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Home > Web Development > Progressive Web Apps > Offline First Web Development
Offline First Web Development
Offline First Web Development

Offline First Web Development: Design and build robust offline-first apps for exceptional user experience even when an internet connection is absent

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Offline First Web Development

Chapter 2. Building a To-do App

In Chapter 1, The Pain of Being Offline, we laid the foundation for why offline-first development is important. Now, let's build an app with this approach. The app that we'll be building is a to-do app that has been written using the Sencha Touch JavaScript framework. As Sencha Touch is just JavaScript under the hood, you can view it in any browser. Additionally, if you're a mobile developer, fear not. We'll use Cordova to deploy your app to an iOS device as well. The section on Cordova is entirely optional and works for Android as well, with minor modifications along the way.

Let's start by getting your development environment configured. For simplicity, I assume that you're running Mac OS X and Chrome. The instructions may differ slightly with different operating systems and browsers. I'll call out the differences as we go along.

Configuring the development tools

There are three tools that we will use in most of the examples: a text editor for the coding, a browser (preferably Chrome) to run and debug your app, and the command line to run the web server and execute commands. Let's walk through each of these tools.

A text editor

If you have an existing editor that you like, use that. In this book, I will use Sublime Text 3. You can download a free evaluation of Sublime for OS X, Windows, and Linux. If you prefer to use a free editor, good choices include Notepad++ (Windows), Bluefish Editor (OS X and Linux), and GVIM (Linux). To install Sublime, follow these instructions:

  1. Open www.sublimetext.com in your browser.
  2. Click on Download.
  3. Click on Sublime Text 3.
  4. Choose the appropriate version for your operating system.
  5. Wait for the download to complete and run the installer.

You should be able to run Sublime now. It's a GUI-based editor that is very intuitive and simple to use. If you're interested in getting more...

Configuring Sencha Touch

Sencha Touch is a JavaScript-based MVC framework used to build cross-platform mobile apps. It's a proprietary framework but free for open source projects, so we'll use it for our to-do app. To get and configure it, follow these instructions:

  1. First we will download Sencha Touch:
    1. Open https://www.sencha.com/products/touch/ in your browser.
    2. Click on DOWNLOAD FOR FREE.
    3. Fill out the contact form and click on DOWNLOAD TOUCH.
    4. Check your e-mail for a link to download Sencha Touch.
    5. In the e-mail, click on Download Sencha Touch.
    6. After the download is complete, extract the ZIP in its own folder.
    7. Open this folder (it should be named touch-2.4.1 or similar).
  2. Install Sencha Cmd:
    1. Open https://www.sencha.com/products/extjs/cmd-download/ in your browser.
    2. Click on DOWNLOAD WITHOUT JRE INCLUDED.
    3. Once the download is complete, run the setup application.
    4. Accept all defaults and click on Install.
    5. Once the installation is complete, click on Finish.
  3. Install Ruby:
    1. Mac OS X: Ruby is preinstalled...

Creating a Git repository

This step is optional but highly recommended. It will prevent you from losing progress when you accidentally delete files and allow you to easily revert changes or try experiments without fear of diverging from the examples in the book.

You may also choose to use GitHub (or another code sharing site) to upload your code. This protects your code from hard drive failure and makes it easier to share and collaborate with others. Again, this step is optional but recommended. If you want to use Git and GitHub, perform the following steps:

First, we will install GitHub. The following instructions are for OS X only. If you're on Windows, download the GitHub client from windows.github.com and install it the way you would install other Windows applications:

  1. Open mac.github.com in your browser.
  2. Click on Download GitHub Desktop.
  3. After the download is complete, open the application.
  4. Click on Move to my application folder.
  5. Click on Continue.
  6. If you don't have a GitHub account...

Designing the offline experience

In the last section, you configured the tools necessary to make your app real. Now, let's step back and design the app in the context of some of the offline scenarios that we discussed in Chapter 1, The Pain of Being Offline.

What do users need from this app and why?

Designers often employ user stories to break a scenario into chunks. Each user story takes a person, describes a specific need that they have, and reveals the context behind the need. The format that we will use in this book is as follows:

  • As [a person]
  • I want [to accomplish a goal]
  • So that [context about the goal]

Let's talk briefly about each clause. How do user stories help us understand what we need to design and build?

  • As [a user]: This helps us understand who we're building for. If this person works with other people, we can (and should) consider how they will work together as a team. This is extremely important in communication-oriented products. Our simple to-do app considers...

Creating a skeleton application

Now, let's switch from design to code and create a skeleton Sencha Touch application. This will show us that the framework is functional and give us a base to start converting our workflows and wireframes into code.

Generating files with Sencha cmd

Using what you learned from setting up your development environment, switch to the todo-app directory that you used to create a repository. Now, generate a new application in this directory:

$ sencha -sdk /path/to/sdk/touch-2.4.1/ generate app TodoApp .

