How To Develop A Desktop App For Mac
See before you start using this. Open Web Apps for Desktop enables free Marketplace apps to be installed by Firefox Desktop into a user's Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Once installed on a desktop computer, these apps run similarly to any other desktop app. These apps are executed using Web Runtime for Desktop, a component of Firefox for Desktop. With Open Web Apps for Desktop you don't need any knowledge of desktop development, or to take any extra development steps, to deliver a 'native' desktop app. Note: Open Web Apps for Desktop is supported in Firefox for Desktop 29 and later.
Also from Firefox 35 there is a deprecated Apps button in the browser, see the Mozilla Support articles and for more details. The Web Runtime for Desktop supports 12 APIs to access desktop capabilities such as, and more. You can see a: The 'D' cells under 'Availability' provide information on the status of each API in Web Runtime for Desktop. The green cells indicate that the API is available in full. You can also mouseover individual cells for more information. In future releases, Web Runtime for Desktop will add support for additional APIs.
Note: Apps without a responsive design may not display very well across widely differing platforms, e.g. Firefox OS and desktop computers. This is because desktop users will be using screens with different resolutions (DPI) and sizes compared to those found on Firefox OS devices. You should design apps with responsive design principals in mind. For more information on responsive design, see the.
Using Open Web Apps for Desktop from Firefox Marketplace This section provides details on how you make use of Open Web Apps for Desktop, how it affects the Firefox Marketplace experience, and information on app updates. Submitting an app When you, you choose the Firefox for Desktop when defining its.
Reviewing an app When your app is reviewed, the reviewer installs your app from the reviewer section in Firefox Marketplace. When they do this from a desktop, Firefox for Desktop install the app onto their computer. They can then run the app and complete the review as normal. Installing an app When a user selects your app in the Firefox Marketplace the follows occurs:. displays the app's details and Free button as normal.
When the user clicks Free they're shown the standard Firefox Marketplace install confirmation dialog. The dialog lists the permissions requested by privileged apps; the dialog will include wording to explain any concerns users may have.
When the user confirms that they want to continue with the installation, / are invoked as you'd expect (depending on whether it's a hosted or packaged app) and Firefox for Desktop requests the details of the app from Firefox Marketplace and in the case of packaged apps, downloads the app's.zip file. Firefox for Desktop then installs the app into the desktop OS (the packaged zip, or the hosted app's assets, if it has ), so it will then be available offline. Once the app has been installed, the user will find the app in their desktop OS as normal. The process to use and remove the app is the same as they'd expect from other desktop apps. Keeping apps up-to-date The Web runtime for Desktop provides a mechanism for letting users know an update is available to an app. If your app is hosted, whenever you make a change on its server, users will pick up changes the next time they run your app.
For all other changes, you need to add a new version to the Firefox Marketplace:. For a hosted app, the link to the app's hosting server containing the updated manifest file. For a packaged app a zip file containing the updated app manifest and app content. When the app is running, the Web Runtime for Desktop makes a daily check on the version number in the app’s manifest and if it has changed notifies the users that an update is available. The user can then choose to install the new version. Using Open Web Apps for Desktop from other locations You can serve a hosted or packaged Open Web App from your own Marketplace or server, in this case Firefox automatically installs the app using Open Web Apps for Desktop.
When a new version is detected at the location of the original Open Web App, Firefox also handles updates to the app. How Open Web Apps for Desktop installs apps This section describes how Open Web Apps for Desktop are installed by Firefox for Desktop. When the user chooses to install your app, as described above, Firefox for Desktop requests the app's manifest file and icons from the hosting server (the Firefox Marketplace, or wherever else the app is hosted):. For hosted apps, the main manifest.
For packaged apps, the mini manifest. For packaged apps, Firefox for Desktop requests the app's zip archive from the hosting server. Now Firefox for Desktop installs the app:.
For hosted apps, by wrapping the hosting URL in a Windows, Mac, or Linux executable and placing that on the desktop computer. For packaged apps, by wrapping the app's content in a Windows, Mac, or Linux executable and placing that on the desktop computer. Important: Users on Apple Mac computers may need to adjust their system settings to enable installation from Firefox Marketplace. For more information read The following diagram offers an alternative representation of the workflow for the installation of an app using Open Web Apps for Desktop: FAQ Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Open Web Apps for Desktop.
