The first beta version of NativeScript is now available for the public. Telerik started the project a little more than a year ago and is now able to deliver a framework which will allow developers to create mobile apps using the native capabilities of the mobile devices. The framework’s potential is great, although you will find some pieces are missing or are still unpolished, as the version is still in beta.
What is NativeScript?
With NativeScript you can put your CSS and JavaScript skills to work to build native mobile apps for Android, iOS and WindowsPhone devices. The User Interface is rendered by the native platform’s rendering engine with no WebView involved. Thanks to that the user experience is entirely native.
Although the framework is still in beta it enables developers to use full stack of cross-platform APIs to write the application code, or to access a complete range of native APIs using only JavaScript. Actually, developers can access all native APIs, not the only ones that were reviously considered useful.
According to Telerik they did not want to create a new ecosystem around a native cross-platform framework, but to integrate and play well with all existing JavaScript and native Android, Window, iOS ecosystems.
NativeScript supports existing JavaScript, Objective-C, Java and .NET libraries, but at the same time it doesn’t require .NET, Java or Objective-C skills in order to reuse these libraries as their APIs are going to be available in the JavaScript without any changes.
To sum up what NativeScript has to offer:
• complete native cross-platform applications with the ability to implement platform-specific UIs
• re-usability of native library from .NET, Java or Objective-C
• re-usability for any JavaScript library which is not browser-dependent
• easily build complex UIs, thanks to the ability to use rich data binding and existing user interface patterns
• 100% code sharing or platform-specific APIs usability, depending on the application that is developed
• for creating excellent native UX, it allows the use of the latest native platform features
• implement your apps code using NativeScript CLI
• obtain a rich development experience by using the Telerik Platform, App Builder and the full Visual Studio integration.
An in-depth article on how NativeScript works soon to follow. Stay tuned!
