Android Offline Mapping Demo Using Node.js to Serve Map Tiles
This project is an evolution of my offline map demo which uses Node.js to optionally serve map tiles. The demo runs in two modes: 1) as a normal PhoneGap app, and 2) in a desktop browser. The app automatically detects whether it is being run in a desktop browser or as a PhoneGap app and issues requests to a simple service running in Node.js to fetch both static content and map tiles. The demo also uses the service to fetch the sample map tiles file when running as a PhoneGap app. The motivation for this project is the simple fact that debugging what is basically a web application through the emulator is very painful whereas running the same app as a web app makes it possible to use standard development tools.
In order to run this demo, you will need Maven (I use Maven 3) and Node.js installed. Then follow these simple instructions:
- the Node.js app requires Express.js and SQLite3: sudo npm install express sudo npm install sqlite3
- determine your IP Address - this will be set in the configuration that is used to determine the URL for the Node.js service. On Unix-based machines (including Macs) you can get your IP address by executing "ifconfig" from a shell prompt. Open offlineusingnode/assets/wwww/js/index.js and modify the "serviceUrl". The port is 3000, and this is also set in "node/src/server.js" - you can change it if necessary, just make sure to do so in both places.
- open a shell prompt and navigate to "node/src", and execute: node server.js
- open a browser and navigate to http://your.ip.address:3000 OR open app in emulator
Please see "offline map demo" for more information about the offline map project.