Android-PWA-Wrapper-Kotlin

A sample Android Wrapper application to create a native Android App from an offline-capable Progressive Web App with KOTLIN SUPPORT.

Forked from https://github.com/xtools-at/Android-PWA-Wrapper where he has created the basic java thing ready. I thought it would be useful and fun to have kotlin support as well

Why would I use a wrapper?

I know, using a Wrapper-App to display a Website can feel a bit odd. But there are a few good reasons why you'd package your Web App like this.

• If you've got a very sophisticated UI already, it might make sense not to rebuild it from scratch for multiple platforms, especally if it's a Single Page Application already, that doesn't "feel" like a Website.
• There might be as well less competition for a given niche on App Stores, in comparison to Google directly.

What it does

• Sets up a WebView just the way PWAs/SPAs like it (e.g. enables App cache and DOM storage, ...).
• Shows a loading spinner while fetching the Web App.
• Provided your Web App is Offline-capable, it only needs an Internet connection on the first startup. If this fails, it shows a native refresh widget.
• Opens all external URLs in the device's Browser instead.
• Checks for Internet connection and fetches Updates for your Web App accordingly.
• Is compatible down to JellyBean, although it's recommended to build for SDK Version >= 19 (KitKat). Building for SDK Version >= 21 (Lollipop) puts you on the safe side without having to worry too much about Browser support.
• APK-size < 1.4 MB. The latest cat video from WhatsApp weighs heavier ;)

How to build your own

• Clone/fork repository
• Put your Web App's URL in WEBAPP_URL in Constants.java
• Replace app_name in strings.xml with the name of your App
• Add your own primary colors to colors.xml (colorPrimary, colorPrimaryDark, colorPrimaryLight)
• Put your own icons in place:
  • Add your own ic_launcher.png and ic_launcher_round.png in the mipmap folders
  • Add your own ic_appbar.png in the drawables folders. This is displayed in Android's Recent Apps View on your app bar, so it should look nicely when placed on top of your primary color.
  • I recommend using Android Asset Studio to get the icons ready in no time
• Change the package name in app/build.gradle, applicationId
• Change AndroidManifest.xml -> aplication -> activity -> intent-filter to your own URLs/schemes/patterns/etc. or remove the intent-filter for android.intent.action.VIEW altogether
• Check Constants.java for more options
• Build App in Android Studio

Only Pull Requests will be appreciated :)

License

GNU General Public License v3.0 - if you use it, we wanna see it!