We are currently looking into possible frontend frameworks / component libraries to use for our angular 4 applications. We think the Ionic Framework is a serious candidate for this, because we like the completeness of the framework. It seems really mature and we love how easily we can use the various elements.
Ionic is of course meant as a framework to build mobile apps with, but eversince the split pane option was added to the framework to make better use of bigger screens, we thought we could use Ionic as a component library-slash-framework for all our web apps. We do not have any intentions of really building any dedicated mobile apps for phones or tablets (yet) - we’ll just be building applications that are used in a browser.
Would you recommend doing this? Are there any downsides to this? Are there any pitfalls we should be aware of? Are there any red flags going up when you read this?
You might want to look into NativeScript. I think Ionic is best for: primary delivery is a handheld device, but can also be used on other platforms. One of driftyco’s objectives for 2017 is to do more in the browser/PWA space, but right now those areas are of “academic interest,” I’d say.
Example: I participated in a thread where the OP was frustrated, when I said that I had refactored my code to avoid using navParams (the standard Ionic way to pass information from page to page) and I am using Redux instead for that kind of communication. navParams works great on a handheld device, but it is easy to break in a browser. There are a lot of details like that, and I’ve learned most of them by trial and error. Big strategy comes from reading books and browsing forums like this, but there isn’t really an advanced Ionic book yet, in part because the framework keeps developing.
My answer could change completely once Ionic releases more tools for PWA’s. That could happen tomorrow, or in a looong time.