I don't have access to a Nexus 7 but I'm getting feedback from users that they can't access the menus in my app...like, at all...which I find perplexing since I use the same standard menus that all Android apps use (including the Android home-screen). If the Nexus 7 doesn't have a relatively obvious menu button, it seems to me that the majority of Android apps, including the home-screen, would be veritably unusable.
Can anyone help me understand what's going on here?
If you are using standard options menus and you are showing the action
bar, then they will continue to work (the action bar will have a ...
button for devices that lack a MENU button to access your menu). Or,
if you are using standard options menus and your targetSdkVersion is
set to 10 or lower, the user can get at your menu (e.g., via a menu
button in the system bar on tablets). If, on the other hand, you used
the MENU button for other purposes, or are not showing the action bar
with a targetSdkVersion of 11 or higher, that would explain some of
your difficulty.
On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 4:42 PM, Keith Wiley <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't have access to a Nexus 7 but I'm getting feedback from users that
> they can't access the menus in my app...like, at all...which I find
> perplexing since I use the same standard menus that all Android apps use
> (including the Android home-screen). If the Nexus 7 doesn't have a
> relatively obvious menu button, it seems to me that the majority of Android
> apps, including the home-screen, would be veritably unusable.
> Can anyone help me understand what's going on here?
> Thanks.
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Android Developers" group.
> To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key > found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app > developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:42:44 PM UTC-5, Keith Wiley wrote:
> I don't have access to a Nexus 7 but I'm getting feedback from users that > they can't access the menus in my app...like, at all...which I find > perplexing since I use the same standard menus that all Android apps use > (including the Android home-screen). If the Nexus 7 doesn't have a > relatively obvious menu button, it seems to me that the majority of Android > apps, including the home-screen, would be veritably unusable.
> Can anyone help me understand what's going on here?
Right, so since it targets a very old SDK, you're saying they should be able to simply access the menus through an option in the system bar. In other words, these people don't know how to use their tablets; their problem has nothing to do with my app being incompatible with their device, or even necessarily that my app is poorly designed. They just don't know how to find the menu button on their own device, right?
I'm just verifying, that's what you're saying right? I mean, I don't need to change anything about my app to make it work properly, they just need to use the system bar to access the menus and they haven't learned that trick yet. Is that basically correct?
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key >> found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app >> developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
> * > *
Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with Mark's initial response.
Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently broken on such devices or not?
What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users without
hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another way, it
won't be shown.
So you should update your app.
On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
>> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key
>>> found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app
>>> developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
>> *
>> *
> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with Mark's
> initial response.
> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently
> broken on such devices or not?
> Thank you.
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Android Developers" group.
> To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a little old and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from some sprucing up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should* essentially work on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me saying they didn't know how to access the menus. There's a big difference between saying I ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things smooth and modern and saying the app is effectively broken on modern hardware and won't work until I release an emergency patch to get it going again.
I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I *think* this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be working on modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a temporary fix until older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a Nexus to test it on myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
> What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users without > hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another way, it > won't be shown.
> So you should update your app. > On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com <javascript:>> > wrote:
>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
>>> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key >>>> found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app >>>> developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
>>> * >>> *
>> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with Mark's >> initial response.
>> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently >> broken on such devices or not?
> Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a little
> old and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from some
> sprucing up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should*
> essentially work on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me
> saying they didn't know how to access the menus. There's a big difference
> between saying I ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things
> smooth and modern and saying the app is effectively broken on modern
> hardware and won't work until I release an emergency patch to get it going
> again.
> I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I *think*
> this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be working
> on modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a temporary fix
> until older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a Nexus to test it
> on myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
> Thanks again.
> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>> What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users without
>> hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another way, it
>> won't be shown.
>> So you should update your app.
>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
>>>> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key
>>>>> found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app
>>>>> developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
>>>> *
>>>> *
>>> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with
>>> Mark's initial response.
>>> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently
>>> broken on such devices or not?
>>> Thank you.
>>> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Android Developers" group.
