Native mobile apps.

Delta99

I haven't had a chance to view the full code. How hard is it to integrate a native app into it? Web apps are not really apps. Anyone can go to an online wrapper and place that. Few forums build native apps and it the success of tapatalk and forum runner is any indication people love native apps not wrappers.

clarkwinkelmann

It's really hard to create a native app for Flarum. Given it relies on third-party extensions so much, you would have to include code for each and every of these extensions in your native app as well.

That's why webapps are so great ! One codebase, every platform ?

Of course you could still build a native app for only specific features of Flarum, I think somebody already started work on one.

sledov

clarkwinkelmann you would have to include code for each and every of these extensions in your native app as well

PHP code into native mobile application? Seriously?

Flarum has an API. Javascript client communicates with backend via the API. It was not added as an afterthought as was done many other forums, but Flarum was originally designed this way from the ground up.

Nothing prevents native mobile application written in Java (or Swift, or Objective C) to use the same API. So, it is doable, not exceptionally easy, but definitely doable.

I think default web interface is quite good on mobile as well. So there is no particular urge for native mobile client at the moment.

clarkwinkelmann

sledov PHP code into native mobile application? Seriously?

That's not what I meant. Of course you wouldn't need to re-implement backend code.

But each extension makes changes to the user interface as well.

For example if you have byobu installed but the native app doesn't know about it, you won't be able to start private discussions and private discussions somebody else created won't appear to be different than public discussions, which might cause headache for users ?

BartVB

The main advantage of a native app (real native or wrapper) is that you'll get proper notifications. For me that would be almost the only advantage.

Here is some more discussion about this:
https://discuss.flarum.org/d/542-mobile-app-for-flarum

@dhpaulino has been working on an Ionic wrapper:
https://github.com/PETComputacaoUFPR/neopet

Curious how far they got? Sounds really interesting.

Of course a real native app would be better (mostly faster/lighter), but they development and maintenance costs are not worth it IMO.

AmaniJoseph

I think we need to reopen this discussion.

luceos

AmaniJoseph it was never closed 🤷