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Learning Firefox OS Application Development
Learning Firefox OS Application Development

Learning Firefox OS Application Development: Learn to design, build, and deploy your Firefox OS applications, built with web technologies, to the Firefox Marketplace

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Learning Firefox OS Application Development

Chapter 2. Running Firefox OS Simulators with WebIDE

In this chapter, you will learn how to use WebIDE and its features. We will start by installing Firefox OS simulators in the WebIDE so that we can run and test Firefox OS applications in it. Then, we will study how to install and create new applications with WebIDE. Finally, we will cover topics such as using developer tools for applications that run in WebIDE, and uninstalling applications in Firefox OS. In brief, we will go through the following topics:

  • Getting to know about WebIDE
  • Installing the Firefox OS Simulator
  • Installing and creating new apps with WebIDE
  • Using developer tools in WebIDE
  • Uninstalling applications in Firefox OS

Introducing WebIDE

It is now time to have a peek at Firefox OS. You can test your applications in two ways: either by running them on a real device, or by running them in Firefox OS Simulator. Let's go ahead with the latter option since you might not have a Firefox OS device yet. We will use WebIDE, which comes preinstalled with Firefox, to accomplish this task.

Note

If you haven't installed Firefox yet, you can do so from https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/.

WebIDE allows you to install one or several runtimes (different versions) together. You can use WebIDE to install different types of application, debug them using Firefox's Developer Tools Suite, and edit the applications/manifest by using the built-in source editor.

After you install Firefox, open WebIDE. You can open it by navigating to Tools | Web Developer | WebIDE. Let's now take a look at the following screenshot of WebIDE:

Introducing WebIDE

You will notice that on the top-right of the window, there is a Select Runtime option...

Installing and creating new apps by using WebIDE

To install or create a new application, click on Open App in the top-left corner of the WebIDE window. You will notice that there are three options: New App, Open Packaged App, and Open Hosted App. In Firefox OS ecosystems, there are two types of apps, Hosted and Packaged. We will study the difference between these two app types in detail in Chapter 3, Getting Your Hands Dirty – Firefox OS Apps.

For now, think of Hosted apps like websites that are served from a web server and are stored online in the server itself, but that can still use appcache and indexeddb to store all their assets and data offline, if desired. Packaged apps are distributed in a .zip format and they can be thought of as the source code of the website bundled and distributed in a ZIP file. Let's now head to the first option in the Open App menu, which is New App.

Installing and creating new apps by using WebIDE

Select the HelloWorld template, enter a Project Name, and click on OK. After completing this, the...

Using developer tools in WebIDE

WebIDE allows you to use Firefox's awesome developer tools for applications that run in the Simulator via WebIDE as well. To use them, simply click on the Settings icon (which looks like a wrench) beside the Install and Run icons that you used to get the app installed and running. This icon says Debug App on hovering the cursor over it. Click on this to reveal developer tools for the app that is running via WebIDE.

Using developer tools in WebIDE

Click on Console, and you will see the message Hello Firefox, which we gave as the input in console.log() in the app.js file. Note that it also specifies the app ID of our application while displaying Hello Firefox. You may have noticed in the preceding illustration that I sent a command via the console, alert('Hello Firefox'), and it simultaneously executed the instruction in the app running in the simulator.

As you may have noticed, Firefox OS customizes the look and feel of components, such as the alert box (this is browser based...

Browsing other runtime applications

You can also take a look at the source code of the preinstalled/runtime apps that are present in Firefox OS or Gaia, to be precise. For example, the following is an illustration that shows how to open them:

Browsing other runtime applications

You can click on the Hello World button (in the same place where Open App used to exist), and this will show you the whole list of Runtime Apps, as shown in the preceding illustration. I clicked on the Camera application and it showed me the source code of its main.js file.

It's completely okay if you are daunted by the huge file. If you find these runtime applications interesting and want to contribute to them, then you can refer to the Mozilla Developer Network's articles on developing Gaia, which you can find at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_OS/Developing_Gaia. Our application looks as follows in the App Launcher of the operating system:

Browsing other runtime applications

Uninstalling applications in Firefox OS

You can remove the project from WebIDE by clicking on the Remove Project button on the home page of the application. However, this will not uninstall the application from Firefox OS Simulator. The uninstallation system of the operating system is quite similar to iOS. You just have to double tap in OS X to get the Edit screen, from which you can click on the cross button on the top-left of the app icon to uninstall the app.

