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Home > Mobile > Cross Platform Mobile Development > PhoneGap Beginners Guide (third edition)
PhoneGap Beginners Guide (third edition)
PhoneGap Beginners Guide (third edition)

PhoneGap Beginners Guide (third edition): Create, develop, debug, and deploy your very own mobile applications with PhoneGap

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PhoneGap Beginners Guide (third edition)

Chapter 2. Building Your First PhoneGap Project

In Chapter 1, Introduction to PhoneGap, you learned about one of the problems PhoneGap is trying to solve—developing mobile applications consistently across multiple platforms—and how to set up your build environment. Next, you will delve into the internals of PhoneGap. First, you need to know how the project is structured and how the CLI tools are used.

In this chapter, you will:

  • Take a look at the structure of a PhoneGap/Cordova application
  • Learn about using the command-line tools of Cordova
  • Know about Cordova lifecycle events
  • Create a sample example
  • Get an overview of the browser's debugging tools
  • Review the debug workflow with mobile in mind
  • Learn how to build and deploy the applications

The structure of a PhoneGap application

After creating a new project, as explained in the previous chapter, you'll see the following structure inside the project's root folder:

  • www: This directory contains the source files of the application and so we will be playing a lot in this directory. It contains the css, js, and img subdirectories, where you can place the respective files. Apart from assets such as CSS, JavaScript, and images, we will also have application-related HTML files.
  • merges: In this folder, you can add any platform-specific customization so you don't have to modify the source files every time you work with a project. For example, we can use this feature to use a different font style on Android devices only. The platforms that you want to override will have a specific folder similar to the www folder having its own CSS, JS, HTML, and image contents:
    merges/
|-- ios/
| '-- app.js
|-- android/
| '-- app.js
www/
'-- app.js

    In the preceding directory...

Using the PhoneGap CLI

You can use the Cordova command-line interface to initialize the project code, after which you can use various platforms' SDKs to develop them further. In the previous chapter, we discussed how to create a new project, add the required platforms, and build them using the CLI.

Apart from creating a project by using the CLI tool, there are several other functions carried out by the CLI of Cordova. As the steps for installing the CLI are already covered, let's move on with advanced CLI usage. Once you create a project, use cd to move into it and you can execute a variety of project-level commands.

The following is the list of the most used CLI commands:

  • platform add <platform>: This adds a platform as a build target for the project.
  • platform [rm | remove] <platform>: This removes a platform which was previously added to the project.
  • platform [ls | list]: This lists all platforms for which the project will build.
  • platform [up | update] <platform&gt...

Cordova events

To maximize the benefits of using Cordova, you should know about all the events available. They are called lifecycle events because they are a part of your application throughout its lifecycle. These events are available by default for all applications and it's up to the developer to use them to implement better design. Although there are several events, we will discuss the most important and commonly used events.

The deviceready event

The deviceready event is an important event of Cordova and you can't live without it in the Cordova world. This event is triggered when Cordova has fully loaded and the application is ready to be used. We should know when the application is ready to be used and so this event comes to our rescue. This event should be the gateway to all the application's functionality:

document.addEventListener("deviceready", function() {
    // Application starts here
});

To make the code easy to understand, we can define the function...

Time for action – the Hello World example

PhoneGap is an intermediary layer that talks to the mobile device and the application; the app resides inside a browser, and, using the PhoneGap API, you can connect to phone features such as contacts and camera.

The UI layer of a PhoneGap application is a web browser view that takes up 100 percent of the device's width and height; think of the UI layer as a browser. The UI layer is known as WebView. The WebView used by PhoneGap is the same one used by the native operating system.

Having discussed the basics of PhoneGap and the command-line tools, we will now create a simple application. This is not the typical Hello World example. With the already learned commands and configured environment with npm, let's create a new project:

C:\> phonegap create example1
C:\> cd example1
C:\example> phonegap platform add android

With the completion of the preceding commands, we created a new project called example1 and added Android platform...

WebKit debugging – Chrome, Safari, and Opera

WebKit-based browsers support various debugging tools. For example, when encountering JavaScript issues, you can launch Web Inspector or Developer Tools and start to explore logs and errors using the JavaScript console.

In Chrome, you can access the Developer Tools from the Customize menu (click on the Customize menu and then go to Tools | Developer Tools). The Customize menu is available in the top-right corner. When working with Safari, you first have to enable the Developer Tools by opening Safari's Preferences panel and then selecting the Show Develop menu in the menu bar checkbox. You can then access the inspector by choosing Show Web Inspector from the application's Develop menu.

