April 2017 Summaries

In the context of the release of Ionic Framework 3.0.0, the post by Mike Hartington addresses the introduction and implementation of lazy loading as a feature aimed at enhancing app performance by loading chunks of code only when needed. Although still in beta, lazy loading is presented as a straightforward process involving the use of NgModules to organize and manage code effectively. The post provides a step-by-step guide to setting up lazy loading in an Ionic app, specifically focusing on the HomePage component, by creating a dedicated NgModule and using the @IonicPage decorator to facilitate on-demand loading. This approach helps reduce the initial load time by distributing the bytes across different components, which becomes crucial as applications grow in complexity and size, ultimately improving user experience. Future discussions are hinted at, promising to delve deeper into structuring apps for better lazy loading support across components, directives, and pipes.

Ionic 3.0 has been released, marking a significant update compatible with Angular 4.0.0, incorporating new features and performance improvements such as faster and smaller applications, alongside support for TypeScript 2.1 and 2.2, which enhances build time and type checking. This major version update follows Semver versioning guidelines due to incompatible API changes introduced by the Angular upgrade. New features include the @IonicPage decorator for easier deep link configuration and the introduction of lazy loading, which, although not yet default due to minor issues, aims to speed up application performance. The release also acknowledges some known navigation issues and emphasizes a continued focus on improving application start-up speed, performance, and desktop support, while incorporating user feedback and addressing existing bugs.