> To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
Shead Spreet Lite. I would also be curious about WildSpectra Mobile Lite. Since they are built in very similar ways (w.r.t. the basic OS framework and model) I expect their menu behavior to be similar such that verifying with either one should inform me about both...I presume.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:47:56 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
> What's your app? Is on Google play? > On Sep 19, 2012 11:36 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com <javascript:>> > wrote:
>> Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a little >> old and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from some >> sprucing up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should* >> essentially work on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me >> saying they didn't know how to access the menus. There's a big difference >> between saying I ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things >> smooth and modern and saying the app is effectively broken on modern >> hardware and won't work until I release an emergency patch to get it going >> again.
>> I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I >> *think* this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be >> working on modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a >> temporary fix until older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a >> Nexus to test it on myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
>> Thanks again.
>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>> What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users without >>> hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another way, it >>> won't be shown.
>>> So you should update your app. >>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
>>>>> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key >>>>>> found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app >>>>>> developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
>>>>> * >>>>> *
>>>> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with >>>> Mark's initial response.
>>>> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently >>>> broken on such devices or not?
On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 5:33 PM, Keith Wiley <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'll have to try to find a Nexus to test it on
> myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
Or, test it on an emulator where you have disabled support for the MENU button.
Yeah what is the app name, I might have access to a nexus 7. I do have
access to a 4.0 tablet that does not have any hard menu keys. I'd be happy
to take a look and see if I can find the menu. I would consider myself an
above average user who should be able to find the menu if it really is there
hidden someplace J
From: android-developers@googlegroups.com
[mailto:android-developers@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Francisco Marzoa
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 5:46 PM
To: android-developers@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [android-developers] Re: Nexus 7 has no menu button?
What's your app? Is on Google play?
On Sep 19, 2012 11:36 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a little old
and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from some sprucing
up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should* essentially work
on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me saying they didn't
know how to access the menus. There's a big difference between saying I
ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things smooth and modern
and saying the app is effectively broken on modern hardware and won't work
until I release an emergency patch to get it going again.
I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I *think*
this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be working on
modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a temporary fix until
older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a Nexus to test it on
myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
Thanks again.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users without hard
menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another way, it won't be
shown.
So you should update your app.
On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key found
on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app
developers to include soft menu keys in their apps.
Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with Mark's
initial response.
Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently broken
on such devices or not?
Thank you.
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Android Developers" group.
To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
<mailto:android-developers%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com> For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Android Developers" group.
To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
Right, ugh. Thanks. I'm out of practice. I've been testing over USB on my own device for several months now and have completely blanked on the emulator. I'll see how that works. Good suggestions.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:51:37 PM UTC-7, Mark Murphy (a Commons
> On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 5:33 PM, Keith Wiley <kbw...@gmail.com<javascript:>> > wrote: > > I'll have to try to find a Nexus to test it on > > myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
> Or, test it on an emulator where you have disabled support for the MENU > button.
Thanks. Either Shead Spreet Lite or WildSpectra Mobile Lite. Since boths apps are built using a similar overall approach to the OS, testing either should reveal the situation for both apps simultaneously.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:53:31 PM UTC-7, Tommy wrote:
> Yeah what is the app name, I might have access to a nexus 7. I do have > access to a 4.0 tablet that does not have any hard menu keys. I’d be happy > to take a look and see if I can find the menu. I would consider myself an > above average user who should be able to find the menu if it really is > there hidden someplace J
> *From:* android-d...@googlegroups.com <javascript:> [mailto:
> android-d...@googlegroups.com <javascript:>] *On Behalf Of *Francisco > Marzoa
> *Sent:* Wednesday, September 19, 2012 5:46 PM
> *To:* android-d...@googlegroups.com <javascript:>
> *Subject:* Re: [android-developers] Re: Nexus 7 has no menu button?
> Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a little > old and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from some > sprucing up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should* > essentially work on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me > saying they didn't know how to access the menus. There's a big difference > between saying I ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things > smooth and modern and saying the app is effectively broken on modern > hardware and won't work until I release an emergency patch to get it going > again.
> I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I *think* > this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be working > on modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a temporary fix > until older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a Nexus to test it > on myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
> Thanks again.
> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
> What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users without > hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another way, it > won't be shown.
> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key > found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app > developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with Mark's > initial response.
> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently > broken on such devices or not?
Why it needs permission to call phone numbers? I rather like to try it on
my N7, but no with such permission, indeed.
