Using The UI-Router To Navigate In Ionic Framework

Being that Ionic Framework relies heavily on the UI-Router for navigation, I thought I would do a write-up on how to properly use it.

We use the UI-Router to navigate between view states in our application. By view states, I mean screens composed as template files. If you’re looking for information on navigating in Ionic 2, visit my other post on the subject as it doesn’t use the UI-Router like Ionic Framework 1 does.

Playing Audio In Your Android And iOS Ionic Framework App

One of my Twitter followers recently asked me to do a post regarding audio and Ionic Framework. Being the fiddler that I am, I decided to meet this request.

Using Ionic Framework, the Apache Cordova Media plugin, and ngCordova, we are going to make a very simple application with basic media controls.

Use SQLite Instead of Local Storage In Ionic Framework

Switching to object-based data storage can often be tough. If you’re trying to start Phonegap or Ionic Framework development and are coming from native development, the whole local storage concept can be a tough one to grasp. Or maybe you just prefer a structured query language (SQL) when working with your data.

Not to worry, because there is a plugin for that!

Making use of the Cordova SQLite plugin by Chris Brody, you can use a SQLite data source for managing your data in Android and iOS. Pair this with ngCordova and you can better compliment your Ionic Framework development with an AngularJS experience.

If you’re using Ionic 2, you should check out this tutorial instead.

Find The Application Version In Your Ionic Framework App

If you’re like me, you want your users to know which version of your mobile application they are using. Nothing like feeling several generations behind without even knowing it. There are other benefits to knowing your application version. For example, maybe you need to upgrade legacy data when people upgrade between versions of your application. You can’t assume your users will be upgrading from the latest version of your application.

Now you can always hard-code the application version throughout your application and hope you remember to change it upon a new release, or you can make use of the nifty Apache Cordova plugin from White October.

My current favorite Apache Cordova framework is Ionic, so we’ll be configuring based on that. However, it is not difficult to use this information with Phonegap.

Updating Apache Cordova Platform To Latest Version

If you’re like me, you’ve been developing applications with Apache Cordova or Ionic Framework for a while now. Long enough to have received an email from Google Play stating that they are going to remove your application if you don’t update your published application to a more secure version of Apache Cordova.

Apache Cordova announcement:

Security issues were discovered in the Android platform of Cordova. We are releasing version 3.5.1 of Cordova Android to address these security issues. We recommend that all Android applications built using Cordova be upgraded to use version 3.5.1 of Cordova Android. Other Cordova platforms such as iOS are unaffected, and do not have an update.

So how does one go about fixing something like this? A security flaw like this isn’t the first and it probably won’t be the last.

Ionic Creator WYSIWYG Editor for Ionic Framework Apps

Recently I met with the guys at Drifty, the creators of Ionic Framework, and they hooked me up with a beta invite to Ionic Creator.

In short, Ionic Creator is a what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) editor for Ionic Framework cross platform Android and iOS mobile applications. It is like the Dreamweaver of mobile application development.

Implement Social Media Sharing With Ionic Framework

So you’ve made a great app, but need some help marketing it. Adding social media features to your application is a great way help spread the word, without actually doing anything. Social media can bring good traffic for you, the developer, and provide useful features to your user at the same time.

Take for example, you made a mobile app that finds funny pictures on the internet. You might want to add a share button that shares a particular funny picture on your users social media account while including reference to your app so all their friends can use it too.

The following will show you how to make use of social media sharing in your Android and iOS mobile application using Ionic Framework.