Web manifest

Definition

Web app manifests are part of a collection of web technologies called progressive web apps (PWAs), which are websites that can be installed to a device’s homescreen without an app store. Unlike regular web apps with simple homescreen links or bookmarks, PWAs can be downloaded in advance and can work offline, as well as use regular Web APIs.

The web app manifest provides information about a web application in a JSON text file, necessary for the web app to be downloaded and be presented to the user similarly to a native app (e.g., be installed on the homescreen of a device, providing users with quicker access and a richer experience). PWA manifests include its name, author, icon(s), version, description, and list of all the necessary resources (among other things).

Web app manifests are deployed in your HTML pages using a <link> element in the <head> of a document:

<link rel="manifest" href="manifest.json">

Members

  • background_color - describes the expected background color of the web application

  • dir - member specifies the base direction for the localizable members of the manifest.

  • display - represents the developer's preferred display mode for the web application

  • icons - are images that serve as iconic representations of the web application in various contexts

  • lang - is a string in the form of a language tag that specifies the primary language for the values of the manifest's localizable members

  • name - is a string that represents the name of the web application as it is usually displayed to the user

  • orientation - is a string that serves as the default screen orientation for all top-level browsing contexts of the web application

  • prefer_related_applications - is a boolean that is used as a hint for the user agent to say that related applications should be preferred over the web application

  • related_applications - is an application accessible to the underlying application platform that has a relationship with the web application

  • scope - is a string that represents the navigation scope of this web application's application context.

  • short_name - is a string that represents a short version of the name of the web application

  • shortcuts - is an array of shortcut items that provide access to key tasks within a web application

  • start_url - is a string that represents the start URL , which is URL that the developer would prefer the user agent load when the user launches the web application

  • theme_color - the default theme color for an application context.

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