Database Users

Applications and support/manuals

Having a question regarding the support (mainly in the form of help and manuals) of locations which are mainly downloadable through the market.
My main examples are:
Juice Defender
Titanium Backup
Both of these are very sweet tools but I often find myself wondering what different settings/options do. It's nice to be able to look things up about a program but even though apps have official sites with some form of support I still feel things are alacking in this department...
Am I the only one who think helpfiles, manuals and such are a bit of a forgotten section in android market and apps? Just something I only noticed recently and prolly because of the fact there's just so much possible in android
In no way meant as complaints or anything btw!

[Q] Stock Graphics and how to implement them

I'm building a few apps but wanted to see if there might be a way to grab existing graphics already in the OS. Like the plus sign in the Calendar or the microphone... I'd rather not have to include the same image in the system if it's already there, and the fact that a simple theme change would make the apps I'm working on change dynamically with the new look.
Thoughts?

if the files you want to use are defined in the resource directory and can be accessed via R.java from both xml and java then there is no way to get to the files.
if the files are defined as Assets then there is a possibility for you to access them.
you will need to know the exact file path to the file you want to access.
see
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/res/AssetManager.html
and
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5493396/how-to-reference-android-assets-across-packages

Exactly what I was looking for, but not what I was wanting to hear. Know of any stock graphics I can use for my res/drawables? I'm not exactly the best artist in the world and would like my apps to look somewhat like they belong.

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android.R.drawable is helpful but if you can't get it, just download the source. are you guys forgetting the android is completely open source? it might take you a while to find them, but they're all there.

I was sure there were some stock graphics available somewhere. Thanks SimonVT. Helped quite a bit with the ugly crayon jobs I created.

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SimonVT said:
That is also an option, but using native resources will ensure that it fits in with the overall OS theme.
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Click to collapse
oh yeah, I guess you've got a point there. I wasn't thinking about people with sense, motoblur, etc. I've only ever had stock android phones. Well, I did have a nook color for a month or two, but I installed cyanogenmod the day I got it.

this might interest you aswell. its the android icon template pack.
http://developer.android.com/shareables/icon_templates-v2.3.zip
you can read more about icon and user interface guidlines here
http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/index.html

Yeah, that's some good information as well. Following the OS standard is what I would prefer over trying to make my own or grabbing from other installed apps. It makes for the apps/widgets to flow much better in overall design theory.

[Q] Confused on the structure of things

After perusing the forums for a while I'm considering loading a new ROM/Kernel. Maybe I'm to much of a noob to know but I can't find a thread that lays out the structure of Android. The stuff I can find assumes that I am already on intimate terms with this stuff, but I'm not.
I flashed CWM 3.1.0.1 which allowed me to clear caches and reset the battery gauge which has really helped. In trying to go further I'd like to piece the structure of the system together so I know where I am in the bigger scheme of things. I rely on the Epic for work. I can't afford to go down the wrong path and find myself in a far away town relying on a hotel internet connection to get back up off the ground. The picture I have is this:
Root lets me do the things I have mentioned before. Namely clear caches, backup my phone, reset battery meter, run some utilities to aid in device management. Similar to root or SU on *nix systems.
ROM drives the hardware and basic user interface, seems to me to be equivalent to the boot ROM and some lower level of OS functionality
Kernel is the actual software that runs on the device. This would be some OS and phone system overlay and the basic applications that show up in your applications folder. This provides your Sprint connection, network interface and the like
Applications are the other things that you actually run on the phone like games, social media programs GPS etc. Some come wrapped with a kernel, or they could be pick and choose.
I'm a bit fuzzy on where the ROM leaves off and the Kernel begins, maybe someone can clarify this.
Which leaves me here:
I see stuff that makes flashing new kernels and ROMs sound as if they are a magic elixir. I see posts that make it sound as if its a playground for folks who are hobbyists. Some posts talk about things that don't work any more with this flash or that. Where is the list of stuff that works and does not work for various mods?
My needs are very basic.
I need a reliable phone.
I need reliable Google mail & calendar (there are a few advantages to outsourcing corporate email to google).
Usable but not mission critical texting and GPS.
Better battery life.
This phone is for business. I do not need: social media, games, gadgets, widgets, toys.
Any light you can shed on the subject to help a brother out is appreciated.

