i am planning to develop an hybrid application using phone gap. i want to download html pages,images & other resources from a web server instead of keeping it inside the phone gap application bundle.
is it possible to do so
is it the right way to avoid updating the application in the App Store frequently or
will android, iPhone, windows reject our application
Yes it is possible with phonegap, nothing can prevent you from loading html file from remote source. Here's my other answer on this question: https://stackoverflow.com/a/13996437/1848600
Unfortunately no. While we can say this is true, every error will brake every available app version, while if you create version by version customers will always be able to use previous ones. Also Apple apps store will ban such app.
Android/Win7-8 app will not be rejected, iOS will be rejected immediately. Here's my other answer on this question: https://stackoverflow.com/a/14436328/1848600, no point in repeating.
Yes, it's possible.
you have 2 choices to implement it. simple way is just start on web server url. but, you need a code for including cordova script file that matched target device.
another way is check & download files.
In this case, you need to write some code of phonegap for update-check, download contents & change start URL.
During you have no reason for changing native code, my answer is Yes.
exactly Apple doesn't allow to update app logic without AppStore or load page in web server, but i don't know really it is.
Related
I'm trying to build an application, "Journal for Drivers".
I would like to add new information to the driver in this application. This information will be in text format (or text with images)
My question is, if I want to add a news update to the application, a news for drivers, can it be solved for example by some storage on a server, where the application automatically downloads this news? Or do I have to write the entire app in Android Studio and update the original version of the app?
There are three main ways to accomplish this:
You can create a webpage and use webview component to load this website in your application. In this case you will have full control on the data (backend) while you can change the ui of this webview on the fly without releasing new versions of your application. called also hybrid application (which is part native you still need to create apk with this webview) and web part which will be where most of your code exists.
You can create a native application which will be written in native only (java or kotlin) in this way you will need to release a new version every time you will change anything in your application. (including logic change or ui change).
You can create PWA project which will simulate a "native" application in this way you control 100% of the code and it will based on web. You can open a url on your mobile browser and you could "install" a mobile version of the webpage on your mobile device which will simulate a "native" application it also other platforms such as iOS, windows and Mac (if I'm not mistaken)
This can achieved via an endless number of strategies. One such strategy uses deep links along with an API for this. For this to work, you will need to set up an online server which will serve as a back end. This is where you will post your news updates to an endpoint or endpoints. This can be implemented in many ways. For example, you may just hardcode your updates to the html, or more likely you will store each article to some sort of db. When a user of the app goes to view an article, it will send an HTTP request to the server asking for the article. The server will then retrieve said article from the db, process it in whatever way needed, and send it back to your app.
Using this method, you only need to change your article on the back end (or better yet add your article to db and update a pointer that points to current article).
I have a client with two mobile apps. The first APP1 is built natively using Java and Objective-C. The second APP2 has been build using Unity.
Now the client wants to add a common functionality to both APP1 and APP2. The functionality is some new promo screens with user interaction to win credits.
I was considering to propose WebViews for this, however I came across to Progressive Web Apps.
I would like to ask whether is it possible to add a PWA in existing apps by properly initializing WebViews. I guess that the answer is 'yes'. But is there any benefit (apart from the caching) from using PWA instead of common HTML pages since the mobile app is already there?
Thank you!
A PWA is nothing more than a regular HTML webpage, which has added bonus functionality. Those bonus functionality is the incredible ease of install (if not on iOS, at least), and the offline capabilities.
The offline capabilities mostly means that the app will work (for the most part), even when no internet is available.
The easy install functionality means that if you open the site on Chrome for Android, you can "install" the app directly, without going through the app store. This doesn't work properly on iOS, however.
However, at the end a PWA is still just a webpage. This means that it is not just an app for iOS, or Android. It is an actual webpage, with an URL you can surf to. Installing a PWA just takes a local copy, and displays it in such a way that it looks like a native app.
So, in your case, there is no real bonus of making a PWA. If I read correctly, you just need to add a simple HTML page to both apps, right? You can make this a website, and then use WebView to navigate to it, sure. But there is no need to make it a PWA; it will just run in the native app itself.
I'm trying to do some simple website application for displaying my website and add some specific functionality to it.
My idea is to do something like Facebook app for mobile. Simply I need to display a website and replace File input - users should be able to capture a picture from camera or pick it from gallery (multiple select) and attach it to a post.
TL;DR;
Check images in the bottom.
What I have tried:
Using Cordova with Camera and Image picker plugin and displaying webpage in InnAppBrowser
Taking pictures with camera and picking pictures from gallery and then uploading them to server - there is a lot of examples of it.
What troubles I have found:
InnAppBrowser is forced fullscreen so I cannot resize it and place some buttons for picking pictures under it.
What do I need:
I just need to somehow attach images (from gallery or camera) to form file input or upload them to some kind of api instead - the api would process images on server and return some IDs which I can use instead of file input in the form on page to attach images to the post. Some hidden input where I would just insert IDs of uploaded images to be attached to the post (I'd write some if conditions into my PHP script).
I need my application to be multi-platform (Android, IOS, WP) so that is the reason I'm using Apache Cordova. I've tried lot of solutions and I've searched like for 5 hours. But I wasn't able to find anything useful.
Have somebody some experience in this way? Did somebody make some kind of that application?
If you can suggest any solution (it is not important to be a Cordova but it must be multiplatform) I'd be glad!
Thanks for your time!
Images
There is screen of desktop version with normal file input:
There is my vision of mobile application version with camera and image picker option right under web browser:
I guess I was not clear. The technical answer is Cordova/Phonegap are not for creating website applications. This means technically there is no "correct way" to do what you are asking.
For a website applications, all the pages are rendered from the website and controlled from the webpage/webbrowser.
