Real Cross-Platform in Action: Angular, Progressive Web Apps, Electron & Cordova

Based on Angular, a Single-Page Application (SPA) framework developed by Google, we’re able to write beautiful and performant web applications based on components. TypeScript supports .NET developers with a C#-like syntax which helps to feel comfortable when entering web application development. But how can we use that knowledge to create real cross-platform applications, which run on any form factor, on any device and on any operating system? Which architecture do we need? Tools like Cordova and Electron enable to us to bring our single code base to mobile and desktop platforms, real .exe, .app & Co! And thanks to the recent developments with Progressive Web Apps we can participate in cool new features like offline availability. In this session Manuel Rauber from Thinkecture shows how you can use Angular as an application platform and how real cross-platform applications can be developed.

GitHub: https://github.com/thinktecture/dotnet-day-ch-2018-angular-demo

Transcript

1. Real Cross-Platform in Action
   Angular, Progressive Web Apps, Electron & Cordova
   Manuel Rauber
   @manuelrauber
   Consultant
   

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2. Consultant @ Thinktecture AG
   manuel.rauber@thinktecture.com
   @manuelrauber
   https://manuel-rauber.com
   Microsoft MVP
   The guy who’s talkin’
   Manuel Rauber
   

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3. Cross-Platform
   Angular
   Cordova
   Electron
   Progressive Web Apps
   Deployment
   Talking Points
   

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4. Gotta catch’em all!
   Cross-Platform
   

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5. Single- vs. Multi- vs. Cross-Platform
   macOS
   Linux
   Windows iOS
   Windows Phone
   Android
   BlackBerry 10
   FireOS
   Browser
   TV
   …
   Refrigerator
   

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7. The web as a platform
   

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8. But it doesn’t look like a
   native application!
   Exactly.
   

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9. https://spotifyblogcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/overview.png
   

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10. http://media.idownloadblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Google-Docs-Sheets-Slides-teaser-001.jpg
    

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11. Powered by
    

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12. • Lightweight service-based architecture
    • Functional services with dedicated interfaces
    • Use other services, like database or file system
    • (JSON-based) Web APIs
    • Secured by tokens
    • Consumable by every HTTPS speaking client
    • Application push services via WebSocket
    • SignalR
    • Socket.io
    Architecture
    HTTP HTTPS WebSocket
    Service A Service B Service C
    Web APIs
    (ASP.NET, Node.js, …)
    HTML5-Application
    (Single-Page Application)
    Web Cordova Electron
    

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13. Single-Page Applications
    Angular
    

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14. • Designed by Andres Hejlsberg, who also designed C#
    • Typed superset of JavaScript that transpiles to plain JavaScript
    • Types are optional, but useful metadata for tooling
    • Static Code Analysis
    • Refactoring
    • Linting
    • IntelliSense
    TypeScript
    

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15. • Angular 2, 4, 5?! Just Angular! Semantic versioning, just like Google Chrome
    • Angular Universal: Client- and server-side-rendering possibilities
    • MV* architecture
    • Components, Views, View Models
    • Modules, Services, Dependency Injection
    • Data binding, Routing, HTTP, Animations, Unit-testable
    • First class IDE support
    • JetBrains WebStorm
    • Visual Studio Code
    • Build tooling via Angular CLI
    Angular Overview
    

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16. Classes with metadata and a view-defining template.
    Components, Components, Components, …
    @Component({
    selector: 'hackathon-form',
    templateUrl: 'hackathonForm.html'
    })
    export class HackathonFormComponent {
    @Input()
    public hackathon: HackathonModel;
    @Output()
    public onSubmitted: EventEmitter;
    }
    …
    [hackathon]="currentHackathon"
    (onSubmitted)="saveHackathon($event)"
    >
    …
    

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17. Data flow
    Parent -> Child
    Application
    Hackathons
    Users
    Hackathon Hackathon
    [hackathons]=“someExp”
    [hackathon]=“someExp”
    Child-> Parent
    Application
    Hackathons
    Users
    Hackathon Hackathon
    (rate)=“onRate()”
    (rate)=“onRate()”
    via @Input() via @Output()
    

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18. • Change Detection is done “automagically” via a library named zone.js
    • Overwrites all asynchronous browser APIs with an own implementation
    • Implementation used to trigger an Angular change detection cycle
    • Asynchronous APIs like
    • Events: clicks, mouse movement, input, submit, …
    • XMLHttpRequest, fetch
    • setTimeout, setInterval
    Change Detection
    

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19. Directives are used to attach behavior to elements.
    Directives
    @Directive({
    selector: '[non-empty]',
    host: {
    '[class.non-empty]': 'nonEmpty'
    }
    })
    export class NonEmptyDirective {
    public nonEmpty: boolean;
    constructor(@Host() ngModel: NgModel) {
    ngModel.valueChanges.subscribe(change => this.nonEmpty = !!change);
    }
    }
    

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20. Services are classes with metadata but without a view. Services are normally
    singletons but can be constructed on demand.
    Services
    @Injectable()
    export class HackathonService {
    constructor(private _http: HttpClient) {
    }
    public getHackathons(): Observable {
    return ...;
    }
    }
    

