Appboard/2.4/mobile

AppBoard Mobile enables end-users to view dashboard content on their mobile devices. This section summarizes the steps required to implement the AppBoard Mobile solution.


Modifying Widgets for Mobility

The typical lifecycle of an AppBoard system is to release the first generation of dashboards on the desktop platform, and to subsequently provide certain Widgets for consumption on mobile devices. Due to the different nature of these delivery platforms, the original use cases need to be re-evaluated to identify what will meet the needs of end-users on each type of device.


Differences Between the AppBoard Desktop and Mobile Platform

AppBoard was designed with the goal of making all of its content work across all devices with little or no additional configuration required. In any cases where an AppBoard solution can simply work automatically on a mobile device, without additional configuration, it is designed to do so. However, the reality of mobile devices is that they cannot support complicated displays, such as multi-columnar tables, that are commonly presented on the desktop.


The following are some general differences between the typical desktop and mobile displays of AppBoard:

  • Mobile devices can not be expected to have the same memory capacity and CPU as a personal computer.
  • Mobile devices often have limited ability to frequently update the display.
  • The viewing area on the mobile device is typically smaller and more restricted than on a desktop monitor.
  • The mobile device presents a single Widget on the screen at a time.
  • A Stack on the mobile device is comprised of a list of Widgets, rather than a simultaneous display of Widgets on a Board.
  • The mobile device presents primarily charts, single-column lists, and icons.
  • Finger actions manage navigation on the mobile device, rather than mouse controls.


Configuring Alternative Widget Delivery

The AppBoard developer should not be expected to build multiple copies of each component (e.g. one for desktop, one for iOS, one for Android, and so on). So one of the core goals of AppBoard is to support the same suite of components across all devices.


As noted above, however, certain types of Widgets provide displays that are too complex for consumption on a mobile device. In fact, if the user accesses certain standard AppBoard Widgets on a mobile device the device will display the message: "This widget is not supported on this device. Please contact your administrator to configure an alternative compatible widget". To address the specialized requirements of the mobile platform, many AppBoard Widgets provide a special configuration option called "Configure Alternative Widget".


For example, the standard Basic Table Widget is not supported in AppBoard Mobile. To present data from a Basic Table Widget on a mobile device, you can select a single column of the table and display that as a single-column list in AppBoard Mobile.


For information on configuring alternative Widget settings for mobile devices, see configuring alternate Widget options.


Support for Individual Widgets

When creating an AppBoard Widget, each available widget type will display icons indicating which mobile devices, if any, are supported by that Widget. For a list of current AppBoard Widgets and information on their support for mobile platforms, see Mobile Widget Support.


Focus On Widget Action

There are some cases where clicking on a Widget will create a desired result on the desktop client, but not automatically achieve a different result that would be desired on the mobile device. For example, you may have a Widget that applies a filter when you click on an item. On the mobile device, you may want the filter to be applied and then to automatically switch to displaying another list where the filter would be meaningful. This can be achieved by using the "Focus on Widget" action.


The "Focus on Widget" action tells AppBoard to switch the application over to another specific Widget on the same Board. This technique can replicate the same behavior on the mobile device as experienced on the desktop.


For information on configuring the "Focus on Widget" Action, see Focus On Widget Action.

Show Data Tip Action

For some widgets, such as the charts or the Google Map widget, it might be beneficial to provide additional information for a given record without having to drill down to another widget. Just as with the desktop version of AppBoard, widgets can be configured to show data tips. For Android devices and iOS devices prior to iOS 7, these work as "click" actions. However, it was discovered during testing that for iOS version 7.0.4 or greater, defining the action as a "hover" action also works.

For information on configuring the "Show Data Tip" Action, see Show Data Tip Action.

Installing and Accessing AppBoard on a Mobile Device

Anyone interesting in trying out AppBoard Mobile can install the free app on any compatible device. The installation is configured to present content from a demo system.


Users who have an account in a mobile-enabled AppBoard customer solution can download the app and use it to log in to the solution. They can access the mobile versions of the same Boards and Widgets that they viewed in the desktop application.


