What is a Standalone Mobile App?

Usually, all Simplifier Apps are mobile-ready and can be opened directly with the Simplifier Mobile Client.

If you don’t want to use the Simplifier Mobile Client App, you can build a “Standalone” Distribution for Android and iOS/iPadOS Mobile Devices.

When do I need “Standalone”?

• If you want to publish your App into the Google Play Store or Apple Store with your Company as Issuer, as well as with your own logo and name
• Your customers should not use the App-in-App-Concept / Simplifier Mobile App

Use our self-service to build and deploy standalone applications

Starting with MAKERS CHOICE 25-05/Simplifier 10, you can also use our self-service to build and deploy your standalone applications. Currently, the feature is in the experimental Feature Lifecycle stage. We are about to integrate it in the App Designer within the Simplifier Admin UI as well. For now, if you want to build your standalone application, just raise a ticket on our Support Portal. We are guiding you through the process.

Prerequisites

You only need an active Subscription on our Standalone Application Service.

Data required

To let the service build and deploy your application, the following data is required

• App resources
• App log (squared, at least 1024px+1024px)
• Mobile Features used
• Certificates and Keystore files for your Google/Apple accounts

As soon as you have raised the ticket, we will get in touch with you and go through all the data in detail.

Build your apps manually

If you do not use at least our MAKERS CHOICE 25-05 or Simplifier 10, you need to create your standalone applications manually

Prerequisites

To export and build a mobile app as a single distribution package, you have to prepare your client with the needed build tools:

Software:

• Installed Cordova Build Tool (Installation Manual)
• Android Studio for building Android Apps (Installation Manual)
• Apple xCode (More Information)

Hardware:

• Windows or Linux Client and/or
• Mac for Apple xCode

You also need an

• Google Developer Account
• Apple Developer Account

Setup Metadata

Prepare Build Environment

Download App Sources

The download of the app sources is described here.

Check Corodova

cordova --version

It should be Version 10 or higher

Create Workspace

Create a new directory for your App Project “myworkpace”

Copy your Simplifier Mobile Export to Workspace

copy the complete directories and files to workspace

config.xml
package.json
hooks 
www

Create Keystore File for Android

Put it under folder signing/android/release.keystore

Add Screen and Icons

res/icons/<android/ios>

res/screens/<android/ios>

and add the icons and images as reference path in your download config.xml

Check complete Build Configuration

Open the File config.xml in an XML Editor like Android Studio, Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code

Check the XML Parameter

android-targetSdkVersion

– at least you should select API Version 30 or higher see Version History

and author

<authoremail="dev@cordova.apache.org"href="http://cordova.io"> Apache Cordova Team </author>

<preference name="DisallowOverscroll" value="true" />

Clean your projects (optional)

If you already did a build within your workspace, clean the results before:

rm -rf platforms
rm -rf plugins
rm -rf node_modules
rm package-lock.json

Init the NPM Modules

NOTE: Only required for Simplifier <= v6.5!

To update the latest sources, switch to your workpace directory and enter

npm run init

Download Cordova Plugins

NOTE: Only required for Simplifier <= v6.5!

To download cordova plugins, enter

npm run fetch

Build your App for Android

If you prepared your environment, you can start the build process

Step 1 Add Android Platform

Add Android Platform to your build project

cordova platform add android

After this step, a new android project have been created in folder platforms/android

Step 2 Create build.json

For signing the app, you have to provide your certificate in the build process

The easiest way is to create a new file build.json with the following contents
Here’s a sample of a build configuration file:

{
 "android": {
   "release": {
     "keystore": "../android.keystore",
     "storePassword": "",
     "alias": "mykey2",
     "password" : "password",
     "keystoreType": ""
   }
  }
}

Step 3  Start Android Build

Enter

cordova build android

to compile the app via android studio. The apk will be created unter

<yourworkspace>/platforms/android/app/build/outputs/apk

Build your App for iOS

For iOS you have to install xCode before – the build process can only run on MacOS

Step 1 Add iOS Platform

Go to console, switch to your workspace and enter

cordova platform add ios

After that, the xCode Project and iOS Ressource will be created

Step 2 – Add ios Build Config to build.json

Open or create the build.json in your workspace

{  
  "ios": 
   {   
     "release": 
      {     
        "codeSignIdentity": "iPhone Developer",
        "developmentTeam": "FG35JLLMXX4A",
        "packageType": "app-store",
        "automaticProvisioning": true,     
        "buildFlag": [ "EMBEDDED_CONTENT_CONTAINS_SWIFT = YES", 
                       "ALWAYS_EMBED_SWIFT_STANDARD_LIBRARIES=NO", 
                       "LD_RUNPATH_SEARCH_PATHS = \"@executable_path/Frameworks\"" 
        ] 
     } 
  } 
}

For more explanation see table below

Step 3 – Start the Build Process

Start the build process with

cordova build ios