Since the Web Inspector is part of the WebKit codebase, you can use the same shortcuts in Chrome and Safari to access the debugging tools.

On Windows and Linux, press:

  • Ctrl + Shift + I to open Developer Tools
  • Ctrl + Shift + J to open Developer Tools...

Gecko debugging – Firefox

Firefox is based on the Gecko open source layout engine used in many applications developed by the Mozilla Foundation and the Mozilla Corporation. It offers good debugging tools and it's evolving quickly, including innovative projects such as Desktop WebRT, which lets you build a desktop web application at runtime that provides web apps with a native-like look and feel along with platform integration APIs on Windows, OS X, and other desktop platforms.

If you are not developing apps for Android or iOS, you can use the Firefox layout engine, which offers some powerful development and debugging tools. Let's quickly explore how to use Firefox/Firebug to inspect and debug your app; as you will see, there are several similarities between the debug tools available in WebKit and Firefox.

Firebug integrated with Firefox puts a great set of developer tools at your fingertips that rivals the features of the WebKit Web Inspector. In order to install the Firebug...

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer, at the time of writing, still has a wide install base; it's also the least favorite browser among developers. Virtually every developer has experienced serious issues when optimizing a webpage for IE; this is due to the fact that IE diverges from web standards in significant areas, but things are changing and the preview of IE 10 is getting good scores in various tests. Internet Explorer 11 is even better for developers.

Developer Tools were introduced in Internet Explorer 8, and updated with new functionality in Internet Explorer 9. Developer Tools in Internet Explorer 10 add Web Worker debugging and support for multiple script sources.

You can access Developer Tools by pressing F12 or by navigating to Tools | Developer Tools from the menu bar:

Internet Explorer

The IE 10 Developer Tools provide a similar user interface to the Developer Tools in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

The structure of a PhoneGap application

After creating a new project, as explained in the previous chapter, you'll see the following structure inside the project's root folder:

  • www: This directory contains the source files of the application and so we will be playing a lot in this directory. It contains the css, js, and img subdirectories, where you can place the respective files. Apart from assets such as CSS, JavaScript, and images, we will also have application-related HTML files.

  • merges: In this folder, you can add any platform-specific customization so you don't have to modify the source files every time you work with a project. For example, we can use this feature to use a different font style on Android devices only. The platforms that you want to override will have a specific folder similar to the www folder having its own CSS, JS, HTML, and image contents:

    merges/
|-- ios/
| '-- app.js
|-- android/
| '-- app.js
www/
'-- app.js

    In the preceding directory structure, the global application...

Using the PhoneGap CLI

You can use the Cordova command-line interface to initialize the project code, after which you can use various platforms' SDKs to develop them further. In the previous chapter, we discussed how to create a new project, add the required platforms, and build them using the CLI.

Apart from creating a project by using the CLI tool, there are several other functions carried out by the CLI of Cordova. As the steps for installing the CLI are already covered, let's move on with advanced CLI usage. Once you create a project, use cd to move into it and you can execute a variety of project-level commands.

The following is the list of the most used CLI commands:

  • platform add <platform>: This adds a platform as a build target for the project.

  • platform [rm | remove] <platform>: This removes a platform which was previously added to the project.

  • platform [ls | list]: This lists all platforms for which the project will build.

  • platform [up | update] <platform>: This...

Cordova events

To maximize the benefits of using Cordova, you should know about all the events available. They are called lifecycle events because they are a part of your application throughout its lifecycle. These events are available by default for all applications and it's up to the developer to use them to implement better design. Although there are several events, we will discuss the most important and commonly used events.

The deviceready event

The deviceready event is an important event of Cordova and you can't live without it in the Cordova world. This event is triggered when Cordova has fully loaded and the application is ready to be used. We should know when the application is ready to be used and so this event comes to our rescue. This event should be the gateway to all the application's functionality:

document.addEventListener("deviceready", function() {
    // Application starts here
});

To make the code easy to understand, we can define the function separately and bind it to...

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Description

This book is for web developers who want to be productive in the mobile market quickly. In fact, by using PhoneGap, it's possible to deploy native applications based on web standards. This book assumes a very small knowledge of HTML/CSS/JavaScript and mobile platforms, such as Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone, and takes the reader step-by-step into a deep overview of PhoneGap and its APIs.

