At this point, we are quite ready to start with the chat application. Yet, it will be easier to grasp if we create first a static version and then extend it with the intended functionality. Nowadays, developers often do not write CSS from scratch, but reuse components of HTML/CSS frameworks such as Bootstrap. There is a framework dedicated for the Electron application--Photonkit (http://photonkit.com). This framework provides us with building blocks such as layouts, panes, sidebar, lists, buttons, forms, table, and buttons. A UI constructed of these blocks looks in the style of macOS, automatically adapted for Electron and responsive to its viewport size. Ideally, I would go with ready PhotonKit components built with React (http://react-photonkit.github.io), but we will do it with HTML. I want to show you how you can incorporate an arbitrary third-party CSS framework...
Cross-platform Desktop Application Development: Electron, Node, NW.js, and React
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Cross-platform Desktop Application Development: Electron, Node, NW.js, and React
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Overview of this book
Building and maintaining cross-platform desktop applications with native languages isn’t a trivial task. Since it’s hard to simulate on a foreign platform, packaging and distribution can be quite platform-specific and testing cross-platform apps is pretty complicated.In such scenarios, web technologies such as HTML5 and JavaScript can be your lifesaver. HTML5 desktop applications can be distributed across different platforms (Window, MacOS, and Linux) without any modifications to the code.
The book starts with a walk-through on building a simple file explorer from scratch powered by NW.JS. So you will practice the most exciting features of bleeding edge CSS and JavaScript. In addition you will learn to use the desktop environment integration API, source code protection, packaging, and auto-updating with NW.JS.
As the second application you will build a chat-system example implemented with Electron and React. While developing the chat app, you will get Photonkit. Next, you will create a screen capturer with NW.JS, React, and Redux.
Finally, you will examine an RSS-reader built with TypeScript, React, Redux, and Electron. Generic UI components will be reused from the React MDL library. By the end of the book, you will have built four desktop apps. You will have covered everything from planning, designing, and development to the enhancement, testing, and delivery of these apps.
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Current Title:
Cross-platform Desktop Application Development: Electron, Node, NW.js, and React
Table of Contents (9 chapters)
Preface
Free Chapter
Creating a File Explorer with NW.js-Planning, Designing, and Development
Creating a File Explorer with NW.js – Enhancement and Delivery
Creating a Chat System with Electron and React – Planning, Designing, and Development
Creating a Chat System with Electron and React – Enhancement, Testing, and Delivery
Creating a Screen Capturer with NW.js, React, and Redux – Planning, Design, and Development
Creating a Screen Capturer with NW.js: Enhancement, Tooling, and Testing
Creating RSS Aggregator with Electron, TypeScript , React, and Redux: Planning, Design, and Development
Creating RSS Aggregator with Electron, TypeScript, React, and Redux: Development
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