In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, learn how to build rich, robust mobile apps that run on smartphones, tablets, and other devices and interact with users in powerful new ways. Using this book’s straightforward, step-by-step approach, you’ll master leading-edge practical skills you can use whether you’re developing for the iPad/iPhone or Android. Discover how to quickly build new mobile apps and upgrade older apps, provide cutting-edge media content, leverage advanced features ranging from geolocation to the semantic web, and even simplify complex back-end development. Each lesson builds on what you’ve already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success!

Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common HTML5 mobile development tasks.

Quizzes and Exercises at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge.

By the Way notes present interesting information related to the discussion.

Did you Know? tips offer advice or show you easier ways to perform tasks.

Watch Out! cautions alert you to possible problems and give you advice on how to avoid them.

Learn how to…

• Work with the new HTML5 tags most valuable for mobile development
• Get started fast with HTML5 features already supported by today’s browsers
• Detect mobile devices and HTML5 support and upgrade sites to support them
• Style and build more efficient, usable mobile pages
• Use jQuery Mobile to quickly create mobile apps
• Leverage HTML5’s breakthrough drawing and typography features
• Efficiently integrate media content into your apps
• Add meaning with HTML5 sectioning and semantic elements
• Implement drag-and-drop more easily than ever
• Build offline applications and other apps that use local storage
• Detect and work with location data via the GeoLocation API
• Use microformats and microdata to make web pages friendlier to computers
• Add powerful back-end functionality with WebSockets, Web Workers, and File APIs
• Improve user navigation with the History API

Preface xiv

Part I: Building Web Pages and Applications with the Open Web Standard

Hour 1: Improving Mobile Web Application Development with HTML5 1
Understanding How We Got to HTML5 1
Learning What’s Different with HTML5 3
Defining Web Applications 4
Using the Open Web Standard 4
Using HTML5 with iOS and Android Devices 6
Writing Mobile Websites 7
Summary 11
Q&A 12
Workshop 13

Hour 2: New HTML5 Tags and Attributes with Mobile Development 15
The New HTML5 Tags 15
The New HTML5 Attributes 24
Changes to HTML 4 Tags and Attributes 25
Changes to HTML Syntax in HTML5 27
Mobile Support of HTML5 Tags and Attributes 28
Benefits of HTML5 for Mobile Web Development 29
Summary 30
Q&A 30
Workshop 31

Hour 3: Styling Mobile Pages with CSS3 33
Quick Introduction to CSS 33
What CSS3 Adds to the Party 42
Using CSS3 on Mobile Devices 46
Summary 46
Q&A 46
Workshop 47

Hour 4: Detecting Mobile Devices and HTML5 Support 49
Choosing What HTML5 Elements to Use 50
Android and iOS Support for HTML5 50
Detecting HTML5 Functions 52
Degrading Gracefully 58
Using CSS3 Media Queries to Detect Mobile Browsers 60
Testing Your Applications 63
Summary 64
Q&A 64
Workshop 65

Hour 5: JavaScript and HTML5 Web Applications 67
What is JavaScript? 67
What is jQuery? 72
Using jQuery Mobile 79
Summary 82
Q&A 82
Workshop 83

Hour 6: Building a Mobile Web Application 85
Building a Site that Works on All Devices 85
Deciding on What Type of Application You Want 86
Building the Application in HTML 89
Using CSS to Make the HTML Look Good 91
Adding Mobile Meta Tags for More Effective HTML5 Pages 96
Optimizing Your Site for Mobile 99
Summary 102
Q&A 102
Workshop 103

Hour 7: Upgrading a Site to HTML5 105
Deciding When and How to Upgrade from HTML 4 105
HTML5 Features that Work Right Now 111
The State of HTML5 Browser Support 112
Adding HTML5 Features as Extras on Your Site 113
HTML5 Features that Turn Your Site into a Killer Mobile Application 115
Summary 116
Q&A 116
Workshop 118

Hour 8: Converting Web Apps to Mobile 119
Choosing a Web Editor 120
Testing Your Application 121
Evaluating Your Content 123
Changing the Visual Design for Mobile 124
Checking for HTML5 and CSS3 130
Supporting Multiple Devices 132
Evaluating Finished Apps on Other Devices 133
Getting an Application to Work on Older Browsers 134
Summary 138
Q&A 139
Workshop 139

Part II: Learning the HTML5 Essentials

Hour 9: Adding Meaning with HTML5 Sectioning and Semantic Elements 141
What Are Sectioning Elements? 141
Using the New Sectioning Elements 142
Marking Up HTML Semantically 154
Summary 159
Q&A 159
Workshop 160

Hour 10: Drawing with the HTML5 Canvas Element 163
Using the Canvas Element 163
Drawing Shapes on the Element 165
Writing Fonts and Text on the Canvas 177
Displaying Images 179
How Is Canvas Different from SVG or Flash 182
Summary 183
Q&A 184
Workshop 185

Hour 11: Fonts and Typography in HTML5 187
Defining the Elements of Typography 187
Using Proper Typographical Entities 196
Understanding Web Open Font Format (WOFF) 198
Summary 202
Q&A 202
Workshop 203

