xAP Flash nee Joggler beta 5

[Kevin]

This thread is for feedback on beta 5 of the xAP Flash application previously called xAP Joggler. The name change reflecting the application can be run on any Flash capable platform and within any web browser supporting Flash and not just the Joggler.

Beta 5 is available now upon request by email to myself - or via PM . Over this weekend it will comprise a pre release version which is essentially final code, but first pass docs and limited XML example files. In a couple of days with a bit more proof reading it will be emailed to all registered beta testers . I do encourage testers to request and kick the tyres of this pre beta.

I welcome Martyn Wendon who has made considerable code, features and time contribution to this beta and should be able to assist with any questions on any aspects of the beta testing. . Beta 5 is the first release that I hope addresses almost all the key features required for such an application, although there are still many things we intend to add.

Getting beta 5 out the door has taken a while, indeed a lot longer than I had hoped, and so it's our intention to now release small incremental fixes as needed for beta 5 - in a timely fashion and addressing any issues you uncover , whilst in the longer term we consider beta 6. New feature requests would likely await beta 6.

I'll shortly post a quick summary of new features ...

K

[Kevin]

Beta 5 has over 10000 lines of code - that's more than double the size of beta 4. So is it twice as good ?

Here's a quick summary of the changes:

Updated version of iServer with automatic passing of targeted messages, and bug fixes for dropped messages.

There are now two XML config files, one specific to each xAPFlash client and a second holding essentially the layout design. This allows sharing of your layout designs between multiple xAP Flash clients and automatic updates when changed files become available. One config file can override the visual elements within another to customise the screen displays.

Text defaults have been created for visual elements and the default font is now Verdana

Improved config screen supporting more elements and more useful messages at startup for any file loading issues.

Better implementation of hierarchical pages using <parent> tags

Text boxes added as a new element type. These can be static text, or linked to xAP devices and support plain or html text. Arbitrary on page placement including overlapping.

Text boxes can also display image files and can load local or remote Internet content. They can even load Flash content for animations , gauges etc.

On screen elements now report visibility and status via xAP BSC and can be controlled via xAP too. Various internal aspects of the Joggler eg screensaver, brightness and volume are exposed too. This allows you to drive the screen remotely similar to the way Crestron/AMX screens are architected.

Transparency now supported for pages, backgrounds, buttons and text boxes.

Press and hold to dim function on buttons.

Sliders , both permanent on screen versions and press to popup supported.

OSD /Caller ID messages are now displayed via your own pop up page designs. The inbuilt fixed design (deprecated) is no longer the only option.

There is generic xAP schema support allowing you to extract parameters from any xAP message - not just BSC.

xAP BSC device status can be remembered by the Joggler across restarts of the application (persistance).

Many Joggler API functions have been integrated for example volume , screensaver and brightness control, and tidier exiting of the application.

Password protected pages

Multiple secure buttons separate and local to each page.

Audible and on screen notifications via xAP

A host of bug fixes and improvements to existing features...and lots of code reworks as we learn more about Flash and the Joggler... and prepare for future bits.

I know - you want pics - they're always the last things to get done though.... ! Hopefully I'll have some time to actually design some useful screens now beta 5 is done. I hope you'll all contribute some screenshots as you explore.


Yawn - another sunrise .. is that really the time ! It maybe around lunchtime when I return to the land of the living.

K

[martynwendon]

[Paul_B]

My oh my that looks absolutely amazing, I can't believe what you have done in such a short space of time.

I've downloaded beta 5 and now going through the documentation which looks just as comprehensive as the UI.

I'll report back my experiences

Paul

[Kevin]

OOPs - a few secs before posting the preBeta we identified a bug that was messing up the display of xAPBSC text elements within buttons - which we fixed but in our haste this broke the display of text values in textBoxes.

This I have now fixed.. If anyone has discovered other bugs let me know and I'll try and get them fixed and posted in a maintenance release in a day or so .
We also have a known problem where certain symbols eg the temperature degree symbol ° is no longer showing in buttons but previously was displayed , it does show in textBoxes , working on that.

K

(Update is available immediately to anyone exploring the textBox elements upon request by email or PM).

[BodgeIT]

Just have to say, this new beta is absolutely brilliant!!!
I'm just starting to scratch the surface of what can be done and I'm still trying to get my current(very simple) screen converted to the new <tag> schema before I start going wild.

A huge round of thanks to all the contributers. Is there anyway to buy you some pizza for all the late nights you've been putting in?

Kevin, I'm experiencing the issues you mention above, could you send me a link to the updated version?

[Kevin]

Kevin, I'm experiencing the issues you mention above, could you send me a link to the updated version?

Earlier I emailed you all a revised SWF that fixes this and also now includes the <mode>link</mode> tag support that will replace <mode>pagelink</mode> from beta6.

