Creating mobile applications

You can use the tools in the workbench to create mobile applications on the Android platform

Before you begin

Learn more about configuring your environment for hybrid mobile

Installing the SDK and Tools

  • Download the Android SDK from Download Android SDK, and select DOWNLOAD FOR OTHER PLATFORMS, and download the archive file from the SDK tools only.
    Restriction: The Android SDK does not support Java™ 8; use Java 7 or Java 6. For more information, see: Get the Android SDK
  • Extract the Android SDK to a directory in your workstation.
  • Once you have installed the Android virtual device, you can Setting Cordova preferences, and point to the directory where you installed Android.

Creating an Android virtual device

    • On Windows: Open the Android SDK folder, and navigate to the SDK Manager.exe. Double click SDK Manager.exe.
    • On Linux: open a Terminal, change into the directory of the Android SDK tools (commmand: cd <your SDK Path>/tools ) and run the command ./android sdk or ./android avd.
  • The Android SDK manager opens.
    Android SDK manager
  • Click Install <num> packages, and click Accept License, and then click Install.
  • Once the installation is complete, select Tools > Manage AVDs....
  • Click New.
    • In the AVD name field, type a name for your emulator.
    • In the Device field, select the device you are using.
    • In the Target field, select the target Android version.
    • In the RAM memory field, type 768, and type OK.
    Create Android virtual device
  • Highlight the Android virtual device you just created and click Start. Whenever you want to create and run a project using the Android virtual device, you must start it first.
  • On the Launch options page, click Launch.
    Launch Android virtual device
Before you can create mobile applications in your workbench, you need to install the latest Oracle JDK from the Oracle Java website.

About this task

When using Cordova for the first time (meaning creating a Cordova project for the first time) as you are adding platform and plugins support, additional Cordova artifacts need to be downloaded from Internet. If you are behind a proxy, you can use the networks connection link: Select Window > Preferences > Cordovaand you see the Network Connections link at the top of the wizard. Click on it and you are redirected to Network Connections preferences page that is located under General category. In there, you can configure your proxy settings. See this Eclipse help page for details about how to configure your proxy settings: Network Connections

Network connections

Procedure

  1. If you do not see the Java EE icon J2EE perspective icon on the top right tab of the workspace, you need to switch to the web perspective.
  2. Select File > New > Web > Cordova project, and click Next
  3. In the Cordova project page:
    1. In the Project name field, type a name for your project.
    2. In the Location field, accept the default project location, or clear Use default location, and in the Location field, Browse to a new directory.
    3. In the Identifier field, accept the default name (derived from org.example.<projectname>), or type a new identifier.
    4. In the Display name field, accept the default name (derived from your <projectname>), or type a new display name.
    5. Click Next to further define your project, or Finish.
  4. In the Configuration page:
    1. Click the jQuery tab, and click Add jQuery mobile if you want to include jQuery functionality. Click the folder icon or compressed file icon to browse for jQuery files to add to your project.
      Restriction: The workbench supports jQuery version 1.9 and jQuery Mobile version 1.3. For more information, see Web tools support in this topic: Introduction to Rational® Application Developer
    2. Click the Platforms tab, click the platform that you want to use. If you have not installed the prerequisites beforehand (see Learn more about configuring your environment for hybrid mobile: ), click Configure Platforms.
      Restriction: The iOS platform option is supported only on the MAC OS operating system.
    3. Click Add Plugin. Plugins provide a JavaScript interface for your Cordova application to access the native components of a device. On the Add Plugin, the list of available plugins appears. You can filter it out for easy access. Select the plugins that you want to add, and click Finish.
    On the dialogue This kind of project is associated with the Web perspective. Do you want to open this perspective now?, click Yes or No. Click Finish. Your project directory looks something like this:
    Project directory structure
  5. To run your application in the android emulator, right-click your application and select Run as > Run on Mobile Device Emulator.
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