I am about to start building a mobile site which is dynamic, working from a lot of dynamic content which must come from the database.
I have already written a REST API for the site which the IOS and Android applications are using to interact with the information.
My question is what would be the absolute best practise for building this site, would it be:
1- Make the mobile classes an extension of the existing site functions
(The downside I see here is that the mobile site would be dependant on the main site library meaning that any bad heat on the main site would also affect the mobile site)
2- Make the mobile site a completely stand alone site running from itself
(The downside I see here is that any change to the main site library will need to be reflected here so in essence we would almost be writing code twice)
3- Make the mobile site run from the REST API and standalone
(The downside i see here is just increased number of HTTP requests for the information rather than communicating with the server directly)
Each one would function normally and there wouldn't really be any problem there, coding is really not too difficult, though if I make it standalone I would need to recreate a lot of the functions from the main site and adapt them for the mobile site which isn't ideal.
Look forward to your comments! Thanks
I would go with 3rd point, but that needs to be architect well.
We will prioritize standalone application after that API, also we can have 2 way communication, any content changed on server it will coordinate with clients to get that updated.
Also I would also suggest go with Bootstrap framework, its an awesome framework and have responsive and adaptive design
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OK so hear this: I have a project in mind, which would require a front-end solution (most likely pure html,css,js) and a back-end solution (not sure of the language yet)... if the site will be made in two parts (the app itself, and the static, I don't know how to call that site? it's the introduction site with about me etc.), how do I properly have the project organized if it will grow?
I'm working on two webapps built with Nuxtjs which are like e-learning apps. One app (App1) acts as a CMS from which a teacher prepares courses, and in and the other app (App2) is like an end result where a student can go through the content created.
Now I want to implement an instant preview of the App2 in the App1 when content is being built.
So I was wondering what the best approach, that's quick and seamless, is to go about it?
I was thinking of sharing the components in an NPM package between the two apps but the thing is that almost all the pages of the App2 should be used in the App1.
Or loading the App2 in an Iframe in the App 1 but no sure how to instantly show the changes being made in App1?
All ideas given is appreciated in advance.
As I guess you want to create two apps that have common components, and different logic, sharing components via npm package is a really good idea, I think you can also use Layout feature, you can have more than 2 scenes, But that can make the app little bit complex, it depends on how to organize your business logic.
I have been a dev for some years now, but I can't wrap my head around what exactly is a PWA.
For example, if an app runs on a mobile phone it is a native app. I can point to it and tell people that "look it is a native app."
In a similar sense, what is a PWA? Where does it run? Which app can I point to and tell that it is a PWA?
From what I have read on the web I feel that a PWA is a website that has modern technologies and gives a "native app like" experience to the user.
Is my understanding correct?
All in all, it is a website that has native-like experience?
If so how does a user separate a normal website form a PWA?
The concept of the progressive web app (PWA) was approached by Google in late 2015. They are basically web applications (Website) but have look and feel like other native mobile apps. The progressive web app enabled websites can offer functionalities such as working offline, push notifications, and device hardware access.
Benefits of the progressive web app:
1. Smaller and Faster:
The progressive web apps are much smaller in size than native apps. They don’t even need to install. That’s they are not wasting disc space and load very fast.
2. Responsive Interface:
Progressive web app (PWA) supported web pages are capable to fit in every screen sizes automatically. It could be a smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop.
3. No Updates Required:
Most of the mobile apps need regular weekly updates. Like the normal website, progressive web apps (PWA) are always loaded latest updated version whenever the user interaction happens and no App or Play Store approval required.
4. Cost Effective:
Native mobile apps need to be developed for both Android and iOS devices separately and their development cost is very high. On the other hand, progressive web apps are had the same features but the fraction of the prior price.
5. SEO Advantage:
Progressive web apps are discoverable by search engines and load super-fast. Just like other websites, their links are sharable too. This, in other words, gives good user experience and result in SEO rank boost.
6. Offline capabilities:
Due to the support of service worker API, PWAs are accessible in offline or low internet connections.
7. Security:
PWAs are delivered over HTTPS connection and secure user-data over each interaction.
8. Push Notifications:
By the support of push notifications, PWAs can interact easily with the users and provide a really amazing user experience.
