Do iPhone Offline Web Apps and Safari share the same HTML5 Application Cache?

Question

I have a web app that is intended for use as an iOS offline web app. A key feature of the app is that users can download files with extensions like .doc, .ppt, .pdf, etc. To make these available offline, I am making entries for any such files in a cache manifest.

One other caveat: the most user-friendly way I could get these files to open is to jump out of the offline web app and into Safari to actually open the file. This way, I get the "Open in {{Application}}" options that Safari provides. There seems to be some sort of disconnect during this switch from the offline web app to Safari.

Assuming a clean slate:

• I've gone and wiped all the data for this site using Settings->Safari->Advanced.
• I launch the offline web app while connected to the server (So we're in online mode.)
• The application updates the cache successfully.
• I close the web app and disconnect from the server.
• I relaunch the app and all of the navigation chrome works, so we know the cache is functioning properly.
• I click the link to open a file that needs Safari, so iOS switches to Safari and goes to the file's URL.
• Safari says "Safari cannot open the page because the server cannot be found."

So, it seems the this application cache is accessible from the offline web app, but not Safari? Can anyone verify this?

And then going forward, if that is in fact the case: any ideas for a better way to do it? Thanks!

Answer 1

iOS Safari work same as Safari does. But I assumed that your iOS Safari doesn't load successfully, you know, the network of iPhone isn't fast as your PC. You must attach handlers to determine when your offline data is loaded successfully.

Check it out: http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/appcache/beginner/ and try to use JS to check status of ApplicationCache.