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One of the core components in Appery.io platform is a cloud build service which builds a binary file (hybrid) for iOS or Android. Appery.io leverages Apache Cordova (PhoneGap) to create a binary file. Launching the build process is very simple. Right from inside the App builder, clicking the Export button you will see the option to create a binary file for iOS or Android.

Export menu

Once Binary (.ipa) or Binary (.apk) is selected, the build process starts. The build process usually takes one minute. When the build is completed, the file is downloaded to your computer. From there you can publish the app to an app store, using the standard publishing process for each store.

Learn more about how to use Apache Cordova in Appery.io to build hybrid apps and use native APIs.

Geolocation is one of the most widely used APIs in mobile apps today. From weather to Uber and Lyft, the device location is crucial information and many APIs use it to determine what services and products are available in a given location. When building a mobile app in Appery.io, using the Geolocation API is simple. Apache Cordova library is built-in in every new Appery.io app. Invoking Geolocation will return the latitude, longitude (and other) information which can then be passed to any REST API. The following two short videos show how to use and invoke Geolocation in an Ionic and jQuery Mobile apps:

• A Quick Guide to Using Geolocation API (Ionic App) 
• A Quick Guide to Using Geolocation API (jQuery Mobile App)

Looking for more videos like that? Check out our YouTube channel for many more videos.

Geolocation functionality is one of the most popular features in mobile development. In Appery.io, a geolocation plug-in is available out-of-the box and can be configured in minutes to use in your mobile app. Recently, we’ve updated the geolocation plug-in for AngularJS apps (both Ionic and Bootstrap) and now it is even more intuitive and faster to use. In the geolocation plug-in docs you can find out how to add the plug-in to your Appery.io app, so you can retrieve the current position and start\stop watching position.

Make sure to check out all our mobile development tips.

Do you want to build apps fast? Start developing with our free plan.

With Barcode Scanner plugin, you can quickly add the functionality to scan bar codes from your app.  This can be helpful in many cases. For example, when building a warehouse mobile app: simply scan a product bar code, search the database with that code and retrieve the product information.

You can see how to build such app for jQuery Mobile here.

Adding a Barcode Scanner plugin to your Appery.io Angular app is very simple:

1. Go to Project > CREATE NEW > From Plug-in.
2. Select Apperyio Barcode Service and click Import selected plugins.

Then, in the Project view, a related service (Barcode_scan) and a JavaScript (Barcode) file will appear. After a native service has been added to the app, it can be called like any other REST service.

The Barcode Scanner plugin uses Cordova API. As the plugin uses native APIs, you should test it on the device or using the Appery.io Tester app.

Read the step-by-step tutorial we’ve prepared on Using the Barcode scanner service. And of course, feel free to contact us if you have any issues.

We just announced some great news for Appery. We’ve passed the 250,000-user mark, we’ve updated our tester app so users don’t need to have an Appery.io account, and we’ve rolled out a new release of  the platform that includes these key features (among others):

• Simplified implementation of social login and LDAP sign-on for apps
• Extended offline capability in apps to use the internal database or an external one
• New Bootstrap and Ionic components
• Outline page component view for enhanced developer productivity

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We know that developers love examples. One of the most requested example is how to build an app with barcode scanner and search the database. We created an app example that does exactly that.

Appery.io plugins

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In case you missed our webinar, watch this recording to learn how to use Appery.io to build a barcode scanner mobile app. (At the end of this post is some of the coding used in the webinar.)

Check out many other videos on the Appery.io YouTube channel.

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If you missed our webinar, watch this recording to learn how to use Cordova APIs in a mobile app. The webinar shows:

• Building a hybrid app in Appery.io
• Using Apache Cordova APIs:
  • Alert
  • Geolocation
  • Barcode scanner
  • Camera
  • FileTransfer –  use plugin for quick file upload to Appery.io database
• Fast testing with Appery.io Tester app

Check out many other videos on the Appery.io YouTube channel.

Are you developing with responsive design in mind?

Responsive mobile apps are the new standard, but building them without understanding the proper tools can be daunting. To ensure you are up to the challenge, take a look at the following tools. Especially when used in conjunction with the new Appery.io Visual Builder, these tools can help you create some fantastically responsive mobile apps.

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There are a lot of tools out there for mobile app developers looking to maximize their time and skills while building an application, but the sheer number of them can be overwhelming. Our six favorite tools are PhoneGap, jQuery Mobile, AngularJS, Bootstrap, MongoDB, and V8 JavaScript Engine. Here’s how each tool can assist you in the development process.

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