MENDIX FOR MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT WHITE PAPER TABLE OF CONTENTS Market Demand for Enterprise Mobile 3 Mobile App Development Approaches 4 Native Apps 4 Mobile Web Apps 4 Hybrid Apps 5 Mendix Vision for Mobile App Development 6 JavaScript Pervasive as Base Technology 6 Hybrid is the New Native 7 Mendix Hybrid App Development 8 Create Powerful Mobile Enterprise Apps Without Code 8 Responsive UIs 9 Native Device Functions 10 Instant Testing 11 Publish to App Stores 12 End-to-End Mobile App Dev Flow 13 Open Platform For Any Mobile App Technology 14 The Platform To Mobilize The Enterprise 14 Conclusion 16 Mendix for Mobile App Development 2 Market Demand for Enterprise Mobile With the explosive increase in example, customer complaints issued smartphone and tablet use, along with through a mobile app may be part of the massive consumer adoption of a larger customer service application innovative apps and services, we are whereby the customer service staff in the midst of a mobile revolution. And view the complaints through desktop this revolution is fueling fundamental computers. In this instance, staff changes to application architecture. members benefit from greater context This is similar to, and probably even by leveraging multiple data sources that more impactful than, the earlier shift all converge and produce a 360-degree from monolithic systems to client/server view of the customer. architectures. A recent survey from DZone of more Modern applications require multi- than 1,000 global IT professionals channel clients and a scalable revealed that the biggest pain points for infrastructure. Moreover, they need to mobile app development are centered be easily deployed and rapidly changed around multi-platform development and based on user feedback. testing. Building native apps for multiple platforms (50%), testing efficiently (53%) For enterprise apps in B2B or B2C and lack of skilled mobile developers context, it’s critical to realize that mobile (40%) were mentioned as main apps are typically not stand-alone but obstacles. part of larger applications targeted to engage customers and deliver a great This white paper describes the experience in context. This means that capabilities in the Mendix App Platform it’s not just about developing appealing for mobile app development and our apps running on a particular device. vision on the technology developments in the mobile space. The paper targets Instead, it’s about supporting end-to- Architects, Business Analysts and IT end processes across various business executives who would like to learn more functions tied into back-end systems about the Mendix offering for enterprise and (cloud) services with bi-directional mobile solutions. exchange of data and information. For Mendix for Mobile App Development 3 Mobile App Development Approaches The three main approaches for mobile will have to invest in expertise for each app development are: native, web, and target platform and repeat the app hybrid. Each has inherent benefits and development effort for each platform. limitations. Mendix offers out-of-the box This obviously has significant cost support for the web and hybrid approach implications. and offers platform APIs to connect and integrate native apps into larger end-to- Mobile Web Apps end applications built in Mendix that are connected with various back-ends. Mobile web apps are essentially common web applications optimized From that perspective, Mendix does for look and feel and to function well not prescribe just one way of working. on mobile devices. Widely adopted Customer needs and demands will web development languages, such as determine the right approach. HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, as well as frameworks like AngularJS, provide the logic behind a web app. Native Apps Native apps are built for a specific mobile The most prominent advantages of Operating System using the platform’s mobile web app development are multi- SDK and optimized for that system. The platform support, availability of expertise apps are published in the platform’s app and the low cost of development. store and can be downloaded by users to run locally on the device. Despite these advantages, there are limitations as well, mainly due to the fact The use of the platform’s SDK means that the native device functions and OS that these apps have no APIs cannot be leveraged fully, which limits in terms of access to APIs causes the user experience to be quite and device features, performance different from native apps. In addition, optimization, and the use of the these apps lack an efficient distribution platform’s GUI toolkit for user interface mechanism, performance could be design. compromised due to lack of local storage and offline use is not supported. Unfortunately, the native app code Depending on the requirements for the cannot be used across platforms. To mobile app, these may be prohibiting deliver multi-channel apps, organizations factors for taking this approach. Mendix for Mobile App Development 4 Mobile App Development Approaches Hybrid Apps The hybrid