Hour 12: Audio and Video in HTML5 205
Why Use HTML5 for Audio and Video vs Flash 205
Choosing Video Formats for the Best Compatibility 207
Choosing Audio Codecs for the Widest Support 208
The New HTML5 Media Elements 210
Useful Attributes to Extend Your Media 212
Creating Fallback Options for Internet Explorer 216
Creating Custom Controls with API Methods 217
Summary 219
Q&A 220
Workshop 220

Hour 13: HTML5 Forms 223
New Usability Features in HTML5 Forms 223
HTML5 Input Types 228
Other New Form Elements 235
Form Validation 237
Summary 241
Q&A 242
Workshop 242

Hour 14: Editing Content and User Interaction with HTML5 245
The New contenteditable Attribute 245
The execCommand Method 247
Adding Spellcheck to Web Pages 251
Hiding Elements 252
Additional UI Components of HTML5 253
Browser Support of UI and Editing Features 255
Summary 257
Q&A 258
Workshop 258

Hour 15: Microformats and Microdata 261
Using Microformats 261
Using Microdata 267
Using RDFa 269
Deciding Which Format to Use 270
Mobile and Microformats 271
Summary 272
Q&A 273
Workshop 274

Hour 16: Working with HTML5 Drag-and-Drop Functionality 275
Implementing Drag and Drop 275
Drag-and-Drop Events 276
Drag-and-Drop Attributes 279
Helpful CSS Extensions 280
Building a Drag-and-Drop Interface 280
Using Drag and Drop on iOS 287
Summary 290
Q&A 290
Workshop 291

Hour 17: HTML5 Links 293
How Links Have Changed in HTML5 293
Link Types and Relationships 299
Using the New Link Types 300
Summary 306
Q&A 306
Workshop 307

Part III: HTML5 for Mobile and Web Applications

Hour 18: Web Application APIs and Datasets 309
Creating Web Applications 309
Datasets and data-* Attributes 318
Summary 320
Q&A 320
Workshop 321

Hour 19: WebSockets, Web Workers, and Files 323
Two-Way Communication with WebSockets 323
Running Scripts in the Background with Web Workers 326
Handling Client-Side Files with the File API 331
Summary 337
Q&A 338
Workshop 339

Hour 20: Offline Web Applications 341
Building Offline Apps and Converting Apps to Work Offline 341
The Cache Manifest 343
Using DOM Events and Properties for Offline Apps 347
Debugging the Application Cache 351
Summary 352
Q&A 352
Workshop 353

Hour 21: Web Storage in HTML5 355
What Is Web Storage? 356
Web SQL and Indexed DB 361
Summary 370
Q&A 371
Workshop 372

Hour 22: Controlling the Browser History with the History API 373
Why Control the Browser History? 373
History API Methods 375
Using the History API 375
Dangers and Annoyances of the History API 383
Summary 384
Q&A 385
Workshop 386

Hour 23: Adding Location Detection with Geolocation 387
What Is Geolocation? 387
Privacy and Geolocation 394
Creating a Mobile Geolocation Application 396
Summary 401
Q&A 401
Workshop 402

Hour 24: Converting HTML5 Apps to Native Apps 405
Comparing the Difference Between Native and HTML5 Apps 405
Converting to Native Apps 408
Creating Application Icons 414
Testing Your Applications 416
Selling Your App in the App Stores 418
Options Other Than Converting to Native Apps 419
Summary 419
Q&A 420
Workshop 421

Part IV: Appendixes

Appendix A: Answers to Quizzes 423
Hour 1, “Improving Mobile Web Application Development with HTML5” 423
Hour 2, “New HTML5 Tags and Attributes with Mobile Development” 423
Hour 3, “Styling Mobile Pages with CSS3” 424
Hour 4, “Detecting Mobile Devices and HTML5 Support” 424
Hour 5, “JavaScript and HTML5 Web Applications” 425
Hour 6, “Building a Mobile Web Application” 425
Hour 7, “Upgrading a Site to HTML5” 426
Hour 8, “Converting Web Apps to Mobile” 426
Hour 9, “Adding Meaning with HTML5 Sectioning and Semantic Elements” 427
Hour 10, “Drawing with the HTML5 Canvas Element” 427
Hour 11, “Fonts and Typography in HTML5” 428
Hour 12, “Audio and Video in HTML5” 428
Hour 13, “HTML5 Forms” 429
Hour 14, “Editing Content and User Interaction with HTML5” 429
Hour 15, “Microformats and Microdata” 430
Hour 16, “Working with HTML5 Drag-and-Drop Functionality” 430
Hour 17, “HTML5 Links” 430
Hour 18, “Web Application APIs and Datasets” 431
Hour 19, “WebSockets, Web Workers, and Files” 431
Hour 20, “Offline Web Applications” 432
Hour 21, “Web Storage in HTML5” 432
Hour 22, “Controlling the Browser History with the History API” 433
Hour 23, “Adding Location Detection with Geolocation” 434
Hour 24, “Converting HTML5 Apps to Native Apps” 434

Appendix B: HTML Elements and Attributes 437
HTML5 Elements 437
HTML5 Attributes 442

Appendix C: HTML5 and Mobile Application Resources 447
Books 447
Websites 448
This Book’s Website 448

Index 449