Ionic in Action
Hybrid Mobile Apps with Ionic and AngularJS
Jeremy Wilken
(Manning, paperback)
Ionic in Action is a very good introduction to the Ionic framework, which the author describes as “a combination of tools and utilities….” These tools and utilities enable developers “to quickly build hybrid mobile apps using the same technology used to build websites and web applications, primarily HTML, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and JavaScript.” Using Ionic, you build “hybrid mobile apps,” which employ a browser window to display the user interface.
Ionic in Action shows how build three different mobile web apps. And, while working on those apps, you encounter virtually every feature that Ionic offers. I recently started learning Ionic, so I am pleased with how this book is organized and impressed that it has some important blessings from Adam Bradley, a co-creator of the Ionic framework.
Ionic is built on top of AngularJS, and it interacts with Cordova. The author of Ionic in Action, Jeremy Wilken, promises that being familiar with AngularJS is “helpful but not required.” However, as someone who has wrestled with AngularJS (and been slammed to the scope mat more than once), I am pleased that this book includes a chapter titled “What you need to know about AngularJS.” And, as in the rest of the book, you learn by doing, not just by reading explanations and looking at illustrations.
In the Angular chapter, you build a basic web application using AngularJS. Of course, one chapter does not take the place of a good AngularJS tutorial. But it provides a useful starting point.
Whether you are working to become a mobile app developer or seeking to improve and widen some existing skills, this is a good book both to learn from and keep handy in your reference library.
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