ad111 lotusphere 2011 - developing mobile apps rapidly for webkit browsers using xpages

Niklas Heidloff, Senior Software Engineer, IBMSteve Castledine, Advisory Software Engineer, IBM

© 2011 IBM Corporation

AD111 Developing Mobile Apps Rapidly for WebKit Browsers Using XPages

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Agenda● Overview

● Mobile apps with native look and feel

● Mobile apps accessing native services

● Mobile apps caching data and supporting offline

● Controls, controls, controls

● What's next?

© 2011 IBM Corporation 3

Agenda● Overview

● Mobile apps with native look and feel

● Mobile apps accessing native services

● Mobile apps caching data and supporting offline

● Controls, controls, controls

● What's next?

© 2011 IBM Corporation 4

OpenNTF Projects● http://mobilecontrols.openntf.org● http://mobiledocuments.openntf.org

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Goals of the OpenNTF Project● Identify which out of the box app dev functionality for mobile apps IBM®

Lotus® Domino® could support in future releases● Demonstrate how to use the Lotus Domino XPages app dev platform today to

build mobile apps with standard web development skills without having to write native/device specific code

● Demonstrate how to build mobile apps for Android™, iPhone® and Blackberry® using XPages

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Technical Goals● Enable developers to develop mobile apps via XPages (rapid application

development, access to Lotus Domino services, etc.)● Enable developers to build mobile apps that look & feel like native apps to

achieve the best user experience● Enable developers to build sophisticated mobiles apps accessing native

services and supporting offline● Enable developers to build mobile apps via XPages easily, e.g. via reusable

controls

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Agenda● Overview

● Mobile apps with native look and feel

● Mobile apps accessing native services

● Mobile apps caching data and supporting offline

● Controls, controls, controls

● What's next?

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Native Look & Feel● Many iPhone apps use the typical iPhone style● Android has it's own style but few apps use it● Blackberry doesn't seem to have it's own style● Not all apps use these styles, but many of the most popular apps, esp. for

iPhone

● Most Android and iPhone apps use nice page transitions● This is not only nice to have, but required to get the necessary user

acceptance. Mobile users have high expectations since they know it from other apps

● Technically this means one HTML/XSP page with lot's of hide/show and Ajax

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iPhone Style

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Android Style

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OpenNTF Project uses Dojo● Dojo 1.5 (dojox/mobile) provides a framework to build web apps that look and

feel like native apps─ Page transitions─ Loading indications─ Typical styles for iPhone and Android

● The project leverages Dojo 1.5● Custom styles can be used● Reusable controls are provided to assemble custom apps● A live version of this app is available under http://i.openntf.org

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Loading of new Content● View control loads new

entries automatically when scrolling down

● Progress indicators for view and document loading

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Creation of new Documents● Project shows how to create new

documents (via Ajax)

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Bookmarks● Pages including pages with documents

can be bookmarked─ e.g. http://i.openntf.org/niklas/

MobileControls1.0.0.nsf/m.xsp#document&unid=E58F1FE324BBC2418625771A001C5263

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Navigation● Browser and device navigation buttons are

supported

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Sticky Scrollbars● When navigating back to the view the scrollbars are sticky

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Custom Styles● Custom styles can be used

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Reusable Controls● Reusable XPages

Controls are providedto assemble custom apps

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Sample App: Mobile Notes Documents● Access Notes documents on mobile devices (e.g. when commuting to work)

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Sample App: Mobile Notes Documents

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Agenda● Overview

● Mobile apps with native look and feel

● Mobile apps accessing native services

● Mobile apps caching data and supporting offline

● Controls, controls, controls

● What's next?

© 2011 IBM Corporation 22

Access Native Services - Scenarios● Sub scenarios

─ Local contacts─ Camera─ GPS/geolocation─ Accelerometer─ Gestures (e.g. shake, orientation change)─ Local filesystem─ Media (e.g. pick photo)

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Sample Scenario: Take Picture and upload to Domino

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Access Native Services● Most of this functionality is not in WebKit and not in HTML5 or any other

standard or proposal yet● PhoneGap provides JavaScript APIs to use this functionality● PhoneGap is a native app and as such needs to be deployed to mobile

devices● The XPages Mobile Controls project provides a sample how to use PhoneGap● PhoneGap works on Android, iPhone and Blackberry

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JavaScript to access Camera

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Agenda● Overview

● Mobile apps with native look and feel

● Mobile apps accessing native services

● Mobile apps caching data and supporting offline

● Controls, controls, controls

● What's next?

