Altova MobileTogether Designer

This topic describes features and settings that determine the level of interaction between the client device and MobileTogether Server.

MobileTogether Client app or MobileTogether AppStore App

The first decision to take is whether the project should be distributed to MobileTogether Server as a solution for the MobileTogether Client app or a solution for a MobileTogether AppStore App.

•A MobileTogether Client app is downloaded from an app store by the end user. On the end user device, MobileTogether Client is configured to access one or more MobileTogether Servers. Depending on security considerations, access to a server can be either anonymous or via user login with a password. The end user must be informed about the server configuration and access details. Once the end user has been granted access to a folder on the server, MobileTogether projects that have been deployed as solutions to this folder become accessible to the end user. Access rights to a folder are managed by the administrator of MobileTogether Server. See the MobileTogether Server documentation for details.

•A MobileTogether AppStore App on the other hand is a standalone app that is dedicated to a single solution located on the server. An AppStore App is downloaded from an app store and is started directly on the end user's device. There is no need for MobileTogether Client to be installed in order to run this kind of app. However, contact must be made with the appropriate MobileTogether Server in order to access the solution. The app contains a key that serves as a "handshake" with the solution on the server. Interaction with the server thereafter depends on the value of the Server Access setting. For more information, see AppStore Apps.

A project's Server Access setting

A project's Server Access setting specifies the level of server access while the solution runs. There are three options: Always, On Demand, and Never. The default is always. The appropriate option should be selected depending upon the kind of access to resources on the server that the solution needs. If the Never option is selected, then, after the initial connection to the server has been made, the server will not be accessed any more. For a detailed description of the setting, see Project Properties.

Anonymous login for MobileTogether Client

When a MobileTogether Client app connects to a MobileTogether Server, the end user can log in to the server as a recognized user or anonymously. To log in as a user, a user name and password that is recognized by MobileTogether Server must be used. Alternatively, MobileTogether Server can be configured by the server administrator to grant anonymous access to folders individually. See the MobileTogether Server documentation for details.

Updating server settings on client devices

In order for a client device to run a solution, the server's access settings must be configured on that device. If the server settings change—for example, if the MobileTogether Server is moved to another machine that has a different IP address—then the server settings on client devices must be modified accordingly. The MobileTogether function mt-server-config-url generates a URL that contains the new server settings and looks something like this: mobiletogether://mt/change-settings?settings=<json encoded settings>. This URL can be sent as an email link to the MobileTogether Client device. When the link is tapped, server settings on the client are automatically updated.

The JSON-encoded server settings that are contained in the URL are provided by the argument of the mt-server-config-url function (described here).  For an example of how to use this function, see the example solution ClientConfiguration.mtd in the MobileTogetherExamples/SimpleApps folder of your MobileTogether Designer installation.