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Pent

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Nov 24, 2012, 11:15:30 AM11/24/12
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Decision time again.

The 3 most pressing major issues currently are:

- scenes are not good enough to be used for app creation
- Tasker UI is dated
- many parts of Tasker are using deprecated APIs which will be
removed by Google at some point

I've decided that the most important issues are the last two.

I apologise sincerely to scene users for repeatedly saying I would be
working on scenes soon, and then changing my mind.

The last 2 issues are closely related, they both require updating to
modern
APIs and I have to decide which minimum Android version I'm going to
support The minimal version has to be at least 3.0 because that's
when the Holo UI was introduced. I went for 4.0 because around 70% of
Tasker users are currently at that level and ICS introduced a large
amount of major APIs.

To sum: it's going to take me at least 2 months during which there'll
be no
updates, and when I've finished, around 30% of users will only be
receiving bug fix
updates.

Most of those 30% of users will have received many major updates since
they first bought Tasker, so I don't feel I'm letting them down
hugely.

On the plus side, Tasker will match better to the OS, be smaller and
more efficient,
future proof (for a while) and able to take advantage of recent APIs
which were too complex to add while having to maintain compatibility
back to Donut (1.6).

That's all after the current beta of course.

Pent

moviejimmy

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Nov 24, 2012, 11:27:22 AM11/24/12
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4.0 makes sense!

Wietse van Buitenen

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Nov 24, 2012, 12:03:18 PM11/24/12
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thanks for the heads up Pent!

I don't really care much for UI when it comes to a super functional app as Tasker but I understand other people do..
Tasker is at this point stuffed with features so <4.0 users have a very functional app which will remain to function.
I do wonder what will happen to plugins.. will newer versions of plugins remain compatible with the <4.0 Tasker version?

Pent

unread,
Nov 24, 2012, 12:34:03 PM11/24/12
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> I do wonder what will happen to plugins.. will newer versions of plugins
> remain compatible with the <4.0 Tasker version?

Sure.

Pent

Vladimir Oz

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Nov 24, 2012, 12:35:09 PM11/24/12
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IMHO, order is 3-1-2

P.S. plus, Run Log home screen Short Cut or even intent :-D 

PPS. U R the ROCK!

GermainZ

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Nov 24, 2012, 12:53:21 PM11/24/12
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I guess I'm getting a new device in two months, then.

baudi

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Nov 24, 2012, 12:54:29 PM11/24/12
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Is it your intention to maintain compatibility with existing profiles and tasks? 

Pent

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Nov 24, 2012, 2:20:59 PM11/24/12
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> Is it your intention to maintain compatibility with existing profiles and
> tasks ?

Of course, it's still the same app.

Pent

Pent

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Nov 24, 2012, 2:21:29 PM11/24/12
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> I guess I'm getting a new device in two months, then.

The app will still be there and doing all it already does, just in
case that wasn't clear.

Pent

Pent

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Nov 24, 2012, 2:22:27 PM11/24/12
to Tasker
> IMHO, order is 3-1-2

As I said, 2 and 3 kindof go together. Also, I get loads of bad Play
Store rating due to the UI.

Pent

Nixx

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Nov 24, 2012, 2:55:39 PM11/24/12
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Sad to hear that the scenes are last on the list :(
To me those are way more outdated then the GUI

Personally i'd find them more important then the GUI.
It's a technical program.. and as tech used I don't find it that bad.

Are you sure the PlayStore bad ratings aren't from people that lack the understand tasker properly in general?
Sure it's not the prettiest, but I'm used to work in 3ds max.. and compared to that.. tasker is modern (and that's 5K software..)

GermainZ

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Nov 24, 2012, 3:11:10 PM11/24/12
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If I'm understanding correctly, gingerbread users will only get bug fixes. So no new features, and scenes won't be improved (a feature I really want). Correct?

Nixx

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Nov 24, 2012, 3:43:16 PM11/24/12
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Just to get an idea of the GUI changes, you plan to change the structure or just build a new skin on top of the current structure and add a few function (groups etc) ?
It would be cool if you will build in a node-overview / flowchart system with collapsing branches. That would really make a difference in terms of structuring and overview within a huge project.

Thinking out of the box... it would be coolest if there were to be some 'offline' remote control function :)
As in: connecting your phone (and tasker) to the computer with usb and have a program (or local site) where you can edit everything on a computer screen.
Not being an emulator, but really just a remote control where you can structure and add functions your projects easier on the big screen (node view!).
Then just push play and the tasks etc will be executed on the phone.




Nuno Mendes

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Nov 24, 2012, 7:38:50 PM11/24/12
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Bump on this :/ Alot of people won't have money to buy a new phone to run ICS... I'm with a galaxy Ace and every ICS ROM waste battery like hell plus with alot of bugs.. I'm sad since i'm GB I won't have new scene UI and new features :/

Lex

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Nov 24, 2012, 8:04:45 PM11/24/12
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I'm sad to hear that I'll be receiving only bugfixes from here on. I've tried ICS several times, but a number of features I depend on just don't work or aren't available. Renderfx in cm for night time color changing isn't available, resizing/reflowing text in webkit changed for the worse, scrolling has a weird juddering/stickiness, and a number of my more complex but useful profiles don't work. I've decided to stick with gingerbread rather than lose so many features I depend on.

