Create Android apps with Excel and AppsGeyser
Once you you convert a calculator or form to Android format, you can make an app of it that you can distribute and perhaps even sell. Here are the steps required to create Android apps with Excel and AppsGeyser.
With AppsGeyser, you can convert your web content into an Android app. Your app can use tabs for navigation, be location-aware and use pop-up notifications. After testing, you can distribute your app on the AppsGeyser app network. Users of your app can share their experiences via social networks. AppsGeyser is financed via advertising, and the revenue is shared 50/50 with you.
Create the spreadsheet with the calculator
In this tutorial, we will create a simple calculator in an Excel spreadsheet. We will convert the spreadsheet to a web page with SpreadsheetConverter and upload it to Dropbox. Using Dropbox as a web server, we will test the calculator until it works as it should. AppsGeyser then converts the calculator to an app, directly from Dropbox.
The app that will make us millionaires has a simple function, it can double almost any number by multiplying it by two.
Create the spreadsheet yourself or download the doubling calculator here.
Convert the spreadsheet to web format and upload to Dropbox
Select the iPhone/Android format and convert the calculator for the web with SpreadsheetConverter. If you haven't used SpreadsheetConverter before, you may want to consult the basic tutorials for assistance.
After conversion, click Sharing > Share > Dropbox Share in the SpreadsheetConverter ribbon to upload the calculator to Dropbox. Remember to save the URL you get from Dropbox. If you intend to test your calculator in your Android phone before proceeding, save the TinyURL too. For step-by-step instructions, see the Dropbox tutorial.
Test the calculator in your web browser
Don't test the calculator or form in the desktop environment, i.e. from your laptop. The size and positioning of the different screen objects will become incorrect. Instead, paste the short or long URL from Dropbox into a web browser in your Android phone. Verify that the colors and layout match how you want the app to appear.
Create the Android app with AppsGeyser
For this tutorial, we will use AppsGeyser to create the Android app. Point your web browser to www.appsgeyser.com/create/start/.
Click on the Website button.
Enter the description of the app:
- Paste the Dropbox URL that you saved when you uploaded the calculator to Dropbox.
- Give the app a name and a description.
- Select an icon for the app.
- Set the screen orientation if you need it to be fixed.
- Select the appropriate category for your app.
The Preview windows will probably not display your app properly, but your app will work correctly when you run it in an Android phone.
Press Create to create the app.
Download and install the app
AppsGeyser will provide you with links in various formats to the newly created app. The easiest is to scan the QR code with your phone. You can also manually enter the long or short URL to your app in a web browser in your phone.
Install the app in an Android phone. You cannot install the Android app in other devices such as an iPhone, an iMac or a Windows laptop.
Test the app
Start the app in the Android phone. It should look like this:
Conclusion
SpreadsheetConverter allows you to convert even very complex Excel spreadsheets to web format. Using services such as AppsGeyser, you can convert the spreadsheet to a standalone Android app. The app works exactly as the spreadsheet did in Excel. To change the calculator's layout or functionality, simply return to Excel, change the spreadsheet and convert it to an app again.
