The JBoss Developer Studio 8 and JBoss Tools 4.2 release enables developers to use these tools to build mobile applications by using the Apache Cordova framework. Apache Cordova (fka, PhongeGap) is a framework for building packaged mobile applications using web technologies such as HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3. In this article, I will explore different scenarios for getting started with the tools and Apache Cordova.
Where are the tools?
Hybrid mobile tools are not part of the default installation but getting them is easy. Although there are other ways, I usually use JBoss Central to pull them in. Here is how.
First switch to Software/Update
tab on JBoss Central. Next select
JBoss Hybrid Mobile Tools + CordovaSim
. I usually select the AngularJS for Web Tools
option before hitting the Install/Update,
in order to get the improved support for Ionic framework.
Here is a screeen cast for getting started with the hybrid mobile tools.
1. Start a new Cordova project
This is the option when starting a new project or just experimenting with Apache Cordova development.It gives a basic
project template that you can easily change and you can select the initial set of cordova plug-ins to include into your project.
I usually add the console plugin at this time, to be able to
use console.log()
during development and remove it before the final export.
The video above not only shows how a project is created but also introduces the tools at your disposal going forward.
2. Import your existing Cordova application
If your Cordova application already exists and it was developed using a compatible tool such as Cordova CLI, you can import it easily and
start using all the functionality available. Import process will also restore your plugins if you have been using the new cordova save
command.
Here is a short video that shows the import feature in action.
3. Use existing mobile web site code
Often getting started with your packaged mobile application requires sharing the assets with a web application. We do support linking of resources from different locations to create a Cordova based mobile application. Although I do not recommend using artifacts, let alone whole web sites, that were created for desktop to be turned to mobile applications, but it helps to know that your tools are capable when it gets desperate.