On Sep 19, 2012 11:53 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Shead Spreet Lite. I would also be curious about WildSpectra Mobile
> Lite. Since they are built in very similar ways (w.r.t. the basic OS
> framework and model) I expect their menu behavior to be similar such that
> verifying with either one should inform me about both...I presume.
> Thanks a bunch!
> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:47:56 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>> What's your app? Is on Google play?
>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:36 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a little
>>> old and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from some
>>> sprucing up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should*
>>> essentially work on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me
>>> saying they didn't know how to access the menus. There's a big difference
>>> between saying I ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things
>>> smooth and modern and saying the app is effectively broken on modern
>>> hardware and won't work until I release an emergency patch to get it going
>>> again.
>>> I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I
>>> *think* this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be
>>> working on modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a
>>> temporary fix until older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a
>>> Nexus to test it on myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
>>> Thanks again.
>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>>> What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users without
>>>> hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another way, it
>>>> won't be shown.
>>>> So you should update your app.
>>>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
>>>>>> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu
>>>>>>> key found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of
>>>>>>> app developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
>>>>>> *
>>>>>> *
>>>>> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with
>>>>> Mark's initial response.
>>>>> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently
>>>>> broken on such devices or not?
>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Android Developers" group.
> To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 5:51 PM, Keith Wiley <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Shead Spreet Lite. I would also be curious about WildSpectra Mobile Lite.
> Since they are built in very similar ways (w.r.t. the basic OS framework and
> model) I expect their menu behavior to be similar such that verifying with
> either one should inform me about both...I presume.
Shead Spreet Lite has the menu affordance in the system bar on a
Galaxy Tab 2 7.0", running ICS.
OYE! We're off topic and this is a very common complaint. People butt heads with me over the permissions all. the. time. It's so frustrating. I do the best I can to explain these things up front on the Android Market (or "Google Play" [worst name ever]) but the Google Play interface is not amenable to disseminating this kind of information efficiently. For example, I offer an explanation for the various permissions right there on Google Play in the app description, but people don't read it anyway...and then they give me a hard time about the permissions even though I explained before they ever install the app! I can't stand it!!! :-D <laughing-at-the-absurdity-of-the-situation>
The app is a spreadsheet. The ability to jump to the phone dialer was a specific user request (not even my idea) to enable users to tap phone numbers in spread sheets and jump to the dialer app to easy calling. It's really quite an intuitive concept when you think about it, I thought it was a fantastic suggestion from a user interfaced point of view, but you honestly would not believe how much grief I've gotten over it.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:09:30 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
> Why it needs permission to call phone numbers? I rather like to try it on > my N7, but no with such permission, indeed. > On Sep 19, 2012 11:53 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com <javascript:>> > wrote:
>> Shead Spreet Lite. I would also be curious about WildSpectra Mobile >> Lite. Since they are built in very similar ways (w.r.t. the basic OS >> framework and model) I expect their menu behavior to be similar such that >> verifying with either one should inform me about both...I presume.
>> Thanks a bunch!
>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:47:56 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>> What's your app? Is on Google play? >>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:36 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a little >>>> old and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from some >>>> sprucing up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should* >>>> essentially work on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me >>>> saying they didn't know how to access the menus. There's a big difference >>>> between saying I ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things >>>> smooth and modern and saying the app is effectively broken on modern >>>> hardware and won't work until I release an emergency patch to get it going >>>> again.
>>>> I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I >>>> *think* this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be >>>> working on modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a >>>> temporary fix until older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a >>>> Nexus to test it on myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
>>>> Thanks again.
>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>>>> What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users >>>>> without hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another >>>>> way, it won't be shown.
>>>>> So you should update your app. >>>>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
>>>>>>> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu >>>>>>>> key found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of >>>>>>>> app developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
>>>>>>> * >>>>>>> *
>>>>>> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with >>>>>> Mark's initial response.
>>>>>> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently >>>>>> broken on such devices or not?
> On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 5:51 PM, Keith Wiley <kbw...@gmail.com<javascript:>> > wrote: > > Shead Spreet Lite. I would also be curious about WildSpectra Mobile > Lite. > > Since they are built in very similar ways (w.r.t. the basic OS framework > and > > model) I expect their menu behavior to be similar such that verifying > with > > either one should inform me about both...I presume.