Installing the AppBoard Mobile App

Locate the AppBoard app in the app store for your device. Download the free app.


iOS

Although iOS does not support Flash, AppBoard runs on iOS through the use of a runtime environment called Adobe Air. Perform the following steps to install AppBoard Mobile on iOS devices:


  1. Verify that the device has the minimum required version of iOS.
  2. Search the App Store for AppBoardTM Mobile (Free).
  3. Click the Install App button.


Android

Perform the following steps to install AppBoard Mobile on Android devices:


  1. Verify that the device has the minimum required version of Android.
  2. Search the Android Market for AppBoardTM Mobile (Free).
  3. Click the Install App button.


Template-note.png
Camera and microphone permissions are to support future implementation of the video chat widget. AppBoard will prompt you to install Adobe® Air, if it is not already available on the device


Known Issues:

  • Space considerations
    • Internal space on many mobile devices is limited, so the device should be checked to ensure that there is sufficient space for both the AppBoard and Adobe AIR applications.
      • AppBoard requires approximately 5.5 MB
      • Adobe AIR may require up to approximately 24 MB
    • On devices with an SD card, you may be able to greatly reduce the space requirement through the following procedure:
      1. Install Adobe AIR
      2. Move Adobe AIR to SD card
      3. Install AppBoard
      4. Move AppBoard to SD card
  • Logging out and in rapidly will cause the application to fail. Please allow 20 seconds between sessions.
  • If you are having trouble launching the application or receive messages about Compatibility zoom on Tablets, please make sure that you have the latest version of Adobe® Air installed.


Configuring the AppBoard Mobile App

The mobile device is not restricted to a single AppBoard server. After installing the app, by default it references a demo server with demo content. The user can then modify the configuration one time to add a login to one or more additional AppBoard servers containing the information to be displayed.


Perform the following steps to configure an AppBoard server on a mobile device:

  1. Install and launch the AppBoard mobile app
  2. Select Add to create a new login profile, or select the / modify button to edit an existing profile. The Edit Login Profile screen is displayed.
  3. Enter the following credentials, as provided by your AppBoard administrator:
    • Profile Name - The display name for this login profile on the main app entry screen.
    • Username - The same Username that you use to log in to the desktop version of AppBoard.
    • Password - The same Password that you use to log in to the desktop version of AppBoard.
    • Domain - The same Domain that you use to log in to the desktop version of AppBoard.
    • Role (optional) - The role under which the the user will login. This is optional, and defaults to the users default role.
    • SSL - Check the box if HTTPS is required for accessing this system.
    • Server Address - The host name of the AppBoard server, same as for the desktop version of AppBoard. Example: MyCompany
    • Port - The port number of the AppBoard server, same as for the desktop version of AppBoard. Example: 8080
    • Context - Can control how you log in to AppBoard. Example: enportal
  4. Select Save.


Navigating the Mobile Dashboard

When the mobile interface launches on the mobile device, AppBoard Mobile presents a Select Login Profile login screen. One row is listed for each AppBoard server that is configured on the device. Click on the name of the AppBoard server to launch the Boards screen. One or more Stacks will be displayed. Click through the available Stacks, Boards, and Widgets to display information as desired.


The following actions are supported on the mobile device:

  • Tap any item to drill-down to the next level item:
    • Tap a Stack to go to a top-level Board.
    • Tap a Widget name to display the Widget. Widgets are typically displayed one at a time on a mobile device.
  • Holding a finger over specified areas on certain Widgets will display contextual information (similar to mouseover on the desktop interface).
  • Use two fingers to move a Widget to the left or right on the screen.
  • Turn the device to toggle between portrait and landscape view.
  • Swipe across the device to navigate between all of the Widgets on the current Board.
  • Tap the back button on the screen to go up one level to the previous screen.
    • Android - Use the back button on the device.
    • iOS - Tap the back button displayed on the screen.
  • Tap the Logout button to disconnect from the AppBoard server and exit the app.
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