Additional services and other development enhancements
Various new features and services provide additional functions and capabilities for you to build, test, deploy, and monitor enterprise-grade apps.
New support for Windows Universal applications
When you create a hybrid app, you can create a Windows 8 Universal environment that supports both desktops (and tablets) and mobile phones. Two individual elements are added to the associated application descriptor file: one for desktops and tablets, the other for phones. Two associated .wlapp files are produced at build time: one for desktops and tablets, the other for phones.
When you create native API applications, you can create either a Windows 8 Universal or Windows Phone 8 Universal environment that supports desktops (and tablets) or phones.
For more information, see Developing hybrid applications for Windows 8 Universal and Developing native C# applications for Windows 8 Universal and Windows Phone 8 Universal.
Performance improvements for Windows 8 Universal native and hybrid applications
Starting with V7.1.0, the ability to compress data from backend through MobileFirst adapters is provided to Windows 8 Universal native and hybrid applications.
- invokeProcedure method of WL.Client class for hybrid app development
- WLProcedureInvocationData class for native app development
Standard-based authentication (OAuth) with Windows 8 Universal native applications
The authentication mechanism based on standard OAuth 2.0 specification is now extended to Windows 8 Universal apps.
Device authentication support for Windows 8 Universal hybrid libraries
The device authentication support is also extended to Windows 8 Universal hybrid libraries starting with V7.1.
For more information, see Mobile device authentication.
Basic and extended app authenticity support for Windows 8 Universal and Windows Phone 8 Universal environments
Starting with V7.1, the basic and extended application authenticity features for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Silverlight 8 environments are extended to Windows 8 Universal and Windows Phone 8 Universal environments.
Easy access to adapter resource with native Windows 8 Universal and Windows Phone 8 Universal
New API is introduced in V7.1 to allow native Windows 8 Universal or native Windows Phone 8 Universal client to access the adapter resource.
- Accessing adapters from the /adapters endpoint
- WLResourceRequest class and its methods
Web resources checksum support for Windows 8 Universal hybrid applications
Starting with V7.1, the integrity of web resources can be verified each time the application runs on mobile device for Windows 8 Universal hybrid app.
For more information, see the <testWebResourcesChecksum> under <security> element that is documented in The application descriptor.
Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 naming
From IBM MobileFirst™ Platform Foundation V7.1.0 onwards, Windows Phone 8 is referred to as Windows Phone Silverlight 8 and Windows 8 is referred to as Windows 8 Universal. However, in some product components, the old names are kept. When you create a Windows 8 Universal app in MobileFirst Studio, the folder that is named as windows8 is created. The same when you create a Windows Phone Silverlight 8 app in MobileFirst Studio. The folder that is named as windowsphone8 is created. In these cases, treat windows8 as Window 8 Universal and windowsphone8 as Windows Phone Silverlight 8.
Discovery of OData and Azure services
Starting with V7.1, the discovery of both basic OData services and Microsoft Azure OData services are supported. You can use adapters to access these back-end services. For more information, see Microsoft Azure OData adapters and OData adapters.
Liberty Server upgrade
Starting with V7.1, WebSphere® Application Server Liberty Core that is embedded with MobileFirst Studio and the MobileFirst Platform Command Line Interface has been upgraded from V8.5.5.4 to V8.5.5.5.