How to Back up and Make Blocks Useful

[Techno Peace]

Hello everyone

I wanna back up my App Inventor blocks, and want them be useful and found easily. Could you give me a trick or a way to do that please?

[Chris Ward]

Do you mean you want to recycle them for other projects? You can save the Project File (.aia) to your computer. Give It an appropriate name. When you need the Blocks for another Project, you can do one of two things:

• Load the Project from your computer and save it with the name for your new Project
• Or (if the new Project already exists) load the Project from your computer, copy the Blocks to the Backpack, go to your new Project, paste from the Backpack

[Peter Mathijssen]

You have also the possibility to save an image (png) of the handy blocks as you call them and you can drag and drop them in the block designer when you need them. In the png the block code is incorporated. 

[Chris Ward]

Hi Peter

I recall Evan mentioning that new method but it is not incorporated in nb177 is it? Just tried, nothing happens.

[Peter Mathijssen]

Yes it is incorporated. 

[ABG]

I am finding github helpful for storing those .PNG files

and distributing them without losing their embedded blocks.

Here's a sample: https://github.com/AGetzler/multi_filter/blob/master/DISTINCT.PNG

Use the download link, and try to drag the downloaded .PNG file into

your Blocks Editor workspace and see if the DISTINCT procedure lands.

ABG

[ABG]

Here's a sample upload from github to the Blocks Editor,

give or take some fumbling ...

https://youtu.be/Gf_pS46TAfU

ABG

[ABG]

This is the public link to the repository ...

https://github.com/AGetzler/multi_filter

ABG

[Techno Peace]

Thanks for these. ABG, Will I pay to back up my 100-1000 blocks png to github? 

[ABG]

Will I pay to back up my 100-1000 blocks png to github? 

I haven't paid a cent to Microsoft yet.

on the other hand, I haven't bothered to read their terms of service (licensing?),

and I keep backup copies on my (also free) Dropbox 

and Google Drive.

ABG

 

[Techno Peace]

Could you show me how to upload the blocks to github as png? It is what I'm looking for, and thanks. 

[ABG]

To upload blocks to github,

1. Start a directory for your project in your Dropbox folder (I'm a belt and suspenders guy)
2. export the .aia of your project to that directory.
3. Download the Blocks Image there too.
4. Do a Clean Up Blocks in the Blocks Editor.
5. Starting from the top, Download the .PNG for each block, giving it an appropriate file name
6. (For procedures, you can copy the procedure name to the clipboard for the file rename)
7. Sign up for a free account at github.com
8. Start a new repository at github.com, with your app name
9. Do a directory upload, and mark it all public.

ABG

[ABG]

(added to Blocks Editor section of FAQ)

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/mitappinventortest/wqJin0qO8M0/8xUafdROAgAJ

ABG

[Techno Peace]

Okey thank you.

[Chris Ward]

@ Peter - aha! I thought it would work via the workspace right-mouse menu, given that also produces a .png. (head slap)

So, it is a very useful method, would be great to do something similar in the Designer.

[Peter Mathijssen]

How would that work in your view. Save a button with all it settings to an outside file? If it would have to work from inside the designer you should be able to safe for instance the button with all its properties and all the associated blocks in one go. That would be something special. 

But very happy with the new feature.