Creative Ways to Use the WebView Plugin

Modified on Fri, 27 Oct, 2023 at 4:18 AM

The WebView Plugin is one of the most versatile plugins to use in the system and opens up a world of possibilities.

The WebView plugin is arguably the most versatile plugin in our platform's repository. This is because it gives your users a native in-app experience while still allowing you to link to external online content such as web pages, documents, food ordering, shopping carts, and pretty much anything else. They can tap on the plugin, go check out the linked website, then tap the back button to return promptly back into your app.

There are two basic strategies for what goes in a WebView plugin: pushing out information and pulling in information.

While the possibilities are endless, here are a few ideas to get you started.

Using the WebView Plugin to Push Out Information

Pushing out information means you’re giving your users more access to information outside of the app. You’re giving them the power to visit your website, read your blog, and check out your online store with just a single tap. You can use the WebView Plugin to direct traffic to any external link you’d like. We’ve seen this done in three main ways:

Send them to your website

You want synergy between your app and website — not for them to compete. Therefore, a great way to direct traffic to your website would be to put a plugin linking there in your app. Create a WebView Plugin called “Website” (or whatever your heart desires) and add the plugin instance to your Launcher Plugin and Side Menu so your users can easily get there anytime they want.

Share a document

Maybe you want to give your users access to your menu, employee training guide, or presentation PDFs, depending on your industry. Just create a WebView Plugin and either insert a link directly to a website that has those, or upload it to Dropbox and then link that. For information on how to link PDFs via Dropbox, check out How to Use Dropbox with the WebView Plugin

Direct them to your online store

If your online store is already mobile responsive, then we highly suggest you include it! If not, these are some popular alternatives we’ve seen our Builders integrate. Simply sign up for one of these platforms, build out your store, then paste the link into your WebView plugin instance!

Using the WebView Plugin to Pull In Information

Pulling in information means directing them somewhere where you’d like them to do a specific action, like fill out a survey, pay membership fees, schedule a meeting, or make a reservation.

Gather data

Perhaps you’d like to ask all of your customers to fill out a customer satisfaction survey. With the power of push notifications, you can quickly alert your users that a new survey has been uploaded to the app and see results faster. You can use our JotForm plugin or insert a Google Form.

Collect payments

Easily insert a link to a mobile-responsive payments platform if you need your users to pay membership fees, make donations, pay for a retreat, register for an event or conference etc.

Schedule a meeting

If you’re a real estate agent, marketing agency, motivational speaker, or generally are in an industry where you might need to meet with a lot of people, use a scheduling platform in your app! We recommend trying out Set More or Calendly.

Make reservations

If you already have a website dedicated to making reservations at your restaurant , feel free to plop that into the WebView plugin instance. Otherwise, we’ve seen a lot of our users use Free Booking!

We’ve only touched the surface with the WebView plugin in this article. Take this inspiration and just apply it to whatever works best for you and your organization!