Tutorial:Packaging de WebApps

List and comparison of various webapps packaging, with the aim at finding commonalities and differencies to create a directory structure compatible with a largest set of deployment targets. (Possibly if there are uncompatible directory structures between two deployment targets, it will be up to the developer to choose what target s/he prefers.)

HTML5

• Status: W3C Candidate Recommandation
• Specification: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/
• Package:
  • Extension:
  • MIME type:
  • Format:
  • Manifest: *.appcache
• Cache manifest:
  • Extension: .appcache
  • MIME type: text/cache-manifest
  • Format: text

Packaged Web Apps (Widgets)

• Status: W3C Recommandation
• Specification: http://www.w3.org/TR/widgets/
• Directory structure:

  Reserved File Names Table

  file name	type	reserved for purpose
  config.xml	file	Configuration document
  icon.png	file	Default icon
  icon.gif	file	Default icon
  icon.jpg	file	Default icon
  icon.ico	file	Default icon
  icon.svg	file	Default icon
  index.html	file	Default start file
  index.htm	file	Default start file
  index.svg	file	Default start file
  index.xhtml	file	Default start file
  index.xht	file	Default start file
  locales	folder	Container for localized content

• Package:
  • Extension: .wgt
  • MIME type: application/widget
  • Format: ZIP file
  • Manifest: config.xml (see specification)

Firefox OS / Firefox Apps

• Status: Industry specification
• Documentation: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Apps/Quickstart
• Directory structure:

  Reserved File Names Table

  file name	type	reserved for purpose
  manifest.webapp	file	Manifest document
  index.html	file	Default start file

• Package:
  • Format: Web hosting or ZIP file
  • Manifest: manifest.webapp (see documentation)

Manifest for web apps and bookmarks

• Status: W3C Working Draft
• Working draft: http://www.w3.org/TR/appmanifest/
• Package:
  • Extension: N/A
  • MIME type: N/A
  • Format: N/A
  • Manifest: *
  • Manifest fetching method: <link ref="manifest" href="..." />
• Manifest:
  • Extension: .json, .manifest
  • MIME type: application/manifest+json
  • Format: JSON

Opera 14-

• Status: Industry specification (deprecated)
• Package:
  • Extension: .oex
  • Format: ZIP file

Chromium / Opera 15+

• Status: Industry specification
• Documentation Opera: https://dev.opera.com/extensions/
• Package:
  • Extension: .nex
  • MIME type:
  • Format: ZIP file
  • Manifest: manifest.json
• Manifest:
  • Filename: manifest.json
  • Format: JSON