Author Topic: NANY 2015 Release: WhenLast (Android app) (Read 181,777 times)

cranioscopical · « **Reply #25 on:** December 13, 2014, 01:55 AM »

Quote from: mouser on December 12, 2014, 05:56 PM

Well it could be asked on first run, same thing.

That would work, forgot about the limitations. Still, it gave Ath the chance to throw the works into a wrench

Masonjar13 · « **Reply #26 on:** December 13, 2014, 03:58 AM »

Quote from: mouser on December 12, 2014, 05:56 PM

Well it could be asked on first run, same thing.

I would agree with this being a friendly addition.

Another nice addition may be to add a widget that shows a specified section (or two?) at either 2x4, 4x2, or 4x4, not sure which would be best.

Masonjar13 · « **Reply #27 on:** December 13, 2014, 04:06 AM »

Quote from: cthorpe on December 12, 2014, 10:56 PM

I've added enough tabs to allow them to scroll on the screen, and Aquarium is still cutting off the number of tasks.

This is due to the given maximum margin of the tab, would be my guess. I put in obscenely large strings of text and, well..

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[attach]

mouser · « **Reply #28 on:** December 27, 2014, 04:21 PM »

So I'm adding some default items to be present on initial run.. I'd love some suggestions for items to add.
For each item I just need a label and a section name.

Anyone?

ps. I've uploaded a new beta for anyone who wants to check it out (same url).

cranioscopical · « **Reply #29 on:** December 29, 2014, 04:22 AM »

Family
Last spoke (name)
Last wrote (name)
Last saw (name)

Computer
Last backup

Household
Last battery change (smoke alarm)
Last water filter change

Nod5 · « **Reply #30 on:** December 30, 2014, 03:38 PM »

I liked your old timestamp disc idea mouser and I like this too. Haven't had time to try the apk yet but here are some bits of quick feedback based on the screenshots.
1 Are "edit" and "now" buttons really needed? We could just press to do the now action and longpress to edit.
2 I like the short catchphrase "When Last?". Why not put that in the title area. A longer title run the risk of the dread that is ellipticalization on smaller screen devices as in Masonjar13's screenshot.
3 is there a mode to toggle time format between specific dates and a more minimal "days since" mode that would only say for example "8"?
4 user set time interval targets for each task. The timestamp/days since text could get more bold and more intensely red the later the user is (relative to interval target length).
5 a bigger idea for some future version: shared tasks plus some basic stats for how many times each user has done the task. A lot of multi person household tasks could be managed with the app then.

There are several interesting tiny bluetooth device projects for Android that I could see an app like yours interacting with in good ways in the future, like Flic but also Fizzly. Flic buttons could for example be quick ways to reset the time count for a specific item.

cyberdiva · « **Reply #31 on:** December 30, 2014, 06:11 PM »

I just came upon this thread, decided When Last was just what I needed, and downloaded and installed it on my Nexus 7 (2013) tablet. I'm impressed with how simple it is to use, assuming I remember to do so. I guess it doesn't make sense to add a Check When Last item

.

I did have one question. After making two categories (Home, Computers), and saying that I wanted ALL to show, what I saw were those categories, but over the first one, completely in caps, was OTHER. I couldn't decide where that was nor what it referred to. I got rid of it by re-checking Hide Empty Sections. But is it an empty section? If so, how can I find it and get rid of it?

Also, is there a way to order the sections? I have a hopelessly alphabetical mind. Hence, I'd ideally like Computers to come before Home. Is that possible? Ideally, for both categories and items within a category.

Many thanks, mouser. I'm delighted to have this.

mouser · « **Reply #32 on:** December 31, 2014, 02:58 AM »

Thanks for the comments folks.