> Shead Spreet Lite has the menu affordance in the system bar on a > Galaxy Tab 2 7.0", running ICS.
On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 6:24 PM, Keith Wiley <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The ability to jump to the phone dialer was a
> specific user request (not even my idea) to enable users to tap phone
> numbers in spread sheets and jump to the dialer app to easy calling.
You do not need CALL_PHONE to use ACTION_DIAL ("jump to the dialer
app"). You need CALL_PHONE to use ACTION_CALL.
Well, bear in mind that I was about to install the application just for
helping you for free, so I am actually not interested on it enough to read
the app description...
Anyway I realized after writing my previous message that N7 has no phone at
all, so that permission has no effect neither... so I installed the app and
it actually SHOWS the menu soft button at bottom right as expected. May be
some users are just "special"...
On Sep 20, 2012 12:26 AM, "Keith Wiley" <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> OYE! We're off topic and this is a very common complaint. People butt
> heads with me over the permissions all. the. time. It's so frustrating. I
> do the best I can to explain these things up front on the Android Market
> (or "Google Play" [worst name ever]) but the Google Play interface is not
> amenable to disseminating this kind of information efficiently. For
> example, I offer an explanation for the various permissions right there on
> Google Play in the app description, but people don't read it anyway...and
> then they give me a hard time about the permissions even though I explained
> before they ever install the app! I can't stand it!!! :-D
> <laughing-at-the-absurdity-of-the-situation>
> The app is a spreadsheet. The ability to jump to the phone dialer was a
> specific user request (not even my idea) to enable users to tap phone
> numbers in spread sheets and jump to the dialer app to easy calling. It's
> really quite an intuitive concept when you think about it, I thought it was
> a fantastic suggestion from a user interfaced point of view, but you
> honestly would not believe how much grief I've gotten over it.
> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:09:30 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>> Why it needs permission to call phone numbers? I rather like to try it on
>> my N7, but no with such permission, indeed.
>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:53 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Shead Spreet Lite. I would also be curious about WildSpectra Mobile
>>> Lite. Since they are built in very similar ways (w.r.t. the basic OS
>>> framework and model) I expect their menu behavior to be similar such that
>>> verifying with either one should inform me about both...I presume.
>>> Thanks a bunch!
>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:47:56 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>>> What's your app? Is on Google play?
>>>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:36 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a
>>>>> little old and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from
>>>>> some sprucing up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should*
>>>>> essentially work on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me
>>>>> saying they didn't know how to access the menus. There's a big difference
>>>>> between saying I ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things
>>>>> smooth and modern and saying the app is effectively broken on modern
>>>>> hardware and won't work until I release an emergency patch to get it going
>>>>> again.
>>>>> I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I
>>>>> *think* this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be
>>>>> working on modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a
>>>>> temporary fix until older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a
>>>>> Nexus to test it on myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
>>>>> Thanks again.
>>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>>>>> What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users
>>>>>> without hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another
>>>>>> way, it won't be shown.
>>>>>> So you should update your app.
>>>>>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
>>>>>>>> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu
>>>>>>>>> key found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of
>>>>>>>>> app developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
>>>>>>>> *
>>>>>>>> *
>>>>>>> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with
>>>>>>> Mark's initial response.
>>>>>>> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app
>>>>>>> inherently broken on such devices or not?
>>>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>>> --
>> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Android Developers" group.
> To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
Oh cool. I see what you're getting at. Thanks. I actually know exactly how that happened. I originally used ACTION_CALL (and therefore had to put CALL_PHONE in). I didn't like having it immediately dial so I switched to ACTION_DIAL and liked the interaction a lot better that way (allowing the user to confirm the call) but CALL_PHONE got left in as a by-product. In evolution this process is referred to as "scaffolding" by the way, where the evolution of feature X requires feature Y but at a later time Y fades away leaving X looking fairly inexplicable.
Thanks.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:31:30 PM UTC-7, Mark Murphy (a Commons
> On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 6:24 PM, Keith Wiley <kbw...@gmail.com<javascript:>> > wrote: > > The ability to jump to the phone dialer was a > > specific user request (not even my idea) to enable users to tap phone > > numbers in spread sheets and jump to the dialer app to easy calling.
