Access to Settings/Menu from Connect IQ widget

I cannot currently (using the latest FW 2.70) on my D2 Bravo access the watch's built-in settings menu from any Connect IQ widgets. Normally, if you long press on the menu button you are taken to the watch settings, which is what happens on all the built-in widgets but is not the case on any Connect IQ widgets and I cannot remember if it's always been this way or if this is a bug in the latest firmware. To confirm, I don't mean the settings for the widget -- I am referring to the watch's settings, where you configure all the things, like bluetooth, units, etc and can access activity history and such.

I know that widgets can capture the menu keypress so I built a quick widget for testing and no matter what I did, I could not access the Watch Settings from the widget. I tried the following:

have no input delegate
added an input delegate but not handle any key presses
added an input delegate and handle onMenu but return false

Regardless of what I did, I could not access the Settings. This appears to happen on ConnectIQ widgets from Garmin (such as Multi Time Zone) so I'm thinking it's either by design or it's a bug. Or it's a Tuesday.

Cheers,
Douglas

jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

When the va first came out you could access the native widgets while running a CIQ device app, but that's the only device I've seen it on, and it was turned off on the va. It was nice as you could access things like the music controls while running a CIQ app.

I'm guessing that memory is involved - to make sure CIQ as as much memory as possible.

To access device settings with a CIQ widget, seems all you have to do is exit the widget (the menu behind native widgets - at least on the va-hr, sees to including settings specific to the native widget.) For CIQ widgets, if you could access the device settings while they are running, the widget would also likely need to ability to determine that the watch settings changed. (kind of like "onSettingsChanged() is for used with CIQ app settings).

dbrobert over 8 years ago

When the va first came out you could access the native widgets while running a CIQ device app, but that's the only device I've seen it on, and it was turned off on the va. It was nice as you could access things like the music controls while running a CIQ app.

You misunderstand me, Jim. I'm not looking to access native widgets from an app; I can already do that on my D2 Bravo, for example, the built-in Fly app or my custom activity app I can access the watch face, step count, music controls, VIRB control, etc or any other built-in, native widget (CIQ widgets require the activity to be paused, which is always the way it's been, likely, as you say due to memory/processor constraints).

What I'm asking is if anyone can access the Settings menu directly from a widget when using a D2 Bravo (or a fenix 3 derivative). The functionality of other watches is potentially interesting but with the variance in memory and CIQ API support I'm really only concerned with the functionality of my model.

UPDATE: I'm now leaning towards a *bug*... I can't access Settings directly from CIQ apps now either. I need to go to the watch face, and then long press from there to get to Settings. If it was a memory constraint then long-press for Settings would be restricted from the watch face also. Can anyone at Garmin confirm?

Cheers,
Douglas

jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

I guess what I was trying to say is that accessing anything "native" on the watch while running a CIQ watch or Widget, isn't common, and I only have seen/heard of the one case in the early days of the va.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

dbrobert over 8 years ago

I guess what I was trying to say is that accessing anything "native" on the watch while running a CIQ watch or Widget, isn't common, and I only have seen/heard of the one case in the early days of the va.

Interesting -- I have never known it any other way. I guess those of us on the fenix 3 family are lucky then? The only restriction I have ever experienced from day one with respect to CIQ is that no CIQ functionality is available when an activity is running (including CIQ watch faces). I just assumed (incorrectly I guess) that it was similar for other devices.

I think this likely is no big for most users but it's becoming a serious restriction for me now as I write replacement widgets for the D2 Bravo's built-in functionality (which I find doesn't work well for pilots outside of the USA) -- as a result, my METAR/TAF widget replacement and my [awaiting approval] Temperature widget are sadly unavailable when flying, running or whatever. Of course, I really shouldn't be playing with my watch while flying anyway... "why are there mountain goats up here in these clouds" he ponders? :) ... plus the METAR one requires a data connection anyway so there's that.

Cheers,
Douglas