CODEWITHSUNDEEP
androidhtml
fenomas
fenomas

Reputation: 11139

How much can be done in pure HTML for Android apps?

I'm wondering, to what extent can Android apps be feasibly built in HTML?

I know that native apps can use a WebView to show HTML content, and I gather(?) that it is possible to define an application that consists only of HTML, without a native application wrapper. But I assume that in either case the developer gives up some level of functionality, compared to building in native Java, and I'm wondering whether that level is very large, or relatively small.

For example, does the HTML content have access to device APIs? A lot, a little, or is it essentially limited to what can be done in the browser? Or put another way, is building app assets in HTML something that is a reasonably usual form of development, or is it something that is feasible for the UI but you typically handle logic in a native wrapper, or is it something that is best avoided except for the kind of app that basically just wraps a website?

Note: By "HTML" I mean the general stack of stuff handled by web engines: HTML/XML, scripts, CSS, multimedia, etc. I also mean to include newer HTML5 technologies, to whatever extent they are supported by, say, Android 2.2+.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 483

Answers (2)

Rashers
Rashers

Reputation: 11

There are many JS & CSS based frameworks focused on Mobile Web Apps (for example take a look at Sencha Touch). Of couse if you need to do anything with the Phone API, this will have to be done natively in Java.

Upvotes: 0

doron
doron

Reputation: 28902

Take a look at WAC. There is a big push from operators towards WAC although I am not sure to what extend current releases of Android and Android devices support this spec.

Upvotes: 1

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