I suppose there's no way to continue to support older versions while using the newer api?

Vladimir Oz

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Nov 25, 2012, 12:40:36 AM11/25/12
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I got it first time ;) - actually order would be 321

Would Kid-Apps work on GB devices if factory works on ICS?

суббота, 24 ноября 2012 г., 23:22:31 UTC+4 пользователь Pent написал:

Pent

unread,
Nov 25, 2012, 2:36:16 AM11/25/12
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> Sad to hear that the scenes are last on the list :(

When I wrote 'scene users' above, I mainly meant you :-)

> Sure it's not the prettiest, but I'm used to work in 3ds max.. and compared
> to that.. tasker is modern (and that's 5K software..)

Virtually every review in magazines etc mentions the outdated UI. As I
said, I lose an awful lot of stars on Play Store for the UI too.

Pent

Pent

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Nov 25, 2012, 2:37:17 AM11/25/12
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> If I'm understanding correctly, gingerbread users will only get bug fixes. So no new features, and scenes >won't be improved (a feature I really want). Correct?

Mostly, yes.

Pent

Pent

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Nov 25, 2012, 2:41:08 AM11/25/12
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> Bump on this :/ Alot of people won't have money to buy a new phone to run
> ICS... I'm with a galaxy Ace and every ICS ROM waste battery like hell plus
> with alot of bugs.. I'm sad since i'm GB I won't have new scene UI and new
> features :/

You've already had a lot of new features on top of what you paid for.
You won't stay on a Galaxy Ace forever, and like most current users
you
will probably upgrade to a newer Android device.

It's forced by Google's breakneck update speed and the complexity of
Tasker.
I don't have any choice, it's not possible given the time constraints
I have
to keep everyone happy.

Pent

Pent

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Nov 25, 2012, 2:44:02 AM11/25/12
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> Would Kid-Apps work on GB devices if factory works on ICS?

Nope, kids are based on Tasker code so won't support < ICS.

Pent

Pent

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Nov 25, 2012, 2:47:54 AM11/25/12
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> Just to get an idea of the GUI changes, you plan to change the structure or
> just build a new skin on top of the current structure and add a few
> function (groups etc) ?

I will be focused on look and feel. Don't know what you mean by adding
functions
(groups etc).

> Thinking out of the box... it would be coolest if there were to be some
> 'offline' remote control function :)

This isn't a feature request thread :-)

There was supposed to be offline editing already this November, but
the people implementing keep pushing the date back.

Pent

Nixx

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Nov 25, 2012, 7:45:19 AM11/25/12
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When I wrote 'scene users' above, I mainly meant you :-)

Aah :) thanks for thinking about me ;)
 
Virtually every review in magazines etc mentions the outdated UI. As I
said, I lose an awful lot of stars on Play Store for the UI too.

Ok, clear, I get it.

Had already considered to learn to create my own app (as that's the reason i'm using tasker) as then I'd have full control on what I want.
But on the other side.. for me to be able to do so.. i might as well just wait untill you're done with the big updates :)



I will be focused on look and feel. Don't know what you mean by adding
functions
(groups etc).

can be ignored (was thinking in node-views)
 
This isn't a feature request thread :-)
true :) was just going wild for a second.

There was supposed to be offline editing already this November, but
the people implementing keep pushing the date back.

nice!

TonyZZ

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Nov 25, 2012, 11:54:20 AM11/25/12
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As a programmer I understand the need to move forward I stopped this summer including windows XP compatibility in my programs as it is dead in 2014 hopefully those on gingerbread will be able to update to ICS but even Google will stop support for older versions
Keep up the good work and thanks for an excellent app/program
Most people don't like change including myself but somethings change whether we like it or not.

Cptnodegard

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Nov 25, 2012, 12:06:05 PM11/25/12
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Pent, are you drunk? Or have someone hijacked your account and is spewing bullshit on it?

Pent

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Nov 25, 2012, 12:43:58 PM11/25/12
to Tasker
> Pent, are you drunk? Or have someone hijacked your account and is spewing
> bullshit on it?

Hard to say whether you're referring to my OP or the one you replied
to.

In both cases you'll have to be more specific :-)

Pent

Cptnodegard

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Nov 25, 2012, 12:56:47 PM11/25/12
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It's kinda disheartening to see that there will be two months of no useful updates, because you have to run after Google and fix what the fucking retards intentionally broke when they spent the last two years changing Android without actually improving it. I understand you need to make a living, but I really wish developers would make a stance against Google's retardation soon.

Pent

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Nov 25, 2012, 1:02:35 PM11/25/12
to Tasker
> living, but I really wish developers would make a stance against Google's
> retardation soon.

