Android viewer app for static HTML

Packaging an offline site as an app makes it easier for beginners to install, but it does mean the app will not automatically copy any "accessibility" options that were set in the main browser. This app will make some attempt to compensate (and it includes setZoomLevel code from Annotator Generator if you need to make a custom zoom control), but for maximum accessibility you should always ship an alternative version of your HTML that is not packaged as an app.

If your app uses "local storage", this requires Android 2.1+ (you can use localStorage.setItem etc in scripts; 'cookies' tend not to work).

UTF-8 encoding is assumed.

Instructions for old Android Developer Tools

• The method described on this page worked in ADT versions 21.0.1 and 22.2.1, but it did not work in 23.0.2: perhaps due to an installer bug, the copy of 23.0.2 I tried refused to build any new projects, although it was still able to build projects that had been created earlier.

1. In ADT, go to File / New / Android application project
2. Enter the following information:

   Application Name	Any short name you wish (will be shown in the phone's app menu)
   Project Name	anything you want (just needs to be unique on your development computer)
   Package Name	org.ucam.ssb22.html
   Minimum Required SDK	API 1: Android 1.0 or API 7 if you use local storage

3. Leave everything else as default, but make a note of the project directory (probably mentioned on the second setup screen as "location")
4. Switch out of ADT, and unpack this html2apk.zip into the project directory, saying "yes" to overwrite (it should overwrite 2 files)
5. If you use local storage, edit src/org/ucam/ssb22/html/MainActivity.java and uncomment the lines as instructed
6. (Optional) If you don't want your app to be reloaded with every screen or keyboard change, edit the top-level AndroidManifest.xml file and after <activity put android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize|keyboardHidden" (you will likely need to re-start the ADT after saving this edit)
7. If you are distributing your app to others, or if you intend to load more than one HTML-based app onto your device, please change the package name (in AndroidManifest.xml and MainActivity.java, and by renaming the directories under src) to a (sub)domain you own. This is needed because, if another application already on the device has the same package name, then installing yours will overwrite the one that's already there and vice versa. (But if you change the package name when the app is already deployed, attempts to install the new version will leave the previous version on the device as well.)
8. Place your HTML (and any related files) into the assets subdirectory, with index.html as the starting page
9. Back in ADT, go to Run / Run As / Android application. It should let you launch a virtual Android device. It's probably best not to interact with the virtual Android device until the ADT has finished setting it up (check for messages in ADT's Console window). If the install fails, try Run again.
10. If the install is successful, then you should see your application running when you unlock the Android device in the emulator.
11. The .apk file will have by this time been placed in the bin subdirectory of the project directory. This file can be copied to a Web server and linked to. (A connection will be required for installing from the Web, but not for usage later.) It might be necessary to go to "Application settings" or "Security" and enable "Unknown sources" before the app will install on a real phone.

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