Periodic data check only when mobile data was on before screen on

[Thomas M]

Hey there.

Okay, so we all know it's easy to make profiles that together turn data on/off when screen on/off and while screen is off sometimes turns the data on for a short while to sync up with stuff. However - I'm looking for the best way to do all this ONLY if I had mobile data manually enabled before turning off the screen. Meaning, if I have mobile data off then it wont activate the data check when screen off profile, and not the screen on profile either (where the data is switched on)


Any ideas?

Thanks,

[Matt R]

Have a profile that when the screen turns off immediately checks whether data is on or off and save that in a variable (e.g. %DataWas) and then condition your other profiles on this (e.g. %DataWas ~ on or off).

Matt

[Thomas M]

Sounds like a good idea. What's the best way to check whether data is on or off?

[Matt R]

Make a profile with context state -> net -> mobile network and check all the boxes. You can use that profile name with the %PACTIVE variable if needed. Search the user guide and/or forum if you need help with using %PACTIVE.

Matt

[Thomas M]

Ah, PACTIVE ofcourse. I was taught how to use that in another of my threads. Thanks, I'll see what I can put together.

[Thomas M]

I ended up doing it in a possibly inferior manner:

When the display gets turned off and data is off then it runs a profile which sets a variable to OFF

Vice versa happens when display gest turned off and data is on.

This works ok, kind of, but there is a problem - if I turn on the screen with the variable set to on (meaning that the data should turn on automatically) I made a small wait period to avoid unnessary activations of data when I just wanna check the clock, or something. However this causes the variable to be set to off when because the profile that has the "data off + display off" gets activated.

Is there any smart way to circumvent this, that I just cant figure?

This is the project incase anyone can get clever by looking at the xml file: http://www.mediafire.com/?a3f2fgff3vzct21

On Tuesday, 14 May 2013 19:18:03 UTC+2, Matt R wrote:

[Bob Hansen]

If I understand what you want from your original post, you want to do the data check when the screen is off only if  you manually turned the data off. 

In that case, you need to be able to know when you manually turned it off. To do that, I would suggest you create a Tasker shortcut on your home screen that runs a task that simply toggles data on and off AND sets your variable %MobileData to the new state On or Off. 

Remove all other actions that would change %MobileData.

Always use the shortcut to toggle data on/off manually.

The task for the shortcut would look like this:

DataToggle (122)

A1: If [ %MobileData ~ Off ]

A2: Mobile Data [ Set:On ] 

A3: Variable Set [ Name:%MobileData To:On Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]

A4: Else

A5: Mobile Data [ Set:Off ] 

A6: Variable Set [ Name:%MobileData To:Off Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]

A7: End If

I hope I understood what you wanted.... and that this will work for you.

[Thomas M]

Hey Bob, thanks for the reply. You're not quite right about what I want. I'm actually looking for a way to avoid the data check when I've turned data off manually. Like if I wanna go a day without recieving or sync'in at all, then I can just turn data off and not worry. However if I turn it on then it will automatically turn off/on when screen off/on and while the screen is off do the data checks. All this in order to save battery.

While widgets are indeed a possibility, I'm really prefering a more automated way, if possible.

[Rich D]

> While widgets are indeed a possibility, I'm really prefering a more automated way, if possible.

H,mmmm...  not sure who is not getting what....  I had actually made the same recommendation as Bob on your first post about this subject.  Not sure what happened to that post..

Anyway .. you stated you need a way to tell if have have "manually " set your data off. So this part is not a automated.. How do you manually turn your data off?? Bob is simply suggesting using a widget to Manually toggle your data instead of the way you are manually doing it now.  I would think this would be the best place to tell if you are manually turning off your data..   IMHO...

Rich...

[Thomas M]

Ah, right.. Well.. I have this fine quicktoggle in my notification dropdown, which I'd like to use. Other than that, I see what you mean... But in that sense, I am "manually" toggling the data but I meant that I'd like an automating way for Tasker to notice all this.