What you will learn

  • Get acquainted with the fundamentals of PhoneGap
  • Use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create, debug, and deploy your own mobile applications
  • Work with mobilespecific frameworks such as iOS and Android to design your applications
  • Install and work with all PhoneGap/Cordova plugins
  • Implement deviceoriented APIs related to contacts, files, the camera, and geolocations
  • Use PhoneGap/Cordova events for accessibility
  • Enhance and optimize your application for realtime environments
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Brazil

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

R$63.95

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(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Jul 28, 2015
Length: 284 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781784392284
Vendor :
Apache
Category :
Mobile
Languages :
JavaScript
Concepts :
Cross Platform Mobile Development
Tools :
PhoneGap

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Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Brazil

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Product Details

Publication date : Jul 28, 2015
Length: 284 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781784392284
Vendor :
Apache
Category :
Mobile
Languages :
JavaScript
Concepts :
Cross Platform Mobile Development
Tools :
PhoneGap

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Table of Contents

15 Chapters
1. Introduction to PhoneGap Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
1. Introduction to PhoneGap
About PhoneGap
PhoneGap and Apache Cordova
Choosing an operating system for development
Mobile web versus mobile app
Installing dependencies
Installing PhoneGap
Setting up your development environment
Time for action – setting up Android using PhoneGap 3.x
Getting started with Android and JBoss
Time for action – using JBoss Developer Studio
Getting started with iOS and Xcode
Getting started with Windows Phone and Visual Studio
Summary
2. Building Your First PhoneGap Project Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Building Your First PhoneGap Project
The structure of a PhoneGap application
Using the PhoneGap CLI
Cordova events
Time for action – the Hello World example
WebKit debugging – Chrome, Safari, and Opera
Gecko debugging – Firefox
Internet Explorer
Debugging workflow
Building and deployment
Summary
3. Mobile Frameworks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Mobile Frameworks
Building native UI for the mobile
Achieving a native look and feel on iOS
Choosing mobile frameworks
Time for action – developing with jQuery Mobile
Selecting a framework
Summary
4. Working with Plugins Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Working with Plugins
An introduction to plugins
Exploring the Device API
Time for action – accessing the Device API
Custom plugins
Summary
5. Using Device Storage and the Files API Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Using Device Storage and the Files API
Application data storage
Time for action – reading and writing data on the LocalStorage
Time for action – populating a local database
Database limitations
Understanding the Files API
Time for action – listing folders
Time for action – reading and rendering an image
Time for action – downloading and saving a file
Summary
6. Using the Contacts and Camera APIs Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Using the Contacts and Camera APIs
The Contacts API
Time for action – searching device contacts
Time for action – adding a new contact
Camera API or Capture API?
Accessing the camera using the Camera API
Time for action – accessing the device camera
Time for action – controlling the position of the camera roll
The Media Capture API
Time for action – manipulating images with a canvas
Summary
7. Accessing the Device Sensors and Locations API Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Accessing the Device Sensors and Locations API
Introducing device sensors
Accelerometer
Time for action – handling device orientation with JavaScript
Compass
Time for action – using the Compass API
An introduction to geolocation
The PhoneGap Geolocation API
Time for action – showing device position with Google Maps
Summary
8. Advanced PhoneGap Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Advanced PhoneGap
Using the Globalization API
Localizing your app
Time for action – rendering localized messages
Adding multitouch gesture support
Time for action – implementing gesture support
Handling click delays
Summary
9. Getting Ready for Release Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Getting Ready for Release
Exploring JavaScript compression
Time for action – compressing files using the Closure Compiler
Time for action – using UglifyJS
Time for action – optimizing JavaScript with RequireJS
Comparing compression tools
Using template engine compression
Time for action – compiling a template using Pistachio
Creating fluid, multiple app views
Using hardware-accelerated transitions
Porting web applications
Summary
10. A Sample PhoneGap Project Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. A Sample PhoneGap Project
What's in the app?
Creating the project
Scope for improvements
Summary
A. The JavaScript Quick Cheat Sheet Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
A. The JavaScript Quick Cheat Sheet
The getElementById() method
The getElementsByTagName() method
The getElementsByName() method
The alert method
The toString() method
The parseInt() method
The getDate() method
The onclick event
The ondblclick event
The window.location object
Selectors using jQuery
B. Publishing Your App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
B. Publishing Your App
Publishing on Google Play
Publishing on Blackberry World
Publishing on the Apple App Store
Publishing on the Windows Phone Store
Summary
C. Related Plugin Resources Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
C. Related Plugin Resources
Summary
D. PhoneGap Tools Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
The PhoneGap Developer App
The PhoneGap Desktop App
Summary
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index

