Migrating existing Cordova and hybrid applications

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Overview

To migrate an existing Cordova or hybrid application that was created with IBM MobileFirst Foundation version 6.2.0 or later, you must create a Cordova project that uses the plug-ins from the current version. Then you replace the client-side APIs that are discontinued or not in v8.0. The migration assistance tool can help you in this task.

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Comparison of Cordova apps developed with v8.0 versus v7.1 and before

Compare Cordova apps developed with MobileFirst v8.0 and Cordova and hybrid apps developed with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation v7.1.

Feature Cordova app with IBM
Mobile Foundation v8.0
Cordova app with IBM
MobileFirst Platform Foundation v7.1
MobileFirst hybrid app with IBM
MobileFirst Platform Foundation V7.1
IDE Eclipse Studio      
Eclipse plug-in and integration Yes Unsupported Yes (Proprietary)
Application Components Yes (Cordova)

Note: Create your own Cordova plug-ins to manage application components in your organization.
Yes (Cordova)

Note: Create your own Cordova plug-ins to manage application components in your organization.
Yes (Proprietary)
Project Templates Yes (Cordova)

Note: Use the Apache Cordova cordova create --template command.
Yes (Cordova)

Note: Use mfp cordova create --template or the Apache Cordova command cordova create --copy-from
Yes (Proprietary)
Dojo and jQuery IDE instrumentation Yes

Note: Dojo and jQuery Mobile are JavaScript frameworks that you can use in Cordova apps.
Yes

Note: Dojo and jQuery Mobile are JavaScript frameworks that you can use in Cordova apps.
Yes
Mobile UI Patterns Unsupported Unsupported Deprecated
Application sub types      
Shell Component Unsupported

Note: If the previous Hybrid app used shells and inner applications, it is recommended to adopt Cordova design patterns and implement the shell components as Cordova plug-ins, that can be shared across applications.
Unsupported Yes
Inner Hybrid Application Unsupported

Note: If the previous Hybrid app used shells and inner applications, it is recommended to adopt Cordova design patterns and implement the shell components as Cordova plug-ins, that can be shared across applications.
Unsupported Yes
Application Features      
Mobile OS iOS 8 or higher, Android 4.1 or higher, Windows Phone 8.1, Windows Phone 10. iOS 7 or higher, Android 4 or higher. iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 8
Web applications Yes, as a JavaScript application developed without Apache Cordova. Unsupported Yes, as a desktopbrowser or mobilewebapp environment.
Direct Update Yes. Yes Yes
MobileFirst Security Framework Yes Yes Yes
Application Authenticity Yes Yes Yes
Certificate pinning Yes No Yes
JSONStore Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-jsonstore plug-in. Yes
FIPS 140-2 Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-fips plug-in.

Restriction: FIPS is supported for Android and iOS. FIPS is not supported for Windows.
No Yes
Encryption of web resources that are associated with the application within the application binary file Yes No Yes
Verification of the integrity of web resources by using a checksum each time the app starts running Yes Unsupported Yes
Specification of the app’s target category (B2E or B2C) for addressable device license tracking Yes No Yes
Simple data sharing No Yes Yes
Single sign-on Yes

Note: Device single sign-on (SSO) is now supported by way of the new predefined enableSSO security-check application-descriptor configuration property
Yes Yes
MobileFirst application skins No

Note: To detect and handle different device screen sizes, use standard web development practices such as responsive web design
No

Note: To detect and handle different device screen sizes, use standard web development practices such as responsive web design.
Yes
Environment optimizations Yes (Cordova). Use the merges directory to define web resources specific to a platform. Yes (Cordova). Use the merges directory to define web resources specific to a platform. For more information, see Using merges to Customize Each Platform in the Apache Cordova documentation.
Push Notifications Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-push plug-in.