> You do not need CALL_PHONE to use ACTION_DIAL ("jump to the dialer > app"). You need CALL_PHONE to use ACTION_CALL.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:39:11 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
> Well, bear in mind that I was about to install the application just for > helping you for free, so I am actually not interested on it enough to read > the app description...
> Anyway I realized after writing my previous message that N7 has no phone > at all, so that permission has no effect neither... so I installed the app > and it actually SHOWS the menu soft button at bottom right as expected. May > be some users are just "special"... > On Sep 20, 2012 12:26 AM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com <javascript:>> > wrote:
>> OYE! We're off topic and this is a very common complaint. People butt >> heads with me over the permissions all. the. time. It's so frustrating. I >> do the best I can to explain these things up front on the Android Market >> (or "Google Play" [worst name ever]) but the Google Play interface is not >> amenable to disseminating this kind of information efficiently. For >> example, I offer an explanation for the various permissions right there on >> Google Play in the app description, but people don't read it anyway...and >> then they give me a hard time about the permissions even though I explained >> before they ever install the app! I can't stand it!!! :-D >> <laughing-at-the-absurdity-of-the-situation>
>> The app is a spreadsheet. The ability to jump to the phone dialer was a >> specific user request (not even my idea) to enable users to tap phone >> numbers in spread sheets and jump to the dialer app to easy calling. It's >> really quite an intuitive concept when you think about it, I thought it was >> a fantastic suggestion from a user interfaced point of view, but you >> honestly would not believe how much grief I've gotten over it.
>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:09:30 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>> Why it needs permission to call phone numbers? I rather like to try it >>> on my N7, but no with such permission, indeed. >>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:53 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Shead Spreet Lite. I would also be curious about WildSpectra Mobile >>>> Lite. Since they are built in very similar ways (w.r.t. the basic OS >>>> framework and model) I expect their menu behavior to be similar such that >>>> verifying with either one should inform me about both...I presume.
>>>> Thanks a bunch!
>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:47:56 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>>>> What's your app? Is on Google play? >>>>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:36 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a >>>>>> little old and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from >>>>>> some sprucing up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should* >>>>>> essentially work on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me >>>>>> saying they didn't know how to access the menus. There's a big difference >>>>>> between saying I ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things >>>>>> smooth and modern and saying the app is effectively broken on modern >>>>>> hardware and won't work until I release an emergency patch to get it going >>>>>> again.
>>>>>> I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I >>>>>> *think* this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be >>>>>> working on modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a >>>>>> temporary fix until older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a >>>>>> Nexus to test it on myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
>>>>>> Thanks again.
>>>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
>>>>>>> What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users >>>>>>> without hard menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another >>>>>>> way, it won't be shown.
>>>>>>> So you should update your app. >>>>>>> On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>> On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
>>>>>>>>> *Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu >>>>>>>>>> key found on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of >>>>>>>>>> app developers to include soft menu keys in their apps. *
>>>>>>>>> * >>>>>>>>> *
>>>>>>>> Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with >>>>>>>> Mark's initial response.
>>>>>>>> Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app >>>>>>>> inherently broken on such devices or not?
On my Acer Iconia Tab I get the soft menu represented by 3 horizontal lines
on the toolbar at the bottom that contains the time and battery information.
So it defently shows even if there isn't a hard button for the menu. I will
say from experience it took me a while to figure out what button was the
"menu" button on this thing as it was my first tablet and I was accustomed
to seeing the word MENU as a hard button on the phone itself. Seems like it
might just be an Id10T error.
From: android-developers@googlegroups.com
[mailto:android-developers@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Francisco Marzoa
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 6:37 PM
To: android-developers@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [android-developers] Re: Nexus 7 has no menu button?
Well, bear in mind that I was about to install the application just for
helping you for free, so I am actually not interested on it enough to read
the app description...
Anyway I realized after writing my previous message that N7 has no phone at
all, so that permission has no effect neither... so I installed the app and
it actually SHOWS the menu soft button at bottom right as expected. May be
some users are just "special"...
