The new About Screen property in AI2 Version nb122

[Taifun]

I'm not sure, if I like this new feature: 

each App Inventor app now gets automatically the "About Screen" property using a default Android icon and some advertisement for App Inventor "Invented with App Inventor http://appinventor.mit.edu"...

ok, you can add some text (see screenshot), but the default text can't be removed?

we should be able to enable/disable this feature or being able to modify the default text and icon used...

Taifun

AboutScreen

Information about the screen. It appears when "About this Application" is selected from the system menu. Use it to tell users about your app. In multiple screen apps, each screen has its own AboutScreen info.

[Taifun]

any thoughts?

[Enis]

Many lol...

I think this will stop some people from using AI for commercial app production... not the about box, but the fact that it says it was done with AppInventor.  A lot of people probably don't want that information to be known... I know, for me, I'd want to be able to remove those references.  Some people perceive AI to be a low level toy.  What's it's turned into is a great app development environment. In addition, while created as a teaching tool originally, AI has blossomed into a full blown development environment that many non-students will use to create market apps.  As a developer, I wouldn't want this info in the app for public consumption...

[Piet de Vlugt]

I think it certainly would be nice to be able to disable this new feature, because I think it does not really add something to quality of the apps, nor is it an improvement of the development environment.

 

But on the other hand I think that I can understand why MIT would want to make it's development environment more known. And this is one way to do just that. And yes, I agree with Enis: I think it could well be a reason for commercial programmers not to use it anymore.

[Enis]

Because AI is a FREE service, it's reasonable for MIT to try to find a way to brand the output, although I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place.  I also don't know if MIT wants to be shown as responsible if an app is an app gone wild, or behaves badly because of coding issues...

It's a tough issue... Google doesn't brand apps make with the SDK and Eclipse or the Android Studio... at least not visually to the user and they're free as well. But MIT is doing all of the work as projects and research and as a global community contribution, and that should definitely be noted in the end result.

It would also be reasonable in the About box, but as a very indiscreet notation at the bottom of the box, small type, etc.

In addition, I tend to always make my own About screen for all of my apps, so I'd have to have two about boxes and that doesn't make sense.

[j.ra...@gmail.com]

instead of adding nice features, MIT team are wasting their times in making this, I see NO NEED for this. it's USELESS and Annoying, hope someone do something and find a way to get rid of that annoying writings!

MIT team, you're disappointing us AGAIN and AGAIN!

[Enis]

That's a fairly harsh and unwarranted comment.

MIT's team has done nothing but tirelessly worked their butts off to produce a great, and I mean GREAT development tool for you to use, free. 

I suggest you tone down that sort of comments here on the forum.

If you're that disappointed with App Inventor, why are you here and using AI rather than Eclipse or Android Studio?

[M. Hossein Amerkashi]

Very well said Enis

On Feb 11, 2014 6:06 PM, "Enis" <shadow...@gmail.com> wrote:

That's fairly harsh and unwarranted.

MIT's team has done nothing but produce a great, and I mean GREAT tool for you to use.  I suggest you tone down those sort of comments here on the forum.

If you're that disappointed, why are you using AI and not Eclipse or Android Studio?

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[Scott Ferguson]

In a way I like the part that says what the screen does. But when the user is looking at the screen, however, the purpose of the screen should be fairly obvious. So, this might be considered an additional  documentation tool for the app developer.

Also, your user should not have to see this dialog box if you have designed it to have a back button or to gracefully capture the hardware back button.

---

Scott

[Hal Abelson]

The next release will have the App Inventor branding smaller an appear at the end after the aboutScreen text.

[Taifun]

Also, your user should not have to see this dialog box if you have designed it to have a back button or to gracefully capture the hardware back button.

you have to press the menu button to see that menu

Taifun

 

[jeffrey.schiller]

The next release (not the one we put out last night).   -Jeff

[Jos Flores]

The icon is, in my opinion, too big, and it doesn't follow design guidelines. It should look more like the X icon in the other menu option.

--------------------------------
phone.brevity.typos

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[kristijan per]

Symbol and the whole text should be allowed to be changed. 

I want to write a text in German finish.

[islan...@gmail.com]

On Monday, February 10, 2014 7:50:36 AM UTC-10, Taifun wrote:
> I'm not sure, if I like this new feature: 
> each App Inventor app now gets automatically the "About Screen" property using a default Android icon and some advertisement for App Inventor "Invented with App Inventor http://appinventor.mit.edu"...
>
>
>
> ok, you can add some text (see screenshot), but the default text can't be removed?
>
> we should be able to enable/disable this feature or being able to modify the default text and icon used...
> Taifun
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

> AboutScreen
> Information about the screen. It appears when "About this
> Application" is selected from the system menu. Use it to tell users
> about your app. In multiple screen apps, each screen has its own
> AboutScreen info.