Some quick replies:

Edit+Now buttons -- Rightnow i am using long click to do drag&drop; i could use a long click on Now button to edit, but that has a drawback of being non-generalizable when i add other kinds of "entries" that don't have "now" buttons.. so for right now i think the edit buttons are my best solution. One possible thing i could do is make the user have to switch into a general "EDIT" mode before those buttons appear..
WhenLast in title area -- not sure what you mean -- isn't it in the title area?
Show "days since" mode -- yes i want to add that.
Reminders for tasks -- on my todo list.
Reordering categories -- will be in future version.
Bug with categories overlapping others -- let me know if that's not fixed in next version.

mouser · « **Reply #33 on:** January 01, 2015, 01:30 AM »

New beta has been uploaded, would appreciate any reports; see download link in first post.

I think your old data should be read in, but im not 100% sure.
I have also removed the Delete All Data menu item; to clear all data you can go to your Android Settings, choose APPS, then choose WhenLast and then Delete All Data from there.

The new beta includes a Section Editor in the menu, where you can rename and reorder sections.

Ath · « **Reply #34 on:** January 01, 2015, 12:03 PM »

After this update, 'all' my data is still there, but the option to hide the All section is gone. But I'd like that section to be hidden from view

mouser · « **Reply #35 on:** January 01, 2015, 12:50 PM »

You can still hide it, you just do it differently now. Go to the section editor, and you can hide any sections you want.

Note: You can toggle whether hidden items are shown from the preferences, so make sure that is also not set to show hidden items.

Ath · « **Reply #36 on:** January 01, 2015, 02:57 PM »

Aha, I didn't go into that screen (yet) as I didn't expect to find anything new there

NP.

wraith808 · « **Reply #37 on:** January 01, 2015, 06:01 PM »

Quote from: cranioscopical on December 29, 2014, 04:22 AM

Family
Last spoke (name)
Last wrote (name)
Last saw (name)

Computer
Last backup

Household
Last battery change (smoke alarm)
Last water filter change

Those are some really cool ones.

I'd add last oil change, last air filter change (for the house)

mouser · « **Reply #38 on:** January 02, 2015, 11:34 PM »

Hotrod Panel

I wrote the framework for WhenLast so I could reuse it for other projects.. Here's another small app that let's you create custom imaginary control panels for your android-based car screen:
[attacht=1]
[attacht=2]

Or make some imaginary nuclear reactor controls for the nearby plant and scare your friends into thinking you've hacked in

DOWNLOAD HERE: http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/android/downloads/hotrodpanel-release.apk

superboyac · « **Reply #39 on:** January 03, 2015, 12:01 AM »

love it!

mouser · « **Reply #40 on:** January 03, 2015, 05:22 PM »

Martin wrote up WhenLast on ghacks: http://www.ghacks.net/2015/01/03/whenlast-for-android-keeps-track-of-repeating-tasks ;

Ath · « **Reply #41 on:** January 03, 2015, 06:52 PM »

And he has a few of the same remarks that are noted here

Great review, imho.

mouser · « **Reply #42 on:** January 04, 2015, 07:16 PM »

Please download today's updates (jan 4, 2015) -- i found a bug that would cause changes not to be saved if you use the explicit Exit menu item (rather than just using the back or home button to leave application).

mouser · « **Reply #43 on:** January 05, 2015, 09:36 PM »

I've updated the releases with a fix for text wrapping on small screens.
Also, I've published the android app's on the google play store, where you can rate/review them if you like (yes please!):

ps.
I listed the apps on the google play store to purchase for 99 cents. I decided to try that instead of listing them for free -- most of the time free in these app stores seems to mean covered in ads, so I thought 99 cents might be a cleaner approach. But you can always download the apk's directly from the first post on this thread to get them for free. The only advantage of getting it from the app store is the auto-updating feature.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #44 on:** January 05, 2015, 10:30 PM »

Quote from: mouser on January 05, 2015, 09:36 PM

ps.
I listed the apps on the google play store to purchase for 99 cents. I decided to try that instead of listing them for free -- most of the time free in these app stores seems to mean covered in ads, so I thought 99 cents might be a cleaner approach. But you can always download the apk's directly from the first post on this thread.

