Mobile

Up and Running with PhoneGap Build released!

Lynda Title Screen

My first title for lynda.com has been released!  It is “Up and Running with PhoneGap Build“. Here is the summary of the course:

See how PhoneGap, an open-source framework, and PhoneGap Build, a service in the Adobe Creative Cloud, allow you to create cross-platform mobile apps using the web technologies you know and love: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This course explores how to use PhoneGap Build to create app-store-ready applications for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Learn how to build an app from GitHub, Dreamweaver, Edge Code, or even a simple ZIP file; configure icons, splash screens, and other preferences; enable access to camera and location sensor data; and deploy and install your device on your smart phone or tablet.

I am really proud of it and in total awe of what the lynda.com editors can do.

Intro to PhoneGap and PhoneGap Build – Slides Available

HTML5 Developer Conference wrapped up last week in San Francisco, and it was a great event. I had the pleasure of presenting “Intro to PhoneGap and PhoneGap Build”. You can view the slides at SlideShare. The session was recorded, so hopefully it will be available on their YouTube Channel.

More ConfiGAP updates

ConfiGAPOne of the missing feature in my ConfiGAP utility was the ability to manage the access elements. For those who do not know what the access elements are, here is the definition from the documentation:

The access element provides your app with access to resources on other domains – in particular, it allows your app to load pages from external domains that can take over your entire webview.

Although I do not have the interface controls enabled for this feature, I do have in the place the code to properly read an existing config.xml file that  contains access elements, and the ability to then resave the file with that data still intact. So I releasing this version with this simple support in place. I hope to have the completed version done in about a week. Again, thanks to all that have used ConfiGAP and found it useful.

I also tweaked the Android SDK selections as well. The old design just had an SDK number. Pop quiz, Android SDK 12 is also known as ______? Right, I can’t tell you either. So, the list now shows the SDK number and the matching version number & naming (FroYo, Jelly Bean, etc).

Review: Creating Mobile Apps with jQuery Mobile

0069OSAs an instructor of an introductory mobile application development course, I am always on the lookout for materials that can be used as resources for my students. Creating Mobile Apps with jQuery Mobile is just such a resource that I can recommend to my students. Shane Gliser begins the book by introducing the reader to the value of prototyping. I applaud him for reinforcing the idea that we should first spend some time with paper and pencil before we open our favorite editor (either code or design) to create our next mobile masterpiece. From there, the author lays down some foundational information on meta viewports, recent changes to the jQuery event model, and some CSS/media query structure. Then he takes the reader through the process of creating a jQuery Mobile app for a restaurant. Although he does touch on some jQuery Mobile basics, he does assume some working knowledge of jQuery Mobile, and HTML/CSS/JS in general. That might prove to be an issue to some.

What I did like is that he does address some common issues that new users to jQuery mobile might face, such as adding custom icons within jQuery Mobile, working with Google Maps, and form validation. I also enjoyed the fact that he introduces client-side templating to the reader. jQuery Mobile apps can become quite heavy with all the markup that is repeated.

However, I do wish the author had spent more time exploring the use of HTML 5 video with a jQuery Mobile app. He does cover HTML audio nicely, but the coverage of video did not address enough of the challenges of video playback in a non-Flash based world. I also found the section on HTML5 manifests a bit light. Manifest files can be a bit tricky to create and debug, so some guidance for the reader might have proved useful. The section on compiling your project with PhoneGap Build was another section that seemed far too short. Often, jQuery Mobile is part of a workflow that includes using PhoneGap as a solution to create a native application. It would have been helpful to guide a reader to some of the modifications one should make to have a better performing application.

Overall, I think the book is a nice companion to another Packt publication, jQuery Mobile Web Development Essentials written by Ray Camden and Andy Matthews (one of the technical reviewers) and think it will be a useful addition to those seeking to expand their use of jQuery Mobile as a solution to their mobile application toolkit.

Creating Mobile Applications with jQuery Mobile and PhoneGap Build
Adobe MAX

Where the world’s creative minds collide.

At this year’s Adobe MAX, I taught three workshops on Creating Mobile Applications with jQuery Mobile and PhoneGap Build. It was a lot of fun, and hopeful worthwhile for those who attended. As promised here are the files: the workbook, the slides, and the resources. Even if you did not attend, maybe the workbook and lab files might prove useful.

I will be posting enhancements to these files over the coming weeks to cover a few advanced features that I knew I would not be able to cover in the 90 minutes.

Speaking at Adobe MAX 2013!

Adobe MAX

Well, I am happy to announce that I will be again presenting at Adobe MAX! This will make my third time. I am trying something new this time, I am leading two workshops on using jQuery Mobile and PhoneGap Build. These workshops are designed to introduce the key core concepts of these technologies to new users. I know it is still months away, but I am already hard at work creating what I hope is an informative and engaging workshop.

You can register for the conference at: http://max.adobe.com/

I hope to see you there!

ConfiGAP updated!

I just posted an update to ConfiGAP!

There are two new features now supported in this build. The first is the ability to set permissions for Windows Phones. The second is the ability to target the currently hosted PhoneGap plugins. I have included some screen shots of these new setting.

I also fixed a minor issue with the Android Install location. Feedback and suggestions are welcomed. You can download it from: http://aj-software.com/configap/

StageWebView Loading Improved

Recently, someone asked about trying to improve hiding the white rectangle of the StageWebView. I got to thinking about this and tried a little experiment. Did I have to set the viewPort during the normal configuration, or could I wait?

So, I decided to try it. I moved the setting of the StageWebView’s viewPort until the page had been loaded. We know this via an Event.COMPLETE event. Here is the sample code:

import flash.media.StageWebView;
import flash.events.Event;

var webView:StageWebView = new StageWebView();
webView.stage = this.stage;
//webView.viewPort = new Rectangle(0, 0, 480, 200);
webView.assignFocus();
webView.loadURL("http://aj-software.com/clients/mobile/360Flex/2011/mobile/map/index.html");

webView.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE,handleLoad);

function handleLoad(evt:Event):void
{
webView.viewPort = new Rectangle(0, 0, 480, 300);
}

stop();

Demo File