For a month or two, I left the .NET world and spent more time exploring new horizons, especially mobile development stuff. I had an idea for a mobile application and now have time to make it come true. After initial research, I decided to build a hybrid application meaning the whole thing runs inside a WebView component on the device. That approach allows me to use a javascript library like angularjs. The last thing I needed was a CSS/JS framework to manage visual layer and a friend of mine came with help suggesting that I should look at ionic.
Ionic
What is ionic?
Ionic is a powerful HTML5 native app development framework that helps you build native-feeling mobile apps all with web technologies like HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
Ionic is focused mainly on the look and feel, and UI interaction of your app. That means we aren’t a replacement for PhoneGap or your favorite Javascript framework. Instead, Ionic simply fits in well with these projects in order to simplify one big part of your app: the front end
Ionic currently requires AngularJS in order to work at its full potential
Itheionic is develop by company called drifty and as they claim, they are well founded, so you do not have to worry it will be gone within a few months. I take them at their words.
About the example app
Why example? Because I am in the middle of development and there is nothing good to show in the context of the original application. That is why I decided to create a sample project that will show one of the features which is geofencing.
Geofencing
Geofencing is a simple idea of creating and monitoring a virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area. Geofence could be any shaped area: rectangular, circular, polygon, everything depends on the implementation. Geofencing could be used to set an alarm if someone enter/exit monitored region or dwell within for a certain time. It could be useful to notify the user about promotions, cool places around, or simply to remind them to do groceries when the store is nearby.
Geofencing on mobile devices
Currently, as far as I know, geofences are implemented on mainstream smartphone platforms on the market - Android (via Google Play Location Services), IOS (via Core Location Framework), and Windows Phone 8.1.
I decided to build my application in hybrid way, but the geofence feature is implemented in the platform native’s layer so there is a need to use special cordova plugin which will be a bridge between javascript application code and native libraries.
Cordova geofence plugin
I was looking for a plugin to manage geofences but could not find anything interesting therefore I came up with my own cordova geofence plugin which has some nice features:
- set, remove geofence (of course :))
- geofences persist after device reboot - no need to start an app, geofences are monitored instantly after device rebooting
- notifications - when you click on notification your app will be started, you can also pass some data to app to for example open a specific page
- and much more coming soon
As I am writing this I only support the Android platform but IOS and WP 8.1 will be supported soon.
Example app
For the sake of simplicity after the long introduction, I want to show just a couple of screenshots with a short description.
The app is built with angularjs and Ionic framework and have some nice features:
- add, remove circular geofences with radius, notification text, and transition type
- using leaflet open street map by angular leaflet directive
- application notify I you enter/exit monitored geofence
- if you click on the notification, app will start and go to the details of the triggered geofence.
Check it out on the github. Instruction and how to install application are also there.