Activity Starter

[Genek]

Go here to discuss programming with the Activity Starter in Google App
Inventor.

[Gary Frederick]

I'm real interested in Activity Starter. In fact I think I will try an app or two. All I have done up to now is the tutorial.

[Gary]

Tony and I (and anyone else interested) are going to see about hooking up to aol radio

https://groups.google.com/d/topic/programming-with-app-inventor/igtqyes-CPE/discussion

[Genek]

Just assume I want in on that action. :)

[Gary]

I never doubted it

not for a second

[Anthony Barnes]

Allright guys,
I just loaded the music picker sandbox project up to the tAIR project site. I got AOL to work, and I got pandora to open the current playing list but not having any luck with being able to select the pandora channels.

On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 2:04 PM, Gary <g...@jsoft.com> wrote:

I never doubted it

not for a second

--
Tony Barnes
barne...@gmail.com
tAIR v1.apk
tAIR Discussion Group
http://www.TheAIRepository.info

[Anthony Barnes]

Oops,
Forgot the link to the tAIR project site.

[Genek]

Version 0.71

• Added
• Actions: Uninstall Applications. You need to supply package name for dat. Thanks Tony!
• Stock: Open App Settings
• Stock: Open Manage Apps
• Stock: Open View Running Services
• Stock: Open Dev Settings
• Update the tracker
• Added Package Names Page
  
• Tracker

[Anthony Barnes]

Gene,
I added install package and download package to the actions tab.

--
Tony Barnes
barne...@gmail.com
tAIR1_2.apk

[Genek]

Thanks Tony.

Here is the latest.

Release Notes

Version 0.72

• Added
• Actions: Added form to generate Maps Street View
• Form takes in lat,lng, yaw, pitch & zoom and build DataUri?
• Actions: Added Install app (Must implemented using timing from Tony's Auto Update Tutorial. http://www.theairepository.info/faq/how-to-s/auto-updater)
• Actions: Added Download App (need to enter URL for dat before clicking)
• Update the tracker
• Added Activity Actions, Broadcast Actions, Categories, & Features tabs for 2.2 and 2.3
• Tracker

Gene
App Inventor Info Center
http://www.taiic.com

[Paul]

Hi

This looks like the place to be to get some answers.

 I'm wanting my app to generate some text and then display it as a
QRcode.
I know you can send the text to a web page to encode it, but I'm
looking to
do it without any Internet connection

1 Generate the text
2 use an activity starter with zxing to pass the text over
3 zxing will do the encoding and display the QR code image.

Yes, Zxing can can encode as well as scan barcodes.

This Is what I have so far 

____________________________

Action
com.google.zxing.client.android.ENCODE
ActivityClass
com.google.zxing.client.android.encode.EncodeActivity
ActivityPackage
com.google.zxing.client.android
DataType

DataUri
Hello.
ExtraKey

ExtraValue

_____________________

I received a new error " Could not encode a barcode from the data
provided. "
So just putting the text"hello" in the data URI won't work, but at least It tryed to encode it.

There is lots of info about ZXing here. http://www.openintents.org/en/node/96

Hope you can help as I think I am nearly there.

[Anthony Barnes]

Try putting ENCODE_DATA as the extra Key and Hello as the Extra Value. Take the text out of the datauri.

Let me know if that works and we can add it to the activity starter tracker over on Gene's site taiic.com.

--

tAIR - Main Site   |    tAIR - Forum   |   tAIR - Code Site   |    tAIR - Webchat
tAIR Companion App - Download From Market
Tony Barnes   |   barne...@gmail.com

[Paul]

No same error

On Nov 28, 3:53 pm, Anthony Barnes <barnes.t...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Try putting ENCODE_DATA as the extra Key and Hello as the Extra Value. Take
> the text out of the datauri.
>
> Let me know if that works and we can add it to the activity starter tracker
> over on Gene's site taiic.com.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 9:20 AM, Paul <a.new.al...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi
> > This looks like the place to be to get some answers.
>
> >  I'm wanting my app to generate some text and then display it as a
> > QRcode.
> > I know you can send the text to a web page to encode it, but I'm
> > looking to
> > do it without any Internet connection
>
> > 1 Generate the text
> > 2 use an activity starter with zxing to pass the text over
> > 3 zxing will do the encoding and display the QR code image.
>
> > Yes, Zxing can can encode as well as scan barcodes.
>
> > This Is what I have so far
>
> > ____________________________
>
> > Action

> > com.google.zxing.client.**android.ENCODE
> > ActivityClass
> > com.google.zxing.client.**android.encode.EncodeActivity
> > ActivityPackage
> > com.google.zxing.client.**android

> > DataType
>
> > DataUri
> > Hello.
> > ExtraKey
>
> > ExtraValue
>
> > _____________________
>
> > I received a new error " Could not encode a barcode from the data
> > provided. "
> > So just putting the text"hello" in the data URI won't work, but at least
> > It tryed to encode it.
>