Restriction: You can map predefined MobileFirst security checks only to the push.mobileclient scope. Custom security checks are not supported because JavaScript challenge handlers are not called.
Yes

Note: For Android, you must add the cordova-plugin-mfp-push plug in. You don’t need this plug in for iOS because the push client-side support for iOS is included in the core mfp plugin.
Yes
Cordova plug-ins management Yes Yes No
MESSAGES (i18n) Yes Yes Yes
Token licensing Yes Yes Yes
Application optimizations      
Minification Yes (Cordova)

Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Cordova)

Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Proprietary)
Concatenation of JS and CSS Yes (Cordova)

Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Cordova)

Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Proprietary)
Obfuscation Yes (Cordova)

Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Cordova)

Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Proprietary)
Android Pro Guard Yes

Note: Mobile Foundation V8.0.0 does not include the predefined proguard-project.txt configuration file for Android ProGuard obfuscation with a MobileFirst Android application.
Yes

Note: See Android documentation to enable Pro Guard.
Yes

Migrating existing hybrid or cross-platform apps to Cordova apps supported by Mobile Foundation 8.0

You can migrate existing hybrid or cross-platform (Cordova) apps that were developed with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation version 6.2 or later to Cordova apps that are supported by Mobile Foundation v8.0.

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Starting the Cordova app migration with the migration assistance tool

The migration assistance tool helps you prepare your cross-platform apps that were created with earlier versions of MobileFirst for migration by identifying APIs that are no longer valid and copying the projects into Cordova apps that are supported by v8.0.

The following information is important to know before you use the migration assistance tool:

  • You must have an existing IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation hybrid application or a Cordova application that you created with the mfp cordova create command.
  • You must have internet access.
  • You must have node v6.x and npm v3.x installed to install migration assistance tool mfpmigrate-cli .
  • You must have the Cordova Command-Line Interface (CLI) installed, and any prerequisites installed that are required for using the Cordova CLI for your target platforms. For more information, see The Command-Line Interface at the Apache Cordova website.
  • Review and understand the limitations of the migration process. For more information, see Migrating apps from earlier releases.

Cross-platform apps that were created with earlier versions of IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation commands or the Cordova with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation commands are not supported in version 8.0 without some changes. The migration assistance tool simplifies the process with the following functions:

  • Scans the JavaScript and HTML files in the existing hybrid app or Cordova with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation app and identifies APIs that are deprecated, no longer supported, or modified in version 8.0.
  • Copies the structure, script, and configuration files of the initial hybrid app or Cordova with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation app to a Cordova structure that is supported in version 8.0.

The migration assistance tool does not modify or move any developer code or comments of your app. You must continue the migration process with either Completing migration of a MobileFirst hybrid app or Completing migration of a MobileFirst Cordova app after you run this tool.

  1. Install the migration assistance tool.
    • Change to the directory where you downloaded the .tgz file.
    • Use NPM to install the tool by entering the following command:
    npm install -g tgz_filename
    

    For details on the mfpmigrate-cli npm package, click here.

  2. Scan and copy the IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation app by entering the following command:

    mfpmigrate client --in source_directory --out destination_directory --projectName new-project-directory
    
    • source_directory
      The current location of the project that you are migrating. In Hybrid applications, this should point to the application folder of the application.
    • destination_directory
      The optional name of the directory where the new version 8.0 compatible Cordova structure is output. This directory is a parent of the new-project-directory folder. If it is not specified, then the folder is created in the directory where the command is run.
    • new-project-directory The optional name of the folder where the new content of your project is located. This folder is located within the destination_directory folder and contains all of the information for your Cordova app. If this option is not specified, the default name is app_name-app_id-version.
      When it is used with the client command, the migration assistance tool completes the following actions:
      • Identifies APIs in the existing IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation app that are removed, deprecated, or changed in version 8.0.
      • Creates a Cordova structure based on the structure of the initial app.
      • Copies or adds the following items, when applicable:
        • Android operating system
        • iPhone and iPad operating system
        • Windows operating system
        • Cordova-mfp-plugin
        • Cordova-plugin-mfp-jsonstore plug-in, if the JSONStore feature was installed on the old project.
        • Cordova-plugin-mfp-fips plug-in, if the FIPS feature was installed on the old project.
        • Cordova-plugin-mfp-push plug-in, if the push notification feature was installed on the old project.
        • Hybrid certificates, if certificate pinning was enabled on the old project.
        • Application, script, and XML files
      • Opens the resulting information file in your default browser after the command completes.

      Important: The migration assistance tool does not copy developer code or commented text into the new structure.

