The Android mobile operating system is primarily intended for touchscreen mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets. After reading the headline, you may be wondering how someone with only a basic understanding of web technologies can create a working mobile application without having to master iOS or Android coding. Converting your conventional web applications to function as a standard mobile application that can be installed on numerous devices makes this possible. Let’s find out more about creating apps using HTML and what progressive web apps are.

What are Progressive Web Apps?

To provide users with an experience comparable to native apps, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) leverage service workers, manifests, and other web-platform characteristics in conjunction with progressive enhancement.

Put simply, they are essentially webpages designed to resemble apps that may be used straight from a mobile device’s app store or through a website browser.

Three essential elements comprise a PWA:

• Service Worker: By permitting the website to download and cache files on a device, the service worker turns it into an application.
• Web Manifest: The fundamental meta-data for the application, including the background color and app icon, is provided by this JSON file.
• Secure HTTPS: PWAs are more secure than standard web apps because HTTPS is required.

What is HTML?

HTML is the common markup language used to create Web pages. A Web page’s structure is described in HTML. There are numerous elements that makeup HTML. The browser is instructed on how to display content using HTML elements. Content is identified by HTML elements such as “this is a heading,” “this is a paragraph,” “this is a link,” and so forth. But can you use HTML to make an app? Let’s see.

Essential Ways to Create an HTML Application

To create a web-based application, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are combined in an HTML application.

1. Learn HTML

Learning HTML is essential for creating web applications. Here’s a beginner-friendly guide to learning HTML and essential ways to create an HTML application:

Understand the Basics:

• HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the standard language for creating web pages.
• Learn about HTML elements, tags, attributes, and their structure.
• Understand the Document Object Model (DOM), which represents the structure of HTML documents as a tree.

2. Use a WYSIWYG Editor

Using a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor can be an easy way to create HTML applications, especially for beginners or those who prefer visual design tools. Select a WYSIWYG editor that suits your needs and preferences. Some popular options include Adobe Dreamweaver, Microsoft Expression Web, and BlueGriffon.

3. Use a Web Builder

Another method for creating HTML applications is to use a web builder. This is especially helpful for those who want a more supervised and user-friendly procedure without delving into the specifics of coding.

Choose a web building platform based on your needs and ability level. For e-commerce, popular choices include Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and WordPress with Elementor.

4. Hire Someone

Hiring someone to create an HTML application can be an efficient option if you lack the time, skills, or resources to do it yourself. Look for experienced web developers or agencies with expertise in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other relevant technologies.

Styling our app with CSS

Using CSS to style your HTML application is essential if you want to make it look better, feel better to use, and work consistently on various devices. The following are crucial actions to use CSS to style your HTML application:

1. Create a separate CSS file:

To start, create a new CSS file called styles.css, or something similar, and use it to store your styling independently of your HTML code. While having an external CSS file is excellent practice for easier maintenance and scalability, you can also utilize internal stylesheets or inline styles within your HTML code.

2. Connect an HTML file with a CSS file:

To link to your CSS file from your HTML file, include a tag in the section.

3. Understand CSS syntax:

Familiarize yourself with CSS syntax, which consists of selectors, properties, and values.

Selectors target HTML elements, properties define the styling attributes, and values specify how those attributes should be applied.

4. Target HTML elements with selectors:

Use CSS selectors to target specific HTML elements for styling.

You can target elements by tag name (e.g., body, h1, p), class (e.g., .my-class), ID (e.g., #my-id), or other attributes (e.g., [type=”text”]).

5. Apply styling properties:

Use CSS properties to style targeted elements. Common properties include color, background-color, font-family, font-size, padding, margin, border, width, height, text-align, display, etc. Experiment with different properties and values to achieve the desired visual effects.

6. Implement responsive design:

Make your application responsive using media queries to adapt the layout and styling based on the device’s screen size. Define breakpoints and adjust styling properties accordingly to ensure optimal viewing experience on various devices.

Making App Installable

To make your app installable, you need the following:

• A manifest for a web application that has the right members filled in.
• The website will be hosted on a secure domain (HTTPS).
• an emblem to symbolize the application of the gadget.
• For the app to function offline, a service provider had to register.

Testing App on a Mobile Device

Finally, we have finished our mobile application with simply HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Access your hosted URL and download your application onto your mobile device. To ensure your HTML application works properly and offers a satisfactory user experience on smaller screens, test it on a mobile device. 

Conclusion

A way to application development that is both accessible and versatile is to create an app using HTML. With HTML’s ease of use, versatility, and broad support, programmers can create responsive, interactive apps for various devices. The user experience is further improved by adding JavaScript for interaction and CSS for styling. However, if you do not want to waist much time and effort, make use of AppsGeyser app maker to create a mobile app easily and fast with no coding knowledge and experience.