> > There is lots of info about ZXing here.http://www.openintents.org/en/**
> > node/96 <http://www.openintents.org/en/node/96>

>
> > Hope you can help as I think I am nearly there.
>
> --

> tAIR - Main Site <http://www.tair.info/>   |    tAIR -
> Forum<http://groups.google.com/group/theairepository>
> |   tAIR - Code Site <http://code.google.com/p/the-ai-repository>   |    tAIR
> - Webchat <http://www.tair.info/webchat>

> tAIR Companion App - Download From

> Market<https://market.android.com/details?id=info.tAIR.tAIRApp&feature=searc...>
> Tony Barnes   |   barnes.t...@gmail.com
> <http://groups.google.com/group/theairepository>

[Anthony Barnes]

can you send me your source so I can see what is going wrong?

tAIR - Main Site   |    tAIR - Forum   |   tAIR - Code Site   |    tAIR - Webchat

tAIR Companion App - Download From Market

Tony Barnes   |   barne...@gmail.com

[Anthony Barnes]

According to package browser on my htc evo 4g,

The package should be 

com.google.zxing.client.android

and the class should be

com.google.zxing.client.android.encode.EncodeActivity

It may be different on your phone. You can download dev tools and spare parts from your emulator and put it on your phone.

See the how-to here!  www.tair.info/faq/how-to-s/devtools

Once you install dev tools you should be able to go into it, select the package explorer and then find the barcode utility to see the activities and classes.

You might also try setting the action to VIEW instead of encode data.

[Paul]

> According to package browser on my htc evo 4g,
> The package should be
> com.google.zxing.client.android
> and the class should be
> com.google.zxing.client.android.encode.EncodeActivity

Yes that's what I have

I'd send the source but I'm just using the Activity Starter.and a
button to start it. everything else I'm putting in the Properties
boxes not the block editor.

[Anthony Barnes]

Paul,

I am looking into this some more tonight to see if i can figure it out now that i have access to dddms.

[Paul]

Only thing I have noticed is that when you key some text in to
encode, the log shows

cmp=com.google.zxing.client.android/.encode.EncodeActivity (has
extras)

Note the "has extras"

I haven't a clue if that's anything or not!

[Anthony Barnes]

Yeah,

I got the same thing. Worked on it quite a while last night. I think we are passing the extras wrong. Trying to get more information from some of the google/mit folks. Will let you know if i find out anything. This will be a good tutorial for tAIR.

[Paul]

I'm glad somebody else has got on to this, I'm out of my depth. My
only training was evening class on BBC basic, Ask your dads kids.
Now if you want a fence or a deck building then I'm your man.

Back to QRCodes, Any of this mean anything?
___________________________
public static final class Encode {
/**
* Send this intent to encode a piece of data as a QR code and
display it full screen, so
* that another person can scan the barcode from your screen.
*/
public static final String ACTION =
"com.google.zxing.client.android.ENCODE";

/**
* The data to encode. Use {@link
android.content.Intent#putExtra(String, String)} or
* {@link android.content.Intent#putExtra(String,
android.os.Bundle)},
* depending on the type and format specified. Non-QR Code formats
should
* just use a String here. For QR Code, see Contents for details.
*/
public static final String DATA = "ENCODE_DATA";

/**
* The type of data being supplied if the format is QR Code. Use
* {@link android.content.Intent#putExtra(String, String)} with
one of {@link Contents.Type}.
*/
public static final String TYPE = "ENCODE_TYPE";
_______________________________

[Anthony Barnes]

Paul,

According to my friends at google, this is probably a nogo.

They think you need to be able to pass the encode_data, encode_format and encode type pairs and AI only supports sending one pair of extras. They couldn't get it to work either. Sorry we couldn't get it going, it sounds like it would have been kool to generate on the phone.

It looks like you may be able to do it with the sdk if you know java. The only other option is using the qr code api and doing it from the internet.

[Paul]

Thanks Anthony

I don't know java at all, But would it be possible for an app using
the open source of zxing that could sit in-between AI and set the
extra parameters. Or a cut down version of zxing that AI can talk to.

My best workaround is to copy to the clip board then use Activity
starter as follows
_________________________________
Action
com.google.zxing.client.android.View
ActivityClass
com.google.zxing.client.android.Share.ShareActivity
ActivityPackage
com.google.zxing.client.android

DataType
DataUri
Hello.
ExtraKey
ExtraValue

________________________
This opens zxing at the point where you can enter the text. Past it in
and encode it.

What' s your jarva like? An have you had a look at the ZXing Code.

Thanks For trying and If you find anything else let me know
Paul.

[Anthony Barnes]

I think your workaround is probably the only solution that will work with AI period.

I did look at the java source along with the logs in ddms to figure out how to get it to the point where it would give the unable to encode error.

I haven't worked with eclipse for a few months so my java is a little rusty right now but i have done enough programming to figure out the code,

Unfortunately I have a lot of other stuff going on right now and can't look at it any further.