  3. Resolve the API issues in the new Cordova app.
    • Review the api-report.html file that is created in the destination_directory directory, and is opened in your default browser when the command completes. Each row of the table in this file identifies a deprecated, changed, or removed API that is used in the app that is not compatible with version 8.0. This file also specifies the replacement for removed APIs, when one is available.
    File path Line number API Line content Category of API change Description and action item
    c:\local\Cordova\www\js\index.js 15 WL.Client.getAppProperty
    • document.getElementById('app_version')
    • textContent = WL.Client.getAppProperty("APP_VERSION");
    Not supported Removed from 8.0. Use Cordova plug-in to get app version. No replacement API.
    • Address the API issues that are identified in the api-report.html file.
  4. Manually copy the developer code from the initial app structure into the correct location in the new Cordova structure. Copy the content in the following directories, according to the type of the source IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation app:
    • IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation hybrid app
      Copy the contents of the common directory of the source app to the www directory in your new Cordova app.
    • Cordova with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation app Copy the contents of the www directory of the source app to the www directory in your new Cordova app.
  5. Run the migration assistance tool with the scan command on your new app to confirm that your API changes are complete.
    • Enter the following command to run the scan:

      mfpmigrate scan --in source_directory --out destination_directory --type hybrid
      
      • source_directory
        The current location of the files to scan. In an IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation hybrid app, this location is the common directory of your app. In a Mobile Foundation version 8.0 Cordova cross-platform app, this location is the www directory.
      • destination_directory
        The directory where your scan results are output.
      • scan_type
        The type of project to scan.
    • Address any remaining API issues that are identified in the api-report.html file.

  6. Repeat step 6 to run the scan tool on the new Cordova app until all of the issues are resolved.

Completing migration of a MobileFirst hybrid app

After you use the migration assistance tool, you must modify some portions of your code manually to complete the migration process.

  • You must have already run the mfpmigrate migration assistance tool on your existing hybrid app. For more information, see Starting the Cordova app migration with the migration assistance tool.
  • You must have the Cordova Command-Line Interface (CLI) installed, and any prerequisites installed that are required for using the Cordova CLI for your target platforms if you need to install any additional Cordova plug-ins. (See step 6.) For more information, see The Command-Line Interface at the Apache Cordova web site.
  • You must have internet access if you need to download a new version of JQuery (step 1c) or if you need to install any additional Cordova plug-ins (step 6).
  • You must have node.js version 4.0.0 or later installed if you need to install additional Cordova plug-ins (step 6).

Complete the steps in this task to finish migrating your MobileFirst hybrid application from IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation 7.1 to a Cordova application that includes support for Mobile Foundation 8.0.

After you complete the migration, your app can use Cordova platforms and plug-ins that you obtain independently of IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation, and you can continue to develop the app with your preferred Cordova development tools.

  1. Update the www/index.html file.
    • Add the following CSS code to the head of your index.html file, before your CSS code that is already there.

      <link rel="stylesheet" href="worklight/worklight.css">
      <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/main.css">
      

      Note: The worklight.css file sets the body attribute to relative. If this affects the style of your app, then declare a different value for the position in your own CSS code. For example:

      body {
            position: absolute;
      }
      
    • Add Cordova JavaScript to the head of the file after the CSS definitions.

      <script type="text/javascript" src="cordova.js"></script>
      
    • Remove the following line of code if it is present.

      <script>window.$ = window.jQuery = WLJQ;</script>
      

      You can download your own version of JQuery, and load it as shown in the following code line.

      <script src="lib/jquery.min.js"></script>
      

      You do not have to move the optional jQuery addition to the lib folder. You can move this addition anywhere you want to, but you must correctly reference it in the index.html file.

  2. Update the www/js/InitOptions.js file to call WL.Client.init automatically.
    • Remove the following code from InitOptions.js

      The function WL.Client.init is called automatically with the global variable wlInitOptions.

      if (window.addEventListener) {
            window.addEventListener('load', function() { WL.Client.init(wlInitOptions); }, false);
      } else if (window.attachEvent) {
            window.attachEvent('onload',  function() { WL.Client.init(wlInitOptions); });
      }
      
  3. Optional: Update the www/InitOptions.js to call WL.Client.init manually.
    • Edit the config.xml file and set the <mfp:clientCustomInit> element’s enabled attribute to true.
    • If you are using the MobileFirst hybrid default template, replace this code:

      if (window.addEventListener) {
            window.addEventListener('load', function() { WL.Client.init(wlInitOptions); }, false);
      } else if (window.attachEvent) {
            window.attachEvent('onload',  function() { WL.Client.init(wlInitOptions); });
      }
      

      With the following code:

      if (document.addEventListener) {
            document.addEventListener('mfpready', function() { WL.Client.init(wlInitOptions); }, false);
      } else if (window.attachEvent) {
            document.attachEvent('mfpready',  function() { WL.Client.init(wlInitOptions); });
      }
      
  4. Optional: If you have logic specific to a hybrid environment, for example in Your app/iphone/js/main.js, copy the function wlEnvInit() and append it at the end of www/main.js.