I'm way too busy to form a developer's union :-)

If I do nothing, at some point they'll remove the deprecated APIs and
Tasker will just stop working completely.. That point is likely not
too far away
since a lot of basic stuff changed a long time ago.

Pent

Vladimir Oz

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Nov 25, 2012, 1:05:05 PM11/25/12
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Unfortunately, Google and some others involves users and app-developers into survival race. While Pent make money on app he has to follow UI trend.

Cptnodegard

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Nov 25, 2012, 1:06:05 PM11/25/12
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I know it's not realistic, but if there ever came a day where people had to choose between some of the most popular apps on Android and Android itself, I would probably smile myself to death.  

Pent

unread,
Nov 25, 2012, 1:12:05 PM11/25/12
to Tasker
BTW, could be less than 2 months, hard to say right now.

Pent

electricpete

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Nov 25, 2012, 5:27:37 PM11/25/12
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Thanks for keeping us abreast of what is coming and why.

My opinion fwiw.

I upgraded from Froyo to GB mainly so I could use Tasker App Factory and it was well worth the effort.  I haven’t upgraded to ICS / beyond because I’ve heard on the forums about  some buggy features of Tasker on those OS’s.  I don’t foresee upgrading for  awhile after the new Tasker version because I’m not eager to rework programs that are now working.

 But I don’t by any means feel left down.  We have a great working program for GB, and it would be letting down the folks with the newer OS’s to not give them a program with the same reliability which also takes advantages of the newest capabilities available.  Pent’s got to keep up, or else he’s behind (one of my more profound thoughts today....).

Richard Davis

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Nov 25, 2012, 5:56:02 PM11/25/12
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On Nov 25, 2012 5:27 PM, "electricpete" <electr...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks for keeping us abreast of what is coming and why.
>
> My opinion fwiw.
>
> I upgraded from Froyo to GB mainly so I could use Tasker App Factory and it was well worth the effort.  I haven’t upgraded to ICS / beyond because I’ve heard on the forums about  some buggy features of Tasker on those OS’s.  I don’t foresee upgrading for  awhile after the new Tasker version because I’m not eager to rework programs that are now working.
>
>  But I don’t by any means feel left down.  We have a great working program for GB, and it would be letting down the folks with the newer OS’s to not give them a program with the same reliability which also takes advantages of the newest capabilities available.  Pent’s got to keep up, or else he’s behind (one of my more profound thoughts today....).

My exact situation as well.... could not have said it better.....   :)

Matt

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Nov 26, 2012, 4:21:15 AM11/26/12
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My exact situation as well.... could not have said it better.....   :)

Fairly close to me as well. Don't want to risk bricking my phone by rooting it and don't think HTC are going to give us ICS any time soon.

Still Tasker as it is is a great program as it is for GB.

I may have to unsubscribe from the group emails though, might drool on my keyboard at the new features else! :)

Matt

 

ridethisbike

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Nov 26, 2012, 4:24:44 AM11/26/12
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So with the update comes a loss of pre-ICS API's. Got it. So basically, what we'll have to do is run two different versions of Tasker if we wish to continue support of pre-ICS in our kid apps?

Is it feasible to have both sets of API's that the App Factory can refer to, depending on what we set as the minimum Android version?

If not, does anyone know a way that we can have two versions of the same app (two versions of Tasker) installed on the phone? I haven't quite figured that one out yet.

My kid app works works fine right now, but I am all about new stuff. If there is a way to maintain the old, and have the new, without having to switch between different versions of Tasker, and I'm assuming App Factory as well, that would be preferable.

Pent

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Nov 26, 2012, 4:59:03 AM11/26/12
to Tasker
> So with the update comes a loss of pre-ICS API's. Got it

No, completely wrong :-)

If you're on a pre-ICS phone, the Tasker version you get will support
everything it supports now but nothing new.

If you're on a post-ICS phone, the Tasker version you get will support
everything it supports now plus anything new I add in the future.

Pent

Paul [sabret00the]

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Nov 26, 2012, 5:56:47 AM11/26/12
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That's awesome news Pent. Also what's exciting is that Tasker is to be featured on the next App Clinic, so this is great timing. If you need any mockups sent your way, I'm happy to give it a go.

On Saturday, 24 November 2012 16:15:34 UTC, Pent wrote:
Decision time again.

The 3 most pressing major issues currently are:

- scenes are not good enough to be used for app creation
- Tasker UI is dated
- many parts of Tasker are using deprecated APIs which will be
removed by Google at some point

I've decided that the most important issues are the last two.

I apologise sincerely to scene users for repeatedly saying I would be
working on scenes soon, and then changing my mind.

The last 2 issues are closely related, they both require updating to
modern
APIs and I have to decide which minimum Android version I'm going to
support The minimal version has to be at least 3.0 because that's
when the Holo UI was introduced. I went for 4.0 because around 70% of
Tasker users are currently at that level and ICS introduced a large
amount of major APIs.

To sum: it's going to take me at least 2 months during which there'll
be no
updates, and when I've finished, around 30% of users will only be
receiving bug fix
updates.

