[Q] Choosing a framework for hybrid app

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JerryBels

Member
Feb 3, 2014
24
3
Hello guys !

I'm starting developping with Phonegap. I have a first app to make which will be quite heavy, technically speaking. A lot of data retrieving, many different displays... I need advices to choose the framework to use.

I have read a lot on Jquery Mobile, the most widely used today and the one I feeled comfortable using since I already know Jquery... But it has many issued I don't want to deal with (UI is too much IOS, sometimes gets very slow because not using hardware acceleration, no MVW structure...). Plus, one of the Phonegap creators told in a post it's not a good idea to use JQM with Phonegap since it's too heavy : sintaxi.com/you-half-assed-it

I read a lot on many blogs, forums, on stackoverflow... The paid side has many great things like Sencha Touch, KendoUI or PhoneJS. Any of them could be good. I just don't know if they worth paying since there are a lot of free solutions.

Then two of them got my attention : Ionic ( ionicframework.com ) and OnsenUI ( onsenui.io ). Both seems pretty cool and with great features, native look and hardware acceleration use, but... One is in Alpha, the other in Beta ! Is it reliable to use such tools, that seems not ready for production ?

Some just advice to use Bootstrap... Some say to use Zepto ( zeptojs.com ). A lot of these advices were given 1 or 2 years ago.

Well... As you see, I need actual advices, and preferably from people who already tried many of these solutions ;)

Thanks ahead !

( Sorry for not linking sites, I am a new member so I'm not allowed to post outside links :) )
 

jaison thomas

Senior Member
May 21, 2012
377
110
Calicut
Hello guys !

I'm starting developping with Phonegap. I have a first app to make which will be quite heavy, technically speaking. A lot of data retrieving, many different displays... I need advices to choose the framework to use.

I have read a lot on Jquery Mobile, the most widely used today and the one I feeled comfortable using since I already know Jquery... But it has many issued I don't want to deal with (UI is too much IOS, sometimes gets very slow because not using hardware acceleration, no MVW structure...). Plus, one of the Phonegap creators told in a post it's not a good idea to use JQM with Phonegap since it's too heavy : sintaxi.com/you-half-assed-it

I read a lot on many blogs, forums, on stackoverflow... The paid side has many great things like Sencha Touch, KendoUI or PhoneJS. Any of them could be good. I just don't know if they worth paying since there are a lot of free solutions.

Then two of them got my attention : Ionic ( ionicframework.com ) and OnsenUI ( onsenui.io ). Both seems pretty cool and with great features, native look and hardware acceleration use, but... One is in Alpha, the other in Beta ! Is it reliable to use such tools, that seems not ready for production ?

Some just advice to use Bootstrap... Some say to use Zepto ( zeptojs.com ). A lot of these advices were given 1 or 2 years ago.

Well... As you see, I need actual advices, and preferably from people who already tried many of these solutions ;)

Thanks ahead !

( Sorry for not linking sites, I am a new member so I'm not allowed to post outside links :) )

Hi i too work in mobile web applications. I suggest you to have look more into the sencha touch. Sencha is not fully paid framework. There is a gpl version of sencha which most corporates uses . the advantage of sencha is it can be used with phonegap or without phonegap. Also the docs are well documented and you will get an easy hello world application using the sencha cmd tool. The sencha docs is designed such that we can even try our code directly to alter the shown examples.
Ok as developer view sencha erradicates the most difficult part of mobile web app developmnt.ie the ui. Ui is well documented and created such that we doesnt want to deal much with ui issues when it is moved from devices to devices and os to os.
For heavy applications this is best because the sencha apps are mvc structure. I have beem worked in sencha apps that have more than 16 differnt screens on its own.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
 

JerryBels

Member
Feb 3, 2014
24
3
Hi i too work in mobile web applications. I suggest you to have look more into the sencha touch. Sencha is not fully paid framework. There is a gpl version of sencha which most corporates uses . the advantage of sencha is it can be used with phonegap or without phonegap. Also the docs are well documented and you will get an easy hello world application using the sencha cmd tool. The sencha docs is designed such that we can even try our code directly to alter the shown examples.
Ok as developer view sencha erradicates the most difficult part of mobile web app developmnt.ie the ui. Ui is well documented and created such that we doesnt want to deal much with ui issues when it is moved from devices to devices and os to os.
For heavy applications this is best because the sencha apps are mvc structure. I have beem worked in sencha apps that have more than 16 differnt screens on its own.