This will create a skeleton application with all the files needed. Now, verify that everything works as expected. You'll want two command windows open: one for the web server and the other for any commands that you need to run. In the first tab, start the web server:

$ sencha web start

In the second tab, preview the page in your browser:

$ open http://localhost:1841

If everything worked correctly, you should see the following sample app in your browser. You...

Configuring the development tools

There are three tools that we will use in most of the examples: a text editor for the coding, a browser (preferably Chrome) to run and debug your app, and the command line to run the web server and execute commands. Let's walk through each of these tools.

A text editor

If you have an existing editor that you like, use that. In this book, I will use Sublime Text 3. You can download a free evaluation of Sublime for OS X, Windows, and Linux. If you prefer to use a free editor, good choices include Notepad++ (Windows), Bluefish Editor (OS X and Linux), and GVIM (Linux). To install Sublime, follow these instructions:

  1. Open www.sublimetext.com in your browser.

  2. Click on Download.

  3. Click on Sublime Text 3.

  4. Choose the appropriate version for your operating system.

  5. Wait for the download to complete and run the installer.

You should be able to run Sublime now. It's a GUI-based editor that is very intuitive and simple to use. If you're interested in getting more out of Sublime...

Configuring Sencha Touch

Sencha Touch is a JavaScript-based MVC framework used to build cross-platform mobile apps. It's a proprietary framework but free for open source projects, so we'll use it for our to-do app. To get and configure it, follow these instructions:

  1. First we will download Sencha Touch:

    1. Open https://www.sencha.com/products/touch/ in your browser.

    2. Click on DOWNLOAD FOR FREE.

    3. Fill out the contact form and click on DOWNLOAD TOUCH.

    4. Check your e-mail for a link to download Sencha Touch.

    5. In the e-mail, click on Download Sencha Touch.

    6. After the download is complete, extract the ZIP in its own folder.

    7. Open this folder (it should be named touch-2.4.1 or similar).

  2. Install Sencha Cmd:

    1. Open https://www.sencha.com/products/extjs/cmd-download/ in your browser.

    2. Click on DOWNLOAD WITHOUT JRE INCLUDED.

    3. Once the download is complete, run the setup application.

    4. Accept all defaults and click on Install.

    5. Once the installation is complete, click on Finish.

  3. Install Ruby:

    1. Mac OS X: Ruby is preinstalled. Verify...

Creating a Git repository

This step is optional but highly recommended. It will prevent you from losing progress when you accidentally delete files and allow you to easily revert changes or try experiments without fear of diverging from the examples in the book.

You may also choose to use GitHub (or another code sharing site) to upload your code. This protects your code from hard drive failure and makes it easier to share and collaborate with others. Again, this step is optional but recommended. If you want to use Git and GitHub, perform the following steps:

First, we will install GitHub. The following instructions are for OS X only. If you're on Windows, download the GitHub client from windows.github.com and install it the way you would install other Windows applications:

  1. Open mac.github.com in your browser.

  2. Click on Download GitHub Desktop.

  3. After the download is complete, open the application.

  4. Click on Move to my application folder.

  5. Click on Continue.

  6. If you don't have a GitHub account already...

Left arrow icon

Page 1 of 9

Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • ? Understand the design principles behind a well-designed offline experience
  • ? Create the illusion of being online when you’re really offline
  • ? Use common libraries such as Sencha Touch and PouchDB to enhance the offline experience of mobile apps

Description

When building mobile apps, it’s easy to forget about the moments when your users lack a good Internet connection. Put your phone in airplane mode, open a few popular apps, and you’ll quickly see how they handle being offline. From Twitter to Pinterest to Apple Maps, some apps might handle being offline better—but very few do it well. A poor offline experience will result in frustrated users who will abandon your app, or worse, turn to your competitor’s apps Expert or novice, this book will teach you everything you need to know about designing and building a rigorous offline app experience. By putting the offline experience first, you’ll have a solid foundation to build upon, avoiding the unnecessary stress and frustration of trying to retrofit offline capabilities into your finished app. This basic principle, designing for the worst-case scenario, could save you countless hours of wasted effort.

Who is this book for?

Do you want to make your app experience more robust and delightful? Are you eager to write apps that cater to a wider audience, not just the Silicon Valley crowd? Do you need to persuade your peers that offline-first is a worthwhile development paradigm? If your answer to all or any one of these questions is yes, then this is the book is for you. Some previous coding and command-line experience would be useful, but is not required.