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Offline and cached Data● HTML5 will support caching of resources and provide local storage

capabilities● Some WebKit based browsers support today also SQL storage of data

● Sample:Same blog application as previously taken offline

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Offline Implementation● Usage of manifest file to cache resources● Usage of 'localSession' to cache data

─ SQL would also be possible but not supported on all WebKit devices● Offline detection via JavaScript ● The synchronization and offline mechanism is limited at this point:

─ The synchronization is hardcoded to the last 10 view entries and documents─ The data is updated automatically when online─ The content of documents is stored locally but without pictures and other

embedded objects─ Comments can be read but no new comments can be created offline

© 2011 IBM Corporation 29

Agenda● Overview

● Mobile apps with native look and feel

● Mobile apps accessing native services

● Mobile apps caching data and supporting offline

● Controls, controls, controls

● What's next?

© 2011 IBM Corporation 30

Controls, Controls, Controls● Reused and packaged as XPages controls from various open source projects

─ Dojo 1.5─ Wink tookit 1.0─ cubiq.org

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Login Control● Another part of the project is the login

control for mobile devices ● This is not an XPages control but

leverages IBM Lotus iNotes® Ultralite code

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Image Carousel● From Dojo● Switch between images via the icons on

the left and right hand side

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Image Viewer● From Dojo Mobile● Flip between images and zoom in/out

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Slide In Menu● From cubiq.org

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Pop Up Menu● From Wink toolkit

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Spinning Wheel● From cubiq.org

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Date Picker Control● From Wink toolkit

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Modal Dialog Control● From Wink toolkit

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Static Line Items● From Dojo

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Agenda● Overview

● Mobile apps with native look and feel

● Mobile apps accessing native services

● Mobile apps caching data and supporting offline

● Controls, controls, controls

● What's next?

© 2011 IBM Corporation 41

What's next?● Dojo is adding new features that could be consumed by XPages Mobile

Controls─ Bottom navigator─ Flipping views─ Footers and headers optionally fix─ Splitted screen for iPad

● Evaluating whether to provide the mobile controlsas out of the box controls

© 2011 IBM Corporation 42

Q & A

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Related Sessions● AD116 - XPages Extension Library: Making Application Development Even

Easier ● BP207 - Apps, Apps, and More Apps: Meet the Very Best Open Source Apps

from OpenNTF● AD106 - IBM Lotus Domino App Dev: All Things Considered | Pete Janzen● AD113 - Show Your XPages in Style! ● AD114 - There and Back Again: Strategies for Re-factoring Notes Applications

to XPages

© 2011 IBM Corporation 44

Appendix – Resources – Open Source Projects● XPages Mobile Controls Project:

─ http://mobilecontrols.openntf.org

● XPages Mobile Documents Project:─ http://mobiledocuments.openntf.org

● PhoneGap: ─ http://www.phonegap.com

● Dojo:─ http://www.dojotoolkit.org

● Wink Tookit: ─ http://www.winktoolkit.org

● Cubiq.org:─ http://cubiq.org

© 2011 IBM Corporation 45

Appendix – Resources – Live Demos● OpenNTF blog:

─ http://i.openntf.org

● Dojo blog including offline:─ http://208.85.188.19/niklas/MobileControls200.nsf/m.xsp

● Controls on xpages.info/demos─ http://208.85.190.65/demos/DemoMobileControls.nsf/StartHere.xsp

© 2011 IBM Corporation 46

Appendix – Resources – HTML5 ● Resources:

─ http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/offline.html

● Local storage:─ http://dev.w3.org/html5/webstorage

● SQL storage:─ http://www.w3.org/TR/offline-webapps

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