Most of those 30% of users will have received many major updates since
they first bought Tasker, so I don't feel I'm letting them down
hugely.

On the plus side, Tasker will match better to the OS, be smaller and
more efficient,
future proof (for a while) and able to take advantage of recent APIs
which were too complex to add while having to maintain compatibility
back to Donut (1.6).

That's all after the current beta of course.

Pent
Message has been deleted

GermainZ

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Nov 26, 2012, 7:30:24 AM11/26/12
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This isn't a feature request thread ;)

You could look into the getintent/sendintent shell commands.

On Monday, November 26, 2012 1:24:04 PM UTC+2, Sergio wrote:
I would like to ask for a new feature.
If it is at all possible to do it.
And if Pent can find the time.

What I would really like to have, is a "macro recording" feature. Something very similar to what exists in MSExcel that records all clicks and actions done on a spreadsheet and presents a macro to replicate everything.
I would use this capability to "record" a series of menu open and button click actions, that I can then translate into a Taker task, adding any condition or if / else that I need.
I.E.: record and transform into a task the very long "menu -> settings -> else -> USB settings -> connect -> (insert USB) -> connect -> OK" list of clicks that I need to do on my SGS2 non rooted Android 4.0.3 every time I want to use the SD card as a mass storage device, being seen by my PC with a drive letter (E: / F:) assigned.

Thanks.

PS: In case anybody has already found a solution for this, please post it !

Cptnodegard

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Nov 26, 2012, 8:18:42 AM11/26/12
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My phone is rooted, has official updates that I could use, and custom ROMs I could install. 
Whether or not I'm going to.... kinda doubt it. There would have to be some seriously impressive features added in ICS only Tasker for me to bother. Turning scenes into widgets, anyone? 
It would also be a bit interesting to see what would happen if I kept releasing a guide to the GB version of Tasker and ignored the ICS version completely. 

Pent

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Nov 26, 2012, 8:43:19 AM11/26/12
to Tasker
> That's awesome news Pent. Also what's exciting is that Tasker is to be
> featured on the next App Clinic, so this is great timing. If you need any
> mockups sent your way, I'm happy to give it a go.

What I'm puzzling about is how to handle dragging present projects
with the action bar sitting at the top of the screen.

Pent

Pent

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Nov 26, 2012, 8:47:57 AM11/26/12
to Tasker
> Whether or not I'm going to.... kinda doubt it

I expect you will... otherwise you'll be writing about old tech that
no one has anymore.

As I wrote, 70% of Tasker users have ICS+ already. Of which 6.5% have
4.2 already!

I know, I know, you don't believe the stats :-)

Pent

Dave Fisher

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Nov 26, 2012, 9:00:20 AM11/26/12
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Not sure if its feasible, but could you do some UI betas (without any Tasker functionality), to get some feedback ? Might (or not) help you with some decisions.

TomL

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Nov 26, 2012, 9:30:28 AM11/26/12
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Ditto here, I'm stuck on GB, at least until my phone contract runs out.

While I envy the API features that are beyond GB, I guess Tasker already has a lot of features that are dependent on OS version, like keyguard, kill app, etc.

Thanks for the heads up.  If nothing else, I guess we have the tools to create plug-ins to build our own features into Tasker.

Tom

Pent

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Nov 27, 2012, 1:32:10 PM11/27/12
to Tasker
Good news, having spent some time with the new APIs it may be possible
to produce a holo feel while maintaining compatibility (at least back
to 2.0+) and not adding too much extra work. The ICS+ version may not
be quite so polished as it would otherwise be, but probably good
enough.

No promises :-)

Pent

GermainZ

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Nov 27, 2012, 1:44:53 PM11/27/12
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That is amazing :o

Lex

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Nov 27, 2012, 1:47:26 PM11/27/12
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Whoa, that's awesome and unexpected news! I, for one, would be willing to kick in to cover the extra time you'll spend.

Nuno Mendes

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Nov 27, 2012, 4:53:48 PM11/27/12
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You kidding? Are you sure it work again with gingerbread? oh my gosh :o I was really really sad and started thinking on dropping all my kid app projects, including dropping Tasker within my small company, since i can't pay the $ of 10+ phones that can handle ICS :), wasn't a good investment since the crisis we face nowadays :) And Tasker really helps this company running ;) If thats true, it will be the best news ever!

Paul [sabret00the]

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Nov 27, 2012, 5:09:37 PM11/27/12
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Not sure if it helps, but the open source (and readily available on Git) resources Sliding Menu (for having Projects in a side panel like Youtube does subscription channels), Actionbar Sherlock (for the action bar and view pager) and the Android ViewPager Indicator (for navigation between Profiles, Tasks, Scenes and Variables) all offer backwards compatibility to provide you with a unified look but remaining fully functional both pre-Honeycomb and post-Honeycomb. 