The problem right now is that even when data is "on", I have given it some secs before it actually turns on after the screen is on, so that it wont activate when im just taking a look at the clock etc, but when I do that and turn off the screen again, the screen off profile thinks that data is off and then reacts as if I had turned off data myself. So I need a way to avoid that.

I hope you understand me, I could imagine my gibberish can be hard to understand...

[Rich D]

> Ah, right.. Well.. I have this fine quicktoggle in my notification dropdown, which I'd like to use.

Ahhh, got it. And I assume this pull down Has other options in it as well and you would not want to replace it with a tasker  notification. 

> The problem right now is that even when data is "on", I have given it some secs before it actually turns on after the screen is on, so that it wont activate when im just taking a look at the clock etc, but when I do that and turn off the screen again, the screen off profile thinks that data is off and then reacts as if I had turned off data myself. So I need a way to avoid that.
>

For this I think I would try using a exit task in your screen off profile. Set another global variable two %TIMES.  And then test that global variable against %TIMES in your enter task to tell if the screen has only been on for a few moments.

Rich..

[Thomas M]

Sounds like a very good idea, but (this may be a little too much to ask) could you maybe make an sample profile and task with this? I only begun using Tasker the other day and my knowledge is veery limited :/

[Rich D]

I don't mind helping at all.. But I think it would be best if you could post all of your relevant profiles To this topic So we can see what you have so far ..

Long press on the profile name / ( 3 dot menu with 4.0+ ) export / export description to clipboard (not XML)

The beginner mode needs to be off and the profile needs to have a name to be able to export.  

[Thomas M]

I posted the project in some earlier posts.

But I think I updated it a bit since, so here: http://www.mediafire.com/?a3f2fgff3vzct21

It may look like a noobish mess but it actually kinda works. I just need some way to make the screenoff profile only be activaed if the screen has been on for 10 seconds or something like that.

[Rich D]

It would be better if you could export "description " to clipboard and paste it here..

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[Rich D]

Of the profiles not the project. 

[Thomas M]

Ah, sorry I missed the "not xml" part.

Well.. Hmm..

This is the screen off profile:

*,MobileDataOn,*
Profile: Screen Off (36)
    Event: Display Off
Enter: Anon (35)
    Abort Existing Task
    A1: Wait [ MS:0 Seconds:10 Minutes:0 Hours:0 Days:0 ]
    A2: If [ %MOBILEDATA ~ on ]
    A3: Variable Clear [ Name:%SCREENSTATE Pattern Matching:Off ]
    A4: Wait [ MS:0 Seconds:5 Minutes:0 Hours:0 Days:0 ]
    A5: Stop [ With Error:Off Task: ] If [ %SCREENSTATE ~ ON ]
    A6: Stop [ With Error:Off Task: ] If [ %POWER ~ ON ]
    A7: Stop [ With Error:Off Task: ] If [ %KEEPALL ~ ON ]
    A8: Mobile Data [ Set:Off ]
    A9: Vibrate X  [ Time:449 ]
    A10: Else If [ %MOBILEDATA ~ off ]
    A11: Stop [ With Error:Off Task: ]
    A12: Vibrate X  [ Time:1000 ]

Theres some stuff in this profile that are just redundant stuff that I havent removed yet.
 

[Matt R]

I can't think of any way this will work reliably in all cases without a way of Tasker knowing when you manually switched data off or on. And the only way I can think Tasker can know is outed you always switch data on or off via a Tasker task and not through any other method. You said you want to use the quick toggles in your notification pane, and one way you could still use those but still perform the data toggling via Tasker would be to show a transparent scene that covers the data toggle button. It would still look like you're toggling via that button, but really it would be going through Tasker.

Matt

[Thomas M]

:( ... There really isn't a way to only allow a profile to be active when the screen has been on for a certain amount of time?

[Matt R]

There is, but that doesn't solve your underlying problem of knowing if you switched the data on/off or if it was because you went somewhere that you have no signal. If you accept going somewhere with no signal means your phone thinks you manually turned off data (and thus it will remain off until you manually turn it back on), I think a workable solution could be found.

