Pierre Hébert
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V10.7b4 New beta with tons of stuff (too much)
Edit: V10.7b5 published with fixes only.
It was longer than expected but I hope this version is worth the wait. Still, there will be at least one other beta before the release, so please be patient 😉
So what’s new here?
There’s a new “Add item” dialog. I mean: really new. While it may looks like a small screen, I believe this is instead a big feature that will really make things smoother for everybody.
What else? Oh yes, I remember, there is a new item type “Page Indicator”. Several styles are available, they are fairly basic but customizable anyway.
And that’s all? No, wait, there’s also an improved script editor. I am experimenting some UI changes to deliver more screen estate to code. Please let me know how it works for you.
Also included in this beta are a few minor improvements and bug fixes. Please check the ChangeLog for completeness.
But as always, be careful: this is a beta, and my propensity to leave big bugs even in release builds make this new version dangerous to test. The more new stuff in the app, the more bugs will remain…
Full ChangeLog:
http://www.pierrox.net/cmsms/applications/lightning-launcher/change-log.html
]]>Yet another poll, you have been warned, lol :-)
Some major launchers (but not all) replace the current system wallpaper with their own art upon installation.
As for myself I dislike that, but that’s rather logical to do that after all.
Since I am working on the default setup, I am thinking at setting a custom wallpaper too. This would be some kind of generated picture, probably with some gradient or something like that. The idea would be to match the app and default setup color scheme.
Lightning has the ability to use a “desktop” wallpaper, which would avoid changing the current system wallpaper, but unfortunately it has a performance penalty on some devices and furthermore it does not scroll, so I would prefer not to use this option.
Would you mind if Lightning set a custom wallpaper upon install ?
]]>I am considering adding a new item type “Page indicator”.
I plan to offer at least three or four styles: dots, minimap, raw x/y/scale values and horizontal/vertical bars.
So what’s your opinion on this ?
]]>I am in a big reflection phase these days.
Let’s start with the app drawer: I am considering changing the default scroll direction from vertical to horizontal. There is also the option to paginate it or let items scroll freely. What do you think about this?
]]>I am constantly amazed by this community.
In order to discuss about this last topic, I just created a new community. It will help us to share on various topics such as icons, default setup or even marketing without spamming too much this community which is geared toward using the app. Let’s continue – and finish – the discussion about icons here!
]]>I am working on the default setup at the moment.And I need a little help!
As you know, the current one is fairly minimal and I would like to add a few more icons (such as phone, play store – exact list not defined yet).
The issue is that some apps are device specific. For instance Samsung will have its own phone app, same for HTC and others. Worst, these apps may change from a firmware to another. This means that the launcher may have to test several “app internal names” before to find the right one.
I couldn’t find a public database of internal names, so I am requesting your help to build a small one.The idea is to run a script for a set of applications on your desktop and share the result of this script (or post it in a comment). To do this, please load the script from the APK below (Lightning menu / Scripts /Load a script), long tap on some app on your desktop (not the app drawer) and select Scripts / Share app’s component name. This will prompt you to send an email to me with the app internal name, label, device name and android version. The apps I am interested in for possible addition on the home screen are:
– phone
– camera
– settings
– browser
– app store
– calculator
– agenda
– contacts
– clock
Not all these apps will go on the desktop, but I will rather use alternatives if some app is missing (for instance no phone on tablet, then use contacts). That’s already a long list but if you feel some app should be on the home screen, feel free to let me know
Many thanks!
http://www.pierrox.net/android/applications/lightning_launcher/apk_script/ShareComponentName.apk
v10.7b3
A third beta to bring bug fixes to the previous one. It also introduces a new option to switch between dark and light themes. This option apply to all screens except the desktop, app drawer and lock screen: settings screens, script editor, backup/restore screen, image&file pickers, etc.).
The light theme is the default for new install, but for existing setups, the dark one is kept as the default.
Regarding the menu key configuration, depending on your setup, it may be reset to “Toggle status bar & Lightning menu”. This will only appear once.
Theme modifications are tricky due to the wide variety of devices and android versions. In spite of my efforts to make as many tests as possible, I don’t exclude weird things, you’re warned!
]]>V10.7b2
A bug fix update:
– fix a crash when displaying the lightning menu (was linked with scripts)
– fix an issue with GlobalConfig not defined
– revert the default action for the menu key to the old value (the new user menu is still available through a shortcut)
]]>V10.7b1 beta (hummm… I think it will be a long post…)
This is an early preview of the “visual refresh” that has been announced earlier. It’s far from being complete and a huge improvement, and I mostly hope that the UI will be a bit more consistent, but I would be glad to get your opinion on this preview, even.
So what’s inside exactly? Changes mostly deals with the “chrome” (menus, configuration screens, dialog boxes, etc.). In a nutshell the app adopts a light theme. More precisely it uses the Holo theme on Android versions from 3.0 to 4.4, and the Material theme on Android 5+ (with fancy ripples that you often don’t see because your finger is over the button). Sorry 2.3 users, you won’t see a big difference because the app mostly stays with the old dark theme.
The default setup has not been revised yet, except for the default item style, which is nevertheless a very visible update. A profound rework of the default setup is scheduled for the next update. (By the way I will once again request the help of the community in the next days or weeks with various polls…)
One thing is special on Android 5: the app is customizing the color palette with red (the same red as the bolt). This color is most notably seen in the status and action bar. That’s great to give some sort of “branding”, which is suggested on the “Best practice for user interface” page, but on the other hand I fear the amalgamation with other well known apps such as G+ or Gmail. Given the reduced amount of distinguishable colors and the ever growing number of apps, I don’t know how this can be avoided though… I am nevertheless interested in knowing what you think about that.
Also worth of interest is the introduction of a new “User menu” which consists in a special folder populated with various shortcuts (edit layout, add item, select wallpaper, etc.). Since this is a folder, it can be customized at wish. By default it is plugged on the menu key on devices having one and replaces the old default (Lightning menu) and can be reached with a new action “User menu”.
There are also a few new script functions (changelog) but all other pending bug fixes and new features are stacked in a parallel branch. Please be patient until the merge 😉
]]>Last post regarding the icon ;-) (Edit: or maybe not?)
So which one do you prefer ?
Left is from Viggo Jorgen, Second is a variation of the one from Jacob Barton.
]]>
D5 Creation