Paul [sabret00the]

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Nov 27, 2012, 5:20:47 PM11/27/12
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I would recommend putting Projects in a side bar, though I'm not sure how much you can interact with them. But it would allow them to be out of the way and a few apps have adopted the sidebar to great success. If you are able to drag content in the sidebar, then you'd be able to keep the list out of way except for when the user wants them. Also in list form, which is a easier user interaction for users with lots of Projects, that would then enable you to either have the Action Bar simply be Tasker's home and have the profiles, tasks, etc in a swipeable (left to profiles, right to scenes) ViewPageer below. That would be my recommendation. However you could also have a spinner in the Action Bar that would allow users to choose project. That however introduces issues like space consumption in the Action Bar given the project title.

Richard Davis

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Nov 27, 2012, 5:39:30 PM11/27/12
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> Good news, having spent some time with the new APIs it may be possible
> to produce a holo feel while maintaining compatibility (at least back
> to 2.0+)

Good news???  That's GREAT news..!!! 

You must have got wind of the Gingerbread Union we were forming...

                                                    :-)

Nuno Mendes

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Nov 27, 2012, 5:44:03 PM11/27/12
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Pent, read the posts above! Its true :) Youtube has a cool visual(GB version) and still feels like ICS :)

Matt

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Nov 28, 2012, 4:11:05 AM11/28/12
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Ok this is very good news! (I know I know no promises but still I'll allow myself a little woo!)

Matt


On Tuesday, 27 November 2012 18:32:17 UTC, Pent wrote:

Pent

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Nov 28, 2012, 12:55:28 PM11/28/12
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Seems it will take less than 2 months as well :-)

Pent

Nuno Mendes

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Nov 28, 2012, 2:45:16 PM11/28/12
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If you can ask the devs of Tasks ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.teamtasks.tasks.paid&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNoLnRlYW10YXNrcy50YXNrcy5wYWlkIl0. )
email: tasks....@gmail.com

They use a pretty neat, simple and superb ICS feel, while it has GB compatiblity :)

Pent

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Nov 29, 2012, 2:00:45 AM11/29/12
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> They use a pretty neat, simple and superb ICS feel, while it has GB
> compatiblity :)

That's in no way comparable to the functionality that the Tasker UI
has to offer.

Pent

Bob Findlay

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Nov 29, 2012, 5:10:58 AM11/29/12
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you can't please everyone.

IMHO if people are sticking with an older version of their operating system, they should be prepared to stick with an older version of apps like tasker too.  with it being so closely bound to the OS, I don't consider that unreasonable.

Just my 2p worth

GermainZ

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Nov 29, 2012, 8:30:05 AM11/29/12
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True, although not all devices support the latest versions of android.

Michael Stevens

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Nov 29, 2012, 5:16:55 PM11/29/12
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Phew! I feel so relieved that you are at least considering giving us 2.0+ users (I'm on Froyo) a reprieve. I'm no Luddite regarding newer Android versions, it's just that I love my 3G tablet and if I had to upgrade I'd have to go for a WiFi only tablet due to cost considerations.
Please, please, please don't throw us into the cold to die sad, lonely deaths Pent! :-p

Regards, Michael

Cptnodegard

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Nov 29, 2012, 8:36:06 PM11/29/12
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Definitely good news there. I had pretty much resigned myself to leaving the Tasker community when the new update hit, as ICS+ is simply way too shitty for me to bother messing up a perfectly working phone to deal with it, especially now that I'm back to one Android device. I've had both ICS and JB on another device, and that just confirmed what I knew about shit breaking and no benefits gained. 

Michael Stevens

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Nov 29, 2012, 8:50:17 PM11/29/12
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Couldn't agree more. Though I understand the need for a dev to look to the future,  the fact is there are a lot of die-hard pre-ICS users out there.
One day I will upgrade, either through necessity or because a REAL *improvement* comes along! But please don't bury us 'til we're dead! More than anything else it's discourteous to us Luddites ;-p

Richard Davis

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Nov 29, 2012, 9:17:33 PM11/29/12
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It appears to me that a overwhelming number of posters on this group are pre-ICS.  You can probably come up with several different reasons for this but I just thought it noteworthy ........   :) 

Rich...

Dave Disser

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Nov 29, 2012, 9:59:22 PM11/29/12
to tasker

I agree with the priorities. I've been meaning to make a car dock, but after spending about half an hour playing with scenes, it was pretty clear to me that web view is the way to go for UIs.

Pent

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Nov 30, 2012, 2:11:02 AM11/30/12
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I havn't tested on a pre-ICS device yet but it's looking like
maintaining compatibility while keeping a migration path to native-iCS
will be easier than I thought. There are going to be some
difficulties, but there would be those also if I abandoned pre-ICS
(including adding bugfixes to the pre-ICS source).

Might have a prototype-for-comments beta in a couple of weeks.

Pent

Cptnodegard

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Nov 30, 2012, 3:56:32 AM11/30/12
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I feel like Pent is being left with a hard choice here, being asked to choose between evolving Tasker to keep it relevant and not annoy a few core users. I would understand the decision to drop GB support, however, I'm simply not going to break my phone by slapping some god awful update it doesn't need onto it. Not without an extremely revolutionary new feature, a feature that somehow manages to provide more value to ICS than anything Google has put into Android in two years. I don't see that being very likely, though if anything can provide that sort of carrot, it's Tasker. 