Matt

[Thomas M]

It isnt possible to make the profile only be allowed to run some seconds after screen off, either?

[Matt R]

Yes, you can delay any profile you want by however long you want. Make a profile with a single context of profile active and pick the profile you want to delay (e.g. Profile 1). Then have the task be wait X time, stop if %PACTIVE doesn't match *,Profile 1,* and then put whatever actions you want. Make sure to change task collison handling to abort existing. But again this doesn't solve your manual data toggle problem.

Matt

[Rich D]

I absolutely agree with Matt. I do not think the path you are heading down will give you a reliable profile for what you want to do.  I am not sure if you realize what tasker is capable of as far as using the notification bar goes. I would imagine that what ever your quick toggle notification does tasker will be able to do exactly the same and probably more. If you replace the notify toggle with a tasker notification you will be able to customize it and add other features like a quick screen brightness setting as a example.

@ Matt, your notification approach sounds interesting but i do not exactly understand how it would work.. do you mean that after the notify bar is pulled down then a scene would be displayed over just the data toggle notification? That does not seem correct as the notifications will change positions. I am sure I am missing something...

So after all that said... if we are still going down the same path..

> :( ... There really isn't a way to only allow a profile to be active when the screen has been on for a certain amount of time?

I am starting to get confused as to what you are looking for.  I thought your screen off profile simply set a variable to indicate if mobile data was off when the screen went off which we are assuming the mobile data is off because you turned it off manually . The profile you posted turns mobile data on and off as well as clears a variable.  What is the name of the variable you set to tell if mobile data has been set manually..

Rich..

[Bob Hansen]

Below Thomas explains the objective of this profile.

On Tuesday, May 14, 2013 1:25:31 PM UTC-7, Thomas M wrote:

Hey Bob, thanks for the reply. You're not quite right about what I want. I'm actually looking for a way to avoid the data check when I've turned data off manually. Like if I wanna go a day without recieving or sync'in at all, then I can just turn data off and not worry. However if I turn it on then it will automatically turn off/on when screen off/on and while the screen is off do the data checks. All this in order to save battery.

So, there are two questions that need to be answered.

1) Is the objective reasonable and doable?

2) Is the logic being implemented going to achieve the stated objective?

I'll leave it to greater minds than mine to decide.

 

[Matt R]

Rich, I assume that the toggles are in a fixed location, as they are on my phone (at the top before the list of notifications). If not, then this would also be a non-starter.

Matt

[Rich D]

Ahhhh, Thanks Matt... I think I misunderstood what these toggles are and how they work, as I do not have them. Could you please explain them a little better for me. I thought it was just a notification that when clicked on would open up a entire menu of options. 

Is this a option on the device or third party app?
Can you turn them off?
Do they have a regular notification in the collapsed notification bar?

Thanks, Rich..

On May 15, 2013 1:56 AM, "Matt R" <matthew.r...@gmail.com> wrote:

Rich, I assume that the toggles are in a fixed location, as they are on my phone (at the top before the list of notifications). If not, then this would also be a non-starter.

Matt

[Thomas M]

Thanks for the inputs, guys.

Rich, the toggles in my Sony GB Rom looks like so: http://i.imgur.com/qbYCsh3.png - Very neat looking and quick access which is why I'd prefer them over any widget.

I'm trying to see whether I could just make the Datacheck run a couple of minutes after the screen has been turned off  and do the first data check already there, along with then turning "data off" again. It may just be an idea that only makes sense in my head, maybe, but I'll fiddle around with it a bit.

[Rich D]

> I'm trying to see whether I could just make the Datacheck run a couple of minutes after the screen has been turned off

That's the easy part.  I understand that..

  and do the first data check already there,along with then turning "data off" again

I do not know what you are saying there..

It may just be an idea that only makes sense in my head,

Perhaps....

maybe, but I'll fiddle around with it a bit.

OK...