Uninstalling applications in Firefox OS

You will then get a confirmation screen that warns you that all the data of the application will be deleted along with the app:

Uninstalling applications in Firefox OS

This will take you back to the Edit screen, where you can click on Done to get back to the home screen.

Introducing WebIDE


It is now time to have a peek at Firefox OS. You can test your applications in two ways: either by running them on a real device, or by running them in Firefox OS Simulator. Let's go ahead with the latter option since you might not have a Firefox OS device yet. We will use WebIDE, which comes preinstalled with Firefox, to accomplish this task.

Note

If you haven't installed Firefox yet, you can do so from https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/.

WebIDE allows you to install one or several runtimes (different versions) together. You can use WebIDE to install different types of application, debug them using Firefox's Developer Tools Suite, and edit the applications/manifest by using the built-in source editor.

After you install Firefox, open WebIDE. You can open it by navigating to Tools | Web Developer | WebIDE. Let's now take a look at the following screenshot of WebIDE:

You will notice that on the top-right of the window, there is a Select Runtime option. When you click...

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Key benefits

  • Create beautiful and interactive Firefox OS applications by applying your knowledge of web development
  • Cater your applications to a huge number of users by porting them to the Firefox OS
  • A step-by-step learning workflow with real-life applications to demonstrate the concepts

Description

With broad compatibility, the latest in web technologies, and powerful development tools, Firefox is a great choice for both web developers and end users. Firefox OS’s promotion of HTML5 as a first class citizen opens up the walled gardens of mobile application development for web developers. It is because of this initiative that no special SDKs are required to develop for Firefox OS. This book will help you excel in the art of developing applications for Firefox OS. It sequentially covers knowledge building, skills acquisition, and practical applications. Starting with an introduction to Firefox OS, usage of WebIDE, and then the application structure, this book introduces applications of increasing complexity with each chapter. An application that measures your tapping speed, a geolocation tagging application, and a photo editing and sharing application are the three applications that will be built from scratch. You will learn about topics such as the difference between various types of Firefox OS applications, application manifest files, offline apps, and designing principles for applications. You will also learn to test and submit the applications to the marketplace and finally maintain the repository of the Firefox OS application. By the end, you will be able to develop beautifully designed, fully-fledged, and rigorously tested Firefox OS applications and also share them at the Firefox OS Marketplace.

Who is this book for?

This is a practical guide that uses hands-on examples to teach you how to create applications for Firefox OS and also how to port applications to Firefox Marketplace. This book is intended for developers who want to build applications for Firefox OS. An understanding of HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS is required.

What you will learn

  • Install, use, and access the Firefox OS simulator with the help of WebIDE
  • Get to know about application manifest files and the essential difference between web applications and Firefox OS applications
  • Create an application that measures the tapping speed of the user
  • Create an application that allows a user to check in at a place with geolocation tagging
  • Access device-specific features with WebAPIs and implement these by building a photo editing and sharing application
  • Submit your own applications to the Firefox Marketplace and share them with others
  • Professionally maintain the code of your application with the help of Github and deploy your hosted applications to OpenShift
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Publication date : Oct 09, 2015
Length: 166 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783989409
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Language : English
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Table of Contents

10 Chapters
1. Introduction to Firefox OS Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Running Firefox OS Simulators with WebIDE Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Getting Your Hands Dirty – Firefox OS Apps Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Diving Deeper with the Fox Creating Richer Apps Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Making Applications Visually Appealing – Style Guide Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Emerging a Guru – Learning Web APIs Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Testing Your Firefox OS Application Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Firefox Marketplace – Setting up Your Bazaar Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Maintaining Your Firefox OS Application Code Professionally Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
(1 Ratings)
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1 star 0%
Mark D. Nov 04, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Well written and direct, explains very well the platform and how to develop for it, I hope more such books are released about the Firefox OS platform.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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