Connect IQ Apps running with Native Apps

I'm fairly certain that only data fields and widgets are able to run while you are running the native apps on the edge_1000. To access the widget loop, you swipe down and then swipe to the side.

Travis

Setting up as Widget instead of App

Thanks, Travis.

Will try to set up my app as a widget. Couple questions...

Where can I find instructions on how to set up as widget vs app (I'm pretty clear on what's available for widget vs app now, but not sure how to set up the entry point or declare code as widget vs app).

Also, if widget's view is available as one of several/many views on device, is it possible to jump display to widget view on an event (e.g. I'm using edge 1000 for training and and have normal views available but want to use timer to initiate periodic check of status, and on certain status to jump to widget view)?

Best regards,

Bill

To build as a widget vs a watch-app, it may be as simple is just a minor change to the manifest.xml file.

Where it says "watch-app", change that to "widget".

A native app can't jump to a widget. After you start the native app, start the widget, and when you go back to the native app, the widget will terminate.

In your widget you don't want to do something like start activity recording, as that's being done by the native app.

Jim,
Thanks.

Will try the change to manifest.

It sounds like widget won't work for my intent... to periodically alert based on status change (e.g. reaching a time, distance, or other field value).

I've already developed an app with timer based monitor that pushes a view on certain changes in status.
What I can't do yet is figure out how to put this in the background while native app is running and force switch from native to my app/widget/other when certain status occurs.

Are you aware of any way I can set this us so that it can run in background / persist while native app is current view... so that I can push my view into focus and show some alert (and allow user to swipe back to native app still doing the exercise logging for run or ride).

Bill

What I can't do yet is figure out how to put this in the background while native app is running and force switch from native to my app/widget/other when certain status occurs.

Are you aware of any way I can set this us so that it can run in background / persist while native app is current view... so that I can push my view into focus and show some alert (and allow user to swipe back to native app still doing the exercise logging for run or ride).

Bill

There's currently no way to run a watch-app or widget in the background. The closest you can come is a data field that will continue to run (compute() is called every second) when the specific screen with that data field isn't currently being displayed.

Where can I find instructions on how to set up as widget vs app.

If you use eclipse, when you create a new project (File > New > Connect IQ Project), you are prompted for the application type. If you're working with an existing project, you can change the type by right-clicking on the project folder in eclipse and selecting Properties; you should see an entry for project type under the Connect IQ selection. If you don't use eclipse, you can edit the manifest.xml for your project.

One thing to note... A data field project would typically a view class that extended Ui.DataField or Ui.SimpleDataField, a watch face would typically have a view that extends Ui.WatchFace, and other project types would extend Ui.View. If you change the project type, be sure to update your view to extend the correct class.

is it possible to jump display to widget view on an event

No, this is not currently possible. You could use the built-in alert functionality on the device to tell you to look at a piece of data, but you can't have the system switch from the built-in application to another application or widget automatically.

Travis

You could use the built-in alert functionality on the device to tell you to look at a piece of data

Sorry to interrupt, but what do you mean by this "alert functionality"? Is there an ability to schedule system-wide alert, that will trigger on predefined conditions/time?

When you are in an activity mode, press Menu > Alerts. You can configure an alert to fire based on conditions like time, distance, heart rate, cadence, ...

These alerts are not system wide; they are part of the app you are using. You can set different alerts for each activity profile, and only those for the active profile will trigger. If you are not in an activity profile (you're in watch mode), the alerts will not fire.

Travis