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21. Angular has an hierarchical constructor dependency injection system. All types are
    registered explicitly. Either globally (for singleton registrations) or on a component
    level (every component gets their own instance).
    Dependency Injection
    @Injectable()
    export class HackathonService {
    constructor(private _http: HttpClient) {
    }
    }
    

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22. Pipes are used to transform displayed values within a template.
    Pipes
    @Pipe({
    name: 'date'
    })
    export class DatePipe implements PipeTransform {
    public transform(value: Date, format?: string): string {
    if (!value) {
    return 'n/a';
    }
    return Moment(value).format(format);
    }
    }
    {{ model.date | date }}
    

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23. Angular offers a unit-test-mockable HTTP service based on observables.
    Observables are built on top of RxJS and represent “an API for asynchronous
    programming with observable streams”.
    HTTP & Observables
    @Injectable()
    export class HackathonService {
    constructor(private _http: HttpClient, private _url: UrlService) {
    }
    public getHackathons(): Observable {
    return this._http.get(this._url.getEndpoint('hackathons'));
    }
    }
    

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24. Angular’s routing system interprets a browser URL to navigate to a
    view/component. It supports features like child routing or loading compete
    modules asynchronously.
    Routing
    export class CreateHackathonComponent {
    constructor(private _router: Router) {
    }
    public saveHackathon() {
    // Save the model...
    this._router.navigate(['/dashboard’]);
    }
    }
    const appRoutes: Routes = [{
    path: 'dashboard',
    component: DashboardComponent
    }];
    const AppRoutes = RouterModule
    .forRoot(appRoutes, {
    useHash: true
    });
    

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25. Angular uses modules to organize an application into related blocks of
    functionality. A decorator is used to define a module.
    Modules
    @NgModule({
    imports: [ BrowserModule ],
    declarations: [ AppComponent ],
    bootstrap: [ AppComponent ],
    providers: [ HackathonService ]
    })
    export class AppModule {
    }
    

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26. Angular can either be bootstrapped with Just-In-Time compilation or by using
    Ahead-Of-Time compilation.
    Bootstrap
    import { platformBrowserDynamic } from '@angular/platform-browser-dynamic';
    import { AppModule } from './appModule';
    platformBrowserDynamic().bootstrapModule(AppModule);
    

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27. Native mobile applications
    Cordova
    

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28. • Native application shell with integrated web browser
    • Android: Android specific browser / CrossWalk
    • iOS: UIWebView / WKWebView
    • Windows Mobile: Internet Explorer / Edge
    • HTML5 app is hosted within an integrated web browser
    • Provides access to the underlying native platforms via plugins
    • Native SDKs to build the apps are needed
    Cordova
    

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29. Native desktop applications
    Electron
    

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30. • Allows creation of real desktop application (.exe, .app)
    • Combines a full-blown Chromium browser with Node.js
    • Does not rely on the target machine’s installed browsers
    • No need to install native SDKs for building
    • Access native platform APIs
    • Electron API
    • Node.js modules
    • Advanced features like auto updates & crash reporter
    Electron
    

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31. BASTA! Spring 2017
    macOS
    iOS
    Windows Mobile
    Android
    Windows Desktop
    Windows 10/UWP
    Linux
    Browser
    

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32. The Application Model of the Future
    Progressive Web Apps
    

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33. • Basic idea: Get rid of App Stores!
    • Bring native experience directly to the browser
    • Platform push services
    • Offline
    • Installable
    • Initiate led by Google since 2015
    • PWA is not a technology but a collection of characteristics
    • Backwards compatible
    Overview
    

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34. “To be on cloud nine”
    Deployment
    

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35. • Dockerize it!
    • Deployable via Docker containers on
    • Microsoft Azure: Container Registry, Container Services, Container
    Instances
    • IBM Bluemix Container Services
    • Amazon EC2 Container Services
    • Google Cloud Platform
    • Runnable via
    • Simple Azure Linux-based Web Apps
    • Docker Swarm
    • Kubernetes
    Deployment
    

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36. • Modern applications need a modern architecture
    • Web Technology Stack to achieve “real cross-platform”
    • Build tooling supports daily development and production workflow
    • Cordova & Electron for native platform integrations
    • Progressive Web Apps show an interesting future
    Summary
    

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37. https://entwickler.de/press/shortcuts/cross-plattform-579811835.html
    

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38. • Angular: https://angular.io
    • Apache Cordova: https://cordova.apache.org/
    • Electron: http://electron.atom.io/
    • Gulp: http://gulpjs.com/
    • Webpack: https://webpack.github.io/
    • Rollup: http://rollupjs.org/
    • Angular CLI: https://cli.angular.io/
    • PWA: https://developers.google.com/web/progressive-web-apps/
    Resources
    

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39. Thank you! Questions?
    Repository
    Contact
    @manuelrauber
    manuel.rauber@thinktecture.com
    https://github.com/thinktecture/dotnet-day-ch-2018-angular-demo
    

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