Question about location, sensors and other things inside watchface

Hi,

Could someone please tell me is it possible or not to do this things in the Watch Face (not widget or app)

1. How to Get last known location or current location? If yes, how to do it? Because If I try to do anything with Position object it gives me error about permisions. If I give this permission in the Project settings, I get an error like "Position permissions are not supported for Watch Face".

2. How to Get any other information from sensors? I would like to get barometer and altimeter data, but I have the same issue with permissions.

3. How to calculate sunrise and sunset? Is there build in function in Connect IQ or I need to implement it by myself?

4. How to get alart clock information? I want to print what is next available alarm clock?

I tried to find answer in the documentation, but I could not.

P.S. Why many functions are not available for watch face and available for widget or app? Like sensor, position, communications and etc? What is the point to make these limitations? Can garmin remove these limitations in the next release?
  • Former Member
    Former Member over 9 years ago
    Comunication between Garmin and ciq developer is horrible. Don't ask :)
    Read forum - and look how many question like Yours is unansfered or pseudoansferd ;)
    No beacose no ;)
  • 8735

    Thank you for honest answer. It is very sad, what you wrote here :(
  • The garmin folks are really good about posting here. In the US, it's been the Thanksgiving break holiday for many, and it's been thin the last week, but they'll be back tomorrow. There are also a bunch of people here that have been using CIQ for some time, so things are often answered by them before Garmin gets a chance, (but Garmin will correct it if it's wrong!).

    As far as access to stuff from a watchface, there is little - by design - to save battery. No GPS, no sensors, and no user input (buttons and swipes). A watch face runs in CIQ's low power mode most of the time.

    Two ways to deal with stuff that needs external data:

    1) if it's something like a user's lat/lon, with user settings, those can be configured. That seems a popular thing with watchfaces for sunrise/sunset.

    2) widgets and apps CAN access sensors, etc. I have a weather widget that uses both GPS and comm, and an app (that looks like a watchface) but displays the temperature from a Tempe Sensor, and another that gets weather data from the internet..
  • Former Member
    Former Member over 9 years ago
    Ou realy? last know position not need GPS, stored POI's no need sensors and gps.

    Unansfered questions:
    https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?334148-request-Access-to-locations-stored-in-epix-fenix
    https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?229264-API-Request-important-flaged!-Method-to-personalize-ciq-watchface

    Many semi-ansfer like "we conserve battery" on thinks no needed battery (like for example properites editor inside watch).
    Try ask not "how do it?" but "why Garmin not make this or this?" - You may expect ignore or good policy ansfer like universal battery safe ;)
  • Ou realy? last know position not need GPS, stored POI's no need sensors and gps.

    Unansfered questions:
    https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?334148-request-Access-to-locations-stored-in-epix-fenix
    https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?229264-API-Request-important-flaged!-Method-to-personalize-ciq-watchface

    Many semi-ansfer like "we conserve battery" on thinks no needed battery (like for example properites editor inside watch).
    Try ask not "how do it?" but "why Garmin not make this or this?" - You may expect ignore or good policy ansfer like universal battery safe ;)


    Ok, the first thread is something that isn't available with CIQ, and Garmin told you so.

    The second thread is answered with "user settings" in CIQ 1.2.x, that many people have used with little or no problems.

    It seems you had a problem getting user settings to work, got mad, and then deleted all your stuff from the app store. Could you post the details of what you couldn't get to work? I've seen your posts about a problem, but still don't understand what the problem was. (code fragments would help)
  • Former Member
    Former Member over 9 years ago
    Ok, the first thread is something that isn't available with CIQ, and Garmin told you so.


    Question is: WHY isn't available (no need battery much more like any other variable in ram).

    Second are offtipic - You can't help with offline settings - right? Garmin not ansfer why.
  • With user settings released in 1.2 I can save position manually and use it, but if I go for vacation, most probably I will not have time or possibility to login with computer and type coordinates.
    It is true, last position does not need GPS sensor, but I could not find any code how to get last position. If Fenix 3 there is a button like save position. It would be good to have an API to access this saved position.

    Battery life explanation is nothing. If I want to have battery life 1 day, but have more functionality, why I cannot do it? Anyway, there are always a solution how to save battery. I can read sensors only once per hour and it is my programmer problems, it is not a problem of Garmin Connect IQ developers. People live with apple watch which has 1 day battery life and they are happy. But they have weather, coming events and animation on watchface. All these limitations are artificial and does not make any sense. Even remove these limitation will cost most probably 1 working hours for them.
  • i respectfully disagree with this. Users, typical users of the garmin platform are very fixated with battery life. It's not wholly about choice, to me, it about knowledge and whether the user knows what he/she is partaking when using that app or watchface and such.

    When "bad" things happen, the blame comes to the developer for developing "crappy" program what eats up batt life. Then it also will have the ripple effect that it generates a bad impression on garmin for allowing such "crappy" app to be developed and offered in the store.

    This bad impression then gets picked up in Google and facebook chatter etc and then the ripple effect cascades into something more.

    Cause and effect.

    I respectfully disagree that it's "user beware" and "all T&C are listed on the App Store description". Fact is, (nearly) no one reads the T&C and no one reads the App Store description (esp if it's an update and user ha auto update turned on). That's a fact.

    Hence, if I were garmin, I would do as they do. In fact, they are already getting heat for saying the watch will last 4wweks on a single charge!! (Such ideal conditions that no user is able to replicate)

    My 2c of course.
  • Former Member
    Former Member over 9 years ago
    Ok, but last know position is used to calculate timezone, and watch have this in flash/ram. Why it is not exported to ciq watchface?
    I don't have run gps every minute to refresh position. I think about last position when gps run.

    I landing in London, start 'save position', fix gps and I have London time as main time (and watchface know position to calculate sunrise etc).

    This export no need more power. This only get 8-10 bytes from ram/flash.
  • i respectfully disagree with this. Users, typical users of the garmin platform are very fixated with battery life. It's not wholly about choice, to me, it about knowledge and whether the user knows what he/she is partaking when using that app or watchface and such.

    When "bad" things happen, the blame comes to the developer for developing "crappy" program what eats up batt life. Then it also will have the ripple effect that it generates a bad impression on garmin for allowing such "crappy" app to be developed and offered in the store.

    This bad impression then gets picked up in Google and facebook chatter etc and then the ripple effect cascades into something more.

    Cause and effect.

    I respectfully disagree that it's "user beware" and "all T&C are listed on the App Store description". Fact is, (nearly) no one reads the T&C and no one reads the App Store description (esp if it's an update and user ha auto update turned on). That's a fact.

    Hence, if I were garmin, I would do as they do. In fact, they are already getting heat for saying the watch will last 4wweks on a single charge!! (Such ideal conditions that no user is able to replicate)

    My 2c of course.


    Well said :)