Standardized integration with Cordova

[snickell]

Hybrid app development is a significant use-case for react (even apart from react-native), but the standard cordova 'approach' uses the cordova CLI tool and build system. Unfortunately you can't have two CLI/build systems operative at once in the stack, so we end up having to choose between a smooth cordova-based stack, or a smooth create-react-app based stack.

EmberCLI (via an addon), Ionic and other CLI-type platforms have integrated cordova support, so you can use their CLI tool and still access cordova features.

It would be great to have basic Cordova integration in create-react-app, ala ionic or embercli. I suspect a small set of Cordova features would cover the majority of simple hybrid app use cases.

[gaearon]

What kind to integration points do you imagine and how would they work?

[pke]

I don't see a need for that. create-react-app creates what in cordova becomes the www/bundle.js. You can just add cordova on top of create-react-app.

[ForbesLindesay]

I'd rather see create-react-native-app :)

[gaearon]

I’m closing because there aren’t any specific suggestions in this thread yet, and I don’t have the necessary context around this. If somebody using Cordova sends a PR demonstrating the kind of integration they would like to see, we can discuss that. Thank you!

[knuhol]

Hi, I'd also like to have some Cordova integration in this project. My current approach is to develop a new app completely as a plain web application and then use a manual like this to deploy it to Cordova.

This isn't a good solution, especially when you need using Cordova plugins, e.g. camera, you has to deploy app manually every time, try it on emulator/device and if something is wrong then go again.

It would be really nice if this project supports Cordova project starter and we could develop application directly on emulator/device with a live reload.

[gaearon]

I’d appreciate if you could create a new issue with an actionable plan of what is missing in CRA to make it a good experience.

[knuhol]

@gaearon Well, I can do it, but it will be a duplicity - all is described in this thread already.

[gaearon]

Sorry but I don’t see any specific suggestions in this thread besides “add Cordova integration”. I don’t have enough knowledge about it to understand what this entails. If you could provide a list of actionable todos that would enable Cordova integration that would be great!

[knuhol]

@gaearon Well, I don't have either. All I know is it would be nice to have something to automatize these steps - I can't explain it better, sorry. Forget it then.

[pke]

@akarienta as I wrote in this issue before, the steps required to make a CRA bundle to work in any cordova app is trivial. Have a post-build step to copy the out folder CRA creates to the cordova www folder.
I described the process over here: #786

[knuhol]

@pke That's not so easy, you need to init Cordova and include it's script. All steps needed are described here.