9. Bypass the app stores:
PWAs don’t need the App store or Google play store support. Their updated version can be directly loaded from the web server without the requirement of app store approval. On the other hand, native apps need days of approval if any new update required. There are possibilities of getting rejected or banned.
10. Zero installation:
During browsing, progressive web app gets its own icon on phones and tablets, just like a mobile application, but without the need to go through the tedious and slow App Store installation process.
Disadvantages of the progressive web app:
1. Less access to system features:
Currently, Progressive Web Apps have limited access to native system features than native apps. Also, all browsers are not supporting its full features but maybe in near future, it will be the new standard of development.
2. More Android – Less Apple’s iOS:
progressive web apps are currently, most supported by Android devices. Apple’s iOS is only partially supporting.
3. No review standard:
progressive web apps don’t need any kind of review system which is applicable for native apps from the app store. It may make the process faster but lack of promotional benefits from the app store.
Progressive web app checklist:
The checklist for the progressive web app is extensive. I have described its main few items here.
1. HTTPS
2. Web app manifest - manifest.json
3. Service worker
4. Responsive design
5. App icon
6. First load fast even on 3G
Conclusions:
There are huge possibilities offered for the progressive web app. Although there are lots of features and browser adaptability expected in near future. But, whatever already exists in the market is enough to show a strong mobile presence.
Visit the video blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVXP-RzA0Eo
A PWA is a website with certain progressive features, most notably the ability to load offline or in areas with spotty connection, load quickly, display push notifications, and have other native app qualities. The benefits of a PWA is that they run on any browsers (since they're a normal website, if the browser doesn't support PWAs then the user gets a normal website experience), even desktop browsers. On mobile devices, the user will often get prompted to install the web app to the home screen, which happens almost instantaneously and uses barely any data since the website is already loaded. This allows for way more "downloads" than a native app, leading to higher engagement. For another brief overview of what a PWA, Google has some great articles about them.
Technically speaking, a PWA is a website that has two things: a web app manifest file and a service worker.
A manifest is a JSON file (usually called manifest.json) with some information about the progressive web app. It contains information similar to what you would include with a native app. It has the name, the short name for display on home screens, icons, orientation, etc. A web app manifest can be used on any site (even non-PWAs) to give the browser more information and allow the site to create a shortcut on the user's homescreen, but it's required for a PWA. You can read more about it over on the Google Developer's site.
A service worker is a JavaScript file that can be installed by the browser to do certain tasks. This file will be run in the background of the site and can do things like caching resources, intercepting network requests (to do stuff like return data from the cache), receiving push notifications, background synchronization, etc. When a user first visits your site this JS file gets installed and starts running. This is the file that allows for things like offline functionality. You can read more about service workers on the Google Developer's site as well.
Roughly speaking PWA is a web app that has native feeling and can be installed to the users' home screen and can start & work offline with an optional sync to server when Internet connection gets available.
To be considered a Progressive Web App, your app must be:
Progressive - Work for every user, regardless of browser choice,
because they are built with progressive enhancement as a core tenet.
Responsive - Fit any form factor, desktop, mobile, tablet, or whatever
is next.
Connectivity independent - Enhanced with service workers to work
offline or on low quality networks.
App-like - Use the app-shell model to provide app-style navigation and
interactions.
Fresh - Always up-to-date thanks to the service worker update process.
Safe - Served via HTTPS to prevent snooping and ensure content has not
been tampered with.
Discoverable - Are identifiable as “applications” thanks to W3C
manifests and service worker registration scope allowing search
engines to find them.
Re-engageable - Make re-engagement easy through features like push
notifications.
Installable - Allow users to “keep” apps they find most useful on
their home screen without the hassle of an app store.
Linkable - Easily share via URL and not require complex installation.
I think PWA is quite a broad term. I say broad because there are many ways of developing and distributing a PWA. In Layman's terms a Progressive Web App is a 'web site' that is effectively used/displayed like a native app. I believe an example of this would be something like phonegap? where phonegap built an app 'surrounding/scaffolding' and displayed a webpage with some custom CSS over the top. (Editorial Note: Phonegap is not related to progressive web apps. Phonegap creates actual, native applications. Wrapping a website in a native application is very different from progressive web apps.)
Most recently though I've been working on a lot of react only based website which I believe is the closest to PWA you can get at the moment (especially for IOS who only support minimal feature to encourage you to build native apps for their app store).
