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Editorial: Add installable web application definition #1163

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Feb 7, 2025
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Editorial: Add installable web application definition #1163

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adf7140
Add installable web application definition
dmurph Feb 7, 2025
27a5f6c
Fixing second sentence
dmurph Feb 7, 2025
af35d65
Update index.html
dmurph Feb 7, 2025
9046a16
Update index.html
marcoscaceres Feb 7, 2025
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27 changes: 16 additions & 11 deletions index.html
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Expand Up @@ -2411,17 +2411,22 @@ <h2>
Installable web applications
</h2>
<p>
A common use case of a manifest is for a user agent to
<dfn data-local-lt="installing|installation" data-lt=
"installed">install</dfn> a web application; whereby the user agent
provides the end-user with a means of instantiating a new <a>top-level
browsing context</a> that has the manifest's members <a>applied</a> to
it. A web application that is installed is known as a <dfn data-export=
"">installed web application</dfn>. That is, the manifest's members, or
their defaults, are in effect on the <a>top-level browsing context</a>.
This distinguishes an installed web application from a traditional
bookmark, as opening a web page from a traditional bookmark will not
have the manifest's properties <a>applied</a> to it.
Any website is an <strong>installable web application</strong>.
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@benfrancis benfrancis Feb 7, 2025 •
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If an "installed web application" is defined as a web application whose manifest members have been (or can be) applied to a top level browsing context, then how can a website with no manifest be an "installable web application"?

Surely a web application must at least have a web app manifest in order to be considered installable?

Also, is it the view of the Web Applications Working Group that all websites are web applications?

See also: #1097

<p>
</p>
<p>
A user agent can provide a way for the end-user to <dfn data-local-lt="installing|installation" data-lt=
"installed">install</dfn> a web application on the end-user's device, allowing the
user to instantiate a new [=top-level browsing context=] with the
manifest's members [=applied=].
</p>
<p>Once a web application is [=installed=] it is known as a
<dfn class="export">installed web application</dfn>:
That is, the manifest's members, or their defaults,
are [=applied=] to the <a>top-level browsing context</a> of the web application. This
distinguishes an installed web application from a traditional bookmark,
as opening a web page from a traditional bookmark will not have the
manifest's properties <a>applied</a> to it.
Comment on lines +2423 to +2429
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@benfrancis benfrancis Feb 7, 2025 •
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Once a web application is installed it is known as a[sic] installed web application: That is, the manifest's members, or their defaults, are applied to the top level browsing context of the web application.

This could be refined to say that when the app is launched the manifest's members will be applied to the top level browsing context.

Currently it reads to me like an installed web application is one whose manifest has been applied to a top-level browsing context. But actually installing a web app and launching a web app may be two separate steps as described in the following note. A web application which has been added to an app launcher but not yet launched may still be considered "installed".

(My implementation of Web App Manifest actually installs a web app and applies the manifest in one step, but AFAIK that's not the case for most implementations.)

</p>
<p class="note">
For example, on user agents that support installation, a web
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