In this article, we will build a Practo clone mobile app using Ionic and Angular. Ionic is a popular framework for developing cross-platform mobile apps using web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
We will integrate various features like authentication, doctor search, appointments, payments etc to build a functional medical appointments booking app. Learn more: https://zipprr.com/practo-clone/
Project Setup
Let's start by setting up the Ionic project. Ensure you have Node.js and the Ionic CLI installed on your system.
Open the terminal and create a new Ionic project:
ionic start practo-clone blank --type=angular
This will create a new folder called practo-clone with the default Ionic project structure.
Change to the project directory:
cd practo-clone
Install additional dependencies:
npm install @angular/forms @ionic/angular
The project structure contains folders for pages, components, services etc. We will add functionality by creating classes under these folders.
App UI Design
Design the app screens and navigation flow using Figma or Sketch. This will help visualize the overall structure. Some key screens could include:
Login/Register screens
Doctor search
Appointment booking
Profile
Notifications
Export screen designs and import assets into src/assets folder.
We will implement routing and navigation between these screens based on interaction. The UI skeleton can be built using Ionic components like ion-button, ion-input etc.
Authentication Pages
Let's add authentication functionality. Create AuthService:
// auth.service.ts
@Injectable({
providedIn: 'root'
})
export class AuthService {
constructor() { }
// authentication methods
}
Create LoginPage component:
// login.page.ts
@Component({
//...
})
export class LoginPage {
constructor(private authService: AuthService) {}
onLogin() {
// call auth service login method
}
}
Add template with form:
<!-- login.page.html -->
<form>
<ion-item>
<ion-label position="floating">Email</ion-label>
<ion-input
type="email"
name="email"
[(ngModel)]="user.email">
</ion-input>
</ion-label>
<ion-item>
<ion-label position="floating">Password</ion-label>
<ion-input
type="password"
name="password"
[(ngModel)]="user.password">
</ion-input>
</ion-label>
<ion-button
(click)="onLogin()">
Login
</ion-button>
</form>
Include validation, routing and signup page similarly.
Patient/Doctor Profiles
Create profile models:
// profile.model.ts
export interface Profile {
id: string;
name: string;
// other fields
}
Create Profile Service:
// profile.service.ts
@Injectable({
providedIn: 'root'
})
export class ProfileService {
profiles: Profile[] = [];
getProfiles() {
// return mock profiles
}
getProfile(id) {
// return profile by id
}
}
Create ProfileListPage:
// profile-list.page.ts
@Component({
//...
})
export class ProfileListPage {
profiles: Profile[];
constructor(private profileService: ProfileService) {}
ngOnInit() {
this.profiles = this.profileService.getProfiles();
}
}
Show profiles in template:
<!-- profile-list.page.html -->
<ion-list>
<ion-item
*ngFor="let profile of profiles">
<ion-label>
{{profile.name}}
</ion-label>
</ion-item>
</ion-list>
Create ProfilePage similarly to view individual profile.
Appointments
Create Appointment model:
// appointment.model.ts
export interface Appointment {
id: string;
date: Date;
doctorId: string;
patientId: string;
//...
}
Create Appointment Service:
// appointment.service.ts
@Injectable({...})
export class AppointmentService {
appointments: Appointment[] = [];
// add, get, update appointment methods
}
Create Book Appointment Page:
// book-appointment.page.ts
@Component({...})
export class BookAppointmentPage {
constructor(
private profileService: ProfileService,
private appointmentService: AppointmentService
){}
onBook() {
// get selected options
// call appointmentService add method
}
}
Add form and calendar integration.
Doctor Search
Create Doctor model:
// doctor.model.ts
export interface Doctor {
id: string;
name: string;
speciality: string;
// other fields
}
Create Doctor Service:
// doctor.service.ts
@Injectable({...})
export class DoctorService {
doctors: Doctor[] = [];
searchDoctors(query: string) {
// return filtered doctors array
}
}
Create Doctor Search Page:
// doctor-search.page.ts
@Component({...})
export class DoctorSearchPage {
doctors: Doctor[];
constructor(private doctorService: DoctorService) {}
search(event) {
this.doctors = this.doctorService.searchDoctors(event.detail.value);
}
}
Show search results:
<!-- doctor-search.page.html -->
<ion-searchbar
(ionInput)="search($event)">
</ion-searchbar>
<ion-list>
<ion-item-sliding
*ngFor="let doctor of doctors">
<ion-item>
{{doctor.name}}
</ion-item>
</ion-item-sliding>
</ion-list>
Payment Integration
We will integrate Razorpay payment gateway.
