Download Remote Files Without A Browser In Android

There is often a scenario where you need to download files from a server onto the Android device. This needs to be done without forcing the user to launch a web browser and have interaction as some of the downloaded data might be private. Let’s use the scenario where you’ve made a game and you have in-app purchases. You want to keep the size of the game small for everyone so you decide to put the purchase items on your server. When a user purchases an item then the item will be downloaded in the background. This is a perfect usage example.

For purposes of the tutorial we will be staying simple. We will be downloading a remote image in the background and then displaying it when it has finished downloading.

Launch External URLs with Ionic Framework

I recently found myself needing to launch external URLs with Ionic Framework. I needed to let my users contact me via my personal website or visit my Twitter page. This is not a task that ends well when trying to execute from an Ionic view. Luckily, with a little help from the Apache Cordova plugin InAppBrowser, I was able to accomplish the task with very little effort. The best part is that it works for iOS and Android with the same code set.

If you’re using Ionic 2, a special version of this article can be found here. Otherwise enjoy this writeup for Ionic Framework 1.

Handle User Sign-In With Ionic Framework

When making an API app or any app that requires authentication it is critical to have a solid sign-in process. A good way to handle user sign-in with Ionic Framework is to make use of the already included ui-router module. The idea behind this is to route between sign in and protected screens as necessary.

Count Records From A hasMany Relationship In Grails

Recently I was tasked with trying to determine a distinct count between two tables with a many-to-many and one-to-many relationship. More specifically I needed to find out how many users were signing into the system on any given day. This is not to be confused with how many logins a particular user had for any given day.

Using Polymer With Apache Cordova

Making great mobile applications used to require a certain type of skill, but with the latest technologies you don’t need much more than basic web design knowledge. With the aid of Apache Cordova, developers can make native API calls directly from JavaScript functions. Pair this with a front-end framework like Adobe PhoneGap or my current favorite, Ionic Framework, and you can create stunning mobile applications with no more than CSS and HTML skills.

However, I recently discovered Polymer, a project by Google, and it looks pretty slick. The best part is you can easily use Polymer with Apache Cordova to create a native mobile application.

Snapper for Digital Ocean Released

Snapper for Digital Ocean has just been released in the Google Play and iTunes app stores. Snapper makes use of the Digital Ocean public API version 2 which features a true RESTful design and improved authentication.

This mobile app, like Admate for Chartboost, was created using AngularJS and the Ionic Framework.

Using Google Analytics With Ionic Framework

Apple and Google don’t offer much in terms of analytics after an app has been downloaded. Google will take it a step further than Apple and show how many devices have the app installed rather than just downloads, but nothing in terms of usage. To use Google Analytics with Ionic Framework, not much is required.

There is a convenient plugin created for Apache Cordova by Dan Wilson called simply Google Analytics Plugin. With a bit of adjusting we can easily use it with AngularJS.