Having been immersed in a very enjoyable and educational building of an app on AI Classic for the past 4 months, AND having just fired up AI2 to see about using it for future projects, I thought it germane to post. First off, a hearty thanks to all who have contributed your efforts. You've all been this teacher's teachers and your 'open-source' attitudes are much appreciated. FWIW, I brewed up an app called 'Topicmatch' and its much more popular brother 'Topicmatch Free'.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=appinventor.ai_islandnotes.Topicmatch_Free
It's what it is, and I'm pleased overall with how it came out (future versioning notwithstanding). In any case, the existence of App Inventor was key for this long-time teacher to impart his appreciation for the dearth of contextual learning onto these now ubiquitous devices. (To be sure my app suffers a deficit of candy to be crushed, or what not...but that's how I envisioned it.) To get more to the subject of this thread, I gotta throw my 2 cents in and say (perhaps more as a musician) that the "tonal-quality" if you will, of the 'AboutScreen'-bit is sort of a drag. What is a profound and yet subtle joy of creating with this tool is the ability to really dial-in the creative decision-making as one envisions it. Not to belabor it, but it feels perhaps not unlike if I want to present some cool Miles' inspired tune -- and yet it's been irrecoverably determined that my guitar must have a ...less than groovy banner unfurl before getting underway. Btw, if anyone peruses Topicmatch Free, you'll see that I devoted an entire topic to the process of making the app with App Inventor. If I've overlooked any proper manner for presenting that fact, I'd appreciate any heads-up and so on. Mahalo.

[vasista k.j]

Any work round to get rid of this ? Or even is it possible to change "About this app" to customized head line when about button is clicked.

On Monday, February 10, 2014 11:50:36 AM UTC-6, Taifun wrote:

I'm not sure, if I like this new feature: 

each App Inventor app now gets automatically the "About Screen" property using a default Android icon and some advertisement for App Inventor "Invented with App Inventor http://appinventor.mit.edu"...

ok, you can add some text (see screenshot), but the default text can't be removed?

we should be able to enable/disable this feature or being able to modify the default text and icon used...

Taifun

[Enis]

No, it's neither removable nor changeable, except for the text you can put in the properties section for ScreenX.

[Jos Flores]

Unless you compile your own version of App Inventor; in that case, you
can do whatever you want with it. Info on how to do that here:
http://appinventor.mit.edu/appinventor-sources/#documentation

cheers,
José



On 13 March 2014 23:53, Enis <shadow...@gmail.com> wrote:
> No, it's neither removable or changeable, except for the text you can put in

> the properties section for ScreenX.
>

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[Taifun]

there is now also another solution http://puravidaapps.com/about.php

Taifun

---

Trying to push the limits of App Inventor! Snippets and Tutorials from Pura Vida Apps by Taifun.         

[Mark Friedman]

It is not uncommon in the free and open source software community to require an explicit mention in a product when you use such a library or tool.  The "About" page or screen is one of the most common places for that mention.

-Mark

On Tue, Feb 11, 2014 at 3:06 PM, Enis <shadow...@gmail.com> wrote:

That's fairly harsh and unwarranted.

MIT's team has done nothing but produce a great, and I mean GREAT tool for you to use.  I suggest you tone down those sort of comments here on the forum.

If you're that disappointed, why are you using AI and not Eclipse or Android Studio?

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[vasista k.j]

Can we add few more menu buttons below About ? say Credits button or help button like that.

[Enis]

You can't in native AI2, but you can in Hossein's AI2LiveComplete.
.

[mengenee...@gmail.com]

Is very simple to customize "About" message.
Decompile your APK using APKtool.
Go to  "your project name.apk\smali\com\google\appinventor\components\runtime\form.smali"
Change the text "Invented with MIT App Inventor<br>appinventor.mit.edu" inside the file.
Compile your project and be happy.

[SteveJG]

I have no issue with the invented by message.

In the Screen1.Initialize     put 

             set Screen1.AboutScreen to  "your message"

Something like:     Fantastic App coded by ME.  Copyright 2014 - AI2 Wonder-works.

For some reason, putting the message  in the Design screen window     Screen1 > AboutScreen  and typing a message in the text block does not work; however coding the Blocks does.

Does this remove the MIT message.   No.  It does make YOUR message prominent.

Regards,

Steve

[mossoba...@gmail.com]

Where does it appear? I did put some text in the "About screen box" but when I packaged the app to my phone, I didn't find that text anywhere. Tks.

[Enis]

At the bottom of your app running on a device, there'll be a menu icon... Click on that and the About menu will pop up.  Remember that it's done separately by screen, so if you have several screens, you'll have to do the About info on each of them...

[mossoba...@gmail.com]

Tks Enis for your answer. It helped me a lot.  

Youssef