Will I be able to deliver paid apps and those with in-app purchases? This feature is planned, when it's implemented Open Web Apps for Desktop is given access to the trusted UI, and all payment processes for in-app purchases, so in-app payments will function as normal. Can I debug my apps when they are running on a desktop? To access the console (and other remote developer tools), start the app from a command line with the -debug flag and optionally specifying a port (default: 6000). For example, on a Mac the Mykzilla test app is started with: /Applications/Mykzilla.app/Contents/MacOS/webapprt -debug 6000 Then, in Firefox, on the Developer Tools menu click Connect and connect to the “localhost” host at the port you specified. After clicking Connect in Firefox, go back to your app and confirm the connection.
Then return to Firefox and select a “tab” (i.e. An open window in your app) or “Main Process” to debug the Web Runtime’s chrome code. Then a copy of Firefox’s Remote Developer Tools should open in a new window, and it should be connected to the “tab” you selected.
Minimum RequirementsI’m not going to beat around the bush. Bottom line is that if you want to get started with iOS application development you’re going to need (or at least have access to) a Mac and at it ideally will be running latest version of OS X. If you’re a PC owner, you’re out of luck I’m afraid. The Xcode development tools are only available on OS X and there isn’t really a viable PC alternative at present. I guess it’s a marketing choice on Apples behalf but for now if you want to join the world of iOS developers it’s a really a Mac or nothing.
“The Mac Mini can be a great entry level solution but add a Thunderbolt Display and the costs start mounting.” Development Hardware Options So what does this mean if you haven’t already got a Mac and want to get started? Well, you have a few options.The first is the. At around £399 / $499 at the time of writing, this is a pretty good option if you want to get started and already have a display kicking around that you can hook it up to. The down-side though is that if you haven’t, and you start adding the cost of one of into the mix, you’re looking at another £899 / $999 at the time of writing and the costs are mounting pretty rapidly.The next option then is the iMac.
How To Create Desktop App For Mac
A is available from £899 / $1099 and is a pretty good alternative to the / combo and is around £300 / $300 cheaper. It definitely gets around the problem of having to buy a separate screen and if you’re looking for a desktop solution this is probably your best bet.For those looking for a more mobile alternative though (such as for coding in front of the TV – yes I admit I do that sometimes), you’ve really got a choice between the, and the. The entry level MacBook is $1299 / £1049, an 11-inch Macbook Air is available from around £749 / $899 and a 13-inch MacBook Pro is a little more expensive at £999 / $1299. My preference out of these would be the 13-inch MacBook Pro though. All of them are viable alternatives but the one thing I have learnt is that Xcode loves screen real-estate so where possible I’d go for the biggest screen you can afford.
“The iMac is perfect for those who don’t mind being bound to the desktop.” iOS Device OptionsIn terms of the iOS Device side of things, the picture is a little more rosy.When it comes to iOS devices, you can start developing for iOS without owning an iOS device at all.The Xcode development tools come with an iOS Simulator that allows you to simulate an iOS device right-there on your desktop. This is great option for both novices and professionals alike but it does have it’s limitations and experience has proven that it is simply no substitute for being able to run your applications on a real iOS device.With this in mind I’d recommend that you try to get your hands on an or as soon as you can. In my opinion it’s really an essential purchase in the long-term, especially if you are going to develop applications for the App Store. Depending on your needs though, you might not need the latest and greatest piece of Apple hardware and if your just getting started, my tip would be to keep an eye out on on or, especially when Apple releases a new revision of their iOS hardware. You’ll often find people selling off their devices as they upgrade and it can be a great way of picking up an inexpensive iOS Device to use for development.Worst case though, if your budget really can’t stretch to an iOS device at the moment (especially if you’re having to splash out for a new Mac), don’t worry too much and please don’t be put off.
As I’ve mentioned previously, you can still get started with Swift and iOS Development with an Intel-based Mac and the iOS Simulator. The important thing, as with many things, is overcoming inertia and getting started. “For a more mobile development platform, the Macbook Pro is probably your best bet but try to go for as much screen real-estate as you can afford.”You probably won’t need an iOS device immediately anyway, especially if you’re new to the platform, so my approach would be to start learning Swift (this blog will help you with that) and in the mean time save up and buy an iOS device when your finances allow.
How To Develop A Desktop App For Mac Free
Trust me, you’ll want one once you start writing apps of your own. There’s nothing quite like pulling out your iOS device and showing your friends your latest creation! SummaryIn this post we looked at the minimum hardware requirement for getting started with iOS development – an Intel-based Mac ideally running the latest version of OS X.
We looked at the options available for meeting this requirement and also took a look at the need to have an iOS Device upon which to run and test your software. For many, the hardware entry barrier can seem high, but if you can stretch to it, you will have all the hardware you need to develop and distribute an app to millions of potential customers around the world. Now isn’t that a price worth paying? November 25, 2015 Filed Under: Tagged With.