Professional Cross-Platform Mobile Development in C#
Published on 21. February 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-118-15770-1 (ISBN)
Description
Develop mobile enterprise applications in a language you already know!
With employees, rather than the IT department, now driving the decision of which devices to use on the job, many companies are scrambling to integrate enterprise applications. Fortunately, enterprise developers can now create apps for all major mobile devices using C#/.NET and Mono, languages most already know. A team of authors draws on their vast experiences to teach you how to create cross-platform mobile applications, while delivering the same functionality to PC's, laptops and the web from a single technology platform and code-base. Rather than reinventing the wheel with each app, this book provides you with the tools you need for cross-platform development--no new languages needed!
* Presents an overview of the sea change occurring with the use of enterprise mobile applications and what it means for developers
* Shares the criteria for evaluating and selecting the best option for application architecture
* Reviews tools and techniques for setting up a cross-platform development environment
* Offers an introduction to the MonoCross open-source project and pattern for cross-platform development
Packed with specific software design patterns, development best practices, code examples and sample applications, this must-have book gets you started developing cross-platform mobile apps today.
With employees, rather than the IT department, now driving the decision of which devices to use on the job, many companies are scrambling to integrate enterprise applications. Fortunately, enterprise developers can now create apps for all major mobile devices using C#/.NET and Mono, languages most already know. A team of authors draws on their vast experiences to teach you how to create cross-platform mobile applications, while delivering the same functionality to PC's, laptops and the web from a single technology platform and code-base. Rather than reinventing the wheel with each app, this book provides you with the tools you need for cross-platform development--no new languages needed!
* Presents an overview of the sea change occurring with the use of enterprise mobile applications and what it means for developers
* Shares the criteria for evaluating and selecting the best option for application architecture
* Reviews tools and techniques for setting up a cross-platform development environment
* Offers an introduction to the MonoCross open-source project and pattern for cross-platform development
Packed with specific software design patterns, development best practices, code examples and sample applications, this must-have book gets you started developing cross-platform mobile apps today.
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
John Wiley & Sons Inc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 23.6 cm
Width: 18.7 cm
Thickness: 1.9 cm
Weight
644 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-118-15770-1 (9781118157701)
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Scott Olson is a writer for iPhone Life and the lead architect at ITR Mobility. He has over 18 years of development experience.
John Hunter has been developing and architecting apps for more than two decades and currently serves as a lead consulting architect at ITR Mobility.
Ben Horgen is the lead technical analyst for mobile applications at Ameriprise Financial and has more than a decade of development experience.
Kenny Goers has been developing software since 1998 and is currently a mobile application architect at ITR Mobility.
John Hunter has been developing and architecting apps for more than two decades and currently serves as a lead consulting architect at ITR Mobility.
Ben Horgen is the lead technical analyst for mobile applications at Ameriprise Financial and has more than a decade of development experience.
Kenny Goers has been developing software since 1998 and is currently a mobile application architect at ITR Mobility.