On Sep 20, 2012 12:26 AM, "Keith Wiley" <kbwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
OYE! We're off topic and this is a very common complaint. People butt
heads with me over the permissions all. the. time. It's so frustrating. I
do the best I can to explain these things up front on the Android Market (or
"Google Play" [worst name ever]) but the Google Play interface is not
amenable to disseminating this kind of information efficiently. For
example, I offer an explanation for the various permissions right there on
Google Play in the app description, but people don't read it anyway...and
then they give me a hard time about the permissions even though I explained
before they ever install the app! I can't stand it!!! :-D
<laughing-at-the-absurdity-of-the-situation>
The app is a spreadsheet. The ability to jump to the phone dialer was a
specific user request (not even my idea) to enable users to tap phone
numbers in spread sheets and jump to the dialer app to easy calling. It's
really quite an intuitive concept when you think about it, I thought it was
a fantastic suggestion from a user interfaced point of view, but you
honestly would not believe how much grief I've gotten over it.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:09:30 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
Why it needs permission to call phone numbers? I rather like to try it on my
N7, but no with such permission, indeed.
On Sep 19, 2012 11:53 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
Shead Spreet Lite. I would also be curious about WildSpectra Mobile Lite.
Since they are built in very similar ways (w.r.t. the basic OS framework and
model) I expect their menu behavior to be similar such that verifying with
either one should inform me about both...I presume.
Thanks a bunch!
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:47:56 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
What's your app? Is on Google play?
On Sep 19, 2012 11:36 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
Well, that's fair. I'm not denying the the current release is a little old
and targets older SDKs. The app could certainly benefit from some sprucing
up. However, I wanted to verify whether the app *should* essentially work
on modern hardware given that some users were emailing me saying they didn't
know how to access the menus. There's a big difference between saying I
ought to update my app when I get a chance to keep things smooth and modern
and saying the app is effectively broken on modern hardware and won't work
until I release an emergency patch to get it going again.
I was just trying to get a better picture of the circumstances. I *think*
this discussion has cleared it up, and I *think* my app should be working on
modern devices, albeit through an OS sidedoor meant as a temporary fix until
older apps are updated. I'll have to try to find a Nexus to test it on
myself to be absolutely certain of the circumstances.
Thanks again.
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:27:36 PM UTC-7, Fran wrote:
What Mark said is that you did things the "standard" way, users without hard
menu button will see a soft one. But if you did it another way, it won't be
shown.
So you should update your app.
On Sep 19, 2012 11:08 PM, "Keith Wiley" <kbw...@gmail.com> wrote:
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:58:42 PM UTC-7, bob wrote:
Many of the latest Android devices have eliminated the hard menu key found
on earlier hardware. Consequently, it's now the responsibility of app
developers to include soft menu keys in their apps.
Um, forgive me, but this response seems fundamentally at odds with Mark's
initial response.
Which response is closer to the correct answer? Is my app inherently broken
on such devices or not?
Thank you.
--
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Android Developers" group.
To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
<mailto:android-developers%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com> For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Android Developers" group.
To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
android-developers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
If you set either minSdkVersion or targetSdkVersion to 11 or higher, the system *will not* add the legacy overflow button. -
Otherwise, the system *will* add the legacy overflow button when running on Android 3.0 or higher. -
The only exception is that if you set minSdkVersion to 10 or lower, set targetSdkVersion to 11, 12, or 13, and you do not use ActionBar<http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/ActionBar.html>, the system *will* add the legacy overflow button when running your app *on a handset* with Android 4.0 or higher.
This would indicate that I meet the third (exception) condition so it would have a compatibility action overflow button, and indeed, it appears on my Galaxy Nexus running jelly bean, but NOT on a Nexus 7. i.e. The Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Nexus behaves differently even if they are running the same OS version...
Is this because the Nexus 7 is not considered a *handset* ???
I feel this was not a good decision to have different behavior for different form factors that FUNCTIONALLY handicap the programs. Does anybody have information on this?
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 10:42:44 PM UTC+2, Keith Wiley wrote:
> I don't have access to a Nexus 7 but I'm getting feedback from users that > they can't access the menus in my app...like, at all...which I find > perplexing since I use the same standard menus that all Android apps use > (including the Android home-screen). If the Nexus 7 doesn't have a > relatively obvious menu button, it seems to me that the majority of Android > apps, including the home-screen, would be veritably unusable.
> Can anyone help me understand what's going on here?