Hi ! Thanks for your comment. I'm considering Sencha could be my final solution. I have read somewhere that coding in everything else than its own IDe is very bad experience, and the IDE comes with the paid version only...

Still open for more advices if someone feels like ;)
 

JerryBels

Member
Feb 3, 2014
24
3
I finally launched the project using the Ionic very promising framework. If it doesn't fit in I will give a try to Sencha. Thanks for your help, I will come back and tell about my experiments !
 
Last edited:

mau006

Senior Member
Jun 5, 2008
65
9
Eugene
I'm doing a project with jQM right now, got the iOS version going and still working on Android and Windows Phone (clients...) and looking for something better. (Performance, native look and feel, SASS/LESS based preferably, etc.)

Ionic looks great, but with Gingerbread still holding a 20% market share I'm wary. Chocolate Chip UI seems pretty cool, and Sencha and Intel's App Framework seem promising as well.

How did things go with Ionic? Is it really only functional on 4.2 and above?

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
 

JerryBels

Member
Feb 3, 2014
24
3
I'm doing a project with jQM right now, got the iOS version going and still working on Android and Windows Phone (clients...) and looking for something better. (Performance, native look and feel, SASS/LESS based preferably, etc.)

Ionic looks great, but with Gingerbread still holding a 20% market share I'm wary. Chocolate Chip UI seems pretty cool, and Sencha and Intel's App Framework seem promising as well.

How did things go with Ionic? Is it really only functional on 4.2 and above?

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

Hi friend,

I'm sorry but I have very little time to work on my app, so I didn't see much already... I will eventually come back to tell about my experience with it, but it will be only in some more time !

However, all I saw about it sounds even more amazing than just promising !
 

Archer

Inactive Recognized Developer / Retired Senior Mod
Jul 9, 2008
14,003
4,002
Manchester
Google Pixel 8 Pro
I've made mobile sites using jQuery Mobile and although it was very good at what it did, I always felt like I was trying to swat a fly with a tank. It's large, it's heavy and it does a LOT more than you need if you're just looking for a UI.

I've switched to Bootstrap for web apps. It requires jQuery which is good, since I'd not want to have to use a different library for DOM manipulation, and it's very lightweight. Also, it's quite easy to skin (much easier than jQM) so changing the overall style is easy. There's also a lot more custom-built themes out there for it than there is for jQM.

tl;dr Use Bootstrap and jQuery (not jQM). Compact, easy and quick.
 
Jul 3, 2016
24
20
play.google.com
today, I am working with ionic and angular js, using visual studio to code, I think ionic is really common with better default ui than default control android. ionic have 1.x stable and beta at 2.x
 

Xoonity

Senior Member
Jul 24, 2016
64
6
play.google.com
Hi

I recommend 2 Angular Ionic 2, if you start a project.
Angular 2 is in release candidate
Ionic 2 is in beta, but it works well

Performance is much better with Angular 2.
 

jackiejean

Member
Apr 22, 2016
12
0
I have used cordova for my android application 1 year ago with eclipse. I can say that android was the easiest to create among others (iPhone apps, windows or blackberry) It was also quite fast working like a native app although it was hybrid. I also added voice detection with android. There are many plugins for cordova for adding different features to your hybrid mobile app.
 

jackiejean

Member
Apr 22, 2016
12
0
I am using Cordova for my wp8 apps developments. I had trouble adding the sound plugin but finally i succeeded. It is a nice framework.
 

LeBurt

New member
Jan 6, 2017
1
0
Cordova + Angular2 + OnsenUI2

(wanted to post this in a new topic, but forum rules demand I make a few posts first)

I was having much of the same question (but with a much humbler ambition of an app), so I did some research and set my mind on this trio of frameworks:
  • Cordova - for the code-once philosophy
  • Angular 2 - for an easy implementation of the model-view-controller pattern
  • Onsen UI 2 - for polished UI components

Problem is, I'm a bit of a newbie at this, and while everything makes sense when reading the Getting Started page for each framework, putting everything together hasn't quite occurred yet in my mind. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the project started, and figure out what its directory structure should look like.

I'm wondering if anyone here would be willing to spend an hour of handholding mentoring to help me get started?
 

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