Synopses & Reviews
“For those not ready to tackle the complexities of Objective-C, this is a great way to get started building iPhone apps. If you know the basics of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, you’ll be building apps in no time.”
—August Trometer, Owner of FoggyNoggin Software, www.foggynoggin.com
Discover the Easier, Faster Way to Build High-Quality iPhone Applications
Now, you don’t need to dive headfirst into Objective-C to write state-of-the-art applications for the iPhone. You can use web development tools and technologies you already know: JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. In this book, long-time web and mobile application developer Lee S. Barney shows you how to use the QuickConnect and PhoneGap frameworks to create secure, high-quality, modular hybrid iPhone applications.
Lee S. Barney walks you through the entire hybrid iPhone development process, from creating great user interfaces to compiling, deploying, and executing applications. Along the way, he introduces techniques and sample code designed to streamline development, eliminate complexity, optimize performance, and leverage all iPhone’s native capabilities—from its accelerometer and GPS to its built-in database. Coverage includes
- Using Dashcode and Xcode together to create unique, exciting hybrid iPhone applications
- Using the QuickConnect JavaScript API to perform tasks ranging from vibrating the phone to accessing the accelerometer and GPS location data
- Accessing native iPhone functionality using the PhoneGap JavaScript API
- Storing, retrieving, and managing data on the iPhone, even without network access
- Using XMLHttpRequest to access or synchronize remote data and use web services
- Creating Google-based maps for your own app that work like those you see in the iPhone’s Maps application
This book systematically lowers the barriers to iPhone development, enabling web developers to build any iPhone application they can imagine without long development cycles or steep learning curves!
Review
Praise for Developing Hybrid Applications for the iPhone
“For those not ready to tackle the complexities of Objective-C, this is a great way to get started building iPhone apps. If you know the basics of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, you’ll be building apps in no time.”
–August Trometer, Owner of FoggyNoggin Software, www.foggynoggin.com
“Lee S. Barney takes the complexities of iPhone application creation and utilizes simple and often witty examples and language to make this book an enjoyable and useful read. It is not a simple how-to book, but if you have some web programming background and an idea, this book can provide you with the foundation for well-made, maintainable, and useable applications for the iPhone.”
–William Dalton
“This is an outstanding book! If you are interested in building applications for the iPhone, this is the book for you. Lee S. Barney makes it simple and easy to understand. He has you creating a custom application from the very first chapter. Then, he brings you up the learning curve until you’re building applications with advanced iPhone features, such as the accelerometer, GPS, and embedded maps. This is an extremely well-written and easy-to-follow book.”
–Joey Skinner, CEO and President, Rodeo Software
“Lee S. Barney employs his solid background in JavaScript and Xcode to demonstrate useful techniques for building hybrid iPhone applications. I appreciate his candor as he shares some of the pitfalls that might trap newcomers, which then supports the direction for his solution. If you have a strong background in Javascript and are looking to break into iPhone application development, this book would make for a good segue.”
–A. Scott Mikolaitis
Synopsis
“For those not ready to tackle the complexities of Objective-C, this is a great way to get started building iPhone apps. If you know the basics of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, you’ll be building apps in no time.”
—August Trometer, Owner of FoggyNoggin Software, www.foggynoggin.com
Discover the Easier, Faster Way to Build High-Quality iPhone Applications
Now, you don’t need to dive headfirst into Objective-C to write state-of-the-art applications for the iPhone. You can use web development tools and technologies you already know: JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. In this book, long-time web and mobile application developer Lee S. Barney shows you how to use the QuickConnect and PhoneGap frameworks to create secure, high-quality, modular hybrid iPhone applications.
Lee S. Barney walks you through the entire hybrid iPhone development process, from creating great user interfaces to compiling, deploying, and executing applications. Along the way, he introduces techniques and sample code designed to streamline development, eliminate complexity, optimize performance, and leverage all iPhone’s native capabilities—from its accelerometer and GPS to its built-in database. Coverage includes
- Using Dashcode and Xcode together to create unique, exciting hybrid iPhone applications
- Using the QuickConnect JavaScript API to perform tasks ranging from vibrating the phone to accessing the accelerometer and GPS location data
- Accessing native iPhone functionality using the PhoneGap JavaScript API
- Storing, retrieving, and managing data on the iPhone, even without network access
- Using XMLHttpRequest to access or synchronize remote data and use web services
- Creating Google-based maps for your own app that work like those you see in the iPhone’s Maps application
This book systematically lowers the barriers to iPhone development, enabling web developers to build any iPhone application they can imagine without long development cycles or steep learning curves!
About the Author
Lee S. Barney (Rexburg, Idaho) is a professor at Brigham Young University—Idaho in the Computer Information Technology Department of the Business and Communication College. He has worked as CIO and CTO of @HomeSoftware, a company that produced web-based, mobile data, and scheduling applications for the home health care industry. Prior to this, he worked for more than seven years as a programmer, senior software engineer, quality assurance manager, development manager, and project manager for AutoSimulations, Inc., the leading supplier of planning and scheduling software to the semiconductor industry. He is the author of Oracle Database AJAX & PHP Web Application Development.
Table of Contents
Preface xiii
Chapter 1: Developing with Dashcode and Xcode 1
Chapter 2: JavaScript Modularity and iPhone Applications 25
Chapter 3: Creating iPhone User Interfaces 45
Chapter 4: GPS, Acceleration, and Other Native Functions with QuickConnect 75
Chapter 5: Hybrid Applications, GPS, Acceleration, and Other Native Functions with PhoneGap 95
Chapter 6: Embedding Google Maps 111
Chapter 7: Database Access 127
Chapter 8: Remote Data Access 155
Appendix A: Introduction to JSON 173
Appendix B: The QuickConnectFamily Development Roadmap 179
Appendix C: The PhoneGap Development Roadmap 183