Building Mobile Apps with Rhodes

1. Building Mobile Apps with Rhodes Adam Blum adam@rhomobile.com http://rhomobile.com

2. The Rhomobile Mission Mobilize enterprise apps… cost-effectively with a great user experience. • provide the high level productivity and portability of web programming • with device optimization and offline capability of “native mobile apps” • open source for rapid adoption by developers

3. Background • Smartphones sales are exploding • Five major smartphone operating systems: iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Android • - Growth leaders are installed base laggards • “native apps” have won the day • 500 million iPhone app downloads on a platform with great browser installed • But …how do you write an app for all popular devices?

4. A Better Way… Rhomobile • Build the app quickly in HTML and Ruby • Write it once and it runs on all smartphones • Work with synced local data • Exploit device capabilities (GPS, PIM data) • Available open source: http://github.com/rhomobile

5. The Rhomobile Components • Rhodes • “microframework” for building locally executing natively optimized mobile apps • Developers run app generator for their objects of interest and then edit HTML templates • Contains first mobile Ruby implementation • RhoSync • Sync focused on web service data (needed in the age of SaaS) • Handles keeping your data local on the device

6. Rhodes Architecture Rhodes app RhoSync Server model model HTML (ERB) templates controller Backend app source adapter You write model model controller HTML (ERB) templates Backend app source adapter Rhodes runtime Ruby interpreter ORM (Rhom) We provide: web server RhoSync client browser control synced data (SQLite) Using third party components mobile device

7. Rhodes Apps • Rhomobile provides sample apps • SugarCRM • Siebel Field Service • Lighthouse • Third party apps • TrailGuide (Basecamp) - Carry the Day • Mobile Lighthouse – VDG Group

8. Building a Rhodes App • Get your data (RhoSync) • Create a sync source • Define your sync source adapter code • Test it from the RhoSync web interface • Generate your app (RhoGen) • Generate an app (in the Rhodes \apps subdirectory) • Generate scaffold code for the model • Develop your app (Ruby/HTML editor of choice) • Edit your model controllers • Edit your HTML templates (ERB file) • Build, test, deploy (development environment for device) • Build your app • Test your app • Make available for download (or submit to an AppStore)

9. RhoSync Architecture RhoSync Server Siebel SOAP SalesForce Rhodes runtime SOAP your app SugarCRM SOAP BaseCamp REST other app backends REST

10. Defining a Rhosync Source • Provide a Source Adapter class with • login- authentication code for the backend • query - retrieve or read's objects from the backend source • sync - take apart these objects and put them into a "property bag” • create • update • delete • logoff

11. Generated Source Adapter Class • class <%=name%> < SourceAdapter • def initialize(source) • super • end • def login • #TODO: Write some code here • end • def query • # TODO: write some code here • end • def sync • # usually the generic base class sync does the job • super • end • def create(name_value_list) • #TODO: write some code here • end • def update(name_value_list) • #TODO: write some code here • end • def delete(name_value_list) • #TODO: write some code here if applicable • end • def logoff • #TODO: write some code here if applicable • end • end

12. Generate Your Rhodes App • Generate your app • rhogen app accountapp • Creates… • application.rb • index.html • Generate your model • cd accountapp • rhogen model account http://rhosync.rhohub.com/sources/1 1 name,industry • Creates… • controller.rb • config.rb • index.erb • new.erb • edit.erb

13. Edit A View <form title="Edit Account" class="panel" id="account_edit_form" method="POST" action="<%=url_for('update')%>"> <fieldset> <input type="hidden" name="id" value="<%=@account.object%>"/> <div class="row"> <label>Name: </label> <input type="text" name="account[name]" value="<%=@account.name%>"/> </div> <div class="row"> <label>Industry: </label> <select name="account[industry]"> <%@industries.each do |i|%> <option value=<%=i%> <%if @account.industry==i%> selected<%end%>><%=i%> </option> <%end%> </select> </div> </fieldset> <input type="submit" value="Update"/> </form>

14. Platform Status • 0.2 released January 7th • Added Symbian support, PIM contact access • 0.3: end of January • Rake-based builds • Callbacks in RhoSync • Layouts • 1.0 release: February 28th • Android • Device capabilities: • Camera • SMS • Hosted services

15. App Development Contest • $10000 for best app built on Rhodes • Runner up prizes of free smartphones • Requirements • Open source your app on http://github • Must use Rhodes • Criteria • Usability of app • Maintainability of code • Use of device capabilities • Deadline: April 30 • Awards May 15 • Details at http://rhomobile.com/contest

16. Why Rhomobile? • Declarative tag-based approach (web programming) is more productive • Rich client against local data much better than remote web apps • Write it once and it works on all smartphones • Open source from the ground up • http://rhomobile.com