For a mobile application, all the pages that the application can directly control are rendered on the mobile device. However, pages can be rendered (and/or created) from either the server or the mobile application, but the control of the page stays with the side that rendered (or created) the page. There is clear line between the two sides that can be moved, but at the *peril* of the programmer. (There are no points for being clever here, only added security issues.)
However, the Cordova and Phonegap do have plugins.The entire purpose is to use plugins to make certain task easier. However, there is a clear line between the phone and the website. To be clear on this last part, this means that all of the "plugin services" on the phone (accelerometer, contact list, etc.) are directly available to the application, and not the website. However, some of the "services" are also available as HTML5 APIs, such 'camera' and 'geolocation' – mixing the two is dangerous. The HTML5 APIs should remain on the webserver side, if used. The UX is different for HTML5. (I will not discuss HTML5 APIs any further, as they are beyond the scope of this discussion)
To make your idea work, you will need the following "core" (or equivalent third-party) plugins
file-transfer
camera (or equivalent)
inappbrowser
On the file-transfer and camera, you can do everything from the webserver, if you want. Then the only task for the end-user is to select the appropriate folder and image. If you do this from the server-side, then you CANNOT use the plugins.
If you want to use the plugins, then you cannot use a server-side generated webpage. You must create the form on the mobile device. This means the page and the form reside on the mobile device. However, if you write your webpage correctly you can dynamically add or delete elements. This means on the mobile side you have control over every step of the user experience and can enhance that experience.
On the inappbrowser, a common trick is to put the website in an iframe. However, you have no direct control on the iframe. Another common trick is to submit to the server via an API – then have the visible webpage update separately. Another common trick is to have a webpage with a websocket that could handle the webpage update. However, this could also be done with a push to the webpage, or have the webpage do polling of the server. Again, the App has NO direct control of the webpage.
This entire thread makes the following assumptions.
There is no "correct way" to do this task.
The images (photos) are stored on a website, and are publicly available for viewing.
It also assumes that no HTML5 APIs will be used.
If I interpreted your problem statement correctly, I believe what you are looking for is access to device native services - camera & gallery - from your mobile website.
A solution that fits your design requirements is for the browser to provide such services. Unfortunately WebKit and other browsers limit such support to things like Geoposition.
The way for Cordova to help you here is if your mobile website is an stand alone HTML5/CSS/JS application that can use CORS XHR or WebSockets to communicate with webindependent Web Services.
If you can bottle your website into a set of static html/js/css files that display content from dynamic web services then you are set. That same javascript can then call navigator.camera.getPicture(success, fail, options) and file-transfer the result to a waiting web service.
That camera api is not available to the InAppBrowser just as it is not available to WebKit Chrome/Safari/Edge. Trying to control the Mobile App via the InAppBrowser is most likely to fail due to security constraints.
What you might get away with is re-imaging your browser application as a series of discrete services that return raw html snippets suited for a new mobile app. Then write your Cordova app as the top level container that manages the navigation amongst the html snippets. This server-side rendering would be most useful if it was significantly challenging enough to overwhelm the mobile platform / web services pattern (think custom video server or expert system).
#Jakub,
Cedric has essentially stated it plainly. I will restate. You understanding about Cordova/Phonegap is not correct.
From: Top Mistakes by Developers new to Cordova/Phonegap
You have hit issue #5.
I QUOTE:
From Phonegap FAQ
A PhoneGap application may only use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, you can make use of network protocols (XmlHTTPRequest, Web Sockets, etc) to easily communicate with backend services written in any language. This allows your PhoneGap app to remotely access existing business processes while the device is connected to the Internet.
In addition, Apple frowns on using apps as wrappers for websites.
Quote Apple iTunes Guidelines - 2.12
Apps that are not very useful, unique, are simply web sites bundled as Apps, or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be rejected
To be clear, your idea may be valid, but you will likely need to rethink your internal workflow. You likely want to keep the same UI and UX.
I have created a mobile web application using HTML5,CSS3 and Javascript/Jquery. I've used the PhoneGap Build to get it's apk.
Once people download the app, If I want to add new content to that app so that the user can see the new content, what is the most easiest way to achieve it ?
Is there a way to achieve this without the use of a web service ?
Whatever is the method you suggest, please go a bit in detail. I'm relatively new to dynamic content, have always been involved with static pages.
Also, can I use the Admin page template for my HTML5 mobile app too ?
There is no way to do what you are looking for.
As per your comments, you want to push the dynamic content from YOUR laptop to the user's PhoneGap app. This is not possible as there is no way to establish a connection between user's app and your laptop.
You mentioned, you don't want to use server calls. For me that's the only way.
I have got a fully working phonegap 1.6.1 application, built in HTML5. I'd like to make this page refresh itself from the internet (replace the in-app html file with the online one, and save it for later), but when it is not possible, just do nothing.
It is on Android (2.3.7 & 4.1.2)
Is it possible?
I would really appreciate if you could send me a code (script) that helps.
P. S. I'm doing the job in DreamWeaver without any databases, etc.
Thanks in advance!
You need to whitelist your website in order for it to be allowed to take over the WebView provided by PhoneGap.
http://docs.phonegap.com/en/1.9.0/guide_whitelist_index.md.html
https://build.phonegap.com/blog/access-tags
Are you wanting to replace the actual html with what is found on the corresponding web site or are you trying to update content on the page? One is possible the other is not as your html index is compiled into the adk and not really editable on the fly, per se. You may update content dymanically from the web, but I'm pretty sure it is impossible to re-compile your apk on the android device itself.
However, if your html file is nothing more than a web view or iframe of your web site, then it will work, provided the app may reach the internet. The problem is that your app will not work if not connected to the internet. However, you could write a js routine to pull a default html view when internet access cannot be had.