Content
INTRODUCTION xvii
PART I: MOBILE DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW
CHAPTER 1: CHOOSING THE RIGHT ARCHITECTURE 3
Understanding Mobile Architecture 3
Connecting to the Network 4
Recognizing Storage and Processor Limitations 5
Securing Data on the Device 6
Building Scalable Applications 7
Planning for Deployment 8
Writing Extendible Modules 8
Maintaining Application Code 9
Choosing an Architecture 9
Building Native Applications 9
Building Web Applications 10
Building Hybrid Applications 11
Building for Multiple Platforms 12
Choosing iOS Applications 12
Choosing Android Applications 13
Choosing Windows Phone Applications 14
Choosing Web Applications 14
Summary 14
CHAPTER 2: DESIGNING YOUR USER EXPERIENCE 15
Making Your Applications Usable 16
Identifying the Scope of Each Screen 16
Conforming to Platform Standards 17
Separating Platform from Design 19
Prototyping 20
Whiteboarding 20
Using Functional Prototypes 22
Obtaining User Feedback 25
Using Agile Iterations 26
Summary 27
PART II: DEVELOPING CROSS-PLATFORM APPLICATIONS
CHAPTER 3: SETTING UP YOUR DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT 31
Getting Your Development Tools 32
Installing Microsoft Visual Studio 32
Installing Internet Information Services (IIS) 35
Installing MonoDevelop for Mac 38
Installing Device Frameworks 41
Installing the Windows Phone SDK 41
Preparing for iOS Development 42
Preparing for Android Development 47
Installing MonoCross Project Templates 54
Installing the MonoCross Utilities 56
Organizing Your Solutions 57
Navigating the Sample Code 59
Continuous Integration 60
Summary 61
CHAPTER 4: THE MONOCROSS PATTERN 63
Understanding the Cross-Platform Problem 63
Understanding Native Platform Diff erences 64
Acknowledging HTML 5 Limitations 64
Taking a Hybrid Approach 65
Enabling Code Portability with Mono 65
Developing for Multiple Platforms 66
Defi ning a Cross-Platform Architecture 67
Separating the User Interface 67
Understanding the MonoCross Solution 67
Using the Model-View-Controller Pattern 68
Using URI-Based Navigation 77
Summary 88
CHAPTER 5: BUILDING SHARED APPLICATIONS 89
Defi ning Your Model 91
Starting from Your User Experience Design 91
Building for Lightly Loaded Lists 94
Plan for Lazy-Loaded Details 95
Advanced Techniques 96
Building Your Controllers 100
Implementing Your Workfl ow 101
Applying Changes to the Model 110
Summary 110
CHAPTER 6: BUILDING MONOCROSS CONTAINERS 113
Understanding How It All Fits Together 113
Implementing a Simple Application 115
Initializing the Container 115
Building the Customer List View 116
Building the Customer View 118
Building the Customer Edit View 120
Implementing an iOS Platform Container 122
Initializing a Container in MonoTouch 122
Building the Customer List View in MonoTouch 124
Building the Customer View in MonoTouch 127
Building the Customer Edit View in MonoTouch 131
Implementing an Android Platform Container 134
Initializing the Container for Android 134
Building the Customer List View for Android 136
Building the Customer View for Android 139
Building the Customer Edit View for Android 141
Implementing a Windows Phone Platform Container 144
Initializing a Container for Windows Phone 144
Building the Customer List View for Windows Phone 147
Building the Customer View for Windows Phone 150
Building the Customer Edit View for Windows Phone 154
Implementing a WebKit Platform Container 158
Initializing a Container with WebKit 158
Building the Customer List View with WebKit 159
Building the Customer View with WebKit 161
Building the Customer Edit View with WebKit 164
Summary 166
CHAPTER 7: DESIGNING AND BUILDING DATA SERVICES 167
Understanding Web Services Principles 167
Using SOAP Services 168
Using REST Services 168
Defining a Mobile Services API 169
Starting with Your User Experience Design 169
Optimizing for Mobile Usage 170
Creating Resource Endpoints 171
Building Indexed Lists 174
Retrieving Detail Objects 176
Enabling Transactions 179
Creating JSON Endpoints 187
Using Advanced Techniques 190
Specifying Data Elements in the Request 190
Building Pagination into Your Services 192
Filtering Results on the Server 194
Summary 196
CHAPTER 8: CONSUMING DATA SERVICES 197
Initiating RESTful Transactions 197
Performing RESTful GETs 201
Performing PUTs, POSTs, and DELETEs 211
