If You have Apple App Experience

Coffee Lounge
#1

I’m looking for experienced Apple App developers using Wappler.

I want to create an App installable on iPads for a small private business use.
It is a simple multi-step form that I already have in use as a php app that saves to a mysql database table – accessed by a web browser currently.

But I need the iOS version installable on iPads primarily because it needs to be available offline, too.
The app form will run offline, saving entries in a local redis or lightweight data format on the iPad, and then synching up those entries to the online database when the iPad has an online connection later.

So, the node.js project needs to wind up being submitted to the Apple approval process which I stay up-to-date on (latest user complaints or praises). I know some developers here have been down this road and successfully using Wappler to reach this end.

Can I get some Experienced Advice here?
Thank you to all who volunteer to answer!

#2

First advice in a short:

  • Forget about the existing PHP app. You can’t submit a node.js- or PHP project to Apple. That’s server side and is not translateable to a offline native app.
  • If the data stored locally is rather small (a few megabytes), then just use the local storage provided by Wappler (or SQLlite supplied by the Capacitor integration)
  • Use Bootstrap or Framework7 for the UI and Capacitor as the runtime to build the final app (aka Archive) via XCode
  • Of course you need a Apple Developer Account (99 bucks a year) to submit and publish the app. Other options are AdHoc deployments via direct connected devices (doesn’t need a paid developer account), but this apps run only for maximum 90 days and then you need to provide a new app to the device
  • Capacitor has a “is online” feature, I can’t recall if this is implemented on Wappler.
  • If the app is going to be private, a) implement user management / authentication LOCALLY (as the app is not online), b) provide a test user / access for Apple (they want to login and check if you apply to their rules) and c) sign up for a “unlisted app distribution” (this makes the app not visible / findable in the stores and requires to know a direct download link provided by Apple)

(I think I’ve put a summary on app publishing somewhere here, too)

Hope this helps,
Heiko

#3

Thank you Kind Sir!

I have your tremendous article on App development bookmarked.

No, indeed, as I said, I have the existing php project as an API to the online database. Although other ways exist to connect to a database of whatever flavor these days.

I do monitor Apple and a couple of other applications that walk through what seems the myriad of required apps (simulators, testing…). I work on Macs , have an Apple Id, no Developer application submitted yet, and keep up with Xcode etc.

So, how much can Wappler assist in this whole workflow?

#4

Just thinking outside the box here, would it be worth considering a PWA instead of a native app? Support has come on a fair bit over the last couple of years, it would streamline your work by quite a bit if it was suitable.

Theres a compatibility list here:

#5

Yes, I have posed some questions over the past here about the Progressive Web Apps corner of the Mobile Apps trend.

Thank you!

#6

That’s a great article but only covers IOS13, we’re up to 16 now so there have been more improvements over time. It’s a little more attractive for us as it’ll run on almost any device, rather than being OS specific.

This was a game changer for us:

Web push notifications
Adds support for opt‑in notifications and badging for web apps on your Home Screen. Once enabled, notifications can be managed under Notifications in Settings.

#7

I’ve just managed to get my app in both app stores. It does pretty much everything you have mentioned. I used sqlite for capacitor for the offline sync and it all seems to work quite well (can take images offline to).

I would say though the mobile side of wappler has a few more quirks but once you get your head round these it was no harder than a normal web app.

I was dreading the actual archiving of the apps and then the approval process but this wasn’t to bad either. Loads of good videos online. Apple rejected told me why made the change and then they accepted.

All in all it was not as hard as I was expecting.

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#8

Thank you @jmartland22, @TMR, @HeikoK !

You have been very generous to share your time and expertise!

Very much appreciated!

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