    // This wlEnvInit method is invoked automatically by MobileFirst runtime after successful initialization.
    function wlEnvInit() {
         wlCommonInit();
         if (cordova.platformId === "ios") {
             // Environment initialization code goes here for ios
         } else if (cordova.platformId === "android") {
             // Environment initialization code goes here for android
         }
    }
    
  5. Optional: If your original application uses the FIPS feature, change the JQuery event listener to a JavaScript event listener that listens to the WL/FIPS/READY event. For more information about FIPS, see FIPS 140-2 support.
  6. Optional: If your original application uses any third-party Cordova plug-ins that are not replaced or supplied by the migration assistance tool, manually add the plug-ins to the Cordova app with the cordova plugin add command. For information about which plug-ins are replaced by the tool, see Starting the Cordova app migration with the migration assistance tool.

Completing migration of a MobileFirst Cordova app

After you use the migration assistance tool, you must modify some portions of your code manually to complete the migration process.

  • You must have already run the mfpmigrate migration assistance tool on your existing Cordova app. For more information, see Starting the Cordova app migration with the migration assistance tool.
  • You must have the Cordova Command-Line Interface (CLI) installed, and any prerequisites installed that are required for using the Cordova CLI for your target platforms. For more information, see The Command-Line Interface at the Apache Cordova web site.
  • You must have internet access.
  • You must have node.js version 4.0.0 or later installed.

The Cordova app that you created with mfp cordova create uses the Cordova platform and plug-in versions that were supplied with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation previous version. After you complete the migration, your migrated app can use Cordova platforms and plug-ins that you obtain independently of Mobile Foundation. This is the only type of support for Cordova applications that is available with IBM MobileFirs Foundation v8.0.

To migrate, you run the migration assistance tool and then make other modifications to your app.

  1. With the Cordova development tool of your choice, add any Cordova plug-ins other than Cordova plug-ins that enable MobileFirst features that were in your original application. For example, with the Cordova CLI, to add the plug-ins cordova-plugin-file and cordova-plugin-file-transfer, enter:

    cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-file cordova-plugin-file-transfer
    

    Note: The mfpmigrate migration assistance tool added the Cordova plug-ins for MobileFirst features, so you do not have to add them. For more information about these plug-ins, see Cordova plug-ins for MobileFirst.

  2. Optional: If your original application uses the FIPS feature, change the JQuery event listener to a JavaScript event listener that listens to the WL/FIPS/READY event. For more information about FIPS, see FIPS 140-2 support.
  3. Optional: If your original application uses any third-party Cordova plug-ins that are not replaced or supplied by the migration assistance tool, manually add the plug-ins to the Cordova app with the cordova plugin add command. For information about which plug-ins are replaced by the tool, see Starting the Cordova app migration with the migration assistance tool.
  4. Optional: (Only for apps that include the iOS platform, and that use OpenSSL.) Add the cordova-plugin-mfp-encrypt-utils plug-in to your app. The cordova-plugin-mfp-encrypt-utils plug-in provides iOS OpenSSL frameworks for encryption for Cordova applications with the iOS platform.

You now have a Cordova app that you can continue to develop with your preferred Cordova tools, but that also includes MobileFirst functionality.

Migrating encryption for iOS Cordova

If your iOS Hybrid or Cordova application used OpenSSL encryption, you may want to migrate your app to the new V8.0.0 native encryption. If you want to continue using OpenSSL you need to add an additional Cordova plug-in.

For more information on the iOS Cordova encryption options for migration see the Migration options section within the Enabling OpenSSL in Cordova Applications topic.

Migrating Direct Update

Direct Update is triggered after the first access to a protected resource. The process to deploy new web resources has changed in v8.0.

