Use Cases for Loading URLs

[Becky Gibson <gi...@gmail.com>]

There are many comments as well as open tickets about loading URLs within an application (at least for iOS).  I thought it might be worthwhile to compose a list of use cases in order to better understand which ones we can and want to support:

1) Entire app loaded from assets within www directory of the device.
2) Initial load via www/index.html then redirect to a Web URL or update assets via Web URL.
3) Application loads from a Web URL - no assets stored or updated on the device.
4) Application loads from a Web URL - some assets may be stored  or updated on the device.
5) Application displays ChildBrowser to load additional Web URLs 
6) Application displays ChildBrowser to load Web URLs - wants to execute PhoneGap commands from within ChildBrowser
7) Application loads additional Web URLs via iFrame and wants user to navigate within iframe assets
8) Application loads additional Web URL via iFrame and wants to execute PhoneGap commands from within iFrame.

I don't think it matters where URLs are opened via xmlHttpRequest, links or scripting but maybe I am being naive?

I'm sure there are more, please add to the list.

As far as support in iOS here is my current understanding:

1) supported
2, 3,4) For 3,4 developer needs to make changes to native code (due to issue270).   Support depends on the type of redirection see https://github.com/phonegap/phonegap-iphone/issues/270
5) supported - have to deal with whitelist
6) not currently supported
7) broken see https://github.com/phonegap/phonegap-iphone/issues/296 (although that ticket is closed any redirection within the iframe still does not work)
8) not supported

There was a recent commit to provide a setting to force all whitelisted URLs to load within the UIWebView which may address some of the issues.   

What use cases do we want to support and how can we do that consistently across platforms?   

-becky