HTML5 for iOS and Android - Questions

[Raghavan Muthu]

Hi Robin,

Congratulations on your new book.

It is good to see that you had covered a mixture of technologies.

1. As most of the chapters cover the core technologies, only rest half is for the actual iOS and Android configuration and other stuff. Chapters like Intro to Javascript, PHP and MySQL can be picked up from various other sources like online tutorials etc., I feel those can be kept as prerequisites and you would have covered little more on the iOS and Android specific with respect to HTML5. Do you think the title is justified? My intention is NOT to oppose or offend you, just felt like asking as the content is diversified.

2. How about security and validations? To what extent is it covered?

3. Have you spoken about any testing artifacts (Unit Testing etc.,) for the web apps with respect to HTML5 in iOS? I feel it can add good values.

Thanks in advance.

[Robin Nixon]

Hi Raghavan,

The brief for this book was to provide a one-stop shop in which all of HTML, HTML5, CSS, CSS3, JavaScript, PHP and MySQL were introduced sufficiently enough to allow readers to create their own apps using them, as the assumption was that readers would have very basic knowledge (if any) of web development or, that if they were already proficient, they wouldn't mind skipping the first few chapters because of all the useful information specific to iOS and Android in the remainder of the book.

There's no getting away from the fact that you need JavaScript to use much of HTML5 (such as the canvas, geolocation and so on), CSS3 for transitions and other effects, and PHP/MySQL (or similar) if you will be using Ajax. Throughout HTML5 for iOS and Android everything about these web technologies that is different on either iOS or Android is pointed out, so as the reader learns he or she is also taught how to optimize for these devices, and that is the focus of the initial chapters.

Because of needing to cover all the other technologies too I would have preferred a title such as "HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, PHP & MySQL for iOS and Android", but that was considered too long, and titles such as "Using Web Technologies on iOS and Android" were not considered interesting enough, so the title ended up being focused on HTML5, since there's so much buzz about it right now, and its use implies employing the other technologies with it.

Security and validation is covered in the book, particularly with reference to MySQL and avoiding leaving passwords in plain text, ensuring that salts are used, and dealing with MySQL issues such as attempts at SQL injection. How to properly handle sessions is also covered.

As the object of the book is to allow beginners to go from virtually zero knowledge about web developing, to creating their own apps for the stores, unfortunately there was no room to cover more advanced subjects such as unit testing, because a lot of the book had to be devoted to setting up Xcode and Eclipse, setting up accounts with Apple and Google etc, and then providing ready-made Objective C and Java wrappers into which HTML5 documents can be dropped for turning into apps.

Hopefully we got the mixture right.

[Raghavan Muthu]

Thank you Robin for the detailed answer.

So, it is more of a starter's kit with the introduction to all the relevant technologies. Is nt it?

that if they were already proficient, they wouldn't mind skipping the first few chapters because of all the useful information specific to iOS and Android in the remainder of the book.

This is what I had in my mind. If the users skip the introduction chapters, half of the book would be under utilized. I do agree that not all the users would have an experience in the technologies that are pre-requisite. There may be some target users who may just pick up your book and develop the web applications in PHP with MySQL in addition to HTML5, CSS3, Ajax and Javascript.

Security and validation is covered in the book, particularly with reference to MySQL and avoiding leaving passwords in plain text, ensuring that salts are used, and dealing with MySQL issues such as attempts at SQL injection. How to properly handle sessions is also covered.

That is indeed great!

providing ready-made Objective C and Java wrappers into which HTML5 documents can be dropped for turning into apps.

does the book cover some basics of Objective C? I would see Objective C does not fall under the category of web technologies (HTML, CSS etc.).

[Robin Nixon]

The whole purpose of the book is to allow people who choose not to learn a new language to still be able to create apps for Android and iOS, as long as they at least know (or are prepared to learn) the basic web technologies like HTML5, CSS3 and (very basic) JavaScript.

Therefore neither of Objective C or Java are explained in the book. The reader is simply taken through how to use Xcode or Eclipse step-by-step, using pre-written code that I supply on the website. It's done in such a way that someone with no knowledge of programming can build an app by dropping an HTML5 web app into it.

[Raghavan Muthu]

Robin Nixon wrote:The whole purpose of the book is to allow people who choose not to learn a new language to still be able to create apps for Android and iOS, as long as they at least know (or are prepared to learn) the basic web technologies like HTML5, CSS3 and (very basic) JavaScript.

Perfect! I am convinced now with your answer. Sorry if my questions gave a different picture/message.

Robin Nixon wrote:
Therefore neither of Objective C or Java are explained in the book. The reader is simply taken through how to use Xcode or Eclipse step-by-step, using pre-written code that I supply on the website. It's done in such a way that someone with no knowledge of programming can build an app by dropping an HTML5 web app into it.

XCode? It is interesting. I have never used or heard of xCode so far. Looking forward eagerly

Thank you Robin.

[Robin Nixon]

Xcode is the development suite for iOS.

[Raghavan Muthu]

Robin Nixon wrote:Xcode is the development suite for iOS.

Thanks Robin. I could get it by googling and via this link