Need help creating a simple app...

J

Joel Kanning

Guest
I would like to create a simple app that launches Safari to run a web page locally. Ultimately I would like the web page files to be stored in the Resources directory of the app.

How would I go about this?

Thanks for your help,

Joel Kanning
 
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couldnt you turn on websharing and put all of your files in the sites folder and make that page the default page for safari?
 
OP
J

Joel Kanning

Guest
fearlessfreap24 said:
couldnt you turn on websharing and put all of your files in the sites folder and make that page the default page for safari?

We thought about that. We also thought about putting the web page files in the Documents directory and then just putting a shortcut to the index page on the desktop - but this needs to go on 3 or 4 account executive's powerbooks (and maybe a few other's as well), so I want something that is very portable - and idiot-proof (it's that last part that is the hardest!)

Here is some background:

I'm the Web Developer for an advertising agency. I have built a couple of portfolio sites (with jpegs, PDF's, QuickTime movies and MP3's) that showcase our work for specific markets. We also have an online presence, but this application is for when the AE's need to show the portfolio to a client and there is no internet connection (we're in Montana, so there's a LOT of times that an internet connection isn't available - or the AE is not savvy enough to connect).

This is why I think a self-contained application would be perfect. You click on the application icon, and the [local] site is opened in Safari. Whenever I need to update the portfolio sites, I simply update the files in the Resources folder of the app, then give everyone a new copy of the app.

Am I crazy for thinking this is a good idea? I have no programming experience for the Mac OS, just web development (PHP/Javascript/MySQL, etc...), but I can't imagine that it could be that difficult to create this simple app.

I have a basic understanding of how the Contents folder in an application is structured, and have messed around quite a bit with .plist files and whatnot, but I don't know what I need to make this thing work.

Am I in over my head? Should I just put an alias on the desktop and forget about it?
 
Joined
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Messages
2,340
Reaction score
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are you planning on using PHP MySQL and Java? There is someone here that can help more beyond just coding HTML. i know that PHP and MySQL can be used in conjunction with the Built in Apache server. if you are familiar with configuring these, then you should be able to figure out how to point the servers in to the Resources Directory.
 
OP
J

Joel Kanning

Guest
fearlessfreap24 said:
are you planning on using PHP MySQL and Java? There is someone here that can help more beyond just coding HTML. i know that PHP and MySQL can be used in conjunction with the Built in Apache server. if you are familiar with configuring these, then you should be able to figure out how to point the servers in to the Resources Directory.

I think you have misunderstood my dilemma. The site is already built and runs locally just fine. It is all just in HTML, no PHP or MySQL. What I'm looking to is create an OS X Application/Program that is self-contained, but when you click on the application icon, it just opens Safari and loads the local site.

Anyhoo, we just ended up putting the site in the Documents directory and sticking an alias to the index page on the desktop.

Thanks anyway guys...
 

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