Severe lack of Mobile App Documentation

Mobile Apps
#1

It appears the Mobile Application side of Wappler is lacking with regards to documentation, and any that exists is fragmented across numerous Threads.

Please could we have some documentation for this superb feature which is not spread across the forums? The very basics are covered in the Wappler Documents but only the basics and its missing a huge proportion of information for getting started with building Mobile Apps. Also many questions are unanswered if you do search for them, quite a few questions though. I’m very happy to put some documentation together myself if you could give me some basic fundamentals? I’d also be very happy to hear from anyone that has built a Mobile App with Wappler who may be able to provide some helpful information and tips for getting started in the meantime!

Thanks.

6 Likes
#2

Agree 100% Dave, it’s an area I really want to get into but am struggling. I hope to do a webinar on it in 4 weeks time but to be honest I just am not skilled enough yet, lots of learning to do and very little reference material

6 Likes
#3

It is very disappointing if I am honest Brian. I left it a while before having a go thinking maybe I could find some walk-through guides at least, but it is severely neglected in the scheme of things.

I’ve gone through and begun by:

Installing the Android SDK.
Installing Node.JS.
Installing Cordova.

And now I am completely lost with what to do next. I tried to figure this out via the forum and went ahead and started two projects, one for the Server Connect side and one for the Mobile App itself. Opened the template Wappler comes with and tried to preview it, there the fun stops. Run straight in to a problem with the Emulator. Bummer!

:frowning:

2 Likes
#4

Good luck with that Brian! :wink:

1 Like
#5

There are not enough documents about the electron. :slight_smile:

5 Likes
#6

I love Wappler to bits but it appears that the rush to adopt new features is far ahead of any documentation for the current features. When I deploy a web app I have to write the documentation alongside the features/functionalities of the application so it is supported from the off-set. I don’t jump ahead of this responsibility although I hate doing it (I much more prefer to run ahead but stop myself and go back and do this task), it must be done. Or what is the point in having features/functionality the User can not understand or use? In the past this simply generated unnecessary support issues… Which should have been documented in the first place, or is this just me that feels this way?

Sorry Team Wappler I think you are all GREAT! But Wappler needs more documentation, someone dedicated to writing it, maintaining it, and making Users aware of its existence. It needs to be coherent, able to be followed, like the DMX videos which were amazingly useful in the past! It is something Wappler really needs right now. IMHO.

This is not a rant nor a bashing. I’m desperate to learn about this side of Wappler but feel like an idiot right now.

5 Likes
#7

Exactly the same issue. The feature exists but the documentation to back it up is non-existent.

1 Like
#8

I’d planned to create the web-app. port to mobile, and then on to desktop. A natural flow of sorts. Would happily document it too! To be able to accomplish this in a single application would be amzing and I feel this is the point of Wappler, and it is probably very capable of doing this. BUT will need a push start in the right direction if this is to be achieved, without documentation it becomes frustrating… I’m happy to keep going at it but it shouldn’t be this way, and wouldn’t be if the documentation existed.

:wink:

#9

I was hoping the event organised by @Dubai_Citizens9 would help plug this gap. Last I heard was the event was scheduled for 22nd June but not heard anything since. I understand a video of it was to be made available on the forum but not seen anything. Perhaps @George knows the current situation

#10

As we try to automate most of the tasks Dave, we can’t do it all. Unfortunately the mobile App development is fully dependent of Cordova and installation according to their guidelines is a must.

So you should really check more the Cordova installation and requirements docs. They are nicely structured per platform and we even link to them from Wappler.

So see:
https://cordova.apache.org/docs/en/latest/guide/platforms/android/index.html

#11

Am doing just that George. Still the Wappler documentation for Mobile/Desktop is lacking. I understand you can’t do it all, entirely! But surely some basic Guides would not hurt?

#12

Well we do have the basics covered here:

#13

How to set up a Project at least! Please. Surely this part of Wappler deserves more documentation? Is it not a selling point of Wappler? Or is it Wappler can do it but you’re alone in figuring out how to do it for yourselves dear Users?

#14

Hi Dave, what type of tutorials would you expect? I do agree that the documentation overall is somewhat behind. But as far as Mobile and Desktop apps go, with the exception of Framework7, Electron and Cordova I think the basics as far as content are really about the same as web.

Same as with Bootstrap, I wouldn’t expect Wappler to document stuff that is already documented with more detail than the Wappler Team could possibly provide and update. So much like Bootstrap again, Wappler assumes that the user has at least the basic knowledge in the given library.

But maybe a couple ideas for tutorials that are Wappler specific would be a good place to start. I know building mobile and desktop apps is beyond my capabilities at this time so I’d be interested in reading some of the hurdles you are facing.

#15

HOW!?!

#16

Well here is the regular project setup doc:

you just choose one of the mobile types or blank.

and from the list above, running the system check and installing platforms:

that is about the whole mobile app procedure in Wappler.

#17

Thanks for your input Brad always appreciated. I’d just like to see a basic Mobile App created inside of Wappler to be honest mate. See it working in the Emulator, then built, and maybe as the marketing states quite clearly how to publish it to the Play Store with a single click. Same order as it is described would be fantastic:

2 Likes
#18

Hi Dave,
Thanks for the feedback :slight_smile:
In the next couple of months we are going to improve the documentation for the basics of mobile app development.

5 Likes
#19

Thanks Teodor I sincerely appreciate that. I really didn’t mean to come across as a spoiled brat or ungrateful. I truly am grateful for Wappler. More documentation for Mobile and Desktop would be so helpful. Again thank you. For now I am figuring things out slowly so maybe by then I can inject some input or produce a couple of tutorials to share, and maybe even some templates to help others.

4 Likes
#20

@Dave, wonder if a few of us could do some sort of co-operation in this, small group to share experiences and try and work out how best to do mobile apps before creating some sort of tutorial

1 Like