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franco.fu..

jQuery mobile: can I use it to design an app on the iPad ?

in Developing jQuery Mobile • 5 years ago

Hi:

I have been developing an application with jQuery on the desktop and things have worked fine for me there.

Now I need to port the application to mobile platforms. And here is a problem (one of many I am sure):

iOS 7 on the iPad won't let me expand the browser window to the entire screen (it's possible to do that on the iPhone). I looked everywhere and it really looks like this is currently not possible.

jQuery Mobile claims it is designed to develop apps, not just web sites. The gallery however displays only apps on the iPhone, as far as I can tell, NOT on the iPad.

So - can I or can I not use jQuery mobile to develop a true app on the iPad, i.e. without displaying the 3 lines the Safari browser shows at the top?

Thank you for your help,

Franco

Replies(8)

watusiware

Re: jQuery mobile: can I use it to design an app on the iPad ?

5 years ago

That not an app. It's a "web app".

For information on creating Safari Web Apps, see the Apple Safari Developer Library. (You may have to sign-up for a free account to view. Participation in the Safari Developer Program is free.)

https://developer.apple.com/library/safari/navigation/

You can create a true native app using PhoneGap/Cordova along with jQuery Mobile.

franco.fu..

Re: jQuery mobile: can I use it to design an app on the iPad ?

5 years ago

Well ok, thank you. I was referring to a web app.

Has anyone figured out how to expand the browser window to the entire screen on the iPad?

watusiware

Re: jQuery mobile: can I use it to design an app on the iPad ?

5 years ago

I pointed you to the available documentation.

There are also support forums on the Apple website.

This might be helpful:

https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/AppleApplications/Reference/SafariWebContent/ConfiguringWebApplications/ConfiguringWebApplications.html

If you're just creating a website, jQuery Mobile will normally hide the address bar on iPhone using a scrolling trick. This is just normal jQuery Mobile behavior, and has nothing to do with web apps.

franco.fu..

Re: jQuery mobile: can I use it to design an app on the iPad ?

5 years ago

Ok, thank you, this is helpful.

One last question: In order to create a web app does Apple require me to make it available on its app store or can I distribute it independently of Apple? In other words, what Apple says on the link you just provided me with refers to a web app in the app store or to any web app?

Thanks again for your help,

Franco

watusiware

Re: jQuery mobile: can I use it to design an app on the iPad ?

5 years ago

The App Store does not distribute Web Apps - only native apps. You MUST distribute it independently of Apple.

Typically, your web site should offer to "save to Home screen". Sometimes they do this with a clever little popup that points to the browser button you need to use to do that.

Mobile Safari can create a Home Screen icon for any website. It just creates a little native wrapper and when you open the "app" by touching the icon, it just launches Safari to your site.

But if the site uses the features shown in the reference above, when they launch it, it can then launch as a "full screen interface" instead of in Mobile Safari. iOS creates a little native wrapper that uses a UIWebView to launch your site into.

If you also use a manifest file, it will cache your pages locally, and you have something that acts more like a native app.

franco.fu..