Unlike in previous versions, in v8.0, if an application does not access a secure MobileFirst resource, the client application does not receive updates, even if updates are available on the server. A resource might be unprotected, for example because OAuth has been disabled by the annotation @OAuth(security=false) or by configuration. You can work around this risk in one of the following ways:

To use Direct Update: Starting with v8.0, you no longer upload a .wlapp file to MobileFirst Server. Instead, you upload a smaller web resource archive (.zip file). The archive file no longer contains the web preview files or skins that were widely used in previous versions. These have been discontinued. The archive contains only the web resources that are sent to the clients, as well as checksums for Direct Update validations.

For more information, see the Direct Update documentation.

Upgrading the WebView

IBM MobileFirs Foundation v8.0 Cordova SDK (JavaScript) introduced numerous changes that require adaptations of your code.

The manual migration process involves a few stages:

  • Creating a new Cordova project
  • Replacing the necessary web resource elements with the code from your previous version
  • Making the necessary changes to your JavaScript code to conform to SDK changes

Many MobileFirst API elements were removed in v8.0. Removed elements are clearly marked as non-existent in an IDE that supports autocorrect for JavaScript.

The table below lists those API elements that require removal, with suggestions on how to replace the functionality. Many of the removed elements are UI elements that can be replaced with Cordova plug-ins or HTML 5 elements. Some methods have changed.

Discontinued JavaScript UI elements

API element Migration path
  • WL.BusyIndicator
  • WL.OptionsMenu
  • WL.TabBar
  • WL.TabBarItem
Use Cordova plug-ins or HTML 5 elements.
WL.App.close() Handle this event outside of MobileFirst.
WL.App.copyToClipboard() Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality.
WL.App.openUrl(url, target, options) Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality.

Note: For your information, the Cordova InAppBrowser plug-in provides this feature.
{::nomarkdown}<ul><li>WL.App.overrideBackButton(callback)</li><li>WL.App.resetBackButton()</li></ul> Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality.

Note: For your information, the Cordova backbutton plug-in provides this feature.
WL.App.getDeviceLanguage() Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality.

Note: For your information, the Cordova cordova-plugin-globalization plug-in provides this feature.
WL.App.getDeviceLocale() Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality.

Note: For your information, the Cordova cordova-plugin-globalization plug-in provides this feature.
WL.App.BackgroundHandler To run a custom handler function, use the standard Cordova pause event listener. Use a Cordova plug-in that provides privacy and prevents iOS and Android systems and users from taking snapshots or screen captures. For more information, see the description of the PrivacyScreenPlugin at https://github.com/devgeeks/PrivacyScreenPlugin.
  • WL.Client.close()
  • WL.Client.restore()
  • WL.Client.minimize()
The functions were provided to support the Adobe AIR platform, which is not supported by Mobile Foundation v8.0
WL.Toast.show(string) Use Cordova plug-ins for Toast.

Other Discontinued JavaScript elements

API Migration path
WL.Client.checkForDirectUpdate(options) No replacement.

Note: You can call WLAuthorizationManager.obtainAccessToken to trigger a direct update if one is available. The access to a security token triggers a direct update if one is available on the server. But you cannot trigger Direct Update on demand.
  • WL.Client.setSharedToken({key: myName, value: myValue})
  • WL.Client.getSharedToken({key: myName})
  • WL.Client.clearSharedToken({key: myName})
No replacement.
{::nomarkdown}<ul><li>WL.Client.isConnected()</li><li>connectOnStartup init option</li></ul> Use WLAuthorizationManager.obtainAccessToken to check connectivity to the server and apply application management rules.
  • WL.Client.setUserPref(key,value, options)
  • WL.Client.setUserPrefs(userPrefsHash, options)
  • WL.Client.deleteUserPrefs(key, options)
No replacement. You can use an adapter and the MFP.Server.getAuthenticatedUser API to manage user preferences.
  • WL.Client.getUserInfo(realm, key)
  • WL.Client.updateUserInfo(options)
No replacement.
WL.Client.logActivity(activityType) Use WL.Logger
WL.Client.login(realm, options) Use WLAuthorizationManager.login.
WL.Client.logout(realm, options) Use WLAuthorizationManager.logout.
WL.Client.obtainAccessToken(scope, onSuccess, onFailure) Use WLAuthorizationManager.obtainAccessToken.
  • WL.Client.transmitEvent(event, immediate)
  • WL.Client.purgeEventTransmissionBuffer()
  • WL.Client.setEventTransmissionPolicy(policy)
Create a custom adapter for receiving notifications of these events.
  • WL.Device.getContext()
  • WL.Device.startAcquisition(policy, triggers, onFailure)
  • WL.Device.stopAcquisition()
  • WL.Device.Wifi
  • WL.Device.Geo.Profiles
  • WL.Geo
Use native API or third-party Cordova plug-ins for GeoLocation.
WL.Client.makeRequest (url, options) Create a custom adapter that provides the same functionality
WL.Device.getID(options) Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality.

