It is a misconception that hybrid apps cannot access certain features on a mobile device that native apps can. Canvas Technology enables the hybrid apps built using it to take full advantage of the features available natively on different mobile platforms.

A set of plugins that needs to be implemented enable you to provide access to the native features on the mobile device. These plugins enable developers not to write any native language code to provide the required functionality on their hybrid apps.

Currently, Canvas supports the following native features on hybrid apps:

• External Browser – Users can view web pages, PDFs, videos within the hybrid app itself.
• SMS – Users can send and receive SMS within the hybrid app.
• Fingerprint – Users can be identified or authenticated by their fingerprint validation within the hybrid app.
• Contacts – Users can create contacts or view contact details within the hybrid app.
• Storage – Users can store data on local storage, session storage, SQLite or WebSQL database.
• Options List – Users can select a value from the options configured for the hybrid app.
• Barcode Scanner – Users can scan barcode or QR codes within the hybrid app.

Prerequisites

The following software is required on the development system in order to implement the native feature plugins:

• Node.js
• Cordova 6