App vs Df, What were your deciding factors?

I’m working on a project where I want to display hr, ebike, and general activity data in one screen.

i think this means I need to choose an app. I’m also wary that I will also have to roll my own features that might be available out of the box eg courses and Strava integration.

what’s your experience? Any other thoughts?

0 flocsy🤠 over 2 years ago

I only have experience with DF: surprisingly low memory limit (you can see here: https://github.com/flocsy/garmin-dev-tools/blob/main/csv/memory2devices-datafield.csv), no network (only in background app that has it's own problems and even narrower limits)

I would ask this question: how the data that you want to display will look on the screen? If it's 1 or 2 numbers then maybe it's easier for the end-user if it's a datafield. They can add it to their layout with all the other fields they like. If it's more than that than you might need to go for an app but then you'll need to provide even more data, because then you need to do a full-screen experience. And even then, if you only support newer devices then you can still do it as a full0screen DF and let them add another screen next to it with all the rest of the data they are interested in.

As a user I did download some apps, mostly because I was searching for some sport and that's what I found (tennis on fr245, tabata, rollerskate) but except the tabata I find the apps strange. I guess they're more tailored to whoever created them, and less flexible. On the other hand some of the full-screen datafields I downloaded on fr245 are very good, and I hardly need anything else (and if I do I could add them on the 2nd screen). I used All-in-one, GRun, RunningDF, Race Screen, some of peterdecker's DF-es

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago

If you want to add something to a native activity, use a DF. If you want to add a new activity or something where no activity is involved, use a device app.

I have devices apps for hiking and walking that don't have those as native activities for example. And device apps that do things like testing the ble interface between Garmin and other device.

0 Savan over 2 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

can a fullscreen DataField be comprised of multiple other points of data displayed from different sensors? The DataField of datafields is a little confusing to me.

Also, the only device i personally have is the edge530. So the only *native activity* i'm really familiar with is the cycling computer (and that's what i'm developing for)

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago in reply to Savan

I've seen DFs that will display 10-12 different values in full screen. Look around the app store to see what others have done

0 Savan over 2 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

Thanks, i have perused the sticky thread of example apps and am trying to learn and experiment concurrently. I seem to recall having read that a sensor can only be paired to one df or vice versa. Havent gotten to that experiment yet.

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago in reply to Savan

With a ble sensor, in CIQ BLE it's one-to-one, but with something like a BLE sensor that's natively paired any number of DFs can access the data at the same time. Similar with ANT. if a sensor is natively paired any number of DF can access it at the same time

0 Savan over 2 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

What does natively paired mean vs I guess not natively paired?

my situation is a view (full screen df i suppose) with hr monitor (ble device 1), and ebike (ant+, ble device2?) and cycling activity data.

Trying to get the view I want by asking the user to add and configure the DFs feels kinda clunky.

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago in reply to Savan

Naviely paired means it's paired with a device using "Sensors & Accessories" in the standard watch settings.

Look at the NordicThingy52CoinColotor sample in the SDK to see the interaction with a BLE sensor (the thingy52) that's not natively paited.

0 Savan over 2 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

Interesting, so if the bike and the hr monitor are both natively paired then it seems like I can do my thing with a df. Thanks for the clarification!

0 flocsy🤠 over 2 years ago in reply to Savan

also if it's not natively paired: https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/f/showcase/314512/ant-hrm-heart-rate-monitor-data-field I don't think that's a deciding factor.