It's interesting that both iOS and Android are now at a point where people avoid the latest update because it's shit. Yey for going backwards....

Matt

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Nov 30, 2012, 4:28:29 AM11/30/12
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"I feel like Pent is being left with a hard choice here"

Yup, I couldn't get any Android version higher than 2.3 on my phone without rooting it, and I rely on it too much to risk crashes / lockups etc if I c*ck it up... So to get a new android version I'd have to get a new phone and whilst mine is working I doubt that'll get past the chancellor (my better half!)

Having said all that though there will almost certainly come a time when Tasker needs to move on, that's not Pent's fault, if anyone is to blame then it's Google for not maintaining compatibility... It would be brill if that time was not yet though :)

Anyway I'll stop waffling and do some work now!

MattV

Paul [sabret00the]

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Nov 30, 2012, 4:55:21 AM11/30/12
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That doesn't happen.

Nuno Mendes

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Dec 2, 2012, 6:55:57 PM12/2/12
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Any news Pent?:)


Pent

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Dec 3, 2012, 1:55:31 AM12/3/12
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> Any news Pent?:)

Yes, the news is that it's a real time-consuming and tedious pain to
convert hundreds of dialogs from an API where the code is spread all
over the source file to one where all the code is all in one place :-)

On the other hand, the action bar concept is growing on me (not
literally).

Pent

Paul [sabret00the]

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Dec 3, 2012, 5:18:56 AM12/3/12
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BTW Pent, did you see that Tasker was featured on The App Clinic?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTqRGSxOtlo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Cptnodegard

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Dec 3, 2012, 9:14:29 AM12/3/12
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It's also in the newest issue of Android Magazine. Just a tiny story though

Pent

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Dec 3, 2012, 10:40:01 AM12/3/12
to Tasker
Sugar, the standard number picker widget didn't get into the SDK till
Honeycomb.

Pent

Paul [sabret00the]

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Dec 3, 2012, 10:42:26 AM12/3/12
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Here you go: https://github.com/SimonVT/android-numberpicker
--
Until Next Time, Make Me A Marvel!

Pent

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Dec 3, 2012, 11:06:40 AM12/3/12
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Good find, but have to consider if the extra file size and integration
effort
is worth it.

Will probably just leave the number pickers as-is until I can finally
dump Gingerbread support.

Pent

Paul [sabret00the]

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Dec 3, 2012, 11:10:13 AM12/3/12
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While I abhor the current number picker, it's totally understandable. Do whatever you need to do to put out the product you're happy with.

Adamx

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Dec 3, 2012, 1:01:11 PM12/3/12
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I just wanted to throw in my two cents here, that I think Pent's made the right decision with regard to going after the ratings. Current users have already paid, Pent needs new customers to make money. If he can turn those rating frown upside-down with an improved UI, that means more new customers for him, and as a byproduct, new features for us current users. 

The fact that Pent has so much concern for his current users really is fantastic. For about $6, you're not just buying what Tasker currently has, you're buying all kinds of future goodies too that Pent adds in. Pent doesn't charge you extra for those! At least until he figures out in-app purchasing maybe. ;)

Adam

Pent

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Dec 3, 2012, 1:35:36 PM12/3/12
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> At least until he figures out in-app purchasing maybe. ;)

What's that ? Sounds interesting :-)

Pent

Nuno Mendes

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Dec 3, 2012, 3:40:35 PM12/3/12
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Maybe he means like, if you want to us elets say, "Cell Near" actio you need to pay x€ so you unlock it. Those kind of things that people when they buy the product, they stay angry to see the product is not fully unlocked :P
Btw i would suggest you to make promotions with Tasker. Like its coming christmas, a 25% discount or smth. Normally that attarcts clients.
About user interface, yes Tasker doesn't have a futurustic or "clean-ICS" styled, but I guarantee you that isn't why people don't buy it. Actually Tasker UI is just different, and I agree a more ICS style would make Tasker a bit cooler, but who buys Tasker, they buy cause whats in the package, not what the package looks like. I'm talking on a enterprise way of view ;) Your product is alot advertised out there, and the 40% of people that uses Android itensively(roots it, mod it etc) knows Tasker and knows what hes capable off, and they not using another program for sure because of the visual lol:D

Too long to read: Tasker will always be Tasker on the inside, and thats why people use it. Cheers on your awsome work, furthermore with the one and only Pent working alone on it.
Thats my 2cents.

Michael Stevens

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Dec 3, 2012, 5:00:03 PM12/3/12
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I bought tasker because reviews claimed it could be utilised to do just about anything. Despite an extensive knowledge of basic (in the '80's!) and a lot of javascripting/website design, I found it difficult to get to grips with at first and nearly gave up! Boy am I glad I persevered! Now I've replaced a lot of my apps with Tasker scripts ("recipes" yuk!) and Tasker is absolutely the "Must Have" app for ANY Droid(rooted).