But yea it's basically an app like app that's not an app; rendering from a web page :thumbsup:
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are web apps that follow a set of guidelines
Starts fast, stays fast
Performance plays a significant role in the success of any online experience, because high performing sites engage and retain users better than poorly performing ones. Sites should focus on optimizing for user-centric performance metrics.
Works in any browser
Users can use any browser they choose to access your web app before it's installed.
Responsive to any screen size
Users can use your PWA on any screen size and all of the content is available at any viewport size.
Provides a custom offline page
When users are offline, keeping them in your PWA provides a more seamless experience than dropping back to the default browser offline page.
Is installable
Users who install or add apps to their device tend to engage with those apps more.
For more details see What makes a good Progressive Web App?
I really like the new feature, Web API that's released with MVC4.
I'm currently working on a web application, that I will want to extend it to a mobile application.
What would be the best way of utilizing this feature?
Program it like there's no Web API, and when i'm ready to develop for a mobile application, then use this feature (Copy and paste controller functions then edit the return and error handling value ?
Or should I use Web API from the beginning of the web development. Using javascript to call functions and to handle errros? The problem with this apporach is I'm not too familiar with JS, and the code would not look very clean (the Views)
Any opinion?
Thanks
IMHO the Web API shouldn't be seen as a feature specific to mobile application development. It's a tool allowing you to easily expose RESTful APIs over HTTP. Those APIs could be consumed from desktop applications, web applications, mobile applications, etc ... The interface for each type of application will of course be developed using the specific frameworks and tools for this task (WPF, ASP.NET/MVC, WP7/iOS/Android, ...).
The Web API just allows you to expose your business data and services in an interoperable way so that different clients could consume them.
I would prefer using the second approach.
In the beginning, I also thought the .ajax calls might mess up the Views. (No one likes to add a long <script> section in a View.) But after asking my questions on Stackoverflow, I am glad to find some experts here using some "code-behind" for those javascript.
The practice is:
Create a separate JS folder to store all the "code-behind" js files. (The default Scripts folder only contains the third-party packages like knockout.js, jquery.js and etc)
For each view, generate a .js file, like home.index.js, form.add.js, etc. Just follow a consistent rule. There will be a lot of js files created. The great thing is in MVC4, we can combine all .js files under this folder and generate a minified, combined, single file, and load it only once in the _Layout view.
The way to do it is:
In _Layout view, <head> section:
<script src="#System.Web.Optimization.BundleTable.Bundles.ResolveBundleUrl("~/JavaScripts/js")" type="text/javascript"></script>
In Global.asax, Application_Start, register the bundle:
var bundle = new Bundle("~/JavaScripts/js", new JsMinify());
bundle.AddDirectory("~/JavaScripts", "*.js", true);
BundleTable.Bundles.Add(bundle);
BundleTable.Bundles.EnableDefaultBundles();
//BundleTable.Bundles.RegisterTemplateBundles();
Then you are good to go. The Views are still clean. All the .js files are organized. And no need to import different .js file on each individual view.
Leaning JS is not a problem. As it is probably the only client-side programming language, it is now becoming necessary for us to learn new things. And I feel it is easier since we have jQuery now. It is time to upgrade our knowledge. I am happy and excited about what we can accomplish with these new tools.
I was asked to build a control-system for a Ebay-like Finnish auction-site huuto.net.
The system would reopen closed auctions by a specific rules. It would be completely external from the main site, running at an external website.
The site is however unwilling to release its API and Schema. I know no way to build such a system without knowing its API.
How do you build an internet site without its API and Schema?
You could try some form of automatic browsing: mechanize
Edit:
Examples here.
I think you're asking about building a site that interacts with another site without using a well-defined API. Is that right?
You can interact with an external site without using an official API - in order to do so, you need to imitate a normal site visitor and send your requests to the site frontend (in much the same way as a web crawler does). Tools like hpricot, mechanize and curl can help you parse the content of pages and send requests, but in doing so your system may be quite brittle. Any change to the target site might mean you have to rewrite portions of your system.
It might be possible to get the data you need by screen scraping the site. You could perform the operations you want to do by POSTing data into their forms or using a WebClient type API to make your program act like a web browser but that's likely to be an extremely brittle solution.
Honestly though, without an API, there really is no good solution.
you either need access to the database or an API, otherwise no point in even trying.