Root = Elevated privilege access.
Kernel = The software that drives the phone.
Rom = The files on the phone's storage.
Apps = Also files on the phone's storage.
Root gives you the ability to do things the phone manufacturer did not intend for you to be able to do. (Think limited user account on Windows/Linux).
The Kernel is like the "engine" of the phone, w/o it the phone does nothing.
The Rom is the files on the phone, some are used by the kernel in order to make the phone work.
Apps... you know what these are. =]
The kernel controls the device, it has the drivers for hardware to make that hardware work.
The kernel is a Linux kernel built specifically for the device (phone) it will be run on.
The Rom is a collection of files to be installed onto the phone.
The Rom contains the operating system (the part that makes it an "android").
A Rom also includes apps, might include a theme (modifications to images, colors), and possibly numerous other modifications to the "stock" files.
The "stock" files, or a "stock" Rom, is what we are given by Sprint.
The different custom Roms you see available here on XDA are basically the stock files, modified by someone to their liking.
Some include a theme to give a custom look, most include modifications to make things "better" (ie hacked Sprint Hotspot, the 6 or 8 Lockscreen mod, etc).
There are many other aspects at play here, and much more that could be said about each item you listed, but the above is a generalized rundown.
Android runs on top of Linux, so the more familiar you are with Linux the better off you will be.
Do yourself a favor and take the time to read as much as you can, Google is your best friend.
=]

[Q] 4.2 and shared storage

I'm not entirely sure exactly how google envisioned us using this multiuser feature. On the one hand, it seems perfect for sharing tablets among family members, otoh, the lack of a "shared storage" seems odd. Simple use case is something like: both people using the tablet listen to the same music. It would certainly be odd to download the same music or video files twice. THis would solve a lot of issues including the need for a mount point for OTG, as well as double downloading of game data (non user specific data like game files).
My question is: what is a possible way to solve this? IS there any hope at all? THe way storage is implemented with multi-user is confusing to me, i have no way of accessing user#2s stuff even as root when logged into user#1.

Really? ANOTHER thread about this? Are the 4896 already existing not enough?
Anyways, I just posted an idea for shared storage here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=34744017&postcount=9

Can Glowlight 3 ROM be modified to work on original NST?

I've been thinking about how all these new apps are out now that would work great on my old NST if only it ran a more recent version of Android. I saw on the old l337 thread that the NST is confirmed to be able to run more adavanced versions, but that we'd have to pull the files from a phone or other, much more powerful device, rendering the resulting ROM pretty much unusable.
Until, that is, the Nook Glowlight Plus and 3 came along. The NG+ and NG3 run Android 4.4.2. 4.4 Android could mean being able to run apps like Overdrive and Libby, without workarounds. And that would be pretty sweet.
Now these are two different devices. I'm having a hard time finding data on the difference between the guts beyond the fact that the newer models have a higher DPI screen. I'd guess they have similar amount of processing speed to preserve battery life, though maybe more RAM.
I did a little googling, and I found this CM11 Mod but it looks like it it fizzled out after getting pretty close.
Do we think this can be done?

Was wondering about this the other day. There are an awful lot of NSTs floating around ebay for US$15 now. It would be fun to be able to breathe a little life into them, if only to use them for displays of calendars, to-do lists, or anything else you can do with more modern android apps

jptiger said:
There are an awful lot of NSTs floating around ebay for US$15 now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The NST, NSTG and the first Glowlight used TI OMAP3621 processors.
The Glow2, 3, 4 use Freescale (now NXP) iMX6SL processors.
That's quite a difference.
I don't think that anything would be compatible.

jptiger said:
Was wondering about this the other day. There are an awful lot of NSTs floating around ebay for US$15 now. It would be fun to be able to breathe a little life into them, if only to use them for displays of calendars, to-do lists, or anything else you can do with more modern android apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I'm going to promise not to look at ebay!!! Three devices are enough, even at that price. But it's very tempting. Too bad the NSTGs are rare as hens teeth and always high priced. Then there is a screen artifact issue. The one I finally got has three, but it's not too bad, I guess.
Other than watching movies or live TV (both of which, admittedly, are actually possible with the NST if you can stand it), it seems to me these devices are still wonderfully versatile. With a minimal installation of GApps you can have all the calendar displays you want, to-do-lists, etc. For some of these applications, there are still apps that work fine. For other uses (you dream it up) it's amazing what can be done with Tasker to create an app that looks like "the real thing". And while the learning curve for Tasker is a little steep, baby steps and lots of online help and examples are available.
The one clear drawback is almost anything that requires a login. The fact that Overdrive has not yet been hacked to address this issue is probably due to a lack of interest from a person with the proper expertise (not me). But really, selecting a library book on Opera Mobile from your local library? I'd sooner slit my wrists. Books can still be downloaded to a PC and then transferred to the NST via Adobe's software (or you can get around the whole DRM issue if you wish). And, you can get mobi format books from most libraries now and they will still magically appear in your Kindle app
That said, having flashed a Nook Tablet with CM 11 (KitKat), I can attest that there are still issues with that less-old Android version. For example, you can't view XDA properly in any browser. You have to go back to an earlier skin which has tiny print and is most annoying. In fact you can't get to some sites at all with any browser. And the OS returns SSL errors for some operations with other apps. So KitKat is no panacea. Even so, I like my Nook Tablet running CM 11. It's an 8 GB version and so has limited RAM and storage. Therefore I have scaled down my usual apps to some essentials and things it is really good at. In fact, it has fewer apps on it than my NST!
Every one of those NSTs on ebay is a treasure. But I'm not going to look!!!!

