App Inventor app size limitation- Feature Request

[Just4Fun]

I am feeling disappointed over AI's lack of support for apps large than 10 MBs (Even Google allows 100MBs and up to 2 Gigs with extension files). 

I have tried every option that I could find for the local side server installs. None of them work or they also have the size limit that is only noticeable after download and setup. For UAI, is in spite of specifications saying that the offline server will compile apps larger than 10mbs. There are also issues with the Companion version. I can't locate an archive of old companion versions to add to the server/AI package.

What I don't understand is why MIT, with all of its skills, doesn't provide an off line set up for Mac/Windows/Linux that is installable and has the app size limitation removerd or, perhaps, a way to input the size the user wishes to allow for app size. 

I have learning apps that were created with other programming languages that depend on video as a part of a learning environment. The apps have been published.  I was hoping to recreate one of the apps in AI. Apparently, there is no way to easily do that. I've installed UAI under my Windows virtual box. I get a size limitation. I've installed AppInventor Offline for mac/Linux. I can't compile due to companion version needed there either. I've looked where the companion is supposed to be in the downloaded files and there is no companion app. I've also installed the FTC_AppInventor for robotics. It works the best and was the highest quality to install...but, it is stripped of the general app Inventor elements and I couldn't test file size. No idea if it limits app size too.  I've spent a frustrating 4-5 days of dealing with all the technical skills needed to do create these servers, get AI running, and still found failure. 

Again, why can't MIT create something similar to FTC that allows compiling large apps? There are many, many threads related to this problem throughout the various AI Forms. 

Sadly, I will not be able to use App Inventor to update my projects. I'd love to. I detest scripting. but back I go.

  -Rachel

[TimAI2]

There is plenty of information and solutions on overcoming the size limit for using AI2

Using http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fcode.appinventor.mit.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZO5MkF7ivp3g-hCMgQiBQTIrJjQ for example

or preloading your app on first use:

https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fpuravidaapps.com%2Ffilebyfile.php&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHC3c8HiduRv2CKHBB5gjVhJmlE7Q

However, agreed this can be an issue on occasion.

If you haven't done it already....

Read:  The FAQ  TUTORIALS  USING IMAGES  BLOCKS  COMPONENTS  EXTENSIONS  LISTS 

[Taifun]

How to overcome the App Inventor project limit of 10 MB

Taifun

[Evan Patton]

Hi Rachel,

To quickly address your question about the limits: this is an architectural limitation imposed by Google--we cannot send files larger than 10 MB from Google to the build servers at MIT where apps are compiled. You should check out code.appinventor.mit.edu, which runs on Amazon Web Services and does not have this 10 MB limitation.

For your broader question: there is a general misconception that we are an official service of MIT. This is not the case. We are a team of only 12 researchers, developers, and support staff under Prof. Hal Abelson. We are primarily supported by government and NGO grants offering this service for free to millions of users around the globe. There are 3.5 full time software engineers in our group. It would simply be infeasible at this scale for us to maintain multiple builds of App Inventor (what happens when people don't update?) across multiple different platforms (what happens if an OS update breaks something?).

Regards,

Evan

[Just4Fun]

Evan,

Thank you for your answer and bless Amazon for allowing larger app compiling! I'll give it a try. 

Still, a stable, working offline server package, without limitations could be useful for many who may not have reliable access to the internet. 

The other options offered on various forums are not working well or are missing components. Even an archive for the older companion apps might help those who download an older package that is supposed to run on a local server but won't due to a missing companion version.

I'm grateful for your answer. 

-Rachel

[Hossein Amerkashi]

@JustForFun

You can use the offline version using link below:

https://github.com/AppyBuilder/AppyBuilderPersonal

Hossein
AppyBuilder.com

[Taifun]

User will copy the .p12 file from web into my app folder and then save that link in the app (tiny db) for next use.

The other options offered on various forums are not working well or are missing components. 

it does not look like you followed my previous link, else you also would have found AI2U... also I never have seen you posting on that forum https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/ai2u in case you had any issues...

Taifun

[Just4Fun]

Hi Hossein,

Thank you for your response. I did install AppyBuilder. It gives me the same limitation messages as every AI offline server gives me. Also, it puts a limit on the size of the video that I can upload from my offline server.

I understand that these posts are somewhat overstepping the general area for AI2, but this is an example of what I have seen in every offline version of AI2. Some have limitations in size. While others have problems with the Companion app. I appreciate the work that has gone into each of these offline possibilities. I'm just not able to get any of them working. 

BTW,  I checked the Amazon link and the larger app compiled...but there is a limitation on upload file size (video). The learning videos that are included in my app run from 390 kbs to 7MBs. The servers(off line and Amazon) complain when I try to upload anything over 5MBs.

Maybe some of my findings will help someone. I am impressed by how much support there is in these forums. 

Thank you to everyone who has given me quality answers. I'll keep following AI2 and hopefully, at some point, I can try rewriting my apps in it. Until then, I'm stuck moving from Jquery Mobile (now pretty dead) to Ionic3 or Onsen-ui. It seems there is never an answer for developers that don't like scripting. I've followed many visual tools over the years. I keep hoping...

Regards,

-Rachel