Fiori: Access to apps (part 2)

In the previous Fiori blog we have given an explanation about the access to Fiori apps via the Launchpad. In this blog we like to explain other elements in connection to the Launchpad and point out an alternative excluding the Launchpad.

Tile  
Tiles on the SAP Fiori Launchpad homepage basically represent the different apps. Each tile can be used to launch and present the app on the launchpad. It is possible to use different kind of tiles and lay outs. An example of a Launchpad with different tiles is shown in the image. The sorting of these tiles is responsive. If the tiles are not able to fit next to each other on tiles will end up bellow the other

Homepage workspace – Better personalization 
The primary place for users to look for applications is the homepage. This is the core of the Launchpad and the starting point of every user. The homepage is provided with tiles that make it possible for the user to access the apps and see additional information. The page can be personalized and tiles can be add, removed or grouped. Because of the role based character of the Launchpad only relevant tiles to the role of the user will be shown.

App finder
The App Finder is a functionality within the Launchpad to find available apps. Within this environment the user can select, add or remove apps from their homepage.  It is even possible to enter the SAP menu of the backend system. 

Fiori client
The SAP Fiori Client is a native mobile app for SAP Fiori that is powering the ability for users to use the Fiori Launchpad online. The SAP Fiori Client can be download of a public app store for iOS, Android and Windows devices.

The SAP Fiori Client overcomes limitations in a mobile web browser by providing it from a caching mechanism for the SAP Fiori application assets as well as providing API’s for the specific device like the camera, location etcetera. The SAP Fiori Client is built around the Apache Cordova architecture, API’s and customization is done by plugins. It is also possible to build a customized SAP Fiori Client with the SAP Mobile Platform SKD. This platform makes it possible to add branding and other adjustments. 

iOS SDK
Since march 30th ’17 an SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS is available as well. This makes it possible to create native Fiori apps by using ‘SAP Fiori for iOS’. The same Fiori Look and Feel can be created within an iOS environment. The SDK provides a standard package for Odata connections, User Interface and Fiori Logics.

Next to this there is a SAP Fiori for iOS Mentor available in the appstore. This app can help with the design and sourcecode generation. This code can be imported in Xcode to develop apps easily.