Elsewhere a few of us were talking about the state of the shareware culture ... and this is part of the problem! How/why did the "store" culture so completely ______ (your choice of words here) change what used to be a real "community" of shareware quality into the horrific ad infested stuff in the store? There's sociology paper material in there. We'd never stand for that on desktop software.

And it's even worse than "just charging 99 cents" - even those can get bastardized. You almost have to make it "free" (fake it with a crippled version) and then "pro", because now some X group of people Pavlovian-trained them so that to get "legit" software, you have to get the "pro" version!

anandcoral · « **Reply #45 on:** January 06, 2015, 08:32 AM »

Quote from: mouser on January 05, 2015, 09:36 PM

I listed the apps on the google play store to purchase for 99 cents. I decided to try that instead of listing them for free -- most of the time free in these app stores seems to mean covered in ads, so I thought 99 cents might be a cleaner approach.

Thanks you gave me direction.

All these 'store' has made rotten the concept of 'free'. In most cases the user is paying through his nose in mobile connection for ads or in-app purchase to get one more feature.

We programmers who have been releasing 'free' apps in pure literal sense, now have to face questions from the users. They bracket us in same league.

Though I still do not have a Android phone/pad etc. (she is not allowing me), but I will follow your path for store and allow free from my site.

Regards,

Anand

cyberdiva · « **Reply #46 on:** January 06, 2015, 02:43 PM »

Mouser, I'd be pleased to be notified of updates by Google Play Store, and I certainly have no objection to paying $.99 for the app. However, when I went to Play Store and did a search for When Last, it didn't appear until #29 (even though no other app before it had that title), and it said nothing about $.99. Indeed, it apparently recognized that I already have the app installed, since the options it offered me were Uninstall and Open, not Install or Update. I checked and I have version 1.12 installed, and the one in Play Store is 1.13, so it should have offered the Update option. Just thought you should know.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #47 on:** January 06, 2015, 04:55 PM »

Quote from: anandcoral on January 06, 2015, 08:32 AM

...
All these 'store' has made rotten the concept of 'free'. In most cases the user is paying through his nose in mobile connection for ads or in-app purchase to get one more feature.

We programmers who have been releasing 'free' apps in pure literal sense, now have to face questions from the users. They bracket us in same league.
...
Regards,
Anand

Yes Anand, and sometime I would like to look at a link to see what the bandwidth of the ads is.

I'll add to your note that a lot of the devs making stuff for my iPhone are tapping into some kind of structured Apple ad banner service, and it's very hard to get rid of it (if at all). And it takes up some 15-20 % of the entire screen! And it's jammed next to a legit feature button, so you have no choice but to "click" it when your finger is off by a quarter of an inch for the feature. Then you waste 30 seconds getting dragged to the store to preview whatever it is before you can go back to what you were doing!

15% space in desktop ads would make users livid with anger!

CWuestefeld · « **Reply #48 on:** January 06, 2015, 06:48 PM »

I'm in for the $0.99 Play Store version. As CyberDiva said, it was surprising to find the app so far down the list. For a direct match, I'd expect it to be at or near the top.

I don't want to derail the conversation, but it's already half-way there, so...

I don't mind the ads so much. What really irks me are in-app purchases. I don't like the idea to begin with, because I'd like to be able to plan from the start how much something's going to cost me. But on top of this, it's almost never clear what features are free, and what you'll need to spend extra on.

mouser · « **Reply #49 on:** January 07, 2015, 03:24 AM »

Quote

it apparently recognized that I already have the app installed, since the options it offered me were Uninstall and Open, not Install or Update. I checked and I have version 1.12 installed, and the one in Play Store is 1.13, so it should have offered the Update option.

that's unpleasant.. i figured the play store might not help you update if you downloaded it elsewhere, but that's pretty crappy that they don't at least tell you there is an update available.

Quote

a search for When Last, it didn't appear until #29

well i suppose the fact that it only has 5 downloads is reason enough for it to be at the bottom of the list

ps. if you type it in with no spaces ("whenlast") it does show first.