forceios

Salesforce Mobile SDK for iOS Package

The forceios npm package allows users to create iOS mobile applications to interface with the Salesforce Platform, leveraging the Salesforce Mobile SDK for iOS.

Getting Started

If you're new to mobile development, or the force.com platform, you may want to start at the Mobile SDK landing page. This page offers a variety of resources to help you determine the best technology path for creating your app, as well as many guides and blog posts detailing how to work with the Mobile SDK.

But assuming you're all read up, here's how to get started with the forceios package to create the starting point for your mobile application.

Install the forceios Package

Because forceios is a command-line utility, we recommend installing it globally, so that it's easily accessible on your path:

    sudo npm install forceios -g

You're of course welcome to install it locally as well:

    npm install forceios

In this case, you can access the forceios app at [Install Directory]/node_modules/.bin/forceios.

Using forceios

For the rest of this document, we'll assume that forceios is on your path.

Typing forceios with no arguments gives you a breakdown of the usage:

    forceios
    Usage:
    forceios create
        --apptype=<Application Type> (native, native_swift, hybrid_local, hybrid_remote)
        --appname=<Application Name>
        --packagename=<App Package Identifier> (com.mycompany.myapp)
        --organization=<Organization Name> (Your company\'s/organization\'s name)
        --startpage=<App Start Page> (The start page of your remote app. Only required for hybrid_remote)            
        [--outputdir=<Output directory> (Leave empty for current directory)]

    OR

    forceios createWithTemplate
        --templaterepouri=<Template repo URI> 
        --appname=<Application Name>
        --packagename=<App Package Identifier> (com.mycompany.myapp)
        --organization=<Organization Name> (Your company\'s/organization\'s name)
        [--outputdir=<Output directory> (Leave empty for current directory)]

    OR

    forceios version

    OR

    forceios

Note: You can specify any or all of the arguments as command line options as specified in the usage. If you run forceios create with missing arguments, it prompts you for each missing option interactively.

Once the creation script completes, you'll have a fully functioning basic application of the type you specified. The new application has an Xcode workspace that you can peruse, run, and debug.

forceios create options

App Type: The type of application you wish to develop:

• native — A fully native iOS application written in Objective C
• native_swift — A fully native iOS application written in Swift
• hybrid_local — A hybrid application, based on the Cordova framework, that runs in a native container. The app contents are developed locally in the Xcode project, and are deployed to the device itself when the app is built
• hybrid_remote — A hybrid application, based on the Cordova framework, that runs in a native container. The app contents live in the cloud as a Visualforce application

App Name: The name of your application

App Package Identifier: An identifier for your company, similar to a Java package (e.g. com.acme.MobileApps). This concatenates with the app name to form the unique identifier for your app in the App Store.

Organization: The name of your company or organization. For example, Acme Widgets, Inc.

Start Page: ( Required for hybrid_remote apps only ) The starting page of your application on salesforce.com. This is the entry point of your remote application, though it's only the path, not the server portion of the URL. For instance, /apex/MyVisualforceStartPage.

Output Directory: ( Optional ) The folder where you want your app to be created.

More information

• After your app has been created, you will see some on-screen instructions for next steps, such as building and running your app, importing the project into XCode, and changing the default Connected App (sample) configuration values to match your own Connected App.

• You can find the forcedroid npm package here, to develop Mobile SDK apps for Android.

• The Salesforce Mobile SDK for iOS source repository lives here.

• The Salesforce Mobile SDK for Android source repository lives here.

• See our developerforce site for more information about how you can leverage the Salesforce Mobile SDK with the force.com platform.

• If you would like to make suggestions, have questions, or encounter any issues, we'd love to hear from you. Post any feedback you have on our Google+ Community.