Note: For your information, device.uuid from the cordova-plugin-device plug-in provides this feature.
WL.Device.getFriendlyName() Use WL.Client.getDeviceDisplayName
WL.Device.setFriendlyName() Use WL.Client.setDeviceDisplayName
WL.Device.getNetworkInfo(callback) Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality.

Note: For your information, the cordova-plugin-network-information plug-in provides this feature.
WLUtils.wlCheckReachability() Create a custom adapter to check server availability.
WL.EncryptedCache Use JSONStore to store encrypted data locally. JSONStore is in the cordova-plugin-mfp-jsonstore
WL.SecurityUtils.remoteRandomString(bytes) Create a custom adapter that provides the same functionality.
WL.Client.getAppProperty(property) You can retrieve the app version property by using the cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-appversion plug-in. The version that is returned is the native app version (Android and iOS only).
WL.Client.Push.* Use JavaScript client-side push API from the cordova-plugin-mfp-push plug-in. For more information, see Migrating to push notifications from event source-based notifications.
WL.Client.Push.subscribeSMS(alias, adapterName, eventSource, phoneNumber, options) Use MFPPush.registerDevice(org.json.JSONObject options, MFPPushResponseListener listener) to register the device for push and SMS.
WLAuthorizationManager.obtainAuthorizationHeader(scope) Use WLAuthorizationManager.obtainAccessToken to obtain a token for the required scope.
WLClient.getLastAccessToken(scope) Use WLAuthorizationManager.obtainAccessToken
  • WLClient.getLoginName()
  • WL.Client.getUserName(realm)
No replacement
WL.Client.getRequiredAccessTokenScope(status, header) Use WLAuthorizationManager.isAuthorizationRequired and WLAuthorizationManager.getResourceScope.
WL.Client.isUserAuthenticated(realm) No replacement
WLUserAuth.deleteCertificate(provisioningEntity) No replacement
WL.Trusteer.getRiskAssessment(onSuccess, onFailure) No replacement
WL.Client.createChallengeHandler(realmName) To create a challenge handler for handling custom gateway challenges, use WL.Client.createGatewayChallengeHandler(gatewayName). To create a challenge handler for handling MobileFirst security-check challenges, use WL.Client.createSecurityCheckChallengeHandler(securityCheckName).
WL.Client.createWLChallengeHandler(realmName) Use WL.Client.createSecurityCheckChallengeHandler(securityCheckName).
challengeHandler.isCustomResponse() where challengeHandler is a challenge-handler object that is returned by WL.Client.createChallengeHandler() Use gatewayChallengeHandler.canHandleResponse() where gatewayChallengeHandler is a challenge-handler object that is returned by WL.Client.createGatewayChallengeHandler().
wlChallengeHandler.processSucccess() where wlChallengeHandler is a challenge-handler object that is returned by WL.Client.createWLChallengeHandler() Use securityCheckChallengeHandler.handleSuccess() where securityCheckChallengeHandler is a challenge-handler object that is returned by WL.Client.createSecurityCheckChallengeHandler().
WL.Client.AbstractChallengeHandler.submitAdapterAuthentication() Implement similar logic in your challenge handler. For custom gateway challenge handlers, use a challenge-handler object that is returned by WL.Client.createGatewayChallengeHandler(). For MobileFirst security-check challenge handlers, use a challenge-handler object that is returned by WL.Client.createSecurityCheckChallengeHandler().
WL.Client.AbstractChallengeHandler.submitFailure(err) Use WL.Client.AbstractChallengeHandler.cancel().
WL.Client.createProvisioningChallengeHandler() No replacement. Device provisioning is now handled automatically by the security framework.

