App to Show Local HTML Pages

Getting Started Newbie Questions
#1

To Whom It May Concern,

I have a desktop app that I want to make mobile.  Part of the app is “instructional”.  All of those instructional files are HTML files, which hyper-link to each other. 

I want to create an app that displays these HTML pages.  Basically, when one starts the app they are presented with a main menu composed of a set of buttons.  Each button represents a topic of interest.  The user press a button representing and then the application will present the user with the appropriate HTML pages (stored locally).  When the user is done reading they can go back to the main menu to look for another topic of interest.

I am looking for a template to help make this a sleek app for the Andriod and iOS world.

I created a simple app but it is not sleek.

Cheers,

Michael

#2

Hi.  This might be useful.  I just released some free code to create newText() objects from HTML sources:

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/36577-mltext-for-corona-sdk-released/

It might be a starting point for your effort.

-Ed

#3

Ed’s code is very cool, I watched the video last night. You also might want to check out native.showWebPopup() which will show full HTML pages:

http://docs.coronalabs.com/api/library/native/showWebPopup.html

 Jay

#4

Thanks all.

Hi Jay, yeah, my application is using webView, do you feel WebPopup is better?

Hi Ed,

Thanks for your post.  Very helpful.  I got your code and it is interesting, I modified it and ‘sucked’ in one of my existing HTML files.  The code worked.  However, this solution is a bit limiting.  I have over 250 HTML pages, and it looks like I cannot use them as is with your solution, rather I would have to edit each one.  This would be fine, however in the future, if I need to update my files, now I have to update them in two or more locations.  I want to use my HTML files as it.  I have an app that reads my existing HTML files, however, the app is kinda of ugly.  So I was hoping someone had an app that I could modify so that it is pretty.

Basically, the value of my app is not the code, that is a dime-a-dozen.  It is the content of the my HTML files.  Basically, I am looking to convert my desktop app to a mobile app (Android and iOS) as painlessly as possible.

Seems I might have to go with phonegap.

Or am I missing something?

Cheers,

Michael

#5

If all your content is HTML having a native.newWebView is your best choice.  You can’t really interact with it too much with regards to your other app features, but it will handle all the HTML, JavaScript and CSS your existing pages have.

Keep in mind, Apple will not approve native apps that are just skins around a webpage.  Your app has to have some app features to get approved.  They will approve your app that uses HTML for like help or information, but it has to be something more substantive than just the webpage content.

#6

Thanks Rob!!!

I have an app that three features, these being:

  1. Teaches (i.e., a book created in HTML to allow for hyper-linking of topics)

  2. Projection software (we will leave that nebulas for now)

  3. Condition data stored in a database (we will leave that nebulas for now)

However, sadly I had intended to release feature one first as a “light” version for two reasons:

  1. To generate interest in features 2 and 3, and

  2. LOL, feature two is already done.

Hmmm…Looks like I will need to rethink this launch strategy for the Apple Store.

Cheers,

Michael

#7

Hi.  This might be useful.  I just released some free code to create newText() objects from HTML sources:

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/36577-mltext-for-corona-sdk-released/

It might be a starting point for your effort.

-Ed

#8

Ed’s code is very cool, I watched the video last night. You also might want to check out native.showWebPopup() which will show full HTML pages:

http://docs.coronalabs.com/api/library/native/showWebPopup.html

 Jay

#9

Thanks all.

Hi Jay, yeah, my application is using webView, do you feel WebPopup is better?

Hi Ed,

Thanks for your post.  Very helpful.  I got your code and it is interesting, I modified it and ‘sucked’ in one of my existing HTML files.  The code worked.  However, this solution is a bit limiting.  I have over 250 HTML pages, and it looks like I cannot use them as is with your solution, rather I would have to edit each one.  This would be fine, however in the future, if I need to update my files, now I have to update them in two or more locations.  I want to use my HTML files as it.  I have an app that reads my existing HTML files, however, the app is kinda of ugly.  So I was hoping someone had an app that I could modify so that it is pretty.

Basically, the value of my app is not the code, that is a dime-a-dozen.  It is the content of the my HTML files.  Basically, I am looking to convert my desktop app to a mobile app (Android and iOS) as painlessly as possible.

Seems I might have to go with phonegap.

Or am I missing something?

Cheers,

Michael

#10

If all your content is HTML having a native.newWebView is your best choice.  You can’t really interact with it too much with regards to your other app features, but it will handle all the HTML, JavaScript and CSS your existing pages have.

Keep in mind, Apple will not approve native apps that are just skins around a webpage.  Your app has to have some app features to get approved.  They will approve your app that uses HTML for like help or information, but it has to be something more substantive than just the webpage content.

#11

Thanks Rob!!!

I have an app that three features, these being:

  1. Teaches (i.e., a book created in HTML to allow for hyper-linking of topics)

  2. Projection software (we will leave that nebulas for now)

  3. Condition data stored in a database (we will leave that nebulas for now)

However, sadly I had intended to release feature one first as a “light” version for two reasons:

  1. To generate interest in features 2 and 3, and

  2. LOL, feature two is already done.

Hmmm…Looks like I will need to rethink this launch strategy for the Apple Store.

Cheers,

Michael