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Is there a tool/approach to automatically generate an app on an iOS or Android device from HTML5 or jQuery Mobile code so that the app loads/runs entirely on the mobile device itself, without requiring web access, and without the corresponding delay in load time (ie not a webapp)?

I have looked into a whole range of tools for this (HTML5, jQuery Mobile, trigger.io, phonegap, Appcelerator, others) and read lots of documentation and stackoverflow and other forum posts. However, I haven't yet been able to find the answer to this very basic question.

Many of the tools out there (eg trigger.io) boast that they are creating 'native' apps. However, when I built a sample iOS app to try to answer the question above for myself, the app will only run properly when the device is connected to the web, leading me to assume that it is actually a hybrid or webapp with some native components/functionality.

I suppose that for folks who have been developing apps for some time this is supposed to be obvious, but for somebody starting from fresh it is not.

  • Are the existing tools able to essentially translate HTML5/jQuery Mobile into objective C, or just linke to web content?

  • Is it possible to create a mobile app using the easy-to-use, cross-platform tools that exist (I especially like jQuery Mobile and Codiqa as I was able to build a prototype so quickly) that runs fully locally on an iOS or Android device, or do you end up having to manually code the app (eg in Objective C) if you want it to be fully local to the device (not a webapp)?

Thanks

Omar
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user2330237
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3 Answers3

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Yes - Trigger.io apps bundle all your HTML/CSS/JS into a natively packaged app - there's no internet access required for it to work.

Of course, if your app will only fully function if it has access to remote services, then the experience will degrade, but you can handle that with forge.is.connection.connected.

James Brady
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    Thanks. It does appear that my trigger.io app was only working when connected to the web because it was calling for a .js file that it was trying to load over the web -- my issue. Thanks again. – user2330237 Apr 29 '13 at 18:15
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What you are looking for is the Intel XDK. http://xdk-software.intel.com/

You can build, emulate, debug, test and publish your HTML5 code as native apps directly from the XDK, for iOS, Android and Windows Mobile.

DNG
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The answer your looking for I believe is bassically No on both counts.

There is nothing to turn HTML5 into native apps on iOS or Android (Windows 8 is "native" with HTML5).

You can however use PhoneGap to create a natively packaged WebApp, and this does not require an internet connection, it can be full local, and the outcome can be very good.

Pork 'n' Bunny
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  • Thank you very much. With the PhoneGap option that you mention, when you say the app can be full local, does that mean that everything needed to run/use the app can be stored locally on the mobile device (eg so you could run the app from a fresh start on a plane when you didn't have web connectivity)? I obviously mean for the kind of app that doesn't need external information. If so, then I'd consider the answer to be yes! Thanks again. – user2330237 Apr 28 '13 at 23:14
  • Yup, absolutely, PhoneGap is designed to work without requiring any online resources. PhoneGap is just a frame, so typically it is used with some kind of framework like SenchaTouch or jQueryTouch to get you going. – Pork 'n' Bunny Apr 28 '13 at 23:21
  • Although to the bigger question that wasn't asked. No matter what technology you use, nothing will ever feel native on each platform unless you create a completely custom UI that doesn't mimic any of the native functionality of either iPhone or Android. – Pork 'n' Bunny Apr 28 '13 at 23:23
  • What you can do however is code to the lowest common denominator - that would mean natice (c/c++) for the engine and business rules (thick of the app) with a thin UI layer specific to each platform – bryanmac Apr 29 '13 at 01:23
  • I would actually say the other lowest common denominator is javascript, which i've used a few times. – Pork 'n' Bunny Apr 29 '13 at 01:32
  • I would appreciate you accepting the answer if it has been useful to you. – Pork 'n' Bunny Apr 29 '13 at 01:33
  • Done. Thanks again. Continuing to read. To accomplish what you suggest, would trigger.io and phonegap both be viable alternatives? – user2330237 Apr 29 '13 at 02:24
  • PhoneGap is tried and true. But its really just a frame. Which is great if you have a custom UI in mind and steer clear of anything that tries to emulate native UI components. Trigger.io, interesting although the examples they provide look pretty horrible. – Pork 'n' Bunny Apr 29 '13 at 04:10