aia/zip upload project

[Sarah Buck]

Hello,

I have already asked about this, but I have not received a solution that works, so I am enquiring again. I am using MIT App inventor 2

I have designed an app and have installed it on my device. Now I would like to create a second version of this app, with different images, and install it on the same device without it overwriting the first app. To avoid recreating a new app from scratch, there are (I believe) two possibilities:

- "save my project as" under a different name and make the changes needed. My app inventor does not seem to let me do this, as I get an error message "server error - could not copy project, please try again later"

- "export project (aia) to my computer", and re-upload the project under a different name and make the changes then. When I export my project, I get a zip file. Now, I know that an aia file is essentially is zip file, but when I try to re-upload the project back onto MIT app inventor, I get an error message: "The selected project is not a project source file! Project source files are aia files."

My apk file is 5.22MB, and  my zip file is 3.7MB

Does anyone have a solution for this?

Many thanks,

Sarah

[SteveJG]

Yes, there are essentially two ways to rename an app.   Actually there is a third .. change the name of the app where shown and then compile; the Project will retain the original name, however, the name of the app will change.   I think this will not overwrite your existing app but do not know.

When you get this "   
- "save my project as" under a different name and make the changes needed. My app inventor does not seem to let me do this, as I get an error message "server error - could not copy project, please try again later"  "  seems to indicate there is something wrong with this Project or you have very many copies of this Project.  Does this project run correctly under live development or using an emulator?

When you get this " - "export project (aia) to my computer", and re-upload the project under a different name and make the changes then. When I export my project, I get a zip file. Now, I know that an aia file is essentially is zip file, but when I try to re-upload the project back onto MIT app inventor, I get an error message: "The selected project is not a project source file! Project source files are aia files."   this appears to be the response of a project that has had its manifest file modified with a third part tool   or  a project that was compiled using a third party version of MIT App Inventor.   Is this possible?

If you download a Project in App Inventor to your desktop, the resulting download is   a file like myProject.aia    That AI2 is identifying the aia as a non-source file is indicative that the file was modified using an unzip program to add additional files and then re -zipped.   Is this possible?

You say your zip file is 3.7 Mb  ... do you mean your aia file?     If you do in fact have a zip file, that source file was probably compiled with App Inventor Classic and cannot be loaded into AI2 until it is converted and even then it might not load without tweaking the app.

If you app was created with a third party version of AI2, then you will have to use that offline version to work with your Project.   You cannot use the online AI2.

Regards,

Steve

[Sarah Buck]

Thanks for your message Steve.

- I just tried renaming the AppName, but it does overwrite the existing app, so this is unfortunately not a solution for me.
- I do not think that there is something wrong with my project, as I have installed it onto my tablet and it works perfectly fine. I connected my device during the development of the app to verify that the app worked as I wanted it to, and it has always worked fine. However, I have just tried connecting it again, and now it does not work properly anymore... I do not get it, specially that it works perfectly fine on the Android Tablet...
- I have just tried the emulator now (had not tried it before), and it does not work properly. And sometimes it gets stuck on "waiting to get blocks...".
- I do not have many copies of this project, I believe. Do you mean many copies of the project under "My Projects"? Or many copies saved on my computer? I have saved multiple copies of the app on my computer, for back up, but have now deleted the old ones, and the problem persists.
- I have always and only used MIT app inventor 2, and have never used any third party version.
- As mentioned in my previous post, I do not get a simple aia file like I should, I get a aia.zip file (see attached) - I have never used App Inventor Classic so I do not understand why I get this file type.


heeelp

[SteveJG]

App Inventor 2 does not provide a source file in the form   MemoryGames.aia.zip  .   So we have to investigate why you get this response.

You have not told us:

What browser you are using?  Chrome or Firefox or something else?

You computer's operating system?   Mac, Linux, Windows Xp, Windows 7????

The correct way to download an aia to your desktop is shown here:

You can create source code file (.aia) that can be loaded into App Inventor and remixed. Y

Make sure you are viewing the list of all of your projects (if you are not, choose Projects | My Projects). Select the project you wish to share by checking the box next to it. Choose Project | Export selected project (.aia) to my computer to export the source code (blocks) for your project. The source code is downloaded in a .aia file.

You can open it with Project | Import project (.aia) from my computer.

Is this what you are doing?

Is this project the same project discussed in this thread  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!profile/mitappinventortest/APn2wQcWVpeDnkAfsTbgu4hJXv1DKXb4e6BRqtzCEOGj7wMpqZqYe64U410DdRkBBz3SxlgOlCct/mitappinventortest/TW8CLH4Etzo/CfsMnMbsFQAJ    ? 

Do you have other Projects you can load.  Can you make a copy of these projects doing either Projects>Save project as  (and renaming) or create an aia file in the form   MyProject.aia    (without the zip suffix)?

You said the project was originally created with AI2 and you have not modified the Manifest or use a third party version of AI2 with it; it is very good to know that..knowing that eliminates potential issues.

My guess is that your project is possibly corrupted.  How, I do not know.   Is the name of this project actually MemoryGames Sarah and is this your research project?

We need to know what browser and operating system you are using.  I am asking MIT's technical team to look at your project; they may be able to help depending on what the problem is.

Regards,

Steve

[Sarah Buck]

- I am using Firefox, and Windows 7
- It is the same project discussed in the thread shown above
- All of my projects give me the same file type (aia.zip) when I export them, so I am not able to re-upload them. I have, however, managed to upload other people's projects that were given on the forum (in a aia file format). For these projects, I can "save as" without a problem. However, the problem remains when I export the project (it exports as a aia.zip file).
- The name of my project is indeed MemoryGames, and it is a research project.

Below are the screenshots showing the process of exporting my project.

Many thanks for your help!

[Toni Schuh]

In your screenshots you have "open with 7zip" checked. Just a guess: uncheck this and use just "save file".

[Ghica]

I think what you are doing wrong is that you did not say "save" when you download the .aia, but "open". This opens the .aia in 7-zip apparently and then when you save it, it attaches the .zip

Probably you have set a default in your browser to do this. Set it to save and it will work. (You can also rename the file and take .zip off)

Anyway you should also be able to say Projects -> Save project as... Why does this not work? 

Cheers, Ghica. 

[SteveJG]

Thanks for a lot of new information.     You should not be attempting to open the aia file Sarah, all you want to do is download it.  If you look at your second image, you will see indeed the file AI2 downloaded is in fact MemoryGames.aia      and not MemoryGames.aia.zip  .

Toni correctly identified the problem, the problem is with your 7 - zip settings... follow his advice then....

You should be able to take the MemoryGames.aia file and rename it MemoryGames2.aia, then  go to Projects > Import project (aia) from my computer and select the renamed MemoryGames2.aia.  When you then work with this file, immediately change in the Screen1 Properties bin  AppName to  MemoryGames2 or whatever otherwise this file will overwrite an existing project when you load it I think.

Does that work?

Regards,

Steve

[Sarah Buck]

IT WORKS!!!!

I can't believe the solution was so easy...
I am now able to export my project as a aia file, change the name, then upload it back onto MIT app inventor and make the changes that I want.
However, I still cannot "save as"...

Many thanks for your help! :)

[Italo]

Why you can't "save as"? Do you see the little window where you type the new name? Usually it's the same name with a "_copy" added at the end.

[Sarah Buck]

I know how to "save as", I'm just saying that I still get the error message as I described earlier in the thread.