December 2016 Summaries

In December 2016, Ionic released a test version of its Super Starter project for Ionic 2.x apps, featuring over 14 ready-to-use page designs such as master detail, login/signup, settings, and tutorials, along with stub providers for utilities like Users, Settings, and APIs. This initiative aims to help developers create mobile apps more efficiently by providing pre-built pages for common UI designs and integrating internationalization capabilities with ng2-translate. The goal is to enable developers to build apps ten times faster than before, and feedback from the community is sought to refine the starter project further. Users are encouraged to test the new starter by installing the latest CLI and share their experiences on GitHub, as the project is a preview release expected to evolve over time.

MobileCaddy, a company specializing in mobile app development within the Salesforce ecosystem, developed a robust, offline-first hybrid mobile application for the global fashion brand Diesel using the Ionic framework. Initially facing limitations with their Salesforce1 mobile app, Diesel sought a more intuitive and functional app for their workforce, which MobileCaddy provided in just six weeks, later enhancing it with additional versions. The app, designed to support Diesel's merchandising team, incorporates custom UX/UI, the Salesforce Mobile SDK, and D3 charting for data analysis, while leveraging Ionic's performance benefits and Cordova's native capabilities. MobileCaddy's solution ensured flexibility with a single codebase, allowing potential future device changes without incurring additional costs, and demonstrated the advantages of Ionic's hybrid framework for enterprise clients by offering performance, scalability, and ease of use.

Simon Grimm's tutorial on building a Twitter app using Ionic 2 guides developers through creating a simple application where users can log in with their Twitter accounts, view their timelines, and send tweets. The process involves using the Twitter Connect plugin from Ionic Native, which employs Fabric for integration, requiring Twitter App and Fabric API keys. The tutorial details setting up the project structure, configuring API calls with a custom provider, and implementing basic user interface components, such as a login page and tweet composer. Additionally, Grimm suggests the potential for packaging the Twitter provider into an NPM module for easier reuse and highlights the benefits of leveraging device-stored Twitter credentials for seamless user authentication. The tutorial emphasizes the practical application of these steps to enable interaction with the Twitter REST API directly from a mobile app.

Scott Bolinger, co-founder of AppPresser, explores the synergy between WordPress and Ionic 2 in developing mobile applications, emphasizing how Ionic's hybrid app capabilities complement WordPress's widespread use in web development. With WordPress powering over 27% of the web and Ionic recognized as a leading tool in hybrid app development, the integration of these two platforms is facilitated by the WordPress REST API, which is now part of WordPress core. This integration allows developers to fetch and display WordPress content in Ionic apps using simple HTTP requests, but poses challenges when dealing with custom data and plugins, often requiring significant customization. To address these complexities, Bolinger suggests using iframes for displaying custom plugin content, such as forms, which can be seamlessly integrated into apps despite some limitations like slower load times and lack of offline functionality. The article advocates for a balanced approach that combines API-driven content with iframes to create visually and functionally cohesive mobile applications, highlighting AppPresser's efforts in utilizing these technologies in its latest platform update.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture launched a mobile app, developed by Clearly Innovative using the Ionic 2 framework, to allow prospective and current visitors to explore its extensive collection of over 37,000 artifacts, such as Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves and Harriet Tubman's hymn book. Clearly Innovative, a D.C.-based digital agency led by Aaron Saunders, chose Ionic 2 for its ability to support both iOS and Android apps from a single code base, which was crucial for meeting the museum's budget and timeline constraints. The app features a content management system built with Angular and utilizes various JavaScript libraries and Ionic-Native plugins to enhance user experience, including caching, language support, and thumbnail usage for smoother navigation. The firm also emphasizes educational initiatives, using Ionic to train students at Howard University and through its co-working space, In3, aiming to cultivate the next generation of developers.

Ionic's CEO, Max Lynch, outlines the company's strategic refocus towards enhancing its core strength in open-source mobile development software and backend services, by discontinuing certain products and initiatives. The announcement highlights the decision to cease development on Ionic Lab, a frontend GUI tool, due to the evolution of alternative solutions like Microsoft's Visual Studio support for Cordova and Ionic, and the increasing comfort of developers with command-line interfaces. Additionally, Ionic Cloud will pivot away from Ionic Analytics, reallocating resources to support Progressive Web Apps and web-first real-time database services, reflecting the changing mobile market landscape. The closure of Appcamp, an interactive learning course, is also announced, as the company seeks more efficient ways to deliver educational material. These strategic changes aim to fortify the release of Ionic 2 and enhance the integration of Ionic Cloud, ensuring a more cohesive and powerful framework for developers.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) offer significant advantages in the modern mobile environment, particularly for users in developing countries who often face challenges with limited internet connectivity, low-end device specifications, and high data costs. PWAs utilize modern web technologies such as service workers and web manifests to provide an app-like experience through browsers, focusing on efficient disk use and network efficiency. By dynamically caching essential assets, PWAs enable fast load times and reduced storage requirements, which is crucial for devices with limited storage capacity. Ionic supports PWAs with built-in features like offline caching and home screen prompts, and is working on further enhancements like code splitting and treeshaking to optimize load times. This approach allows developers to deliver a high-quality user experience even on inexpensive devices, positioning PWAs as a transformative solution for reaching the next billion internet users globally.