Now I'll get to my point :-P I don't care about the UI, I don't care if Pent wants an annual fee for use of Tasker (My suggestion, not his - He's never mentioned further fees.) But please don't abandon us users of older OS's. I'm no Luddite and I'm no old fart wanting to live in the past (WinBlows 8 being installed as we speak) but Droid gets updated too often, usually with (many) detrimental effects, and also I'm happy with my FroYo tablet (just as I'm happy with my Amiga) :-P  Just because Droid keeps updating is no reason to forget the squillions of us who don't wan't/can't afford to up(down)grade.

Please Pent, do your best to bring in new features for ALL of us .

Regards, Mike

GermainZ

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Dec 3, 2012, 5:07:02 PM12/3/12
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Read what Pent posted a few posts back. :)

Pent

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Dec 4, 2012, 2:06:08 AM12/4/12
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> Might have a prototype-for-comments beta in a couple of weeks.

Turns out that was optimistic, I'm running into a lot of hidden work.
Hopefully I can
get a prototype out for Christmas :-)

Pent

Pent

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Dec 4, 2012, 12:15:45 PM12/4/12
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> Not sure if it helps, but the open source (and readily available on Git)
> resources Sliding Menu (for having Projects in a side panel like Youtube
> does subscription channels),

I tried SlidingMenu for projects. Nice, but doesn't allow things to be
dragged
around while the menu is showing unfortunately, so project refiling
would have
to be via long-click-and-select, which is a step backwards I think.

Pent

Richard Davis

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Dec 4, 2012, 12:33:07 PM12/4/12
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>
> I tried SlidingMenu for projects. Nice, but doesn't allow things to be
> dragged
> around while the menu is showing unfortunately, so project refiling
> would have
> to be via long-click-and-select, which is a step backwards I think.

In my opinion ( for what that is worth....) I think a long click and select would be better on the small screens (I do not own a tablet).  I find the drag and drop to be cumbersome because you can only drag so far  then if you wait for the scroll it will usually que up and get difficult .. and my thumb is sometimes blocking where the drop will be.  So a long press and paste would be more accurate as well... with 'flick to scroll' I think it would be faster when moving many places..  just My humble opinion...

Rich....

Richard Davis

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Dec 4, 2012, 12:34:59 PM12/4/12
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Forgot to mention it would do away with all the false moves.. :)

Pent

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Dec 4, 2012, 12:56:20 PM12/4/12
to Tasker
Hmm, doesn't seem to accept any input when open, just closes the menu.

Think I have an old version somehow, the setTouchModeBehind function
is missing too.

Have to admit I'm a bit lost with git :-)

Pent

Unicyclist

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Dec 4, 2012, 1:12:22 PM12/4/12
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I would be very disappointed to see you go, Cptnodegard. You have helped me with many Tasker projects that I struggled with on my own.

On another note, Pent does need to make money on Tasker. I paid just $6 for it a long time ago. I still get to use the app, AND I get continuous updates, making the app worth much more than I paid for it. I once asked Pent if there were a way I could donate, and he suggested I purchase a direct download license. I bought 3! For the amount of usefulness I get from Tasker, I would pay $50+ and still feel like I got a good deal. Even my wife (who doesn't even know how to change her own ringtones) can see how much we use Tasker on a daily basis, and agrees that it is worth much more than the ~$6 I originally paid for it.

Each of us knows how much work Pent has done for us, and how much we love Tasker, and all for $5.

Thank you Pent. Keep up the good work.

Mikes

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Dec 4, 2012, 1:23:03 PM12/4/12
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I myself would vote to keep drag and drop. I've never had any issues with it since setting drag area to left-most side. However, I am on a tablet and therefore don't experience the problems you have.


Sent with AquaMail for Android
http://www.aqua-mail.com

Pent

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Dec 4, 2012, 2:10:48 PM12/4/12
to Tasker
Looks like I won't be able to use SlideMenu for projects. I emailed
the author, the builtin behaviour of SlideMenu now is that when the
menu is showing no interaction is possible with the content view on
the right. Shame, I think that limits
its usefulness quite a lot.

Pent

Cptnodegard

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Dec 4, 2012, 4:17:51 PM12/4/12
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I would be very disappointed to see you go, Cptnodegard. You have helped me with many Tasker projects that I struggled with on my own.

Thanks, but even if Tasker continues to support GB, I am - and will be - posting less about Tasker than I have. The projects I'm currently working on now is way beyond what can be covered in a beginner's guide, and I've realized that it's not possible to post any advanced profiles and expect only advanced users to go for them - beginners expect there to be a step by step guide for everything. I can't explain how everything works together in projects that have hundreds of actions, which means I'm starting to have very little to write about, as that's what not I do in Tasker these days. I also get anywhere from a couple to a couple of dozen of what's essentially support requests about Tasker each day, in comments, email, twitter, etc. While it's nice to see that sort of response, I've had to start turning those away to focus on other things. 


