Creating an App for Wordpress eLearning Site WordPress
- SOLVED
Hello Everyone,
There may not be a black and white answer to this question. I will pay whoever I feel gives me the best suggestion or solutions and gets the most involved in the discussion. This a discussion but obviously there are various solutions that may be able to do what I am after. I will judge whichever I feel has contributed the most in helping me get a solution. Hopefully it will be fair.
I have a Wordpress website which has a mixture of content. Most of the content is created in Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate. These courses have tests and quizzes. These are interactive courses with drag and drop features etc
Now I want to create an App for my website. Not to sell or anything. So that the users can access the content using an app more easily. Only people with accounts can access the full courses.
1) Is it possible to create a stable app from a wordpress elearning website that has captivate and articulate courses?
2) Are there off the shelf products that do this or do I need a custom development?
3) Am I better of just creating an app for the courses e.g just for the Articulate and Adobe Captivate content without including the website? I think lynda.com do this, however, theirs is video based learning.
Please help me if you can. Thank you.
Answers (3)
Cesar Contreras answers:
My answers:
1) Yes, it is possible. In theory we only show the resources that are already displayed in the site, the application could be a means to present the information that is administered from WordPress.
2) It depends on your budget and the type of application, I personally know 3 ways to create an application:
* Wrap your website inside an app (InAppBrowser)
* Create a Hybrid Application
* Create a Native Application
3) Personally I would make a single application, although if they deal with different issues maybe if it would be better to create one for each segment, I insist that the budget is also taken into account.
NOTE: When the application does not use the mobile hardware a lot, it is better to create a hybrid application because the cost is lower, the development is faster and the difference with a Native Application is not noticeable.
ineedhelp comments:
Hi, thank you for your response.
This is all quite new to mean , I mean the app part. I need the app to be downloadable to use on Android and iOS.
Please explain more what you mean by hybrid application and native application?
My budget is limited. I want to make something now within my budget, and maybe in 6 months time or years time, if the app could be improved, then we can throw serious money towards it.
I found tons of website that claim to be able to make off the shelf apps and even put it on the appstore for you for a monthly fee. Its often under $100 a month, so affordable. Unless you tell me thats expensive? I don't what I should be paying and what is a lot and what is little money when it comes to making an app.
The type of websites I am talking about include these: ibuildapp.com appypie.com appmakr.com buildfire.com
I didn't want to put the full url, in case it felt spammy.
Anyway, do you think services like the companies above, can give me what I want for the off the shelf pricing plans that they mention?
Secondly, do they make native apps or hybrid? Do you know? What do you think?
Please also read the comments I make to other responders.
Thanks. Looking forward to your response.
ineedhelp comments:
PS. You don't need to answer what hybrid and native app is, I am reading up on it now.
ineedhelp comments:
I think I would prefer to go the native app route. For me everything is about quality and good user experience. What would I be looking at cost wise, to make a native app for android and ios? Just for the courses? The website does not necessarily need to be turned into an app. Just make an educated guess based on your knowledge if you don't know the answer. Thank you.
Cesar Contreras comments:
As I mentioned above, if your application will be informative as in this case that will show the videos and other information, it should be hybridized.
Could do it for the whole site but ideally it has few sections and not fill the user with so many things, although that is up to you.
Cesar Contreras comments:
The websites that you have found mostly create InAppBrowser applications, only you provide the URL of your site, personalize some things and Done. Although it seems to me a good cost if only it will use a short time, otherwise it is better to invest a little to develop a hybrid application, but functional but functional.
Another factor against the InAppBrowser applications is that they use recorsos as if it were a web (they are) therefore consume more resources.
Sai kumar answers:
It is possible to create App for your WordPress website.
You need to develop it from the scratch, and for this Hybrid Application will be better, the cross-platform support of Hybrid Application is an advantage. You can create App using different methods,
1. You can use InAppBrowser (in Hybrid, same like as WebView in Native) - By doing this, your app will act like as a shortcut to your website, if you click on the App your entire website will load as it is. This method is not recommended one, in the terms of loading speed, response etc it will not give as expected.
2. Build a custom app with required options only (as mentioned in the 3rd point of yours), limit the app only to have the courses instead of loading all the website pages unnecessarily. You can create courses part in the App and make a REST call to your WordPress backend and you can pull the details from the website as REST JSON Response and can show the same in the App. By doing this, it will improve the user experience (as the app is working standalone with its own design and structure) and also will improve the speed too.
I am suggesting you, please continue with the second option as mentioned above.
In case you need any more help on this in terms of development or anything, please let me know. Really happy to help you out.
Many Thanks & Regards,
Sai
ineedhelp comments:
Thank you for your response.
Please read my comments to the other responder first.
You seem to be saying I should be getting a custom app made. I want to know if the off the shelf plans on any of these websites (ibuildapp.com appypie.com appmakr.com buildfire.com) can give me a "custom" app?
What would a custom app cost me roughly? It can be a rough figure.
My budget is limited. I want to make something now within my budget, and maybe in 6 months time or years time, if the app could be improved, then we can throw some money towards it.
Our websites has many features. Like a community forum and other things. For now, I think if we just created an app for the courses, an app that would allow users to login if they have an account and watch or play the interactive courses that would be enough. Do you think the websites I mentioned could do that?
I assume you are in the app making business. If so, try and give me an answer without bias, if you can. :)
Thanks. Looking forward to your response.
ineedhelp comments:
I think I would prefer to go the native app route. For me everything is about quality and good user experience. What would I be looking at cost wise, to make a native app for android and ios? Just for the courses? The website does not necessarily need to be turned into an app.
Sai kumar comments:
Thank you for your reply.
A Hybrid Applications means, the app that can be build using HTML, CSS & JS. Advantage of Hybrid App is using the same source code, we can build the App as Android & iOS. For more info you can refer this: https://ionicframework.com/
You can check: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ionicframework.binfaqeeh182602
The given app is just like as your requirement, which is build as hybrid (both Android and iOS available). Their website is also in WordPress, we didn't take whole functionality to the App, please go through it if possible.
Thanks
ineedhelp comments:
Do you work for ionic framework?
ineedhelp comments:
Also what would it cost me to build something like the example you showed? A rough figure will do.
Sai kumar comments:
Yes I do work in Ionic Framework, and regarding the costings and all am sending one PM to you, please go through that.
Thanks
Sai kumar comments:
Sorry, no PM option found.
The rough cost to develop something like the given example will be around $350 - $400 (considering the exchange rate).
Let me know further.
Thanks
Sai
Rempty answers:
Hello ineedhelp
First you need to check if the adobe captivate and Articulate Storyline are viewable on mobile devices.
In youtube there are examples showing the Adobe Captivate can be played on mobile using an app created with phonegap.
You can wrap the entire site in a mobile app using ionicframework or creating the wrap by yourself (0 monthly cost)
http://codewithchris.com/make-an-app-from-website/
https://developer.chrome.com/multidevice/webview/gettingstarted
You can create a personalized APP using phonegap and Angular JS and using endpoints connect to your website and load the courses.(remember this app should need permanent internet connection).
About costs
Just wrapping you entire website is cheaper compared to creating a new one.
Creating an app from scratch using Java or C++ is expensive
Creating a personalized app using phonegap or other frameworks is cheaper because use html js to create it.
For publish your app you need to create a developer account for iOS and for android (not free, and for iOS you pay yearly).