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Hybrid Apps Introduction

The document provides an introduction to different types of mobile apps including native apps, web apps, and hybrid apps. It discusses the key characteristics, development processes, and advantages/disadvantages of each type. Native apps are developed specifically for each mobile operating system using that system's SDK and APIs. They are installed directly from app stores. Web apps are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and run within a mobile browser. Hybrid apps combine native and web technologies by embedding a webview component within a native container app, allowing access to device APIs.

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800 views9 pages

Hybrid Apps Introduction

The document provides an introduction to different types of mobile apps including native apps, web apps, and hybrid apps. It discusses the key characteristics, development processes, and advantages/disadvantages of each type. Native apps are developed specifically for each mobile operating system using that system's SDK and APIs. They are installed directly from app stores. Web apps are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and run within a mobile browser. Hybrid apps combine native and web technologies by embedding a webview component within a native container app, allowing access to device APIs.

Uploaded by

Mahesh VP
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Hybrid Apps Introduction

Introduction to Mobile Apps


Hello There! All that looks same outside, might not always be same inside.

Welcome to the world of mobile app and its anatomy. In this course, let’s understand the
fundamentals of Native, Web and Hybrid Apps; the differences, advantages and
disadvantages.

 Native apps which you might think of as conventional mobile app.


 Web apps which are written in HTML and run inside the browser.
 Hybrid apps which are a interesting combination of the two approaches, which is
especially important for the enterprise context.

Known Native Apps


Let's take a look at few prominent native apps for iPhone and Android. As you can notice,
few are known communication and collaboration apps, our own enterprise apps, and few
popular gaming apps.

The thing that all of these apps have in common is that, they are all purely native. But, what
does that actually mean?

Characteristics of Native Apps


 A binary executable image that is explicitly downloaded and stored on the file
systemof the mobile device.
 This installation process can be initiated by the user or in some cases by the IT
department of an enterprise.

Characteristics of Native Apps


Distributed through popular app store or marketplace of the device, or via an enterprise
distributed mechanism.

Examples: iTunes, Google PlayS tore, Windows Store, TCS appmart, etc.

Characteristics of Native Apps


 Executed directly by the operating system (OS).
o Launched from the home screen.
o Doesn’t require another container app to run it.
 Makes explicit use of OS APIs.
 Many cases, although not always! Native app has a look and feel which is typical of
that specific mobile OS.

Native App Development


 Obtaining a binary executable imaging and preparing it for distribution is basically
same for all the leading mobile operating systems.
 The developers write the source code of the application.
 Create additional resources such as images, audio segments, configuration info and
various declaration files.

Native App Development


 Use the tools provided by the operating system vendor to compile the source code.
 Link it in order to create an executable in binary form.
 Package the binary executable together with the resources of the app.
 Package can be distributed to the mobile devices through app stores or other
means.

SDK for Mobile OS


 The tools, few utilities and files are usually called the SDK of the mobile OS.
 The SDK is platform-specific and each mobile OS comes with its own unique tools.
 But the process is quite similar for all of them!

Let’s see few examples now!

Native App Development - iOS


Language : Objective-C, C, C++

Tool : Xcode

Executable Files : .app

Application Stores : Apple iTunes


Native App Development - Android
Loading image..

Language : Java (Some C, C++)

Tool : Android SDK

Executable Files : .apk

Application Stores : Android Market (Google Play Store)

High-level APIs and Built-in Apps

 Web browser, Calendar, Contacts, Photo Album, Calls, and Messages.


 The OS comes with built-in native apps that let users directly access these
services.
 The operating system provides the GUI Toolkit which comes with its own set of user
interface components such as button, slider, menu, tabs etc.
 These components inherit the look and feel of the mobile OS that usually
provide a very smooth user experience.

Native Apps - Interaction with Mobile

Native Apps – Upside, However!


Upside:

 Executed directly
 Propriety operating-system APIs
 App gets access to all the different hardware components of the device
 Very Fast and Powerful
 Let you do amazing things and really tap the full potential of the mobile device.

However,

 These APIs are proprietary and each mobile OS provides its own unique APIs for each
function.
 The differences in APIs make porting of an app to multiple devices expensive.

Native Apps – Why Not?


 Even though the overall process is similar for all the platforms the specifics are
different for each one.
 When we write the code for one platform we can't use it on others.

Similar approach, but different source code and expertise results in expensive development
and maintenance!

Known Web Apps


Today's mobile devices come with very powerful browsers with support
for Html5, CSS3and advanced JavaScript.

Examples: Google, WikiPedia, YouTube, and Amazon etc.