@Matt,  I like your overlay idea but how were you going to trigger it? The only thing I can think of would be a window value but on my device I get the default " verizon wireless " for a value when the notification is pulled down..

Rich..

[Rich D]

Thomas, if you are still interested in getting a reliable way to test for " I have set my mobile data with my notify toggle"  there may be a simple reliable solution if your device shows a unique window value when the notification bar is pulled down.  To test the window value build this profile then pull down your notification bar and see what is flashed.  To turn it off just disable the profile then save out of tasker..

Profile: Win (381)
Event: Variable Set [ Variable:%WIN Value:* ]
Enter:
A1: Flash [ Text:%WIN Long:Off ]

Rich..

[Rich D]

Oops.. forgot to tell you, you will need to select tasker in your android accessibility settings for this to work. 

[Thomas M]

Seemed like a good idea but sadly the notification bar, when pulled down, shows an empty window value :( ... Empty or "WiFi" right after. Because the WiFi button is the first one in the toggles.

Still got a chance?

[Rich D]

> Seemed like a good idea but sadly the notification bar, when pulled down, shows an empty window value

By empty do you mean %WIN?

:( ... Empty or "WiFi" right after. Because the WiFi button is the first one in the toggles.
>
> Still got a chance?

Sounds promising .. exactly what happens when you pull down the bar?
Do you get a %WIN then 'WIFI' before tapping anything or you get the "WIFI' after pressing the toggle?

[Thomas M]

Empty: just an empty box. Then right after a box pops up with "WiFi". Without me clicking it or anything. Shouldn't kind of kinda be enough, maybe? Can't think of any other program that would be labelled "WiFi"

[Matt R]

Rich, exactly. Using the window label is how I add music controls to my notification pane when music is playing since I'm on gingerbread still and don't have actionable notifications.

Matt

[Thomas M]

So How will I go about utilizing this window label?

[Rich D]

> Empty: just an empty box.

Strange.. I have never got that as a window value.  Must be ROM related I would guess..

Then right after a box pops up with "WiFi".

Now this is good news.

What happens when you press the wifi toggle?  What values do you see

My assumption would be the notification bar collapses and you are back to whatever windows you were at before the bar was pulled down and It simply flashes the value for that window...   let me know if it is something different.

Here are 2 options so far

1. Matts Idea ... trigger on %WIN and the display a  transparent scene over the wifi toggle. Probably the most reliable..

2. I am assuming you made the profile Matt recommended  with context state -> net -> mobile network.  You could have a profile that triggers on %WIN when the notification is pulled down then in the exit task  set a variable %Timeofpress = %TIMES. And another variable %Wifipressed = 1 

Then in the mobile network profile add a context  variable set %Wifipressed =1 and in a enter task clear %Wifipressed check how long it has been since %Timeofpress has been set . If it has been less than 2 or 3 seconds  ( or however long it takes your mobile network to connect) then  set %WIFI_WAS_MANUALLY_TURNED_ON. = on
else clear %WIFI_WAS_MANUALLY_TURNED_ON.

Then you will have to make an exact copy of that profile only in the mobile networks context select "not" and you would set %WIFI_WAS_MANUALLY_TURNED_ON = off

This can fail if you toggle mobile data when you do not have a connection

I actually thought option number 2 was going to be a lot simpler than that when I started typing it.  It should work but will definitely be less reliable than option 1. So my recommendation would he to go with option 1. You would have to build a scene but I do not think this one would be all that complex.  

Rich..

[Thomas M]

Remember, it's "data" that I'm trying to manage, wifi is just the window label that pops up when notification menu is down... I'm onto what youre saying here though.. But it still confuses me a bit because what I'm trying to do is to make data stay on (but still turn off when screen is off and after that do regular data checks and then turn itself on when screen on again) until I turn it off myself. When I've turned it off myself then it must not turn itself on or do data checks etc.

How do I use my %WIN profile to this?

Sorry if I'm being a bit slow here. I appreciate your help, alot!.