Working Disconnected 222
Caching Data 222
Standardizing Cache Interface 223
Caching Mobile Data In-Memory 223
Caching Mobile Data Persistently 225
Securing Mobile Data (Encryption) 227
Not Caching Mobile Data 228
Queuing Data to Server 229
Device Resource Considerations 233
Managing Memory/File System Consumption 234
Managing Network Bandwidth 234
Summary 235
CHAPTER 9: ACCESSING THE DEVICE 237
Utilizing Device Audio and Video Playback Capabilities 238
Capturing Audio 239
Playing Audio 243
Capturing Video 247
Playing Video 252
Contacts and Calendar 255
Accessing Contacts 255
Messaging and Communication 258
Initiating a Voice Call 258
Geo-location 260
Getting GPS Location Information 260
Accelerometer 265
Getting X, Y, and Z 266
Summary 270
CHAPTER 10: USING MONOCROSS UTILITIES 271
Understanding MonoCross Utilities 272
Encrypting Application Information 273
Understanding the Encryption Utility 273
Putting the Encryption Utility to Work 275
Using File Storage 276
Understanding the File Utility 276
Putting the File Utility to Work 277
Serializing Objects 280
Understanding the Serializer Utility 280
Putting the Serializer Utility to Work 281
Logging Application Events 285
Understanding the Log Utility 285
Putting the Log Utility to Work 286
Accessing Network Functionality 288
Understanding the Network Utility 288
Putting the Network Utility to Work 289
Threading Your Application 291
Understanding the Thread Utility 291
Putting the Thread Utility to Work 292
Summary 294
CHAPTER 11: HYBRID APPLICATIONS 295
The Reasoning Behind the Web Hybrid Approach 295
Native Applications 295
Web Applications 296
Hybrid Applications 297
Implementing a Hybrid Approach 298
Understanding How Hybrid Applications Work 298
Building the Web Components 300
Building the Native Containers 303
Summary 314
CHAPTER 12: BRINGING APPLICATIONS TO THE ENTERPRISE 317
Expanding Your Application's Domain 317
Bringing Your Application to the Desktop 318
Bringing Your Application to the Cloud 322
Supporting Multiple Platforms 339
Future-Proofing Applications 339
Building for Reuse 339
Using View Abstraction 341
Using a Mixed-View Model 342
Summary 344
INDEX 345
PART I: MOBILE DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW
CHAPTER 1: CHOOSING THE RIGHT ARCHITECTURE 3
Understanding Mobile Architecture 3
Connecting to the Network 4
Recognizing Storage and Processor Limitations 5
Securing Data on the Device 6
Building Scalable Applications 7
Planning for Deployment 8
Writing Extendible Modules 8
Maintaining Application Code 9
Choosing an Architecture 9
Building Native Applications 9
Building Web Applications 10
Building Hybrid Applications 11
Building for Multiple Platforms 12
Choosing iOS Applications 12
Choosing Android Applications 13
Choosing Windows Phone Applications 14
Choosing Web Applications 14
Summary 14
CHAPTER 2: DESIGNING YOUR USER EXPERIENCE 15
Making Your Applications Usable 16
Identifying the Scope of Each Screen 16
Conforming to Platform Standards 17
Separating Platform from Design 19
Prototyping 20
Whiteboarding 20
Using Functional Prototypes 22
Obtaining User Feedback 25
Using Agile Iterations 26
Summary 27
PART II: DEVELOPING CROSS-PLATFORM APPLICATIONS
CHAPTER 3: SETTING UP YOUR DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT 31
Getting Your Development Tools 32
Installing Microsoft Visual Studio 32
Installing Internet Information Services (IIS) 35
Installing MonoDevelop for Mac 38
Installing Device Frameworks 41
Installing the Windows Phone SDK 41
Preparing for iOS Development 42
Preparing for Android Development 47
Installing MonoCross Project Templates 54
Installing the MonoCross Utilities 56
Organizing Your Solutions 57
Navigating the Sample Code 59
Continuous Integration 60
Summary 61
CHAPTER 4: THE MONOCROSS PATTERN 63
Understanding the Cross-Platform Problem 63
Understanding Native Platform Diff erences 64
Acknowledging HTML 5 Limitations 64
Taking a Hybrid Approach 65
Enabling Code Portability with Mono 65
Developing for Multiple Platforms 66
Defi ning a Cross-Platform Architecture 67
Separating the User Interface 67
Understanding the MonoCross Solution 67
Using the Model-View-Controller Pattern 68
Using URI-Based Navigation 77
Summary 88
CHAPTER 5: BUILDING SHARED APPLICATIONS 89
Defi ning Your Model 91
