Are you a web developer, but with dreams of making apps too? Perhaps you’ve already tried using Xcode. It’s quite confusing, isn’t it? If you don’t know the difference between an AppDelegate and a ViewController, that’s OK. That’s what the “Wrapping” app is all about. It eliminates much of the tedium and difficulty required to port your HTML app to an Xcode project.
It’s as easy as five simple steps…
Step #1 – Enter your App Name.
Step #2 – Enter your Company Name. If you don’t have a company name, simply put your name.
Step #3 – Enter your “Bundle Prefix”. This is typically the reverse order of your company’s website / domain name. As an example, the “Bundle Prefix” for https://photics.com would be… com.photics …this is a way of identifying your app. The “Bundle Prefix” should be unique to your company.
Press the “Start Wrapping” button for the next part.
Step #4 – Pick your HTML folder. Make sure it has an index.html file at the root level. This part is up to you. “Wrapping” is the box, your HTML is like the gift that you put inside. Your web project should make sense in the app world. That means it should be responsive. It should be functional on the target platform.
Step #5 – Pick your “App Icon”. This should be a 1024×1024 image, in PNG format. It can be larger than that, but the image resolution must be square. The source file is used to automatically create the necessary app icons.
That’s it! Select a save destination and a folder should appear with your Xcode project. It’s neatly wrapped together. The “Wrapping” app might not solve all your Xcode problems, but it’s a tremendous timesaver and an easy way to get an html-to-app project started.
CAUTION – You might need to customize certain things in Xcode, such as your Application Category for the Mac App Store or adding your Developer Credentials to the “Signing & Capabilities” section in iOS. Also, there’s no guarantee that Apple will accept your app on their App Store.
The “Wrapping” app can be a great starting point. If you’re new to App Development, this app can be a huge investment. It could take you hours or even days to recreate what “Wrapping” does in seconds – especially if you’re new to Xcode. Sometimes the frustration can be so great that projects might go unfinished. Does that sound like you? Maybe “Wrapping” is an ideal app for you!
Technical – The “Wrapping” app is essentially a “WKWebView” to display your web content. This is especially useful when all of the content is local. The app can be self-contained without a lot of fuss. You can leverage your HTML / CSS / JavaScript expertise in the app world.
Looking for examples of what’s possible with the “Wrapping” app, see “Circles with Grandma”, “Cabling”, “KEEN”, or “Widgets”. It was tedious creating these Xcode projects manually, so the “Wrapping” app was created to automate the process. Maybe you’ll find this app helpful too.
If you use Tumult Hype, the “Wrapping” app is a great companion. Hype is an outstanding web design application, a great reason to own a Mac, but the projects don’t export to Xcode. With the “Wrapping” app, a Tumult Hype project can go further faster!
Did the “Wrapping” app help you? Did you make your own app with this app? The review section is a great way to promote your new app while letting the world know your opinion of the “Wrapping” app.
Version 1.x of the “Wrapping” app exports to macOS and iOS.
App development is hard. That’s why you need the “Wrapping” app!