DataFace
DataFace - data rich yet simple and energy efficient multi-screen watch face with unique set of features, free of charge.
DataFace - data rich yet simple and energy efficient multi-screen watch face with unique set of features, free of charge.
Great watch face! Thank you very much for making it. I like that the battery consumption is low, you can have several screens and there are so many customisation options. And the offline weather forecast is very useful. Is there a manual?
I am struggling with the data fields. I understand where data fields 1-8 appear, but it is more complicated with the higher-number data fields: Some are larger than others and it seems that larger data fields replace smaller fields. How does it work? If I use some of the higher-number data fields, the font is larger. This is useful for me because I am far-sighted. How do I optimise this to select fields with larger fonts?
Another question: Some metrics appear three times. For example, Heart rate Sys., Heart rate Alt. and Heart rate. What is the difference?
Thanks!
And the offline weather forecast is very useful. Is there a manual?
Do you mean the manual for using the forecasting feature or for the watch face in general? Although, for the both variants the answer is no, I can explain how things work. If the first, then it's the Zambretti Forecaster (details are easy to find online), which selects one of the predefined results based on smoothed barometric pressure history. If the second, then there are no manuals, since I try to make this watch face as intuitive as possible so that the user simply doesn't need the manual. I understand, this may not be entirely possible, but this is one of the goals I'm trying to achieve. And since this forum thread and "Contact Developer" exist, I'm happy to provide support when needed.
it is more complicated with the higher-number data fields
The idea behind the layout is that areas above and below time are grids of 4 rows and 2 columns, and you can make a data field to occupy any rectangular area within this grid. For example, you could place one large value across the entire top half of the grid, and use the bottom half to place another large value there, or split it further into two rows/columns and place two smaller values there, and so on.
Some are larger than others and it seems that larger data fields replace smaller fields. How does it work?
Yes, if the larger field is set, the smaller fields in this area, that would be overlapped by this field, will not be displayed. Fields are are numbered hierarchically: from parent to children and from first child to its siblings. If the parent is set, all of its children and their children's children won't be displayed. If one of the children in the sibling group is selected, it and its siblings and all their children withing the group will be drawn, but not the other siblings in other groups within its parent. I understand it may be difficult to understand without going into more details and without testing it in practice, but I hope you (and everyone else) don't have to.
You can draw a 4 rows by 2 columns grid on paper, decide which rectangular areas of this grid you want to use to place values you need, and then simply scroll down the list of available fields until you see the corresponding rectangle from your drawing, without paying much attention to the number of data field itself.
How do I optimise this to select fields with larger fonts?
You can start with two values at top and two at bottom: use fields 11-12 and 18-19 for two large rows, or 13-14 and 20-21 for two large columns. Otherwise, fields 27-28, 31-32 and 41-42, 45-46 can contain 4 equally sized values at the top and bottom.
Some metrics appear three times.
Essentially, these are different data sources, as Garmin provides multiple ways to obtain some values. "Sys." are lightweight and can always be updated instantly without significant use of system resources. "Alt." use different data source and can retain their values for a short time if the current value is not available (e.g., it can show your last known heart rate at the moment you took off the watch). Unlabeled values use the same source as "Alt", but consume less resources because they don't access the historical values. There are many other nuances related to the selected update modes. In general, I recommend trying "Sys." first and then switching to other variants if necessary.
Brandon.ConnectIQ, ConnectIQTeam, could you please disable moderation for me in this thread? I can't wait weeks and months for my posts to be are approved. When I say "months", I'm not exaggerating. All my attempts to make any changes to the first post here take between one and five weeks to be approved on Garmin's side.
Thank you for the explanations. When I read them and looked at the data field settings again, I noticed that the circles show the position of each data field! I did say that I am far sighted, haha. It’s a lot more intuitive now. The way you can choose different data field positions and sizes is ingenious.
As I said, a big plus of DataFace for me is the low energy consumption. In your Connect IQ description, you mention that there are a few options to make it even more energy efficient. What are they? Is energy consumption higher with more screens? Is it higher when I display graphs or metrics that update frequently like current heart rate or pressure? And in general, do watch faces consume energy when they are not used (but are installed)? I wonder whether I should delete my other watch faces.
Great to have so many metrics to choose from. The only thing I am missing from my previous watch face is 7-day rolling running distance (and 28-day running distance would be useful too). If you ever think of adding things, I hope you’ll consider it. Regardless, it's a great watch face that I'll be using from now on.
In your Connect IQ description, you mention that there are a few options to make it even more energy efficient. What are they?
While battery consumption is already minimal, applying the following settings will reduce the number of operations performed, which should slightly increase battery life:
Personally, I don't follow these tips and use complex screen setups, and even then, I don't charge my watch more often then I do with predefined watch faces.
Is energy consumption higher with more screens?
No. Only the configuration of currently displayed screen matters.
Is it higher when I display graphs or metrics that update frequently like current heart rate or pressure?
Yes, but not so much that they shouldn't be used at all. I recommend trying this watch face with default / maximal settings and data fields you need first before limiting them.
And in general, do watch faces consume energy when they are not used (but are installed)? I wonder whether I should delete my other watch faces.
The answer to this question depends on how other watch faces are implemented, whether they run background service (this one doesn't), and possibly even on the watch model and firmware used. Maybe try to leave them as is?
The only thing I am missing from my previous watch face is 7-day rolling running distance (and 28-day running distance would be useful too).
Isn't that "Training" - "Weekly run distance"? Weekly distance is a ready-to-use value provided by Garmin. Other time intervals seem to be possible as well, but this would require reading the history of recorded activities and performing some calculations, which this watch face doesn't currently do. I have this on ToDo, but it's not at the top.
The answer to this question depends on how other watch faces are implemented, whether they run background service (this one doesn't),
With watch faces, the background service only runs for the one that is "active". The one you see when the watch face is displayed..
see Connect IQ FAQ
"Other Points
Watch Faces - Watch faces are a bit different than other app times when it comes to if/when a background service runs, and this is by design. The background service for a watch face will only be run if that watch face is the "active" watch face (the one currently selected to be used). Think of the case where you have two watch faces installed, that both get weather data from the same source, with a limit on requests per day. There's no reason for the background service for the non-active watch face to run, as it would just use up the quota of requests per day."
Thanks for pointing this out. I forgot or didn't know that this is documented and exists as more than just common knowledge on these forums. I assumed so and suggested leaving everything as is, so that the OS itself would decide whether to stop these services or not, but I couldn't and still can't guarantee that what's written there is correct for all combinations of Monkey C programs and firmwares, as they may have bugs. As an example, I'll refer to a situation where not properly deactivated Sensor and Position listeners cause battery drain even after the watch app is closed and possibly even uninstalled, which should not normally happen for apps running inside a VM on an OS with proper resource management.