Paul [sabret00the]

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Dec 4, 2012, 6:16:19 PM12/4/12
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Tasker was also featured on Android Design in Action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF8uvG2Onuw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Amer

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Dec 5, 2012, 1:04:16 AM12/5/12
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Pent

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Dec 5, 2012, 1:32:59 AM12/5/12
to Tasker
> Yes, you can read the article here:  http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/12/04/what-taskers-ui-could-be-as-i...

Heh, that's timely, will have a watch later, thanks for the link.

Pent

dgwood12

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Dec 5, 2012, 1:41:13 AM12/5/12
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I just watched this video and read the article on android police. Don't get me wrong pent, I appreciate all the hard work that you have done with tasker and I understand the lack of improvements to the UI. You have devoted your time to improving functionality and I am grateful for all the improvements you have brought to Tasker. I do think that a UI design would open up the door to a larger variety of people. I personally have talked to a handful of people that have been turned off from tasker due to the learning curve. I think that the UI they designed in the video is beautiful, simple and would be a great way to make Tasker more user friendly.

GermainZ

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Dec 5, 2012, 2:11:55 AM12/5/12
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The theme is so bright in that video. And I doubt they used Tasker for more than a few minutes, because that UI is even more confusing (although it would look better than the current Tasker UI in dark, that I admit) than the current UI if you ask me.

GermainZ

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Dec 5, 2012, 2:14:58 AM12/5/12
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Re-reading my post, I think that came a bit harsh.

What I meant is, as a user who uses Tasker a lot, I would be utterly lost if that exact UI would be given to me.
Especially the lists (task actions list, contexts list, etc...), all of them seem like one block to me and I couldn't distinguish what is what. Also, replacing the actions with the search function wouldn't work for me... I still usually always get the wrong keyword when searching, and quite frankly, I sometimes like tinkering around the menus to find what I want rather than knowing what I want from the start.

Vladimir Oz

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Dec 5, 2012, 3:01:51 AM12/5/12
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DO NOT look at this piece of sh.... 
That's nub's vision of stupid UI with couple of profiles and contexts in it! 
Yeah! Looks smooth and clever but You can't to see overall.
why should I type Action's name instead of couple of taps on category->Action button?!

Excuse me but it's iOSing of UI.

среда, 5 декабря 2012 г., 10:32:59 UTC+4 пользователь Pent написал:

Amer

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Dec 5, 2012, 3:18:24 AM12/5/12
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I have to admit the part about learning curve there, most of the people I suggest to use Tasker will usually said it's not so easy to use. Most of them will ask for step by step instructions from me.

But I'm not really sure the problem is in UI also. Maybe it's just lack of tutorial in the beginning or something.

--
√ HTC Evo 3D
√ Android ICS 4.0.3
√ Sense 3.6 Cool ICS ROM v14a
√ 4EXT Recovery Touch v1.0.0.5 RC7

10amla

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Dec 5, 2012, 5:42:38 AM12/5/12
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On Wednesday, December 5, 2012 12:01:51 AM UTC-8, Vladimir Oz wrote:
 
why should I type Action's name instead of couple of taps on category->Action button?!

 
 
The problem is when you don't know what category the action resides.  I've occasionally had difficulty finding an action even after using tasker for months. That  approach, the option to use that approach, or as part of beginner mode might be useful.

Vladimir Oz

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Dec 5, 2012, 6:03:48 AM12/5/12
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anyway, unless You've read man and learn Actions exact names You can't spell and type them correct, right? I think it is.
So, man sould be structured by categories as they appears in UI.

Sure, as part of searching, that approach is useful and was suggested in case of User's Task or Variables search - when we're using looking glass button and scrolling through ton of tasks or vars.

Imaging, that I can correct task or run some actions while standing in traffic mess. blah-blah

среда, 5 декабря 2012 г., 14:42:38 UTC+4 пользователь 10amla написал:

Cptnodegard

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Dec 5, 2012, 6:04:27 AM12/5/12
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I could only be assed looking at the screenshots from that article, but it looked pretty horrible. First off, the UI itself was ugly. Straight up ugly. The screenshots show mute/unmute all over the UI. Since when do single actions have any business being visible at profile level? How the living fuck will my tasks with several dozen actions then look? 

IMHO, you should throw a cease and desist order at them and get the entire video taken down. Having a video out there that is completely unrealistic as to how it works serves no one

Pent

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Dec 5, 2012, 6:04:22 AM12/5/12
to Tasker
I watched both the videos and there were some nice ideas which I will
keep in mind while moving to holo.

I found the design video a bit simplistic. For the main screen, they
didn't have anything about reordering items or refiling items in
projects, how to show projects etc. i.e. the difficult parts. The nice
Switch widget they had (which I also like) I can't include without a
lot of backwards compatibility work.

The 'don't allow editing on the first screen' i.e. have a separate
profile edit screen, is how I used to have it. The App Clinic video
was against having several depths of configuration...

Pent
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