Streamlining Webpage Display in Mobile Apps
Mobile app developers often need to display webpages within their applications. While opening a webpage in the user’s default web browser is a straightforward approach, it has its drawbacks. The user experience is disrupted when the app context switches to the browser, and the browser’s UI is not customizable.
Custom Tabs: A Solution for Seamless Webpage Display
The Chromium open-source browser introduced the Custom Tabs feature in 2015, allowing mobile app developers to launch a webpage in a customizable browser instance that shares the same cookie jar and permissions model as the original browser application. This feature has since been implemented by many major Android browsers.
Flutter Custom Tabs: A Cross-Platform Solution
The flutter_custom_tabs package offers a cross-platform solution for implementing Chrome Custom Tabs on Android and a Safari View Controller-based, Custom Tabs-like feature on iOS. In this article, we’ll explore the features and benefits of using flutter_custom_tabs in your mobile app development project.
Key Features of Flutter Custom Tabs
- Flexible, full-featured, and minimal API
- Cross-platform support for Android, iOS, and web platforms
- Error handling for cases where no browser is present on the system
- Customizable toolbar, activity launcher animations, and browser features
Implementing Flutter Custom Tabs
To get started with flutter_custom_tabs, add the package to your pubspec.yaml file and import it into your Dart file. You can then use the launch function to open a webpage in a Custom Tab.
“`dart
import ‘package:flutter/material.dart’;
import ‘package:fluttercustomtabs/fluttercustomtabs.dart’;
class CustomTabsExample extends StatefulWidget {
@override
_CustomTabsExampleState createState() => _CustomTabsExampleState();
}
class _CustomTabsExampleState extends State
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Scaffold(
appBar: AppBar(
title: Text(‘Custom Tabs Example’),
),
body: Center(
child: ElevatedButton(
onPressed: () async {
try {
await launch(
‘https://www.example.com’,
customTabsOption: CustomTabsOption(
toolbarColor: Theme.of(context).primaryColor,
enableDefaultShare: true,
enableUrlBarHiding: true,
),
);
} catch (e) {
print(e);
}
},
child: Text(‘Open Webpage’),
),
),
);
}
}
“`
Customizing the Toolbar and Animations
You can customize the toolbar and activity launcher animations using the CustomTabsOption object.
dart
customTabsOption: CustomTabsOption(
toolbarColor: Colors.blue,
enableDefaultShare: true,
enableUrlBarHiding: true,
animation: CustomTabsSystemAnimation.slideIn(),
)
Advanced Custom Tabs Configurations
The flutter_custom_tabs package also supports advanced configurations, such as prioritizing fallback browsers and enabling Google Play Instant Apps.
dart
customTabsOption: CustomTabsOption(
extraCustomTabs: [
'com.mozilla.firefox',
'com.microsoft.emmx',
],
enableInstantApps: true,
)
Best Practices for Implementing Custom Tabs
- Offer a seamless user experience by customizing the toolbar and animations to match your app’s branding.
- Test fallback options to ensure a smooth user experience.
- Follow the DRY principle by implementing a shared function for launching Custom Tabs.
- Add cross-platform support and test on real devices.
By following these best practices and using the flutter_custom_tabs package, you can provide a seamless and customizable webpage display experience for your mobile app users.