September 2017 Summaries

Ionic has released ionic-angular 3.7.0 and @ionic/app-scripts 3.0.0, introducing several enhancements and bug fixes aimed at improving app performance and the developer experience. The ionic-angular 3.7.0 update supports Angular version 4.4.3, incorporates new CSS features to accommodate the iPhone X, and provides bug fixes and improvements. The @ionic/app-scripts 3.0.0 release features the integration of the Angular team's build optimizer tool, ngo, which enhances app performance by reducing size and improving boot speed under certain conditions. The updates are largely drop-in replacements, though custom webpack configurations may require adjustments. These releases are part of Ionic's ongoing efforts to transition towards web components with the upcoming ionic-angular 4.0.0, facilitated by the use of Stencil, to enhance app boot speed and runtime performance without significant disruptions to existing apps.

The Microsoft Flow app, developed with the Ionic framework, serves as a mobile extension of the Microsoft Flow automation engine, which streamlines everyday tasks by connecting popular cloud apps. Built with Ionic for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, the Flow app allows users to create, edit, and monitor workflows from their mobile devices, featuring push notifications, location-based triggers, and integration with Microsoft services such as PowerApps and PowerBI. The decision to leverage Ionic's hybrid development capabilities was driven by the need to share code across platforms and provide a consistent user experience, resulting in a high-quality product with enterprise-grade performance. The development team utilized a robust environment combining Visual Studio Team System, git, and HockeyApp to automate the development process, enabling efficient feature releases every two weeks. The app's global reach is supported by its scalability on Azure, available in over 40 languages, catering to hundreds of thousands of users worldwide.

The guide outlines the necessary steps for updating Ionic apps to ensure compatibility with iOS 11 and the iPhone X, focusing on the use of UIWebView and WKWebView. It emphasizes updating to the latest versions of ionic-angular and Ionic 1 to address the iPhone X's safe regions and viewport changes, with instructions for modifying the viewport meta tag to utilize the entire screen space. WKWebView is being promoted as the new default webview for Ionic apps due to its improved support for the iPhone X, and developers are encouraged to update their plugins and test the recent fixes. Additionally, the guide provides details on the new requirements for app icons and splash screens in Xcode, including generating these resources using the Ionic CLI, and highlights the importance of updating the cordova-plugin-statusbar for compatibility. The document also invites developers to report any issues encountered during the update process and sign up for the newsletter for further updates.

Framework churn, a persistent issue in the JavaScript community, involves the rapid emergence and obsolescence of frontend frameworks, causing developers to hesitate when investing in a particular tool due to its potential irrelevance in the near future. This phenomenon is largely driven by incompatible component models that lead to lock-in and churn, exacerbated by fast-paced innovation and strong marketing forces. Ionic, having experienced churn first-hand, aims to combat this by embracing Web Components, a modern web API spec supported by major browsers, which allows for the creation of standardized, interoperable custom elements. Web Components promise long-term stability and compatibility across various frameworks, offering developers the ability to create enduring components without being tied to a specific framework. Ionic's commitment to this approach is evidenced by their development of Stencil, a tool to generate web components with framework-like features, marking a strategic shift towards a more stable and future-proof environment that prioritizes the web standard over individual frameworks.