The Camino Forum as an App

ivar

Administrator

Staff member

Donating Member

• Oct 15, 2020

• #1

With this new version of the forum it is now possible to install the forum as an app... kind of.. let me explain.

What it is is called a Progressive Web App

web.dev

web.dev

This is not possible in all browsers, but in Chrome-land it should work (not in Safari I think).



To see if this is available for you, look for the circle with a + sign in the address bar of your browser (see above). Click it, and you will be asked to install it.

What this does is create a small app that is downloaded to your computer, and from then on you can open the app, and the forum opens up inside this app. It is just the forum website inside an app. You can then add the app to your doc or menu bar and click it to open the forum. This way there is no need to open a web browser and the go to the forum.

You can of course continue using the forum as before, this is just one more way of getting to the forum.

Thanks,
Ivar

 

ivar

Administrator

Staff member

Donating Member

• Oct 15, 2020

• #2

This is what the app window looks like when the app is open.

 

Robo

Veteran Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Frances 15,16,18
VdlP 23, Invierno 23, Fisterra 23

• Oct 16, 2020

• #3

What is the benefit of an App over just using a Browser?
Might be a dumb question?

 

alexwalker

Forever Pilgrim

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2009-2022: CFx6, CP, VdlPx2, Mozarabe, more later.

• Oct 16, 2020

• #4

Robo said:

What is the benefit of an App over just using a Browser?
Might be a dumb question?

Click to expand...

Phone vs. your laptop, I assume.

 

C clearly

Moderator

Staff member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Most years since 2012

• Oct 16, 2020

• #5

alexwalker said:

Phone vs. your laptop, I assume

Click to expand...

Not really. I find that the browser version on my phone is very good, and it looks just like the image Ivar posted above for the app.

 

ivar

Administrator

Staff member

Donating Member

• Oct 16, 2020

• #6

There are not a lot of advantages to the app.. it comes with the new forum version, so I enabled it.

One thing I like is that I have now an icon in my doc that lets me know when there are notifications (PMs or other notifications) from the forum.



The rest of the app experience is the same as looking at the forum in a web browser. I like that the browser navigation bar at the top is gone.. so there are more space for forum content.

But these things are details. I would think most people would just use the webpage as before.

 

AJGuillaume

Pèlerin du monde

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Via Gebennensis (2018)
Via Podiensis (2018)
Voie Nive Bidassoa (2018)
Camino Del Norte (2018)

• Oct 16, 2020

• #7

I would find that very useful on my phone, but alas Chrome doesn't give me the little circle with a + on my Android phone.

It works on my laptop.

 

ivar

Administrator

Staff member

Donating Member

• Oct 16, 2020

• #8

AJGuillaume said:

I would find that very useful on my phone, but alas Chrome doesn't give me the little circle with a + on my Android phone.
View attachment 85202
It works on my laptop.

Click to expand...

If you are on Android, here are some instructions:

Use Progressive Web Apps - Android - Google Chrome Help

A Progressive Web App (PWA) is an app built for the web that provides an experience similar to a mobile app. PWAs are fast and offer many of the features available on mobile devices. For example, they

support.google.com

 

L

LouLou

Member

Time of past OR future Camino

‘2004’, '2009', '2018 C. Frances (SJPD-SDC)
'2018' C. via de la Plata (Merida)
'2019' C. Portugues

• Oct 16, 2020

• #9

Works a treat! Thanks Ivar.

 

GraemeHall

Active Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Francés 2017/18; Portugués 2019

• Oct 16, 2020

• #10

ivar said:

If you are on Android, here are some instructions:

Use Progressive Web Apps - Android - Google Chrome Help

A Progressive Web App (PWA) is an app built for the web that provides an experience similar to a mobile app. PWAs are fast and offer many of the features available on mobile devices. For example, they

support.google.com

Click to expand...

Wow. I just opened the forum as a web page on my Android phone (Samsung S10), and up popped a box asking me if I wanted to install this as an app. I said Yes, and there it is in my apps!

 

tpmchugh

Veteran Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2018

• Oct 16, 2020

• #11

Works great on my Chromebook. Just sits in my taskbar at bottom along with gmail, photos and google maps. No need to do anything after pressing little circle thingy.

 

B

Bisnieta

New Member

Time of past OR future Camino

(2021)

• Oct 16, 2020

• #12

It's much more convenient to have this shortcut on the phone. I suppose it's more like a link than a true app, but it works! Thanks, this is a very handy upgrade!

 

trecile

Moderator

Staff member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Francés, Norte, Salvador, Primitivo, Portuguese

• Oct 16, 2020

• #13

I guess that this is useful for some people, but it doesn't support the way that I use forums. When I open this, or any other forum that I frequent I identify the threads that I want to read, and open them each in a new tab. Then I read each thread, closing the tabs as I go. No having to hit the back button after I read a thread to find the next thread that I want to read.

 

lt56ny

Veteran Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2023 Vasco, Meseta, Portugues Coastal

• Oct 16, 2020

• #14

Thanks Ivar for all your hard work to make the forum a wonderful experience. But for this pilgrim who is brain dead when it comes to technology. I am good!!! But my thanks for all the many happy hours I have spent with you and all the others on this forum.

 

camino.ninja

RIP 2022

Time of past OR future Camino

Frances 5 6,16,17,18,19,20
Primiti+Salvador 19
Portug. 17,18,20
Catalan 17
Norte 17
Plata 18

• Oct 18, 2020

• #15

ivar said:

There are not a lot of advantages to the app.. it comes with the new forum version, so I enabled it.

One thing I like is that I have now an icon in my doc that lets me know when there are notifications (PMs or other notifications) from the forum.

View attachment 85180

The rest of the app experience is the same as looking at the forum in a web browser. I like that the browser navigation bar at the top is gone.. so there are more space for forum content.

But these things are details. I would think most people would just use the webpage as before.

Click to expand...

The notification thing is really cool. Much needed feature