[Matt R]

Break everything down into simple steps and get those working one by one. First, make the transparent scene (maybe semi transparent to start so you know when it's showing) that, when clicked, enables/disables data. Then make a profile based on variable value %WIN matches WiFi that has an action to display the scene (and destroy the scene on exit). Then go back to your scene and give it an additional action of setting a variable like %DataManually set to on/off. Then condition your data check profiles on %DataManually ~ on or off as applicable.

Matt

[Thomas M]

But doesn't the "scene" eliminate the data toggle button? I was thinking of doing the 2nd 'option' that Rich listed.

[Rich D]

> Remember, it's "data" that I'm trying to manage, wifi is just the window label that pops up when notification menu is down..

Yep, got that..

. I'm onto what youre saying here though.. But it still confuses me a bit because what I'm trying to do is to make data stay on (but still turn off when screen is off and after that do regular data checks and then turn itself on when screen on again)

You already have a profile that does this and it works with the expectation of you manually turning the data off.  Correct?

until I turn it off myself. When I've turned it off myself then it must not turn itself on or do data checks etc.

This is what I thought we have been trying to solve all along.  Correct?

>
> How do I use my %WIN profile to this?

The %WIN is merely a way to tell if you have pulled down the notification bar.  Once we know that we are that much closer to knowing you have tapped the data toggle. 

However, I believe I have found option #3 and it may prove to be much simpler.  I was poking around shell / dumpsys connectivity.   This is a shell command that will return all sorts of system information.  I found that when the mobile data is enabled or disabled android reports a "reason " for why it has been enabled or disabled. What I have found so far is that if I turn off mobile data with tasker the reason is "dataDisabled"  and if I use airplane mode the reason is "radioTurnedoff"  I have not been able to test for no signal yet ( I can't seem to block the signal at my home)   I may need some help getting the proper way to extract this info from the dumpsys command but I believe you will be able to go back to matts original idea of simply checking if data is off immediately after screen goes off and check the dumpsys to see if was tuned off by "dataDisabled" 

I will try to put a simple profile together for you so you can test these values on you device. It might take me a little while as I am not a shell expert by any means and I will be a little busy tonight.  

Here is the block from dumpsys connectivity that I am referring to..

Active network: mobile
NetworkInfo: type: mobile[CDMA - eHRPD], state: CONNECTED/CONNECTED, reason: dataEnabled, extra: VZWINTERNET, roaming: false, failover: false, isAvailable: true, IpVersion:0
Mobile data state: mobile, CONNECTED

I think i can get it with some crude variable splits but I know there is a more elegant way with shell...

[Thomas M]

Thanks for looking so much into this, mate.

A profile that I could test out things with would be great!

I'll have a look at the dumpsys tomorrow.

[Matt R]

Though you may not use this option, for clarification, the scene wouldn't eliminate the data toggle. It would cover it transparently. So you would still see the data toggle button, but when you press that screen location, you're actually pressing on the transparent scene, not the button.

Matt

[Rich D]

OK try this profile...
It should flash the "reason" every time your data is turned on or off.  What we are looking for is the flash that happens when you use your data toggle and it should be different than using airplane mode or loss of signal. It would be interesting if it is different than the tasker action to turn mobile data on / off.  I have set the final output to the variable %Adumpsys so you can check the exact value we are looking for in the variables tab. 

Your device might give different data in dumpsys connectivity.  So if you do not get the desired results I would change all of the variables %dumpsy to %Dumpsy (to include %dumpsy2 and %dumpsy21) in the task. This will allow you to view the variables in the variables tab.  You should be able to find something similar to the block I previously posted in %Dumpsy  And then try to figure out how to split it out. 

