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Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

workout.olzhasar.com

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Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#21

Post by mvkel »

Nice and clean!

As a fellow web slinger, I recently went down the road of trying to build a simple veggie tracker as a PWA.

I realized pretty quickly that the PWA world still feels like a hacky mess, with weird CSS rules to make it feel more, but never fully, native.

Most of the issues from way back in the pre-App-Store days remain.

For example, double tapping on the screen triggers a zoom, and there's no way to disable it.

After a full week trying to make my PWA not feel clunky, I resorted to making my first native iOS app with the help of chatty G.

It was surprisingly easy. It took two days to build, and because it's native, everything just works.

PWAs as a platform have so much potential, this app being a great example. It's frustrating that developments aren't further along than they are. I'd think Google especially would have interest in supporting such a platform

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#22

Post by NorwegianDude »

mvkel wrote: post #21

Nice and clean! As a fellow web slinger, I recently went down the road of trying to build a simple veggie tracker as a PWA. I realized pretty quickly that the PWA world still feels like a hacky mess, with weird CSS rules to make it feel more, but never fully, native. Most of the issues from way back in the pre-App-Store days remain. For example, double tapping on the screen triggers a zoom, and there's no way to disa…

> For example, double tapping on the screen triggers a zoom, and there's no way to disable it.

That's objectively BS and 100 % skill issue on your side. A simple "disable zoom PWA" search on google would definitely give a bunch of sites telling you how to do it. It's super simple, just add a viewport meta tag.

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#23

Post by abound »

Shameless plug: I've written a similar tool [1] that I use daily, similarly straightforward (but much less attractive than the tool in this post). Main difference is that it focuses on 5/3/1 + strength training (e.g. how many reps do I need on this set for a personal record?), and you configure your workout (weeks, sets, reps, etc) in a JSON file instead of the UI.

[1] https://github.com/bcspragu/stronk

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#24

Post by robertoandred »

asynchronous wrote: post #20
MrGilbert wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then this should not be called "PWA"? When putting the iPhone in Flight Mode and deactivating WiFi, this site won’t load after it got added to the home screen.

iPhone PWA are notoriously broken, they have to use the safari API and as far as I know are basically impossible to get working.

They’re not broken, this one is.

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#25

Post by pdxandi »

alexose wrote: post #3

This is what all web apps should be like: Zero barrier to entry, loads instantly, self explanatory UI, privacy first. While I probably won't use it to track workouts, it only took me a few seconds to evaluate. Complexity will set in as you allow users to import, export, and sync data. But based on the great start you have here, I bet you can pull it off.

I really like and use https://darebee.com.

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#26

Post by beretguy »

NorwegianDude wrote: post #22
mvkel wrote: post #21

Nice and clean! As a fellow web slinger, I recently went down the road of trying to build a simple veggie tracker as a PWA. I realized pretty quickly that the PWA world still feels like a hacky mess, with weird CSS rules to make it feel more, but never fully, native. Most of the issues from way back in the pre-App-Store days remain. For example, double tapping on the screen triggers a zoom, and there's no way to disa…

> For example, double tapping on the screen triggers a zoom, and there's no way to disable it. That's objectively BS and 100 % skill issue on your side. A simple "disable zoom PWA" search on google would definitely give a bunch of sites telling you how to do it. It's super simple, just add a viewport meta tag.

> That's objectively BS and 100 % skill issue on your side.

Why so aggressive?

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#27

Post by beretguy »

MrGilbert wrote: post #14
ffsm8 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A pwa doesn't need an Internet connection. That's part of the definition of the term. Are you confusing the term with SPA? > A web application is considered a PWA if it satisfies the installation criteria, thus can work offline and can be added to the device's home screen

Then this should not be called "PWA"? When putting the iPhone in Flight Mode and deactivating WiFi, this site won’t load after it got added to the home screen.

Oh… he’s right.

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#28

Post by olzhasar »

alexose wrote: post #3

This is what all web apps should be like: Zero barrier to entry, loads instantly, self explanatory UI, privacy first. While I probably won't use it to track workouts, it only took me a few seconds to evaluate. Complexity will set in as you allow users to import, export, and sync data. But based on the great start you have here, I bet you can pull it off.

Thank you so much for your feedback!

Data syncing is definitely the next step, will try to keep it simple.

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#29

Post by olzhasar »

kokanee wrote: post #15

Wouldn't work for me without the ability to add other exercises. I'm also not familiar with a lot of these exercises, so descriptions and images would be very helpful.

Thank you for your feedback. This is a hobby project for now, so images are a bit hard to do on budget. But I will definitely add descriptions soon.

Re: Show HN: Workout Tracker PWA

#30

Post by olzhasar »

mvkel wrote: post #21

Nice and clean! As a fellow web slinger, I recently went down the road of trying to build a simple veggie tracker as a PWA. I realized pretty quickly that the PWA world still feels like a hacky mess, with weird CSS rules to make it feel more, but never fully, native. Most of the issues from way back in the pre-App-Store days remain. For example, double tapping on the screen triggers a zoom, and there's no way to disa…

Thanks for the feedback!

This a hobby project for now, so I tried to do it in a cheapest way possible, and PWA looked like a good approach, as there is no need to buy developer subscription.

Have you used Swift to develop your IOS app or any cross-platform solution?

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