K

[Kevin]

I received a feature request to allow the substituted text from a xAP BSC device to be in a different font size to the prefix or suffix. Well the good news is that you can already do this by using html. ... isn't it nice when you find it's already there

Set <html>true</html> and ensure <wordwrap> and <multiline> are true

The default <font><fontcolour><fontsize> will form the basis of what is displayed inside the text box and then you can add additional html <font> tags within the textprefix and textsuffix fields. By opening a <font> tag at the end of <textprefix> with size= and color= and then closing it again at the beginning of <textsuffix> the substituted <text> inbetween will use those attributes. You must use CDATA tags to hold the information as the pairing of the open and close tags is spread across tags within the XML.

<html>true</html>
<wordwrap>true</wordwrap>
<multiline>true</multiline>
<textprefix><![CDATA[<font size="26" color="#DD3355">Flow</font>Temp
<font size="72" color="#DDFF22"><b>]]></textprefix>
<text></text>
<textsuffix><![CDATA[</b></font><font size="26" color="#FF00FF">°c</font>]]></textsuffix>
<font>verdana</font>
<fontsize>32</fontsize>
<fontcolour>0x22EEFF</fontcolour>

Will display the following (yuk) but it's only for illustrative purposes..




You can also use transparency <alpha> and a coloured background /border too should you wish. For more advanced formatting e.g. font family changes , centering etc use style= in the html

On thing about Flash is getting a linebreak in the right place can be quite challenging. There is actually one at the end of "Flow Temp" which causes the line feed onscreen in the XML listing . It was achieved by hitting return which generated a CR LF but that displayed a double line feed within xAP Flash so I edited out the CR , just leaving the LF which left a single line feed.

Displaying BSC text within a button is still of course do-able but it is more restrictive in formatting and sizing inparticular. This is because xAP Flash auto sizes and positions the content within the button (the text is actually contained within a movieclip). This can result in larger fonts being shrunk again by the auto size and so appearing not to change. The button labels behave the same i.e. they'll resize to match the button size, and the font family is fixed. So if you want wider / more predictable control create your own textboxes and place them onscreen over the buttons. They will not interfere with button clicks.

The (working) clock is just a SWF file loaded within a textbox. The ability to load graphic image files into a text box seems a little weird at first but is great to create backgrounds etc... but that ability to load Flash (SWF) applications into a textbox is just so cool ... even though I say so myself . When I first got it working I had one of those elatory 'geeky' moments that made it all worthwhile ... but further impacted my family credibility. Embedding Flash content will, I hope, allow you to create some truly sophisticated screens , with animation and interaction... dials, gauges etc - using existing widely available free content like that free clock or a calendar app .. which would take weeks to design... maybe even video...

K

[BodgeIT]

Ohh, could I get my electricty usage via Pachube as a dial?
This is the html required to embedd the dial but I've tested this and some of the stripped out parts of it but couldn't get it to work:

<OBJECT classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="100" id="gauge"><PARAM NAME="movie" VALUE="http://apps.pachube.com/scaredycat/gauge.swf?xml_source=http%3A//apps.pachube.com/scaredycat/getData.php%3Fm%3D0%26f%3D8489%26s%3D3%26u%3D3000% 26l%3D500%26n%3D5%26t%3DElectricity%20Usage%26w%3D true%26c1%3D33FF33%26c2%3DEFE415%26c3%3DEF8B15%26c 4%3DFF3333%26in%3Dfalse" /><PARAM NAME="quality" VALUE="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><EMBED src="http://apps.pachube.com/scaredycat/gauge.swf?xml_source=http%3A//apps.pachube.com/scaredycat/getData.php%3Fm%3D0%26f%3D8489%26s%3D3%26u%3D3000% 26l%3D500%26n%3D5%26t%3DElectricity%20Usage%26w%3D true%26c1%3D33FF33%26c2%3DEFE415%26c3%3DEF8B15%26c 4%3DFF3333%26in%3Dfalse" quality="high" wmode="transparent" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="100" NAME="gauge" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" swLiveConnect="true" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></EMBED></OBJECT>

Hmm...just looked at the support tags and don't think this could be made to work.... Seems only <img> is supported.
Would it be worth creating a library for useful dials/apps etc?

[Kevin]

I'm out for the evening but I very quickly tried a bit of this and what I see is an orange dial needle pulsing every 2 secs or so and showing a reading hovering around 2 o'clock . I haven't got the background of the dial loaded which I assume is the first bit...

 
<text><![CDATA[<img src="http://apps.pachube.com/scaredycat/g...D3%26u%3D3000% 26l%3D500%26n%3D5%26t%3DElectricity%20Usage%26w%3D true%26c1%3D33FF33%26c2%3DEFE415%26c3%3DEF8B15%26c 4%3DFF3333%26in%3Dfalse">></img>]]></text>
 
or 
 
<text><![CDATA[<img src="http://apps.pachube.com/scaredycat/g...D3%26u%3D3000% 26l%3D500%26n%3D5%26t%3DElectricity%20Usage%26w%3D true%26c1%3D33FF33%26c2%3DEFE415%26c3%3DEF8B15%26c 4%3DFF3333%26in%3Dfalse" quality="high" wmode="transparent" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="100" NAME="gauge" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" swLiveConnect="true" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">></img>]]></text>

I'm not sure what it is supposed to look like or how/if to get that 'gauge' bit loaded, maybe two separate loads or something...

K