Starting from Your User Experience Design 91
Building for Lightly Loaded Lists 94
Plan for Lazy-Loaded Details 95
Advanced Techniques 96
Building Your Controllers 100
Implementing Your Workfl ow 101
Applying Changes to the Model 110
Summary 110
CHAPTER 6: BUILDING MONOCROSS CONTAINERS 113
Understanding How It All Fits Together 113
Implementing a Simple Application 115
Initializing the Container 115
Building the Customer List View 116
Building the Customer View 118
Building the Customer Edit View 120
Implementing an iOS Platform Container 122
Initializing a Container in MonoTouch 122
Building the Customer List View in MonoTouch 124
Building the Customer View in MonoTouch 127
Building the Customer Edit View in MonoTouch 131
Implementing an Android Platform Container 134
Initializing the Container for Android 134
Building the Customer List View for Android 136
Building the Customer View for Android 139
Building the Customer Edit View for Android 141
Implementing a Windows Phone Platform Container 144
Initializing a Container for Windows Phone 144
Building the Customer List View for Windows Phone 147
Building the Customer View for Windows Phone 150
Building the Customer Edit View for Windows Phone 154
Implementing a WebKit Platform Container 158
Initializing a Container with WebKit 158
Building the Customer List View with WebKit 159
Building the Customer View with WebKit 161
Building the Customer Edit View with WebKit 164
Summary 166
CHAPTER 7: DESIGNING AND BUILDING DATA SERVICES 167
Understanding Web Services Principles 167
Using SOAP Services 168
Using REST Services 168
Defining a Mobile Services API 169
Starting with Your User Experience Design 169
Optimizing for Mobile Usage 170
Creating Resource Endpoints 171
Building Indexed Lists 174
Retrieving Detail Objects 176
Enabling Transactions 179
Creating JSON Endpoints 187
Using Advanced Techniques 190
Specifying Data Elements in the Request 190
Building Pagination into Your Services 192
Filtering Results on the Server 194
Summary 196
CHAPTER 8: CONSUMING DATA SERVICES 197
Initiating RESTful Transactions 197
Performing RESTful GETs 201
Performing PUTs, POSTs, and DELETEs 211
Working Disconnected 222
Caching Data 222
Standardizing Cache Interface 223
Caching Mobile Data In-Memory 223
Caching Mobile Data Persistently 225
Securing Mobile Data (Encryption) 227
Not Caching Mobile Data 228
Queuing Data to Server 229
Device Resource Considerations 233
Managing Memory/File System Consumption 234
Managing Network Bandwidth 234
Summary 235
CHAPTER 9: ACCESSING THE DEVICE 237
Utilizing Device Audio and Video Playback Capabilities 238
Capturing Audio 239
Playing Audio 243
Capturing Video 247
Playing Video 252
Contacts and Calendar 255
Accessing Contacts 255
Messaging and Communication 258
Initiating a Voice Call 258
Geo-location 260
Getting GPS Location Information 260
Accelerometer 265
Getting X, Y, and Z 266
Summary 270
CHAPTER 10: USING MONOCROSS UTILITIES 271
Understanding MonoCross Utilities 272
Encrypting Application Information 273
Understanding the Encryption Utility 273
Putting the Encryption Utility to Work 275
Using File Storage 276
Understanding the File Utility 276
Putting the File Utility to Work 277
Serializing Objects 280
Understanding the Serializer Utility 280
Putting the Serializer Utility to Work 281
Logging Application Events 285
Understanding the Log Utility 285
Putting the Log Utility to Work 286
Accessing Network Functionality 288
Understanding the Network Utility 288
Putting the Network Utility to Work 289
Threading Your Application 291
Understanding the Thread Utility 291
Putting the Thread Utility to Work 292
Summary 294
CHAPTER 11: HYBRID APPLICATIONS 295
The Reasoning Behind the Web Hybrid Approach 295
Native Applications 295
Web Applications 296
Hybrid Applications 297
Implementing a Hybrid Approach 298
Understanding How Hybrid Applications Work 298
Building the Web Components 300
Building the Native Containers 303
Summary 314
CHAPTER 12: BRINGING APPLICATIONS TO THE ENTERPRISE 317
Expanding Your Application's Domain 317
Bringing Your Application to the Desktop 318
Bringing Your Application to the Cloud 322
Supporting Multiple Platforms 339
Future-Proofing Applications 339
Building for Reuse 339
Using View Abstraction 341
Using a Mixed-View Model 342
Summary 344
INDEX 345