Raymond K. Camden - Apache Cordova in Action

For online information and ordering of this and other Manning books, please visit www.manning.com. The publisher offers discounts on this book when ordered in quantity. For more information, please contact

Special Sales Department Manning Publications Co. 20 Baldwin Road PO Box 761 Shelter Island, NY 11964 Email: orders@manning.com

2016 by Manning Publications Co. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in the book, and Manning Publications was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps.

Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, it is Mannings policy to have the books we publish printed on acid-free paper, and we exert our best efforts to that end. Recognizing also our responsibility to conserve the resources of our planet, Manning books are printed on paper that is at least 15 percent recycled and processed without elemental chlorine.

Manning Publications Co.20 Baldwin RoadPO Box 761Shelter Island, NY 11964

Development editor: Helen StergiusTechnical development editor: Doug WarrenCopyeditor: Jodie AllenProofreader: Elizabeth MartinTechnical proofreader: Cody SandTypesetter: Marija TudorCover designer: Marija Tudor

ISBN: 9781633430068

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 EBM 20 19 18 17 16 15

Ive been fortunate to have been a web developer for approximately 20 years. I can remember using NCSA Mosaic to browse the web and picking up HTML books to help me build my first web page. (Yes, I used a rainbow gradient back then.) Things were rough in those days. I can remember playing with LiveScript, the initial release of JavaScript, and having to reboot my entire machine at times to get my browser to work. I spent a good deal of my first decade or so as a developer focused on the server side, first with Perl and then with ColdFusion. I ignored the front-end due to the numerous issues with browsers and, pretty much, just the browsers themselves.

Approximately 10 years ago, I turned my attention back to the client side. I was surprised to find that this Web 2.0/AJAX thing was actually kind of cool, and that, for the most part, it actually worked. I began to spend most of my time learning JavaScript (again) and reacquainting myself with HTML. That may sound like a surprising statement. I certainly knew HTML and used it in my server-side applications, but I discovered that when I looked closely, there was quite a bit I didnt know and didnt appreciate.

At the same time, mobile was slowly inching along toward being a big deal. I kept hearing about how big it was in Europe and Asia, but my experience with it was disappointing. I loved my Motorola RAZR, but the first time I sent an SMS message with it was also the last time I sent an SMS message with it. Browsing the web on it was also an exercise in frustration.

And then one day ... everything changed. The iPhone was a game changerit made using the mobile web useful. And when the app market was launched, and folks made millions with fart apps, a whole new breed of developer was born. I began focusing on working on the mobile platform, specifically building mobile-friendly websites. Then one day I discovered PhoneGap (the originator of Apache Cordovadont worry, well discuss the differences in ). It was rough tooit took me a good 10 minutes or so to get the Hello World project set up. But when I first saw my HTML running as an app on my phone, it was incredible. Everything I had learned about web development was now enabling me to create applications on mobile devicesand not just one, but many.

PhoneGap, and Cordova, have come a long way since I began working with them. The platform is simpler to use, but still requires careful consideration and planning, and this is where I think this book will really help. I tried to take information found in multiple sources and bring it together in a concise, easy-to-follow format. Im not terribly smart. In fact, I struggle a lot. But Ive made a career out of taking my struggle and turning that into writing and presentations that willI hopehelp others with their struggles as well.

This book was a lot of work. No, make that really a lot of work! But I believe that this is a great book, and I hope that you will think so as well. There are quite a few people Id like to thank for helping me along the way.

First and foremost, I want to thank my wife, Jeanne. Youve always supported me, always patiently listened while I struggled to get this done, and always made me believe I could finish this. I love you.

Next, Id like to acknowledge my editor at Manning, Helen Stergius. Thank you for working with me, and thank you more for being patient when things got rough. Your commitment to the quality of this book has made it better for everyone who reads it. Thanks as well to all the other folks at Manning who worked with me on the production and promotion of the book. It was truly a team effort.

Id also like to thank the reviewers who took the time to read my manuscript at various stages during its development and who provided invaluable feedback: Barry Alexander, Becky Huett, Charlie Gaines, Chris Snow, Chris Wayman, Doug Warren, Greg Murray, Ivo timac, Jrme Baton, Matt Royten, Michael E. Roberts, Natalia Stavisky, Satish Kumar Bairi, and Yogesh Poojari. Special thanks to Cody Sand, technical proofreader, for his careful review of the code one last time, shortly before the book went into production.

Finally, thank you to the entire PhoneGap and Apache Cordova team. Youve created something thats incredibly cool and useful for developers around the world. Thank you to Shazron Abdullah, Brian LeRoux, Michael Brooks, and others for answering my questions and helping make this book happen.

Apache Cordova in Action was written to help you build hybrid mobile applications for the Apache Cordova framework. It begins by focusing on the mechanics of setting up your development environment and then switches its focus to the intangibles of working with hybrid mobile developmentthings like design, best practices, and what to do when things go wrong.

The book has three sections that cover 12 chapters.

explains what Apache Cordova covers and how to set up your development environment.

• discusses the Apache Cordova project and what a hybrid mobile application actually is. It also discusses what Cordova does and doesnt provide, even discussing when you would not want to use a hybrid mobile application.
• goes deep into setting up all the necessary parts required to do Cordova development with Android. Because the iOS SDK requires a Mac but Android will work anywhere, the book focuses on explaining Androids requirements, as well as what you need to get the Cordova CLI installed.

covers high-level core concepts for working with Apache Cordova.