Question

Is it possible to make a PhoneGap native app from a WordPress mobile blog?

I understand that PhoneGap allows you to develop HTML5 apps and turn them into native mobile applications.

I’m looking to create a content distribution app somewhat like the ones so many local news services use (WGAL, Channel 69 News), but to be able to list it in the Android Market Place and the AppStore, as well as be able to access it online all with the same content.

Also are there any alternative methods to accomplish this? Are News apps like that available in some sort of a “canned form”

Answer 1

One way is to essentially you make PhoneGap a web browser without an adress bar. I have an iPhone example here. All I did was make javascript redirect upon loading the application, whitelisted my IP (in the case of the example it’s local host) and modified the Appdeligate.m with this piece of code from:

- (BOOL) webView:(UIWebView*)theWebView shouldStartLoadWithRequest:(NSURLRequest*)request navigationType:(UIWebViewNavigationType)navigationType
{
    return [self.viewController webView:theWebView shouldStartLoadWithRequest:request navigationType:navigationType];
}

to

- (BOOL)webView:(UIWebView *)theWebView shouldStartLoadWithRequest:(NSURLRequest*)request navigationType:(UIWebViewNavigationType)navigationType
{
    NSURL *url = [request URL];
    if ([[url scheme] isEqualToString:@"http"] || [[url scheme]isEqualToString:@"https"]) {
        return YES;
    }
    else {
        return [ super webView:theWebView shouldStartLoadWithRequest:requestnavigationType:navigationType ];
    }
}

and voila, a “native” app, with access to all local resources (storage, camera, etc) built on web frameworks! Weather or not Apple or the others will let something like this in their app store I still have yet to investigate but it sure works well for demonstration purposes or personal apps.