SaveApp 1.0 Released

Finally SaveApp is released.

I did not "blog" to much in the last months but if you have any question, please ask me.

And here www.matgominc.com you can also find my OpenGL 3D Live Wallpaper "CloneCubes".

Enjoy.

Rotation 2

The easiest way to manage the different layouts depending on the rotation is using a layout-land folder, and putting there the landscapes layouts.

The other post is a work arround, that can be used to check the direction of the rotation, and play with it.

Rotation and Black ListView

ROTATION

For some of my layouts I have used different layouts depending on the orientation. To let the activity change the layout dependong on the rotation I use this code.

public void onConfigurationChanged(Configuration newConfig) {
super.onConfigurationChanged(newConfig);

Display display = ((WindowManager) getSystemService(Context.WINDOW_SERVICE))
.getDefaultDisplay();
int orientation = display.getOrientation();
if (orientation == 1 || orientation == 3)
setContentView(R.layout.accounteditland);
else
setContentView(R.layout.accountedit);

loadActivity();
}
You have to put it also in the onCreate.
loadActivity() is the method that do the rest of work of the activity.

BLACK LISTVIEW

I did use a ListView in one of my layouts and I have a problem. The problem is that when I move the list up and down it turns black. It is because I have a blackground color on that list. For resolve that I just put
android:cacheColorHint="#00000000"
On the LinearLayout.
Here is the link of the solution.

UI and Layouts

Hi,

for most of my layouts i have use Linear Layouts. This type of kayout let you have only one layout who can be shown in most of the devices properly and also in landscape mode.

The space of each layout us determined on the number of elements in the same level of the hierarchy. It can be modify by the parameter
android:layout_weight. If one in all the layouts all of them will occupy the same space. Playing with this value you can increase or decrease the size of the layouts depending on the others.
The other important parameters for this are:
android:layout_width
android:layout_height
android:orientation

The normal use is to fill the parent of the dimension of the layout. That is: put “fill_parent” in the width if the orientation is horizontal, but on the height if it is vertical.



In this example Layout 1 have android:layout_width=whatever
android:layout_height=”fill_parent”
android:orientation=”vertical”

And each of the Layout1.x (All in the same level of the hiererachy) with android:layout_weight =”1”


There is a blog. that explain it.
The author of this blog also use the property android:weightSum. I did not need to use it in any of my layouts but can be useful in some cases.

Data Base

Hi,

like in most of the applications that consist on getting, transforming and moving data, the Data Base is one critical point in this application.
The model that I have implemented is similar to a Star Model used in DataWarehousing, it has one main facts table, in this case the Outlay Table, and several Dimension Tables. This is not a DataWarehouse but currently I am working in this subject and now I only see star models :). The "Dimension" Tables can be
The Outlay will store the Charge of each Outlay, the Date of the Transaction, and the Account. This table will be related with:
- ItemsTable where the items and types are stored.
-Account that is relatedwuth currency.
-Places and Adress are separated, Firstly there were connected. The idea was to have for a place (store, ATM, Restauran) different Addresses like Taco Bell in the street foo and the Taco Bell of the street foofoo, But I am thinking on how to link them, because maybe in the same "address" can be 2 different places, like in a mall, different stores but the same address.
-Album that is connected with Files Table. So one outlay has an album of files/photos/etc and each file can be linked to different outlays.

This DataBase reduce the space of disk used. It keeps away the basic information of each outlay and maintain grouped the common data.

I have use for the diagram LucidChart Chrome Applicaction. .
For the development after looking in some books, I found this useful tutorial
With this one I learned how to access the data from the console.
When I needed more "usability" to see the database I export the database from the "android view" on eclipse:
file explorer, /data/data//databasases and click on the top right button of exporting. and the use the Sqlite Manager from mozilla to manage it.

Here the model:

Planification Gantt Diagram

Hi,

here I will present the gantt diagram. It is the planification that I am going (trying) to follow, to develop the SaveApp.

To make it I used Multitask a Chrome App that let you draw gantt diagrams easily. It has not many features but is really comfortable to use.
The one that I presents is my first approach. Maybe it changes in the future. I put the main parts of the App:
DataBase, Views, Plots. Here it will come an Milestone. The project should be usable at this time.
Next: Maps Photos and the Widget. Those are less important. If the planification goes bad these functionalities wont be done in the schedule date, 31 May.

I am the only member so it is easy to know who is going to do each task. Gantt diagrams are useful for paralel work, here I will work sometimes in more than one task. That is for two reasons. The first one because some tasks will need the use of others. Like the DataBase and the Views. I going to need to see (Views) which data is in the system (DataBase).
And the second one because I will want to change a bit of what I am doing to no get boring ;).

GUI & MockUp Android

Hi all,

here is my second post about how i have created "SaveApp".

Today I write about the GUI (Graphical User Interface), I think that is a good beginning to have in mind some ( or all) of the views that the application will have. It can put yourself thinking in what you really want for your application and for the users. Also it opens your mind to new features that you have not think in yet, and to reject others.

Moreover is nice to start thinking in how your app will looks like in the future, it gives some kind of motivation to see it finished.

After looking around from some "MockUps" free applications, I found "NotePod" that was something that I was not looking for. It is a notepad with the form of an Iphone. (Unfortunately is not more available.)


This remember me that i love to draw by myself, I don´t have to present anyone my MockUp, so I make some copies of an Nexus One image, and start drawing.

Here I put my first draws.





And here the
pattern.