• pre-install
  • android studio (https://developer.android.com/studio/)
  • jdk 8, as jdk10 not working with Cordova for some reason, cause “Android target not installed” for cmd “cordova requirements”
    • (Java SE 8u https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html)
    • set env variable: JAVA_HOME: /path_to_your/jdk1.8.0_xxx

• install
  1. install node.js v8 LTS: https://nodejs.org/en/
  2. install cordova

     npm install -g cordova

• ref:
  • https://cordova.apache.org/docs/en/latest/guide/cli/

• creation step
  1. under your dev projects folder, create app folder by

     cordova create MyApp com.MyCom.MyApp MyApp<code>
           - the whole web content is under ./www/ folder
         - add target platform <code>cordova platform add web
     cordova platform add android
     // web
     cordova platform add browser@5.0.1
     // check platform by
     cordova platform ls
     // check requirement by
     cordova requirements
     // test run on browser
     cordova run browser

  2. build

     //build all
     cordova build
     // build android
     cordova build android
     // build android release insteal debug apk
     cordova build android --release

  3. run

     cordova run

  4. just usb to put the apk on your android device, use file manager to open the apk and install, So Simple

• you need:
  • Mac OS X w admin login
  • Xcode
• step to get demo run:
  1. install node.js for mac (for mac, recommend get everything as latest, that is how Apple does), then

     sudo npm install -g cordova

  2. install related addition tool

     xcode-select --install
     sudo npm install -g ios-deploy
     // note, if you fail above, you may need type based on error msg: sudo npm install -g ios-deploy --unsafe-perm=true

  3. to make sure you got all you need

     cordova requirements
     // most likely it will ask you to install pod, here is command, and it take a while
     sudo gem install cocoapods
     pod setup

  4. create project in home directory, since Mac secure / root directory

     cd ~
     mkdir nodeProj;cd nodeProj
     cordova create HelloApp com.HelloCom.HelloApp HelloApp
     cd HelloApp
     cordova platform add ios
     cordova build ios

  5. if you want to run or compile for ipa

     // run in emulator
     cordova emulate ios
     // compile for device will error signing required, you may need addition workaround if you dont have paid developer account from apple
     cordova build ios --device
     
     // if you want to do simply, open the project with Xcode, the top left UI take you choice on deploy device drop list and real device list,
     // of course, if you have Apple ID (not necessarily paid program account), if you select top App name in left hierarchy view panel, you can use personal account (Team as Personal Team) to create a free-6-day deloy cert in code signing section
     open ./platforms/ios/YourAppName.xcworkspace/

Note

• in the build folder, you may find the result app is a .app file, not a ipa (which is actually a zip of .app)
  • you need to hack a way to convert if without paid developer account, ref:
    • https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43094380/whats-the-replacement-for-xcodes-packageapplication
    • https://stackoverflow.com/questions/24061063/how-can-i-deploy-create-ipa-iphone-app-using-cordova-build-ios-release
    • https://medium.com/m%CE%BBgn%CE%BEt%CE%BBr/how-to-export-a-ipa-file-from-xcode-without-a-dev-account-bac8b2645ad3
    • https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25396299/generating-an-unsigned-ipa-ios-application
• if you want to put ipa into your ipad without paid developer account, you can but only last for 7 days, refer to:
  • https://www.shoutpedia.com/use-cydia-impactor-install-ipa-apps-iphone-without-jailbreak/
  • iOS signing: http://docs.phonegap.com/phonegap-build/signing/ios/

Update iOS from main cordova project

• code

  cordova platform rm ios
  cordova platform add ios

• The most painful part of all development process, you better pay the 99USD apple program to save as much trouble as possible, since so many certificates and sign work required. If you seriously want to do iOS app, pay first to save the time.

• when you need to put ipa into other people's iOS device before upload to App Store, check this doc, I use the Apple Configurator 2 (free from Mac App Store) method
  • https://docs.monaca.io/en/products_guide/monaca_ide/deploy/non_market_deploy/

• in app browser function

  cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-inappbrowser

• to make it work, it need to
  • add white list plugin: https://github.com/apache/cordova-plugin-whitelist
    • then, add your site link to allow inside platform name=“ios” tag inside config.xml

      <allow-navigation href="http://*.yoursite.com/*" />

  • add allow unsafe connection like this “'unsafe-inline'” right behind “gstatic” inside index.html

    inside 
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Security-Policy" 
    make it something like this
    https://ssl.gstatic.com 'unsafe-eval' 'unsafe-inline'; 

  • also make your link in html like this

    <a href="#" onclick="cordova.InAppBrowser.open('http://yoursite.com/test.html', '_self', 'toolbar=no');" >Go</a>

    • more option refer to inappbrowser plugin page: https://cordova.apache.org/docs/en/3.1.0/cordova/inappbrowser/window.open.html

Generate Icons and Screen for platforms

• online tool: https://pgicons.abiro.com/
  1. use it to generate icons, and put them into ./res folder, also update the config.xml file in the description provided in the page.
• another npm tool use imagemagick: https://www.npmjs.com/package/cordova-icon