Characteristics of Pure Mobile Web Apps


 Pure mobile web apps which are written entirely in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and served
from a web server but are almost indistinguishable to the user from native apps.
 Installed on the homepage and launched like native apps.
 Interactive user interface which is highly optimized for touch screens.
 Client Side rendering
 Available Offline

Characteristics of Pure Mobile Web Sites


 Alternate to pure mobile web app are pure mobile web sites.
 Visited by browsing
 Static, navigational UI
 Generic Look and Feel
 Server Side Rendering
 Require Network Connectivity

JavaScript Toolkits for Mobile Web App UI


 JavaScript Toolkit Library
o Sencha Touch
o JQuery Mobile
 These are very reminiscent of the look and feel of native apps.
 Both execute entirely within the browser on the mobile device.
 Makes use of the newest JavaScript, CSS3 andHTML5` features available in browsers.

HTML5 & CSS3


HTML5 is the transition of HTML from a page definition language into a powerful technology
for creating browser based apps.

HTML5 provides many client-side graphics capabilities with the canvas element SVG and
things like rounded corners.

HTML5 and CSS3 has several mechanisms that enable offline support such as application
caching.

Offline storage data URLs also make it easy for apps to perform client side rendering without
contacting the server.

Many more for you to Explore!

Web Apps - Why?


 Entirely written using web technologies
o HTML, CSS and JavaScript
 Code is executed by the browser, not by the OS
 Several ways to launch the app
o Typing URL, Clicking Hyperlink
o Scanning QR Code
o Home screen shortcut
 Installation is optional
 Easily support multiple mobile OSs and can be extended with device-specific
enhancements to make them behave more like native apps.
Web Apps - Interaction with Mobile

 Web apps run within the browser and the browser is itself a native app.
 App has direct access to the OS APIs but it only exposes some of them to Web
Apps.
 One specific element of the browser is Rendering engine the heart of the browser .
 This rendering engine is called Webkit and it's an open source project.
 Almost all the leading smartphone vendors are using the same.

Characteristics of Hybrid Apps


 Native App with embedded HTML.
 All the benefits of native App.
 Full access to APIs.
 App store presence
 Selected portion of the apps are written in web technologies
 The web portion of the app can either be downloaded from the web or packaged
within app.

Hybrid Apps – Interaction with mobile Device

 Hybrid apps have two separate components


o Native portion
o Web Portion
 The native portion of the app has control over the rendering engine and it creates a
bridge that allows the web portions of the app to access all the OS APIs.
o Custom Bridge
o Ready-made such as PhoneGap

QUIZ:
1. Native apps are not a choice for implementation because of its (I) Portability (II) Efficiency I ONLY
2. _________ is the type executable for Windows. .XAP
3. Process of obtaining a binary executable image and preparing it for distribution is same across
platforms. T
4. The right order of Native App Development is _________. (I) Package the binary executable with
resources. (II) Create a binary executable (III)Distribute through the app store. II…III...I
5. The right order of Native App Development is _________. (I) Set the configuration info and OS specific
declaration files. (II) Create additional resources like images, audio signals etc. (III) Compile and link the
sources code. II....I....III
6. The right order of Native App Development is _________. (I) Set the configuration info and OS specific
declaration files. (II) Writes the source code of the application (III) Create additional resources like
images, audio signals etc. II..III..1
7. Natives apps can be downloaded from (I) App Store (II) Enterprise Distributed Mechanism (III)Market
Place of the Device I AND III
8. Native Apps require another container app to execute in a mobile device. F
9. _________ is the type executable for Blackberry. .COD
10. Native apps are a choice for implementation because, it is (I) Executed directly by OS. (II) Makes explicit
use of OS APIs. (III) cheaper to build in one platform. I and II
11. _________ is the type executable for Android. .APK
12. Native apps are executed directly by the OS of mobile device. T
13. GUI Toolkit is an example of low-level API for Native Apps. F
14. _________ is the type executable for iOS. .IPA
15. Purely Native apps are binary executable image that is explicitly downloaded and stored on the file
system of the mobile device. T
16. Built-in Apps have direct access to low-level APIs only through High-level APIs. F
17. Looking at the mobile app and its features, is it possible to distinguish between the type as Native, Web
or Hybrid? F
18. Built-in Apps have direct access to low-level APIs. T
19. In case of Pure mobile web apps, the code is executed by the _______. BROWSER
20. The rendering engine in the pure mobile web apps is called as WEBKIT
21. Web apps are much easier to maintain, as they have a common code base across multiple mobile
platforms. Is this statement true of false? T
22. Pure mobile websites are same as Pure mobile Apps. F
23. Application caching is enabled with latest features of _________. HTML5 AND CSS3
24. Pure mobile web apps are written only in _________. HTML/CSS/JAVASCRIPT
25. JavaScript Toolkit library includes, which of the following? SENCHA TOUCH AND JQUERY MOBILE
26. The main cons of Web app comprises _________.
27. The advantage that hybrid apps carry over native is that it's All the options
28. In hybrid apps, some native code is used to allow the app to access the wider functionality of the
device. Is this True or False T

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