Data Field: AppBuilder

By user request, this app lets you define your own data field, based on a simple math formula like cadence / 2.

If you want to get fancy, there's conditional expressions (like IF in Excel), functions for data analysis (like MIN and AVG), and the data field can also display the text of your choice. The resulting data can be (optionally) written to the activity FIT file.

With AppBuilder, you can implement almost any field that involves math, such as: calculating normalized power and saving the data to the FIT activity file, showing the average pace for even-numbered laps, or recording the amount of time you sprinted.

Full documentation and examples here:
http://ciq-appbuilder.blogspot.com/

AppBuilder 5:
Now with new features! AppBuilder 5 is a completely new app, so please check it out in the store if you are interested in any of the new features.
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/fd690281-9c22-4fee-a81e-3b7f39aa67c5

- Store up to four formulas per app. Switch between formulas directly on the watch, without using a phone or PC. With four clone apps, you can store up to 16 formulas total
- User variables. Allows for powerful formulas where information can be stored at one point, like the start of a lap, and used later. e.g. Lap elevation change
- Improved timeavg() options. Allows for simpler, more flexible normalized power function
- More functions and variables

4 clones of AppBuilder are available in the store, so you can have 2 formulas in the same activity

and store up to 16 different formulas in all.
3 for 735XT, 4 for Edge devices

AppBuilder 5+:
All the power of AppBuilder 5 in a full-screen datafield with four or six fields, for cutting-edge watches and Edge cycling computers:
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/394941a6-4e73-4843-820b-fdcfbc877f3a

AppBuilder Classic:
Supports all your existing formulas forever, no matter how complex. 4 clones are available in the store, so you can store up to 4 different formulas.
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/deb4b872-48be-409c-b91a-9b8485d2fc80

See all my apps here, including all AppBuilder clones, and Distance to Start, Time to Start and Elevation Change as standalone apps:
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/developer/8545c609-c030-4c0c-b3d8-4bc63ebdc901/apps

I created this app as a fun project in response to an interesting user suggestion. So I'd love to hear if anyone thinks this is practical or useful, and what kinds of extra features you would like to see, if any.

Feel free to share any useful formulas of your own in the thread!

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Matt_Barrett over 6 years ago

ah well, thought as much, thanks anyway the grade pace looked like a winner too

FlowState over 6 years ago

Update

- Web app has been changed so that you can save it locally and run it without messing around with security settings. No functional changes
https://ciq-appbuilder.blogspot.com/p/5plus.html

Former Member over 6 years ago

FlowState Thanks for this wonderful resource!! I'm wondering if there is a field for historical data from the watch... for example, mileage or time spent on all activities over a period of time.

FlowState over 6 years ago

TahoeRunGirl no worries!

I think a 7-day history of that kind of thing is available to apps, not the total history. AppBuilder does not support displaying any of that at this time. It could be possible to add it in the future, but only for the most advanced watches (like Fenix 5X Plus or 645 Music), so I don't know if it would be useful for you.

Former Member over 6 years ago

FlowState a couple of more questions about things I ran into on my second test run:

1) I tried running two instances of AppBuilder5+ where another shows u/f/d power and another u/f/d pace. This time the lap data was nicely in order, showing first instance, then second, from smaller to larger fields. However, total summary was a bit mixed, showing averages from both first and second instance of AppBuilder5+ alternating randomly, albeit otherwise in correct order. Any idea if this is easy to fix, or something GC related?

2) Is it currently possible to record speed data as time per distance? I noticed I can change display format, even format the data before recording, but apparently recorded data cannot be formatted as otherwise it is converted to text. Is there any workaround for this currently?

FlowState over 6 years ago

JTH9 1) I should be able to fix the problem with the multiple instances. It has to do with the way the FIT fields are defined in the manifest (same place that the colours and labels are defined). After I do the update, I would appreciate it if you could test it for me.

2) The only way to do this is write as a "string" not a number, and if I did:
- You couldn't record it to the graph
- It probably wouldn't display at all in Garmin Connect web site, due to a bug
- You would have no option to display as a number, as the type is fixed

Short answer: no. (Sorry.)

The closest you could get to is to record decimal minutes per distance. e.g. 5.50 for 5:30. Ideally GC would allow you to write the raw data as speed (for the correct graph) and display as pace, but that's impossible. It's also related to the fact that they won't let you override native speed with calculated speed, because if they did, they could do it for you.

FlowState over 6 years ago

JTH9 On second thought:

1) I do believe this is a GC issue, as data from two different apps shouldn't be interleaved like this. What if it was two unrelated apps, and not two clones of AppBuilder? GC has no way of telling the difference. To be clear, GC doesn't (or shouldn’t) know that AppBuilder 5+ and AppBuilder 5+ (B) are related apps.

The workaround I was planning on implementing wouldn't make sense or be practical for any two random apps in the store, for example. We can't all coordinate our FIT info even if we wanted to.

Having said this, I urge you to file a bug report with Garmin. Include a screenshot of GC and send them the original FIT file.

Also I would like to know if this happens on both GC mobile and the GC website.

EDIT: you may also wish to try two actually unrelated apps. dozen Run writes a lot of data for example.

Former Member over 6 years ago

FlowState Double checked, and this actually affects GCM only. Thanks for reminding me, should've remembered these are coded by by different teams.

As for pace, I already thought about decimal minutes as a backup plan, so will probably have to to do that for now. Thanks for confirming this is the best (only) way to do.

Again, thanks for the great support. I have to say running with two instances of AppBuilder5+ like this makes me feel kind of privileged. It makes the F5+ feel the most powerful watch currently available. You can basically invent your own data and record it on multiple instances. What is also great is that if I export run data to excel and run some formulas with the data, I know it will probably work in practice with AppBuilder too. So I think the "Excel for you Garmin" description you mentioned earlier is very close to truth here :)

I only hope more people could benefit from it. But I guess even though it's quite basic math and the formulas are very close to formulas in Excel, it's still not exactly easy for everyone to take advantage of it. There is a bit of a learning curve with Excel too.

FlowState over 6 years ago

JTH9 thanks for checking that. Hopefully Garmin will fix that one day.

The problem is very few ppl want Excel for anything let alone Excel for Garmin. It's a tool that ppl are forced to use, not something they want to use.

Maybe I should rebrand as "Numbers for Garmin".

But srsly, most runners I know don't even download apps. Maybe one or two download a stopwatch app so they can do intervals without looking at their pace.

The other problem is once you make your apps slightly more complicated, AppBuilder crashes. >_>

Former Member over 6 years ago

Hi FlowState

probably your app can help me, showing on watch and saving to FIT some additional data, I can't find somewhere else. It sounds promising...

Sometimes, I want to measure distances (without GPS) by walking with special step length.
I've tested to set a "user setting" of personal step length in Garmin Connect, but unfortunately this user setting is only used to calculate the distance of the 24h-Steps. It's NOT used for calculating the distance within activities at all, neither for activities WITH GPS (that's clear), but also not for activities WITHOUT GPS (IMHO it's a bug, isn't it?).
The shown distance in my activities without GPS is MUCH too short!

I know, that ActivitySteps are recorded by default by Garmin - and are cumulated additionally to 24h-Steps.
Unfortunately this ist not shown in Garmin Connect, but by using data field "Steps to FIT" it's possible to add a data field in an activity on fenix 5S and to show these "ActivitySteps" in GC.

Can you please tell me, what's the data name for "ActivitySteps", to calculate (Show on watch + store to FIT file) the calculated personal distance
[= "ActivitySteps" * "FixedValue"] ? (FixedValue is e.g. 0,75)