ALPHA TESTERS REQUIRED

[Gareth Evans]

Only for the brave amongst you....

For over the last year, I've been furiously rewriting the app to look nicer, be more user intuitive, faster and most importantly better than ever.  This process is still underway, but I'm now inviting users to join me and test this release as the first alpha edition V.6.0.0_alpha 01.

Feeling brave?

To join the test group, you need to join the following Google Group:  https://groups.google.com/g/opensongapp_alpha

Once you are a member, you should get the option of becoming an alpha developer once you go to the Play Store and pull up the app (as if you were updating it).  You can leave the alpha developer channel from Google Play at any time.  I've only just uploaded the alpha to the Play Store, so it may take a few hours to go live and show on your device.

Before you take the plunge, please make sure that you have backed up all of your OpenSong files (songs, folders, etc.) just in case and created a saved profile if you have changed settings in the app that you want to be able to restore.  I'd also recommend when running the alpha app that you choose a different OpenSong folder location (that way you shouldn't break your current set up).

Currently working (and requiring testing): Performance Mode, Stage Mode

Work in progress, so no feedback required please: Presenter Mode, Google Nearby, Google Cast.  Feel free to play as bits of these work, but not fully.

To get you tempted, I've attached some screenshots...

[Alistair Baty]

Hi Gareth,

I'm trying to figure out how to install the Alpha version while still having to stable version for Live use.

For test the Beta versions, I joined the Beta group and would test the App on my phone. I would set my tablet to not update OpenSongApp automatically from GooglePlay and would manually install the latest stable version by downloading it from the OpenSongApp website. I did however share the same OpenSong folder (sync'd) between the two. That seemed to be ok. Sometimes I would then upgrade the tablet to Beta version as well. (I did find that I was unable to revert back to a previous version, downloaded, if I needed to go back to a stable version if I fought an unhelpful big and needed the stable version before using it live.)

With the Alpha version, you suggested to "choose a different OpenSong folder location to normal setup (that way you shouldn't break your current set up)". Does that mean I can have both stable and alpha versions running on the same device?

Or, is it possible to download the Alpha version without having to change Google Play setting (by joining the Alpha test group). That way I can install it on my phone without risking my tablet install. Will I be able to revert back to the stable version or does that require an uninstall reinstall?

Thanx for all

Alistair

[Alistair Baty]

I researched creating a second user, with a different Google Play account, that I could register for alpha testing, on my tablet. It seems the differences accounts still share the same apps and they are not a completely independent install.

Looks like it will have to be a manual install of one or the other like what I did before with the Beta App, but make sure to not share the data folder.

Alternatively, if the Alpha app had a difference name in Google Play. Similar to what the Firefox dev group does so people can run "Firefox" together with "Firefox Beta". Then I could run both on my tablet. If the Alpha crashed or broke suddenly during a live set, I would switch to the stable version.

[Gareth Evans]

Hi Alistair, 

I did consider setting this up as a new test app in the Google Play store, but I would need to change the package name (currently com.garethevans.church.opensongtablet).  This would break the keys required for Google Nearby, Cast, etc. and would also stop me from keeping it as a separate branch of the same app in Android Studio, which I will eventually merge back on top of the current stable version.

An alternative is to download the apk for the alpha version and manually install it.  When you are done testing, uninstall then download the stable version again from the Google Play Store.  The downside for me is that I don't get any automatic crash reports, but you can let me know.  As with the alpha channel, I would still encourage using a different OpenSong folder so you don't accidentally delete songs and sets that you use with your stable version.  You should backup your songs in the stable version and can then import them to your alpha test storage.

e.g. Stable version has the storage set to /storage/emulated/0/OpenSong/

Alpha version has the storage set to /storage/emulated/0/test/OpenSong/

Because the package names are the same (com.garethevans.church.opensongtablet), they will use the same settings, so create/restore profiles as a backup if switching versions beforehand.

The alpha version now on v2, has Google Nearby/Connect working, leaving Presenter mode and Secondary display casting the only main bits for me to fix (they are well underway though).

OpenSongApp_alpha_02

[Alistair Baty]

Hi Gareth

I joined under a different account on a separate tablet (Aliby)

[Alistair Baty]

Sorry I took so long to get my other tablet configured.

I have the latest Alpha running now.

Let me know what specific feed back and input you want. I noticed that there are quite a few features that are not fully functional yet.

Do I assume these are bugs or Is there a punch list where I can see what you are still working on?

Also where do you want these posted? In this thread or in a new one?

Thanx again for all you do.

[Gareth Evans]

Hi Alistair,

I've put the current list of issues I know of and anything that isn't yet implemented in the GitHub Issues thread.  You'll see them starting with MaterialApp: and will either have labels of 'not implemented' or 'MaterialApp bug' if I know about them.  They are also assigned to the Milestons 'MaterialApp'.

Things that aren't listed here are, to my knowledge, ready for testing.

Any new bugs/issues can either be posted here in the beta forum in a new thread, or directly to the GitHub issues page if you have an account (if you do this, add the appropriate label and Milestone).  I'll either fix forum posts as they appear, or add them to the GitHub issues myself.

Thanks for your support!

[Gareth Evans]

The following link will list the current bugs and not implemented fully (and therefore not requiring testing yet).

https://github.com/thebigg73/OpenSongTablet/milestones/MaterialApp%20Testing

[Gareth Evans]

The alpha is now on version alpha_06

Most stuff should now be working!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FqTMuYCdtSwisTrgw8dbF43arbkr6yH7/view?usp=sharing

It will also be available on the alpha channel later today