How does Google Chrome make a hybrid app (i.e. one that works on the desktop and one that works out of the Modern UI, and that are switchable)? What new Windows API do they call?
The only applications that can be "hybrid" are browsers. See here (link to Microsoft whitepaper on making a browser desktop and metro enabled).
Related
The FAQ section of Cypress documentation says that
"Cypress will never be able to run on a native mobile app, but we can
test some functionality of mobile web browsers."
It says, we can test some functionality of mobile web browsers. What does it mean? Does it mean that there are some functionalities we can't test for mobile web browsers that we can do for normal browsers. If so, can you please tell what are they?
All of the supported Chrome-family browsers (including Electron) and beta supported Firefox browser can simulate mobile devices with Device Mode.
This option can be enabled through the developer tools. See the documentation for Google Chrome here: https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chrome-devtools/device-mode
The answer to the FAQ you referenced, "Do you support native mobile apps?", is suggesting that the Cypress Test Runner will never run on mobile operating systems such as iOS or Android, and therefor it will not be able to target an actual mobile browser such as Safari or Google Chrome (Mobile).
I want to build a cross platform application in Apache Cordova that uses a Chromium-based Webview component for Windows Store Apps.
Similar to Crosswalk https://github.com/crosswalk-project/cordova-plugin-crosswalk-webview
It's possible?
Windows Store apps cannot use Chrome and must use the default browser shipping with windows (you can't even put a none-Edge browser into the windows store). I guess the good news is that if you are patient, Blink (which is the rendering engine Chrome is based upon) is becoming the default rendering engine for Edge next year. BTW crosswalk is also dead, as Chrome is now the rendering engine for all modern Android phones..
Edit from 2020... Since Slack and other Electron apps are in the store and since Cordova now supports Electron - you might want to go with Electron instead of creating a Windows Store app.
The new Microsoft Edge browser has built-in support for Adobe Flash. The updated WebView control in the Windows 10 SDK utilizes Microsoft Edge as its engine.
I am trying to figure out how to enable the WebView control to render Adobe Flash content from a website in a Universal Windows App (either a Hosted Web App or a Packaged Web App).
Any ideas or pointers would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
WebView doesn't use Edge as the engine but uses IE11. Quote from the docs - "WebView always uses Internet Explorer 11 in document mode".
It also doesn't support any plugins or such, which would include Flash.
Full run of caveats from the control doc:
It does not support any ActiveX controls or plugins like Microsoft
Silverlight or Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Additionally,
WebView does not support some HTML5 features including AppCache,
IndexedDB, programmatic access to the Clipboard, and geolocation.
More "tidbit" reading up at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/windows.ui.xaml.controls.webview.aspx .
Enjoy. Hope this helps. Healy in Tampa.
On Universal application, the webview is using edge now but it does not change anything regarding plugins.
Here is what it says from the MSDN :
In apps compiled for Windows 10, WebView uses the Microsoft Edge
rendering engine to display HTML content. In apps compiled for Windows
8 or Windows 8.1, WebView uses Internet Explorer 11 in document mode.
It does not support any ActiveX controls or plugins like Microsoft
Silverlight or Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
Can non-Metro Windows apps (ex: Explorer) be built with the new WinRT, or must they still be Win32 based?
I asked this during the 'Ask the Experts' session at //Build/. The answer was "Yes, within reason. Not all of the WinRT api's will function when called from desktop apps - for example any metro specific ones will fail. No explicit list of which ones work from desktop (non-metro) apps is available."
Edit:
It appears that the documentation has been updated to provide a list of WinRT api's available from the desktop.
From "Dev Center - Metro style apps"
A sticky posted by moderator on Thursday, November 03, 2011 1:16 AM
We have received a number of inquiries in this area.
The documentation will be expanding as the Windows 8 project
progresses to include more API specific details. It is possible to
use WinRT from Desktop applications. WinRT APIs may be tied to Metro
style apps, Desktop apps or potentially available to both. The
documentation will list which environments (Desktop, Metro style or
both) a given API works in. Note: Custom WinRT components are only
supported in Metro style applications. They are not supported in
Desktop applications.
We have a mobile version of our web site which works well on all mobile screen resolutions and sizes. Now, we would like to build a very simple app for Blackberry and Windows Phone 7. The app would be trivial - after you click on its icon, it opens a web browser and send you to our mobile web site. Just like a Windows OS shortcut that you place on your desktop.
Can you tell me if Blackberry and Windows Phone 7 policies allow such app be published? For example, Apple rejected us.
I can't speak for Blackberry, but Requirement 2.10 from the WP7 Application Certification Requirements:
Your application must have distinct,
substantial and legitimate content and
purpose other than merely launching a webpage.
So the answer seems to be no on the WP7 marketplace. Is there a reason you want to create an app like that anyway? On WP7, users can pin a tile to their home screen that will launch the website they've pinned. You could simply encourage users to do that on their WP7 and you'll get the same effect (except your site won't appear in the app list).
Seems this is okay for BlackBerry. See section 4.b of the App World FAQ.
Very strange. Our company has placed a similar application on Android Market and the Appstore and they have been resolved and now they available at stores. Also, I had a similar application for Windovs Phone, and it was also allowed.
P.S. Our application is not just a browser window, it has custom control panel in bottom. Also it has the communication protocol with the site - such a sending pictures from camera and phone and access to phone contacts.