The document discusses porting a mobile app to the desktop using Chrome Apps. Chrome Apps allow creating multi-platform apps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that launch independently of the browser. While Chrome Apps provide functionality like local storage and system APIs, there are some limitations, such as no access to OS-level secure storage and interaction with the <webview> is restricted. Overall, Chrome Apps were found to be a promising option for creating multi-platform desktop apps but still have some stability and documentation issues to address.

1. Introducing
Chrome Apps

3. Our customer needs a PC version!

4. Requirements:
"Port our iOS/Android app to Windows"
"Just support Windows 7 and that's
enough"
But market demand changes very fast!
We should expect Macs, Chromebooks also in
future.

5. Our app to port from Android/iOS
● Native framework + webview
○ Popular architecture for smartphone apps
○ UIWebView (iOS), WebView (Android)
Native
Framework
webview
OS service,
Storage, etc.
Interact with event callbacks,
JavaScript injections, etc.
Needed something like this, which works on a
desktop client. Great if it works on multi-platform

6. Platforms we considered
● Full-native
● Full HTML5 on a browser
● JavaFX
● Native View + kind of a common backend
● Chromium Embedded Framework
● PhoneGap (Native WebView + common
backend)
● Titanium
● Chrome App
(formerly known as Chrome Packaged App)

7. Chrome Apps
https://developer.chrome.com/apps/about_apps
● HTML + JavaScript
(PNaCL, Dart also available)
● 90% normal HTML5 app
○ Additional chrome.* APIs are loaded in JavaScript
namespace
○ <webview> tag to have another browser in the app,
which runs in a separate context from its parent app
● Launches its own window
○ Not within any browser's tab
● Launcher is bundled with Chrome
○ The app runs on Windows/Mac/Linux/Chromebook

8. Chrome Apps User Experience
● User Installs an app via Chrome Web Store
● Update happens automatically
● User launches the app when it's needed

9. So, looks great…!
● Works on multi-platform
● Don't have to worry about how to
distribute/update
● Programmer can use popular web
technology. No need to learn any new
framework or language
● Has a webview

10. Let's take a look
https://github.com/GoogleChrome/chrome-app-samples

11. Not just for calculators!

12. Interesting Features
● APIs same as chrome extensions
○ Local storage, etc.
● Low-level system services
○ USB
○ Serial
○ Network Communications (raw TCP/UDP sockets)
○ Bluetooth

13. https://developer.chrome.com/apps/chrome_apps_on_mobile

14. Problems I faced (1)
● No interface to access OS-level secure
storage (like KeyChain)
● CSP (Content Security Policy)
○ No eval, no inline scripting.
○ AngularJS already has a csp-mode which doesn't
use evals
● No easy way to interact with webview
○ Can inject JavaScript but access limited to the DOM
tree only. No access to the page's namespace (can't
use jQuery for example)
● No WebDriver yet
○ Can't test it's automation… (still seeking how to do it,
help is welcomed!)

15. Problems I faced (2)
● Documents are not very much organized,
and it's sometimes not accurate
○ http://stackoverflow.
com/questions/25883534/chrome-apps-webview-find-
method-is-undefined
● Not stable very much yet
…But it's improving!

16. (Coming next, may be)
● Chrome Apps WebView pitfalls
● Testing Chrome Apps
● Wrapping Chrome APIs as an AngularJS
service