Can Construct 3 do it? Not game but app

Has someone thought about the idea of using Construct 3 for a web app or mobile app? Not necessarily a game?

It does seem to support HTML, JavaScript, AJAX calls (which can be probably used for external databases)

But how about local files or authentication? How would someone run it for authenticated users only. Would it also be possible, for example, to call a remote file on the local computer? Assuming you ship your own .exe or executable with the Construct 3 export in a installer, being able to call that file passing some data (arguments) from the created Construct 3 interface. Basically, use Construct 3 for the GUI.

What about the other way around? I guess the web export runs on its own sandbox, but can you actually talk to things outside the exported game? For example, you run it on your own domain or page, or inside Electron, but need to talk to an element or data outside but still on the same domain/page.

I'm playing around the idea to generating a simple drag and drop editor and a menu with a few buttons that just do some actions when clicked. Nothing seriously complex but it would be faster than hand coding this in HTML/CSS/JavaScript and having a way to quickly add events, animations seems nice. It does seem to support HTML, but this is mainly to display HTML inside a game for interfaces, in my case, I actually want to generate the specific HTML (or just any other code or text) with specific elements.

Example, you create 5 buttons, when you drag it to a canvas, it will then store that code. Then have everything exported in someway. I know, this is for game design, but a game is basically a complex application that just mixes animations, graphics and sounds in the end. I guess the most difficult challenge with Construct is trying to talk to the native OS which most games don't because it's not required, but maybe running it inside something like Electron could do the trick and rely on those functions?

Just curious if someone has tinkered with this idea. I always thought this was a great for web animations, and it seems someone at Scirra thought the same, and they now launched Construct Animation. If you think about it, Construct 3 could also be used, maybe with some more functions and development for a basic mobile or web app.

I use construct for utilities all the time, it's actually my main use case.

Nw.js can handle local files, and authentication can be done however you want it to be done, online or offline. Online would obviously need some external service to interface with.

Ajax will let you communicate outside local files.

You can use it for the web.

But if you have a simple sheet with several buttons, then the project in Construct3 will be heavier than in js+html5.

It will take a lot longer to load.

Thanks, all for the replies, yes I also used other game tools before, just as simple utility apps I created for my own use or for things that are actually not even game related. Great to see others are actually using it similarly.

I completely understand this will be heavier than just plain HTML+JS, but it's quick to prototype and get things doing quickly and change it.

Example, even making a simple AJAX button that makes a HTTP call and/or makes an animation when pushed is quite intensive doing manually, now assume you don't like it and want to change it, or wait, you want that button to be drag and drop, so you can move it on the screen as well. All this would require to refactor all your code completely, which is extremely time-consuming, with Construct it would just require a few clicks to change the behavior, test and export.

Now, the export runs in a contained sandbox, I assume. At least this is how it worked in Construct 2. I'm just trying to get some more information because I did not check Construct in almost 10 years and Construct 3 seems a lot more evolved in terms of web support technologies.

For example, I see it has an iframe option now to load external web content. As for the HTML option, I tried it put in the demo, and it worked, but here comes my question.

I copied a simple bootstrap code into an HTML box. In the preview, it clearly did not work correctly because you need to actually load the bootstrap CSS and JS files. Putting heavy code like that would clearly be extremely intensive (or not?) because it's not made to handle a full website. So, my idea was the following.

You have a regular page, let's say using bootstrap 5, you have your libraries and depend on ices in the header and footer for the JS and CSS files. And now you want to run a Construct 3 export on the page. Would it be possible to apply the external page elements to the Construct 3 export? For example, the HTML bootstrap code that is inside Construct 3 to be rendered correctly?

Note, you can completely assume here that you have complete control over the domain, server that hosts all files including your page code, bootstrap and, of course, construct exported file. What would need to be done technically to allow this, since I assume the canvas on which everything runs in Construct 3 is an entirely different security browser sandbox.

I made a lot of companion apps with Construct 2 and 3 for Android.

I used iframes for news and guides, project files or external Google tables for generating lists like achievements and item collections and I added some interactive maps.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=4693892187157839345

Which one is made with Construct?

I usually divide the page myself. And in it I place the i-frame form. In this form already show the project.

The page itself loads instantly, but the project takes longer.

> I made a lot of companion apps with Construct 2 and 3 for Android.

>

> I used iframes for news and guides, project files or external Google tables for generating lists like achievements and item collections and I added some interactive maps.

>

>

> play.google.com/store/apps/dev

Which one is made with Construct?

All of them! 😁