Gonative.io functionality

MIT App Inventor Help
1

Hi there,
I have been looking for a way to convert my website to an app. My website is dotnet, and done with c#.My website already scales to device etc. But in MIT the functionality like sound,uploads, getting gps location thats in the "webviewer" does not work. But in gonative.io it does. Gonative also handles error connection well. And loading spinner with phase in to next page perfectly.
However Gonative.io is very expensive. Is there anyway to use the framework of gonative.io in an mit app?

As All I want to do is have my weburl to app.

2

  • The WebViewer is not a full featured Browser. This is why you probably will never achieve the full functionality of your website using the WebViewer. The WebViewer is essentially an Android system component. What it can do is described here> WebViewer

  • You might have better luck using the ActivityStarter to launch your url instead of bringing up your Web page using WebViewer with a url, Have you tried that? The AS can bring up your Android's default browser.

  • Without seeing your website, my guess it may be possible to reproduce lots of its functionality using native App Inventor 2 Blocks. Maps, gps, sound is all possible.

Here are some resources to help you learn to use the AI2 tools. A very good way to learn App Inventor is to read the free Inventor's Manual here in the AI2 free online eBook http://www.appinventor.org/book2 ... the links are at the bottom of the Web page. The book 'teaches' users how to program with AI2 blocks.

There is a free programming course here http://www.appinventor.org/content/CourseInABox/Intro and the aia files for the projects in the book are here: http://www.appinventor.org/bookFiles

How to do a lot of basic things with App Inventor are described here: http://www.appinventor.org/content/howDoYou/eventHandling .

Also look here http://kio4.com/appinventor/index.htm and here http://www.imagnity.com/tutorial-index/ for more tutorials.

Learn about components http://ai2.appinventor.mit.edu/reference/components/

and visit the Library http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/library

Regards,
Steve

1 Like
3

Thanks for the reply Steve. My website is a very advanced one. It is create sby me with many months work. With systems, logistics etc in c#. Its very very deep logical programming. I just want it to be viewed on an app. As my website scales to mobile devices already. It looks perfect in mobile Google Chrome browser with all functionality intact. I just want my hard work website to show on an app as it would be more appealing. The system actually entails 100000s of coding work which I can't replicate on mit. Gonative.io converts it to app perfectly. But it's too expensive. I need desperste help on how to tackle this, as I am a systems developer hardly much android stuff

4

Great Shanul. If the ActivityStarter browser cannot render your website, then you will find App Inventor impossible to replicate it. Your options are probably limited to the professional Android Studio, B4A and Delphi Community Edition (or a few others) that might allow you to create a functional browser for an Android app.

... that is a correct statement, unfortunately for you.

If the ActivityStarter browser does not render your Web page with all its bells and whistles, you are probably out of luck using App Inventor. Don't give up; someone else might have another opinion, and post something that will help.

C+, yeah, been there done that and a pile of other languages. You may have to learn Java if you are going to fulfill your Android dreams. Good luck!

By the way, Delphi has a compiler that will render on Android code that works on Windows. Delphi is expensive; however they provide a 'free' compiler that is cross platform that might be of interest to you delphi community edition - Google Search This might be a way forward. :slight_smile: It is free until your app starts making significant revenue.

1 Like
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I have not heard of activity starter so will. Have to read up on what it is about. Because I have no idea.
I am not sure how android framework works. But if I have a demo gonative test app. Would the directories and files in the apk help to build the mit apk? Because the gonative app seems to utilize the url in a we viewer just like mit

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ActivityStarterWebpage
ActivityStarterWebpage838×268 61.8 KB

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Hi @shanul_singh
However, it is not possible to achieve the full functionality and features of Chrome or any other browser but still you can do most of the things using this extension.

Since the extension is open-source so if you know Java then you can add more features to it.

2 Likes
8

Hi Steve, I don't think that will be suitable, as users will see its not really an app but a website

9

Is there anyway to get a we view functional like gonative does. There has to be a way if they can convert it im seconds

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I found out that it's wkwebview that they use to achieve a we view with all the functionality

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Do you want to make app for iOS?

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I was hoping so, yes. Everything in the app is read from database info. It works very well. But I need to find a way to app it for android and ios

13

Looks like you will have to get your wallet out :wink:

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That's fine but I won't spend sooo much as gonative is charging

15

For android you can use this:

For this someone will have to create a CustomWkWebView. :wink:

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I hope the customwebview helps. Seems like a good route to try. Thanks

17

Have you considered adding a Web API to your site, and front ending it through an app?
Sample AI2 web API access code:

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i have not, but it sounds like something that i should definitely look into

19

AbG would you be able to ellaborate what you mean. How does it work?

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I have done zero web service programming, but I have coded AI2 service client apps using the Web component to Get and Post and decode JSON text.
The Web Services FAQ has many samples.

The general architectural principles are discussed at https://www.google.com/search?q=Web+Services