Getting started

You're all set to build apps for Android, iOS, Windows and Windows Phone using Apache Cordova

1 Add Device Capabilities 2 Use the Code You Know 3 Build & Run Your App 4 Debug & Diagnose

Add Device Capabilities (plugins)

Apache Cordova uses plugins to provide access to native device capabilities that aren't available to simple web apps; capabilities like the file system, camera, accelerometer or device contacts.

To add device capabilities, open config.xml in your project root. This will launch the App Configuration Manager where you'll find a Plugins tab offering core plugins validated by Microsoft. You can also add custom plugins from any of the hundreds created by the community.

Try adding this custom test plugin now: https://github.com/MSOpenTech/cordova-plugin-test

Read the Docs | Watch the Video

Use the Code You Know

If you know how to build web apps, you'll quickly feel at-home building mobile apps for iOS, Android and Windows using Apache Cordova. You can use your favorite JavaScript framework when building your app (e.g. Angular, React, Ionic).

Try it now by adding your favorite JavaScript framework to the scripts folder and editing your app code.

Read the Docs | Watch the Video

Build & Run (on emulators and devices)

You can build & deploy your app to devices and emulators running Android, iOS, Windows, and Windows Phone.

Most developers prefer to work in the browser when they're just getting started. The Ripple emulator runs in Chrome and is the default deploy target for new projects. Try it now by pressing the "play" button in the toolbar with Ripple selected. Chrome will open and load your application.

Read the Docs | Watch the Video

Debug & Diagnose

Anywhere you can run your app, you can debug it using Visual Studio's debug and diagnostic tools -- whether it's a tethered device, emulator, or browser.

Try it now by setting a breakpoint in index.js and pressing the play button. When you hit the breakpoint, try inspecting the application state by hovering over a variable in your code editor.

Read the Docs | Watch the Video

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