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Build your app

Once your project settings have been set, you can generate it. There are several types of generation available, but some require a certain level of subscription:

Type of generation Level of registration
Android Debug APK Standard and higher
Project Source Pro and higher
Web app Pro and higher
Xcode project Standard and higher

Note: The free level of registration does not allow to generate a static App (e.g. APK or IPA), but only to use your dashboards in Dynamic mode (e.g. from Tap Manager).

Android APK

If you click on Android Debug APK, the online server will generate an APK and you will receive an email when it is ready to download. You can then download it from your Android mobile phone and install it.

Note that you will then be able to share this file, but it will not be possible to publish it to Play Store as long as it is an application in debug mode.

Once downloaded, follow the instructions described on the ionic website.

Xcode project

If you select 'xcode project', you will similarly upload a project to be built in Apple's Xcode environment (accessible from a MacOS system). Note that this project contains source files, but in an obfuscated format.

Once downloaded, follow the instructions described on the ionic website.

Project source

This option is only accessible from the 'Pro' level (or higher). It will generate Ionic projects consisting of readable and editable (non-obfuscated) source files. These projects are editable and will allow you to easily add features not supported by App Creator. However, if you change the content, you won't be able to easily edit them in App Creator.

Once your project is created, you will need to prepare it, then build it. You will first need to install:

  • node.js

  • Then Angular CLI: npm install -g @angular/cli@13.1.4

Web app

This format also allows you to retrieve a project of source files, but in HTML format. The project can either be unzipped on an HTTP server, or, if node.js is installed on your computer, it can simply be run locally from a terminal that accepts a Linux command line:

MINGW64 /c/tmp/testwebapp/webapp
$ npx local-web-server --spa index.html --https
Listening on https://Pravouta:8000, https://172.31.128.1:8000, https://192.168.20.129:8000, https://127.0.0.1:8000

Note:

Launching your application in Web-App format has the same limitations as for Tap Manager:

  • browsers do not support socket (Wi-Fi) or NFC connections,
  • only some browsers (including Chrome) support BLE
  • MQTT is supported by all browsers.

Publish your app on Play store or App store

Follow the steps of this ionic documentation : Publishing Your Android or iOS App in Google Play & App Store

How to install my generated application

Android APK

The app generator server generates an APK (Android Application Package) that you can install on your Android device.

To get the generated APK you have several options:

  • Open the download link received by email
  • Go to https://app.iotize.com/cloud/user/apps
  • Click on your App
  • Go to Build
  • Click on the build id you want to open, usually the first one in the list
  • In the "Generated files" card, find the .apk file and click on "Download"

Tips: directly download the generated APK on your mobile device

Once you have downloaded the .apk file on your device:

The application you are using to open the file must be authorized to install apps from unknown sources (TODO: add documentation).

At the end of the installation, make sure you see the message "App installed".

Troubleshooting

  • On your phone, the email application may block the download link URL. If that's the case, copy the link and paste it into your favorite browser.
  • Android says "App could not be installed": This may happen if you already have an application with the same identifier installed on your device. You must first uninstall it to install your new application. You can also change the application identifier of your generated app (TODO: add documentation). However, be aware that you will also need to reconfigure your Taps devices as the app ID to launch is also stored inside your Tap.
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