Profile: Mobile Data Change (229)
State: Mobile Network [ 2G:Off 3G:On 3G - HSPA:Off 4G:Off ]
Enter: Get Dumpsys (183)
A1: Run Shell [ Command:dumpsys connectivity Timeout (Seconds):0 Use Root:On Store Result In:%dumpsy Continue Task After Error:On ]
A2: Variable Split [ Name:%dumpsy Splitter:reason: Delete Base:Off ]
A3: Variable Split [ Name:%dumpsy2 Splitter:, Delete Base:Off ]
A4: Variable Set [ Name:%Adumpsys To:%dumpsy21 Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]
A5: Flash [ Text:%dumpsy21 Long:Off ]

Exit: Get Dumpsys (183)
A1: Run Shell [ Command:dumpsys connectivity Timeout (Seconds):0 Use Root:On Store Result In:%dumpsy Continue Task After Error:On ]
A2: Variable Split [ Name:%dumpsy Splitter:reason: Delete Base:Off ]
A3: Variable Split [ Name:%dumpsy2 Splitter:, Delete Base:Off ]
A4: Variable Set [ Name:%Adumpsys To:%dumpsy21 Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]
A5: Flash [ Text:%dumpsy21 Long:Off ]

Let me know what you get for results. 

[Thomas M]

I hope I'm doing this correctly.

When the profile is active and I enable data manually it says "apnSwitched" and when I disable it, it says "dataDisabled".

I can't really test signal loss but airplane mode, when on, says "radioTurnedOff" and whenn off it says "simLoaded" when on.

I made a simple tasker profile that turns data off/on and the values it flashed were the same as if I was to do it manually.

[Rich D]

> I hope I'm doing this correctly.

Looks correct..

>
> When the profile is active and I enable data manually it says "apnSwitched"

This one is the only one I am com fused by... I would expect "dataEnabled" could you test this one a few more times...

and when I disable it, it says "dataDisabled".
>
> I can't really test signal loss

This is a important one to get.  You need to find a led lined room...  :)

but airplane mode, when on, says "radioTurnedOff" and whenn off it says "simLoaded" when on.

That looks correct as well

>
> I made a simple tasker profile that turns data off/on and the values it flashed were the same as if I was to do it manually.

It looking very promising.  I will not be available today ( I will actually have to earn my paycheck today..) but you can try to incorporate this in your existing profiles as I briefly outlined before.. let me know where you get hung up.....

[Thomas M]

"apnSwitched" is really the only one I can get.. no dataEnabled... Very weird.

It'll be hard for me to test signal loss because there's usually signal around these parts. Sometimes it drops for a few seconds but that's it. If it's of any help, probably not, I tried to toggle 2G/3G manually (forcing either one) which makes my connection drop for a couple of seconds too. While it did so a notfication popped of with "(unspecified)" both when the data got disabled, beacuse of "signal loss", and when it got enabled.

[Rich D]

> "apnSwitched" is really the only one I can get.. no dataEnabled... Very weird.

I think that's fine as long you do not get this value for any other connect/ disconnect..

which makes my connection drop for a couple of seconds too. While it did so a notfication popped of with "(unspecified)"

That looks like it... :)

[Rich D]

I finally had a chance to test some of these values. Using this method still will not be as reliable as that Matts transparent scene option.

What I found was the following.. 

1. If data is enabled
2. Data gets disabled by loss of signal
3. You manually toggle data off.
4. Now data will remain off even if the signal is restored, however the reason will still be set for loss of signal.

With the exception of the above scenario I believe it will work for what you are looking for. If it were me I think I was still go with the Transparent scene method.

However this should be fairly simple to integrate into your existing profiles and you could use it until you at the time to build a scene.

Rich..

[Thomas M]

Those occasional signal loss wouldn't be a big deal. I'm not that dependant on having internet connection all the time, so it's ok. Have you also tried with data check, etc? Like, do you have an entire project set up that works? If so, could I maybe have it? Seems like I screwed my own up, somehow.

[Rich D]

> Those occasional signal loss wouldn't be a big deal. I'm not that dependant on having internet connection all the time, so it's ok. Have you also tried with data check, etc?

No, I do not use a data checker,  I just leave my data on all the time. 

Seems like I screwed my own up, somehow.

You would need to post your data checker and all relevant ( any profile or task that sets variables used by the data checker)  profiles and tasks.  Along with a detailed description of what it is supposed to do..

Rich..