Install razopay package:
npm install razorpay
Create Order model:
// order.model.ts
export interface Order {
id: string;
amount: number;
// other fields
}
Add payment details to Appointment model.
Create Order Service:
// order.service.ts
@Injectable({...})
export class OrderService {
constructor(private razorpay: Razorpay) {}
createOrder(amount: number) {
// return order object
}
verifyPayment(details) {
// verify with razorpay
}
}
In payment page:
// payment.page.ts
constructor(
private orderService: OrderService
) {}
pay() {
// create order
// open razorpay checkout
this.orderService.verifyPayment(//..);
}
Handle verification and success/failure routes.
Notifications
To add push notifications, install one signal package:
npm install onesignal-cordova-plugin
Create Notification model:
// notification.model.ts
export interface Notification {
id: string;
title: string;
body: string;
//...
}
Create Notification Service:
// notification.service.ts
@Injectable({...})
export class NotificationService {
constructor(private oneSignal: OneSignal) {}
initPush() {
// initialize OneSignal
}
sendNotification(notif: Notification) {
// send via OneSignal
}
}
On app loading, initialize OneSignal:
ngOnInit() {
this.notificationService.initPush();
}
On event, send notifications:
someAction() {
let notif = {...};
this.notificationService.sendNotification(notif);
}
Deploying to Devices
To build Android and iOS projects:
ionic cordova build android
ionic cordova build ios
Set app icons and splash screens.
To test on devices, you need to install the app via:
For Android:
ionic cordova run android
Test various app features on physical devices.
You can also setup CI/CD pipelines to automate deployment.
Additional Features
Chat Integration
Create Chat and Message models
Implement realtime chat using Firebase/Socket.io
Create DoctorChatPage to view and send messages
Add chat icon to Doctor profile
Subscribe to new messages on chat page
e-Prescription
Add Prescription model
Allow doctors to create e-prescription on Appointment detail
Patient can view/download prescription from Appointments
Integrate with e-signing services
Medical Records
Define Record model with fields like reports, diagnoses etc
Allow doctors to add records against Patient profile
Patient can view consolidated medical records
Provide feeds to view recent additions
Video Consultation
Integrate video calling API like Twilio
Add video call button on Doctor profiles
Implement calling interface on CallPage
Allow realtime voice/video between patient and doctor
Payments History
Track payment status in Order model
Create Payment History component
Fetch and display list of past payments
Add receipt downloading functionality
Doctor Availability
Add availability slots to Doctor model
Only show booking slots as per doctor schedule
Allow doctors to manage availability
Notify patients of slot changes
Online Booking
Add booking status to Appointment model
Implement socket notification on new booking
Doctors receive booking requests in realtime
Allow approval, rejection from their end
Conclusion
In this article, we learned how to develop a full-featured medical appointments booking application using the Ionic framework and Angular. We implemented core functionality like authentication, profiles, doctor search, appointment scheduling, payments etc.
The app is now capable of basic user registration and login. Doctors and patients can create their profiles with necessary details. Patients can search doctors based on specialty and book online appointments. Integrations like OneSignal for push notifications and Razorpay for payments add business-critical features.
Some areas for potential improvement include:
Adding offline support using SQLite storage and caching
Testing and improving performance through profiling and optimizations
Securing authentication and sensitive data during transactions
Implementing additional healthcare focused features
Building this Practo clone provided an end-to-end understanding of developing cross-platform mobile apps with Ionic and Angular. The same concepts and approach can be used to create other category-specific appointment and booking apps as well.
Ionic offers a powerful and versatile toolkit for rapid prototyping as well as production-grade mobile development. Combining it with a modern frontend framework like Angular makes it a fantastic choice. With more features, testing and polish - this Practo clone can become a usable product.
I hope this article equipped you with the necessary skills and knowledge to build your own feature-rich mobile applications.