REST api app vs Corona web in view app

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#21

@Sphere, I understand you point, but what’s the point of creating an webpage to look as an app if without it will look as good? to have a button on your device? you can do shortcuts of webpages in the home screen.

#22

Multiple reasons…

  1. you may already have a mobile website live.

  2. there is a lot more you can do with HTML 5 that you cannot do with Corona - like full blown ecommerce and payment gateways, etc.

  3. you may want a single code base - i.e. HTML

  4. you may outsource your mobile website to a web dev company that know nothing about native development

#23

@sphere,

you gave all reasons not to have an app.

  1. if you have a mobile website live that works well on mobile devices, there’s no point of having an app, if the app will only show it wraped around a webview.

  2. read 1.

  3. read 1.

  4. if you going for a dev company that don’'t know native development to build an app, it’s like going to a carpenter to build a brick statue. still the answer is “read 1”.

passing an website to a app it’s just the wrong approach to any app development. any app developer should point that to a client.

i know point 4 is still used for many companies, but that doesn’t make it right to do it.

#24

@carlos you completely miss the point.  Hybrid apps (if done correctly) make perfect sense for companies as it is a cheap way of having a fully functional app.  

Yes, I know users can create bookmarks on their home screen but an app is just easier.

Most shopping apps are hybrid because that is the most efficient way and much easier and cheaper to update.

#25

Will there be any way to use Rest api in corona sdk?

#26

network.request() will allow you to call any REST API.  I use GA and Facebook this way - the advantage is no plugin is required and it works on simulator (i.e. without Facebook app)

#27

Thanks!

#28

Might be a bit out of context, but you can see some Corona SDK API action here and here.

To chime in on the discussion, hybrid apps/games are incredibly relevant. With the ascent of tech like Browserify, NodeJS, and Cordova (along with a game engine I won’t mention), you get the best of both worlds. 

I’ll leave it at that.

-dev

#29

You can also look at our CoronaWeather sample app:  https://github.com/coronalabs-samples/CoronaWeather

It uses network.request() to fetch weather data.

Rob