In case this is helpful. For select more advanced users who are experiencing a strange CIQ app issue that I can't replicate, this has really helped. As I'm sure someone will mention... this isn't something you want most to use. And those that do, you want them to remove the LOG file once it isn't needed... since console writes to the device are expensive.
When you use Mac and the device is in MTP mode then you have to install either OpenMTP or Android file Transfer or MacDroid to be able to copy the files between the device ant the Mac.
In step 3 where you're searching for the cryptic filename of the app in GarminDevice.xml you wrote "need to search for the data field’s name" which is not very clear, would be better to include that in the screenshot of the xml. (also it might not be very clear to everyone what is the app's name they need to search for).
Now I see that that is exactly what you have in step 4, but then the screenshot of the xml in step 3 is even more confusing.
I'll also add that in some of my datafields I can't afford to have logs, because they are already using up all available code size, so if you're lucky enough to find a user that has the time and the technical skills to help then maybe sending a special side-load build is helpful (it can remove unrelated code if there's not enough place for the logs, and add the logs) Additional side effect: it can have a different manifest id, in which case the whole part of finding the cryptic filename can be skipped (but can't be used if user needs to be able to use settings or see the results in Garmin Connect)
I would also clarify that Garmin Express needs to be completely shut down before you can transfer files. This includes closing the Garmin / Garmin Express icon in the Windows system tray or the Mac menu bar.
Personally, I prefer to disable the Garmin Express setting named "Always keep Garmin Express running in the background", so that the Garmin Express icon closes automatically when Garmin Express is closed.
When you use Mac and the device is in MTP mode
To clarify this, all Garmin devices which support music (such as most current watches) use MTP for file transfer. Devices which don't support music (such as Edges and older watches) use USB Mass Storage for file transfer.
USB Mass Storage works without any additional software.
MTP works on Windows without any additional software.
On Mac, additional software is required for MTP, such as OpenMTP. Note that MacDroid is not free and Android File Transfer is no longer available from the original source (Google / android.com).
If you search for Android File Transfer, it does seem to be hosted by some kind of clone of android.com which is hosted on a Chinese-owned domain (p2hp dot com) and partially translated into Chinese. The clone site uses a Let's Encrypt certifcate lol, not an official google certificate like android.com does. Idk if I would feel comfortable downloading it from there tbh. (EDIT: I gave it a shot for research purposes, and found that the DMG the clone site currently offers is identical to the DMG I downloaded from android.com a couple of years ago. Who knows if that will continue to be true forever though.)
Modern EDGE devices now use MTP. I think that is what it is called. Definitely no longer a normal mass storage device. More of a pain even under Windows. It shows up as a named device under File Explorer and has limited capabilities compared to a mass storage device. For example, you can't click on a text file end edit it and save it as the same name. What you can do it dag the file to your desktop, edit it, and then drag it back over.
MTP has been around since 2018 or so - any watch with music since then has been MTP, so nothing new for most people.
It's interesting that newer Edges use MTP even though they don't support music. I assume this is either to streamline the various codebases and/or for security reasons. (USB Mass Storage gives direct access to the file system, MTP does not.)
For example, you can't click on a text file end edit it and save it as the same name. What you can do it dag the file to your desktop, edit it, and then drag it back over
Yeah this is a good point - I've def noticed this too. You can't directly open and edit files on an MTP device, you have to make a copy and copy it back, like you said. This is because MTP doesn't give you direct access to the file system (like USB mass storage), it's a higher-level file transfer protocol. (One advantage is ejecting the device is unnecessary, as it's impossible for a write to be interrupted in a way that corrupts the file system. If you copy a file to an MTP device, for example, either the copy succeeds or it fails cleanly, even if you unplug the device halfway through.)
In some cases, you *can* open a file on MTP without manually copying it, but Windows automatically makes a copy anyway (so any changes to the copy won't be reflected in the original, obviously). This only works with certain ways of opening files.
e.g.
- You can right-click on a file on an MTP device and select Open with Code. This will create a copy in your Windows internet cache folder and open it. It also works if you open Code, select File > Open File, navigate to your Garmin device, and select a file to open. Dragging and dropping to an existing Code window does not work though.
- Notepad doesn't work when you right click and select "Edit in Notepad", but File > Open works. Right Click > Open With > Notepad also works.
- Sublime Text works with right click > "Open with Sublime Text", and File > Open. Right Click > Open With > Sublime Text also works.
- you can double-click on an image in the \garmin\screenshot folder and a copy opens in the default image preview app
I think all the ways of opening a file on MTP will automatically create a copy and open that instead.
To summarize, if you wanna open a file on MTP in a certain app:
- in the app, File > Open usually (or always) works
- in file explorer, Right Click > Open With > [select app] usually (or always) works
- in file explorer, Double Click usually (or always) works
- in file explorer, Right Click > [app's custom context menu item] sometimes works
- dragging and dropping from file explorer to the app never works
So if you're not interested in actually editing and saving a file on MTP, there are ways to automatically open a copy which are slightly quicker than making a manual copy.
