Installable App
The Installable App lets people install Next Task on a phone, a tablet or a computer like an app, and read recently viewed lists offline. It is on by default and needs nothing set up beyond HTTPS. What people see is described in Installable app and offline use.
Requirements
- HTTPS. Browsers install apps, and run the service worker that keeps the offline copy, only on secure sites (and on
localhost). On plain HTTP, Next Task works as a normal web page and offers no install. - A signed-in user. The app's manifest and service worker are served to logged-in users only, because the offline copy holds that user's lists.
How It Works
- Next Task serves its own web app manifest (name, colours, icons) and service worker, generated for the page they are requested from. From the administrator, the app's scope is the
administratorfolder and it opens the administrator; from the site, the scope is the site root and it opens the site. A site in a subfolder works the same way. - The service worker keeps the app's files, and the answers of the app's recent reads for a day, so recently viewed lists and tasks can be read offline. It never stores a write: a change made offline is refused with a clear message.
- After Next Task is updated on the site, open copies show A new version of Next Task is ready with a Reload button.
Switching It Off
Switch Installable App off in the App Manager. Installed copies keep opening the site but stop working offline: the next visit removes their offline cache. Nothing else changes.
Troubleshooting
- No install option. The site isn't on HTTPS, the user isn't signed in, or the browser can't install web apps (Firefox on desktop, for example). On iPhone and iPad, installing is always Share > Add to Home Screen.
- An old version after an update. Click Reload in the update message, or close every window of the app and open it again.
- Old data while offline. That is expected: the banner says what you see may be out of date. It refreshes as soon as the connection is back.