Renate NST said:
I don't think that anything would be compatible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant as fas as kernel, various hardware libraries.

nmyshkin said:
Other than watching movies or live TV (both of which, admittedly, are actually possible with the NST if you can stand it), it seems to me these devices are still wonderfully versatile. With a minimal installation of GApps you can have all the calendar displays you want, to-do-lists, etc. For some of these applications, there are still apps that work fine. For other uses (you dream it up) it's amazing what can be done with Tasker to create an app that looks like "the real thing". And while the learning curve for Tasker is a little steep, baby steps and lots of online help and examples are available.
The one clear drawback is almost anything that requires a login. The fact that Overdrive has not yet been hacked to address this issue is probably due to a lack of interest from a person with the proper expertise (not me).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the thorough response! I didn't realize you could do so much! I was envisioning having three mounted on walls in various places in my apartment, one with an interactive Google calendar, one with my to-do list from Any.do, and one with a local transit app that shows if there are delays on specific trains etc. (though I guess that one might wait until we're all using public transit again...) I've never used Tasker before, do you have any suggestions of resources or guides on getting it to replicate any functionality like this on an NST?
nmyshkin said:
Every one of those NSTs on ebay is a treasure. But I'm not going to look!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck! Save your money and vicariously help me do stuff with them?

jptiger said:
Thanks for the thorough response! I didn't realize you could do so much! I was envisioning having three mounted on walls in various places in my apartment, one with an interactive Google calendar, one with my to-do list from Any.do, and one with a local transit app that shows if there are delays on specific trains etc. (though I guess that one might wait until we're all using public transit again...) I've never used Tasker before, do you have any suggestions of resources or guides on getting it to replicate any functionality like this on an NST?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is only one version of Tasker that will run on the NST/G (check your PM). It is designed to run in the background and execute tasks from shortcuts on the home screen or automatically start a series of tasks based on some trigger (time of day, opening a specific app, connection to WiFi, etc.). I originally used it to automatically start WiFi for apps that needed it. This is definitely a "baby step" idea. I don't use Tasker as a background service any longer. There is a companion app called AppFactory which takes your Tasker routines and converts them into stand-alone apps that anyone can run (with the caveat that either GApps must be installed or else two small Maps library files would need to be copied onto the device--actually this is a dependency for Tasker itself also). You can see many examples of "apps" I have created in this fashion in the last section of this forum. You design your own GUI to fit the NST/G screen. Tasks can vary from a simple activity call to website data scraping and massaging (definitely advanced) and more.
AppFactory will not run on the NST/G. It requires Android 2.2. I have a KitKat device which will run both the ancient version of Tasker and also AppFactory, so after I finish designing and testing the routines on the NST I move all the files over to the KitKat device and compile with AppFactory. The resulting app can be installed on the NST and behaves just like any other app (and does not require the presence of Tasker to run).
A lot of patience is required to get things right, especially if you want a full-screen GUI since Tasker seems to hate screen edges and when you edit a screen containing a near-full-screen image it tends to resize it a little smaller, throwing off other elements. Fixing this requires hand-editing the coordinates in the xml files which describe the scene elements. Also, because the file structure on the NST is not the same as on a KitKat device, references to images have to be edited by hand before (or after) moving files to the second device to compile. For example, "/media/" might need to be changed to "/storage/external_SD/Pictures/" or similar. Also, the touch screen on the NST is not always as responsive as we might like.
Finally, there is one one last fly in the ointment, so to speak. Tasker will not install on FW 1.2.2 for some reason unless it is resigned. When it is resigned, it ceases to interact properly with plugin apps (things like RotationLocker, or Minimalistic Text, as examples). The compiled apps will work properly, but testing on the NST is problematic if you are referencing plugins. On FW 1.2.1 everything works properly. Since I have three devices (gulp) I kept one on FW 1.2.1 to help me with this issue.
There is a Tasker Wiki with many examples, but just Googling will yield all kinds of things. There is a guy (Hollywood Frodo) who created all kinds of videos from the basic to the exotic and I found some of those very helpful. Finally, there is a Tasker Google group where--to judge by my personal experience--no question is too stupid!