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I'm a long time Delphi/Windows developer with the following scenario:

  1. A colleague has made a asp.net web-site that has been tuned to look good on iPad.
  2. My boss wants to 'package' this web-site as an app. The web-site will still reside on a web-server, and the app will only be a tiny 'shell'.
  3. When 'packaged' as an app the app should take care of loging into the web-site, or at least fill in the username and password automatically.

I know there are a few alternatives, but I think I will stick to XCode. I understand that I will need a Mac running OSX to get XCode. A Mac Mini hooked up to one of my monitors should be sufficient for this, yes? And XCode will be a free download, right?

To run the app in the emulator this is all I need(?), but if I want to run it on a physical device, even only for testing, I will need to enroll the iOS Developer Program, yes? If my boss, located 500km away, wants to test it on his iPad, will I need to enroll the iOS Developer Enterprise Program to do that?

And at last, is the app technically feasible? Is there a web-browser control that can easily be embedded in the app? And how about storing usernames/passwords and putting them into the embedded web-browser control?

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  • I removed the delphi tag, as your question has no relevance to that subject. (The fact your prior development has been in that language is meaningless, because you're not asking about anything Delphi-related in your question.) Commented Nov 14, 2013 at 1:38
  • In short, you can use a webview and load your website URL in it, and voila it will be just like an app(if UI is optimised properly). And yes you do need to enrol for Apple developer membership program to install on actual devices. Commented Nov 14, 2013 at 5:55

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1) A Mac Mini hooked up to one of my monitors should be sufficient for this, yes?

Yes, it is a good choice for the development hardware

2) And XCode will be a free download, right?

Yes, xCode costs 0$ and it includes iOS SDK for free as well and it is everything you need to test the app in the emulator.

3) but if I want to run it on a physical device, even only for testing, I will need to enroll the iOS Developer Program, yes?

Yes, to test the app on the real iOS device you must be enrolled in the iOS developer program, which has 2 possibilities (1 person account 99$/year and Enterprise account for 299$/year)

4) If my boss, located 500km away, wants to test it on his iPad, will I need to enroll the iOS Developer Enterprise Program to do that?

No, you can do it with a usual 99$ one, just add his device's UDID to the Provisioning Profile and make a build.

5) And at last, is the app technically feasible?

Yes, technically it is very easy to make it, but if the web-app is complex, not just a web page, I would recommend to make it native, without using web-wrapper, users usually don't like such apps.

6) Is there a web-browser control that can easily be embedded in the app?

Yes, there is UIWebView https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/uikit/reference/UIWebView_Class/Reference/Reference.html

7) And how about storing usernames/passwords and putting them into the embedded web-browser control?

In my practice I only had to do that for Javascript based webpage, but it should be possible for asp.net also. This may be useful: UIWebView passing username and password into a form

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