approach combines elements Apache Cordova / Adobe PhoneGap. of native app development and mobile web app technologies. Hybrid apps are Hybrid apps combine the best of both built in a cross-platform environment and worlds, offering a near-native user brought to the device through a native experience for apps built in a cross- wrapper that makes the app package- platform toolset. Particularly for use able and downloadable from app stores. cases where apps focus on transaction A native bridge allows the app to use and interaction versus pure consumer device-specific functions. A widely apps like for gaming, this style of mobile adopted technology for this is the use of app development is gaining popularity. Figure: Pros and cons for styles of mobile app development PROS CONS Optimal UX on Complexity of management NATIVE APPS each device across the lifecycle High performance High cost of development Non-optimal UX for pure HYBRID APPS play consumer apps. Cross-platform (e.g. games) JavaScript development more complex than native Leverage device functions langauges Near-native UX for transactional apps Non-optimal UX for all apps WEB APPS Cross-platform Inability to access device functions Ease of management across the lifecycle No distribution mechanism Low performance Mendix for Mobile App Development 5 Mendix Vision for Mobile App Development Enterprises can greatly benefit from a that are future proof. The mobile clients single platform that supports the various should communicate with the back-end styles of mobile app development for server through REST services for typical multiple devices and provides common mobile back-end services as well as mobile back-end services. the cross platform application logic and connection to other back-end systems. JavaScript Pervasive as Base Technology A generic JavaScript library is required to be applied in both native and hybrid The rapid evolution of standards scenarios. It can be used as a core (back- like HTML and the wide adoption of end) library for data caching, security, frameworks to bridge the native device user management, messaging, etc. On functions provide an ever-richer user top of this library, specific JavaScript experience for cross-platform apps. libraries for the UI and user experience And from a logic perspective, JavaScript can be embedded in HTML5 or native is a powerful platform-independent, platform code. back-end technology, even in native clients. There’s a shift going on from The Model-Driven Development native languages towards JavaScript, approach of Mendix eliminates the where JavaScript gets more and more dependency on scarce resources for embedded in native programming programming languages like Javascript. languages to raise the level of reusability The core library is offered as a set of code across platforms. of standard services in the platform. Specific libraries required for an optimal From an architectural point, it is crucial UI and user experience are built once to establish a decoupled architecture and then offered as reusable widgets. through use of clear APIs to build sophisticated cross-platform mobile apps Mendix for Mobile App Development 6 Mendix Vision for Mobile App Development Hybrid is the New Native Analyst firm Gartner predicts that by As hybrid is becoming the new native, 2015 90% of mobile apps in the B2B offline capabilities will become more space will be using hybrid (60%) or and more part of the fabric of hybrid mobile web (30%) technologies. So from mobile enterprise apps. This includes that perspective, hybrid is becoming the the integration of native front ends with “new native.” mobile back-end services as well as the expansion of application models to We observe blurring lines between the mobile device along with local data the various mobile app development storage, enabling developers to develop technologies with hybrid app once and deploy to any mobile device at development that includes offline usage, any location. a native user experience and use of native device functions increasingly becoming the norm when building transactional mobile apps for B2B and B2C use cases. Figure: Mendix vision for mobile app support ONLINE OFFLINE WEB APPS B uild O n Mendi ce, D HYBRID APPS e plo x y A ny wh er NATIVE APPS Native OS Specific Tools e Mendix for Mobile App Development 7 Mendix Hybrid App Development Create Powerful Mobile Enterprise Apps Without Code The Mendix App Platform enables visual models for the various application business users and developers to build components such, as the domain and deploy sophisticated multi-channel model, User Interface and process and apps with a model-driven development application logic. platform that is much more efficient and easier to learn than traditional While the application’s domain model technologies. With this approach, and logic are typically the same across companies can deliver fully integrated multiple channels, for the development multi-device enterprise apps often of hybrid apps it is key to ensure an multiple times faster than with traditional optimal user experience for the target approaches.