Deprecated JavaScript APIs

API Migration path
  • WLClient.invokeProcedure(WLProcedureInvocationData invocationData,WLResponseListener responseListener)
  • WL.Client.invokeProcedure(invocationData, options)
  • WLClient.invokeProcedure(WLProcedureInvocationData invocationData, WLResponseListener responseListener, WLRequestOptions requestOptions)
  • WLProcedureInvocationResult
Use WLResourceRequest instead. Note: The implementation of invokeProcedure uses WLResourceRequest.
WLClient.getEnvironment Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality. Note: For your information, the device.platform plug-in provides this feature.
WL.Client.getLanguage Use Cordova plug-ins providing this functionality. Note: For your information, the cordova-plugin-globalization plug-in provides this feature.
WL.Client.connect(options) Use WLAuthorizationManager.obtainAccessToken to check connectivity to the server and apply application management rules.

Removed components

The Cordova project created by MobileFirst Platform Foundation Studio 7.1 included many resources that supported propriety functionality. However in v8.0 only pure Cordova is supported and the MobileFirst API no longer supports these features.

Skins

MobileFirst application skins provided a way of optimizing the UI for adapting to different devices and formats and is no longer supported in v8.0.
To replace this type of functionality it is recommended to adopt responsive web design methods provided by Cordova and HTML 5.

Shells

Shells allowed the development of a set of functionalities to be used by and shared among applications. In this way developers who were more experienced with the native environment could provide a set of core functions. These shells were bundled into inner applications and used by developers who are involved with business logic or UI development.

If the previous hybrid app used shells and inner applications, it is recommended to adopt Cordova design patterns and implement the shell components as Cordova plug-ins, that can be shared across applications. Developers may find ways to reuse parts of shell code and migrate them to Cordova plug-ins.

For example, if a customer has a set of web resources (JavaScript, css files, graphics, html) that are common across all their apps they can create a Cordova plug-in that copies these resources into the app’s www folder.

Let’s say these resources are within the src/www/acme/ folder:

  • src/www/acme/js/acme.js
  • src/www/acme/css/acme.css
  • src/www/acme/img/acme-logo.png
  • src/www/acme/html/banner.html
  • src/www/acme/html/footer.html
  • plugin.xml

The plugin.xml file contains the <asset> tag, containing the source and target for copying the resources:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<plugin
     xmlns="http://apache.org/cordova/ns/plugins/1.0"     
     xmlns:rim="http://www.blackberry.com/ns/widgets"
     xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
     id="cordova-plugin-acme"
     version="1.0.1">
<name>ACME Company Shell Component</name>
<description>ACME Company Shell Component</description>
<license>MIT</license>
<keywords>cordova,acme,shell,components</keywords>
<issue>https://www.acme.com/support</issue>
<asset src="src/www/acme" target="www/acme"/>
</plugin>

After the plugin.xml is added to the Cordova config.xml file, the resources listed in the asset src are copied to the asset target during compilation.
Then in their index.html file or anywhere inside their app they can reuse these resources.

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="acme/css/acme.css">
<script type="text/javascript" src="acme/js/acme.js"></script>
<div id="banner"></div>
<div id="app"></div>
<div id="footer"></div>
<script type="text/javascript">
    $("#banner").load("acme/html/banner.html");
    $("#footer").load("acme/html/footer.html");
</script>

Settings page

The settings page was a UI available in the MobileFirst hybrid app that allowed the developer to change the server URL at runtime for testing purposes. The developer can now use existing MobileFirst Client API to change the server URL at runtime. For more information, see WL.App.setServerUrl.

Minification

MobileFirst Studio 7.1 provided an OOTB method of reducing the size of your JavaScript code by removing all unnecessary characters before compilation. This removed functionality can be replaced by adding Cordova hooks to your project.

Many hooks are available for minifying your JavaScript and CSS files. These hooks can be placed in the before_prepare event in the app’s config.xml file.

Here are some recommended hooks:

These hooks can be defined either in a plug-in file or in the app’s config.xml file, by using the <hook> element.
In this example, the before_prepare hook event is used to run a script that minifies the code before Cordova prepares to copy the files to each platform’s www/ folder:

<hook type="before_prepare" src="scripts/uglify.js" />
Inclusive terminology note: The Mobile First Platform team is making changes to support the IBM® initiative to replace racially biased and other discriminatory language in our code and content with more inclusive language. While IBM values the use of inclusive language, terms that are outside of IBM's direct influence are sometimes required for the sake of maintaining user understanding. As other industry leaders join IBM in embracing the use of inclusive language, IBM will continue to update the documentation to reflect those changes.
Last modified on June 01, 2020