What you will learn

  • ? Design the behavior of the app, taking offline, online, and the transition between those two states into account
  • ? Seamlessly implement the offline/online experience that you've designed using Sencha Touch and PouchDB
  • ? Show the user what's happening under the hood with online/offline indicators and Good Mobile Messaging1
  • ? Employ various strategies to cope with unreliable network conditions
  • ? Help the user resolve conflicts related to the “split-brain” problem
  • ? Choose intelligent defaults based on usage of the app
  • ? Use point-to-point networking to partially overcome a lack of Internet connectivity

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Nov 20, 2015
Length: 316 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785885662
Category :
Web Development
Languages :
JavaScript
Concepts :
Progressive Web Apps
Tools :
Sencha Touch

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Publication date : Nov 20, 2015
Length: 316 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785885662
Category :
Web Development
Languages :
JavaScript
Concepts :
Progressive Web Apps
Tools :
Sencha Touch

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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
1. The Pain of Being Offline Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
1. The Pain of Being Offline
The offline paradigm
Developing for a worst-case scenario
Principles of a good offline design
Making the case to yourself
Making the case to others
Summary
2. Building a To-do App Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Building a To-do App
Configuring the development tools
Configuring Sencha Touch
Creating a Git repository
Designing the offline experience
Creating a skeleton application
Building an offline to-do app
Comparing and contrasting with the design principles
Summary
3. Designing Online Behavior Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Designing Online Behavior
Designing the online workflow
The online/offline transition
Adding an online data store
Implementing image support
Implementing mapping support
Comparing and contrasting with the design principles
Summary
4. Getting Online Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Getting Online
Offline databases
Connecting to our Web API
Adding online-only features
Comparing and contrasting with the design principles
Summary
5. Be Honest about What's Happening Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Be Honest about What's Happening
Exposing the system state to the user
Building trust through up front communication
Predicting the future
Letting users provide direction
Staying functional in bad network conditions
Comparing and contrasting with the design principles
Summary
6. Be Eventually Consistent Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Be Eventually Consistent
What is a split-brain?
Refactoring the item store
Implementing conflict detection
Implementing the conflict resolution
Comparing and contrasting with the design principles
Summary
7. Choosing Intelligent Defaults Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Choosing Intelligent Defaults
Low-hanging fruit
Cache limits
List frequency
Clearing the cache
Usage scenarios
Comparing and contrasting with the design principles
Summary
8. Networking While Offline Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Networking While Offline
What it means to be offline
Device support
Platform-independent libraries
Synchronization over Wi-Fi
Making the setup less painful
Summary
9. Testing and Measuring the UX Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Testing and Measuring the UX
Manual testing
Testing frameworks
Before and after
Future improvements
Summary
A. References Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
A. References
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index

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This book has nothing to do with architecture as I thought by reading the title. It says "Offline First Web Development", but then on the next line it says "Design and implement a robust offline app experience using Sencha Touch and PouchDB", which is already a much narrower scope than "offline first". Then the book itself is mostly a manual of which tools and how to install on macOS (of course that's the platform you are using for development!)If you have not purchased this book first read the title page fully and try to browse through some pages
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About the author

Profile icon Daniel Sauble
Daniel Sauble
Daniel Sauble is part UX designer, part developer, and part researcher. He loves enterprise software start-ups and has worked at companies, including Puppet Labs and Sonatype, on problems encompassing configuration management, repository management, and patch management. Ironically, his first foray into book authorship has nothing to do with any of these. In his off time, he runs, speaks, writes, and spends time with his family. He has learned that there is nothing more painful than the end of an ultramarathon, more nerve-wracking than your first conference talk, or more satisfying than a long writing project. One day, he may be foolish enough to start his own company, but for now is content to hone his product design skills in the midst of start-up culture. Home is the verdant landscape of the Pacific Northwest, but Daniel enjoys a bit of travel now and then. Between travel, family, work projects, and the personality of an INTJ, he doesn't have much of a social life. He has no illusions that writing a book will change this much. That said, it's an excellent conversation starter, should the need arise.
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  • To view your account details or to download a new copy of the book go to www.packtpub.com/account
  • To contact us directly if a problem is not resolved, use www.packtpub.com/contact-us
What eBook formats do Packt support? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Our eBooks are currently available in a variety of formats such as PDF and ePubs. In the future, this may well change with trends and development in technology, but please note that our PDFs are not Adobe eBook Reader format, which has greater restrictions on security.

You will need to use Adobe Reader v9 or later in order to read Packt's PDF eBooks.

What are the benefits of eBooks? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
  • You can get the information you need immediately
  • You can easily take them with you on a laptop
  • You can download them an unlimited number of times
  • You can print them out
  • They are copy-paste enabled
  • They are searchable
  • There is no password protection
  • They are lower price than print
  • They save resources and space
What is an eBook? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Packt eBooks are a complete electronic version of the print edition, available in PDF and ePub formats. Every piece of content down to the page numbering is the same. Because we save the costs of printing and shipping the book to you, we are able to offer eBooks at a lower cost than print editions.

When you have purchased an eBook, simply login to your account and click on the link in Your Download Area. We recommend you saving the file to your hard drive before opening it.

For optimal viewing of our eBooks, we recommend you download and install the free Adobe Reader version 9.