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Don Aug 19, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book was insightful and had an approachable layout and all the content necessary to get up and running with PhoneGap. As I expect from an IT book, the content of this publication contained a step-by-step depiction of installing, using, and testing an application. What's more, I was happy that cross-platform tools, plug-ins, debugging approaches, a nice hands-on example, and a great cheatsheet was provided at the end. If you are serious about developing a multiplatform application, this is a wonderful resource to get you started.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
WebSteve Sep 14, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Do you already know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript? Are you interested in making mobile apps with those skills? This get this book and learn how to parlay your skills into a cross-platform app for Apple, Android, and Windows devices. This book introduces PhoneGap to novices who already know how to make websites and don't want to learn whole new languages to make an app. PhoneGap 3rd Ed. will show you how to integrate the mobile phone's capabilities into your app, such as contacts, camera, accelerometer, compass, globalization, and so on. This book presents the information the way I like it presented - which is tightly focused on integrating one by one. In other words, (The other way is to create a full app and integrate these features into the app, then I have difficulty telling which code is for the app and which is for the feature.) The book gives an overview of mobile frameworks, that is, software tools that will adapt your app to work in devices of various sizes - code once and play (almost) and Apple, Android, and Windows device. It's a great book to start with if you are a beginner who already has web skills. PhoneGap is your ticket to taking those skills to the mobile level.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
T.M. Aug 23, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
This book is a great introduction to PhoneGap, a cross-platform Javascript SDK for building mobile apps. The framework is extensible with plug-ins. There’s extensive coverage of the following APIs: storage, contacts, camera, sensors and location. Localisation and internationalisation are also covered. A chapter details how to build your application, and publishing to various app stores is covered in the appendix.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Jakub Vosahlo Aug 22, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
In my eyes the book comprises of two parts. The first, major one, gives a quick and sometimes a bit shallow introduction into basic topics like principles, installation, etc. Then it dives into more important topics, like discussion of mobile frameworks, which can be used today with PhoneGap, gives introduction to plugins and in a bit more detail discusses crucial APIs for accessing device files system, camera, contacts, etc. After the brief discussion on finalising the app and building it for release, comes a second part of the book, which walks you through a development of a sample app, using many of the crucial APIs you will be using most often.I like the structure of the book, I take it as a real introductory piece (which was actually great for me, as I never tried PhoneGap/Cordova before) and so it is most suitable for beginners. The writing is clear most of the time, if a bit dry and text-book like, but it is quite easy to follow for a non-native speaker as myself.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Mark Shackelford Apr 16, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
This is what it says on the cover: "A Beginner's Guide", and is fine as a quick overview of PhoneGap and its possibilities, but I soon found I was reverting to Dr. Google and the various PhoneGap blogs
Amazon Verified review Amazon

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Apps and Services with .NET 8
Apps and Services with .NET 8
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Dec 2023 798 pages
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Machine Learning Techniques for Text
Machine Learning Techniques for Text
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Oct 2022 448 pages
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iOS 16 Programming for Beginners
iOS 16 Programming for Beginners
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Nov 2022 686 pages
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Test-Driven iOS Development with Swift
Test-Driven iOS Development with Swift
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Apr 2022 280 pages
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About the authors

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Profile icon Ramanujam
Ramanujam
Purusothaman Ramanujam is a mainframe consultant and an automation expert by profession and a full stack web developer and trainer by passion. He holds a bachelor's degree in information technology and a master's degree in financial management. He has a strong domain knowledge of financial markets. Apart from working full-time at a multinational corporation, he freelances and contributes to various open source projects. In his personal blog at http://www.purusothaman.me, he writes about technology, Tamil poetry, French, and more.
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Profile icon Giorgio Natili
Giorgio Natili
Giorgio Natili is an author, educator, community leader, and lead UI engineer at McGraw Hill Education; he is also a publisher of print and digital information services for the academic, professional, and library markets. At McGraw Hill, he is involved with multiple client-side teams on cross-platform mobile and web applications, developing custom components (web and native) and bringing mock-ups to life! Giorgio was also the founder of GNStudio, a boutique Rome-based development and design studio specializing in engaging and accessible web and mobile experiences. As a strong proponent of agile development practices, Giorgio's areas of expertise include web standards-based application development, frontend development, gaming, video streaming, iOS development using Swift and Objective-C, Android development, and hybrid development (mobile and wearables). Giorgio is the founder of Mobile Tea (http://www.meetup.com/mobiletea/), a fresh and innovative approach to community tech events, and is involved in several other community-driven events in Italy and the US.
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All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


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We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

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On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

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What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela