Watch face variations best pracice

I've got a bundle of requests in the forums (Germany & US) wanting me to create differently
colored clones of my scuba watchface. Of course i can easily apply different color sets to my
code.
So just a question to the mods: How should I fulfil those requests:

- create different IQ Apps witch the same face and different colorsets? - If everyone does it this way, the number of watch faces on the platform will explode...
- create different Versions e.g. Blue on April 18-19 and post availability into forums e.g. If you want to get the blue one download it between
monday and wednesday???

- Send the requesting User a prg file by email to install in GARMIN/APPS

- any possiblity for the enduser to configure colors that I have overseen?
- anything else I've overseen?

What's the best way to do?

Thanks for feedback!

Peter

baldman67 over 10 years ago

You cant not "structure" an enter/leave of low power mode (except by trying to count them). This is a hack, and nothing more, and to me, would be quite random at best. This may work for you, but would NOT work for me on a watch.

Hi Jim,

You can control leave low power (by raising the watch) and control enter low power (by either letting it timeout or lowering the watch), using counters and timers you can likewise trap a very specific set of gestures. By counting the exit from low power and ensuring that 4 of these events occur each separated by less than 8 seconds (below the timeout) you have created a sequence that has to be executed quite deliberately. As I mentioned it has not misfired in a month of testing. I have not found this to be random at all.

Former Member over 10 years ago

You cant not "structure" an enter/leave of low power mode (except by trying to count them). This is a hack, and nothing more, and to me, would be quite random at best. This may work for you, but would NOT work for me on a watch.

And a brilliant hack at that. Excellent work @BALDMAN67. Jim's just mad he didn't think of it himself.

jim_m_58 over 10 years ago

No thorn - it's something that's working for one person in the way they use the device. The use of movements as a trigger varies witt what people are doing when they wear the device. To me, it's prone to errors and bad reviews...

travis.vitek over 10 years ago

The chance of someone accidentally glancing at their watch 4 times in 8 seconds pretty small. Given that it is a documented feature of the software, I have a hard time arguing that it is a hack. Have you tried this watch face, and if so were you able to accidentally trigger a color change?

If a user gives a negative review because the watch face changed color unexpectedly, instructions to fix it are already in place and the fix is quite simple. It doesn't make ConnectIQ look bad. If anything it makes the rest of us look dumb for not having thought of this solution sooner.

Also, this kind of thing is not that unusual. To change the door lock configuration on my Honda, you hold the door lock/unlock button for 10 seconds and then turn the ignition to on within 5 seconds. The Konami code from the 80's is the same idea.

baldman67 over 10 years ago

Thanks guys :)

I also considered using a sequence of toggling the BT connection but I considered this might be prone to misfiring (if the connection was flakey) and obviously requires a phone to be handy. Keeping the ability to change schemes within the watch is what drove the eventual solution.

Cheers for the feedback

HermoT over 10 years ago

I do respect each and everyone's opinions.

I do still think, regardless of it being regarded as a hack or not, that the idea is unique and creative.

The SDK is still very immature, and therefor people are trying to find ways around limitations.

Let that be.

We can enforce stricter guidelines, rules and conventions etc when these limitations are something of the past.