaches you how to design, create, and launch hybrid mobile apps people will want to use. With the help of straightforward, real-world examples, you'll learn to build apps from the Cordova CLI and to make use of native device features like the camera and accelerometer. You'll learn testing techniques and discover the PhoneGap Build service and how to submit your apps to Google Play and the Apple App Store. Along the way, this helpful guide discusses mobile app design and shows you how to create effective, professional-quality UI and UX. What's Inside Build mobile apps UI, UX, and testing techniques Deploy to Google Play and the Apple App Store Employ libraries like Bootstrap, jQuery Mobile, and Ionic About the Reader Readers should be familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. No experience with mobile app development needed. About the Author Raymond Camden is a developer advocate for IBM. He is passionate about mobile development and has spoken at conferences worldwide. The Table of Contents PART 1 GETTING STARTED WITH APACHE CORDOVA What is Cordova? Installing Cordova and the Android SDK PART 2 CORE CONCEPTS Creating Cordova projects Using plugins to access device features Mobile design and user experience Considerations when building mobile apps Tools for debugging Cordova and other hybrid apps Creating custom plugins Packing options for Cordova projects Using PhoneGap tools PART 3 APPLICATION RELEASE Submitting your app Building an RSS reader app with Ionic

Using Apache Cordova, mobile developers can write cross-platform mobile apps using standard HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS, and then deploy those apps to every leading mobile platform with little or no re-coding. Apache Cordova API Cookbook provides experienced mobile developers with details about how each Cordova API works and how to use the APIs in their own applications. Coverage is included for all Cordova/PhoneGap 3 APIs. Instead of just showing short snippets of code to explain a particular API, this guide is chock full of complete examples. You’ll find more than thirty complete Cordova applications that work on Android, iOS, Windows, and more. The sample applications demonstrate exactly what each API does and how it works, while the chapter content describes the limitations on the leading target platforms (and even offers possible workarounds). Through realistic “cookbook” example code, mobile developer John Wargo helps you master the Cordova APIs and understand how to use them in your Cordova applications. Topics include Accelerometers, compass, and geolocation Image, video, and audio–capture, playback, and management Determining connection and device information Interacting with the Contacts application Responding to application events Accessing the device file system Globalizing apps Using the InAppBrowser Notifications Custom splash screens Special care has been taken to make the code easily readable and digestible by the reader. This guide provides the most accessible coverage, anywhere, of Apache Cordova APIs.

Covers PhoneGap 3.X Written for experienced mobile developers, Apache Cordova 3 Programming is a complete introduction to Apache Cordova 3 and Adobe PhoneGap 3. It describes what makes Cordova important and shows how to install and use the tools, the new Cordova CLI, the native SDKs, and more. If you’re brand new to Cordova, this book will be just what you need to get started. If you’re familiar with an older version of Cordova, this book will show you in detail how to use all of the new stuff that’s in Cordova 3 plus stuff that has been around for a while (like the Cordova core APIs). After walking you through the process of downloading and setting up the framework, mobile expert John M. Wargo shows you how to install and use the command line tools to manage the Cordova application lifecycle and how to set up and use development environments for several of the more popular Cordova supported mobile device platforms. Of special interest to new developers are the chapters on the anatomy of a Cordova application, as well as the mechanics of Cordova development. Wargo also covers the development process and the tools you can use to test and debug your Cordova applications, and provides a complete chapter that introduces the Cordova APIs, in addition to a chapter that shows you how to create your own plugins. Filled with lots of examples and code, the book includes includes complete coverage of Android, iOS, BlackBerry 1,0 and Windows Phone development for Cordova. Topics covered include How to install and use the Cordova CLI and associated tools How to configure the Android developer tools (ADT) to run, test, and debug your Cordova applications for Android How to use Xcode—Apple’s development tool for iOS development—to run, test, and debug Cordova applications for iOS devices How to use the Safari browser to debug Cordova applications on iOS devices How to use the Microsoft development tools to run, test, and debug Cordova applications for Windows Phone 8 How to set up and use the PhoneGap Build service to package Cordova applications and share those applications with others How to create Cordova plugins for both Android and iOS The author maintains a web site for the book at cordovaprogramming.com where updates, errata, and the source code for the book are available.

As opposed to back-end web development which deals with servers, front-end web development focuses on the end users' interactions with a website on a browser. A skillful front-end web developer knows more than just the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Going beyond the major web-based languages, this book represents an attempt to compile all the knowledge needed to become a professional front-end web developer. The reader will be introduced to more than 200 web extensions, frameworks, tools, and libraries, along with a complete illustration of all Web APIs known to the world today. Overview: Chapter 1: Development Environments Chapter 2: HTML 5.2 Chapter 3: Bootstrap 5 Chapter 4: CSS 3 Chapter 5: SEO Chapter 6: Cordova Chapter 7: SVG Chapter 8: ECMAScript 2020 / ES11 Chapter 9: HTML DOM Chapter 10: Advanced Web APIs Chapter 11: jQuery 3.5 Chapter 12: Extensions and Tools Chapter 13: Canvas Chapter 14: WebGL ** special note: this book partially overlaps with two books by the same author: 1) Web Coding Bible (18 Books in 1) 2) An Effective Guide to Modern JavaScript (ECMAScript 2017 / ES8)

If you are a native mobile developer, with some familiarity with the common web technologies of JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, or if you are a web developer, then this learning guide will add great value and impact to your work. Learning how to develop mobile applications using Apache Cordova is of particular importance if you are looking to develop applications on a variety of different platforms efficiently.