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New Developer FAQ

Where can I download the SDK?

The latest version of the SDK can be found at http://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/sdk/.

How do I get started with Connect IQ?

  • The Programmer's Guide and User Experience Guide are good places to start gaining familiarity with Monkey C and Connect IQ.
  • API Documentation is available on our developer site.
  • The SDK also includes a set of sample apps in the 'samples' folder that demonstrate the capabilities of Connect IQ.

If you have questions along the way, these forums are the best place to go for assistance. Many questions have already been answered in previously posted threads, however both the Connect IQ team and several experienced developers monitor the forums to answer new questions or respond to issues you may encounter.

I just downloaded the latest SDK. Can I build apps that will work on any device that supports Connect IQ?

Yes! We have designed the SDK so that you can target any Connect IQ-compatible devices, regardless of the Connect IQ version they support. A project can be configured to target a minimum SDK version, which limits the selectable target devices to those that support the selected Connect IQ version. Targeting the newest version of Connect IQ will limit the devices that can run your app, but will give you access to all of the latest goodies. Anything built targeting earlier SDK versions will work on the latest devices, so allows your app to run on more devices as long as you don't need the newest features for your app.

The minimum SDK selector is designed to build for the highest supported SDK for each device. For example, consider this set of devices: device A (3.x), B (2.x), and C (1.x). The table below illustrates how the build system is designed to function:

Minimum SDK Selected Eligible Target Devices What Gets Built
3.0.x A 3.0.x PRG for A
2.4.x A, B 3.0.x PRG for A, 2.4.x PRG for B
1.2.x A, B, C 3.0.x PRG for A, 2.4.x PRG for B, 1.2.x PRG for C

 Am I allowed to charge for my app though the Connect IQ app store?

Yes, you are! It is acceptable to list prices, link to payment sites, or ask for donations on the Connect IQ app store as long as solicitations are related to your app. The app store falls under the the Connect IQ SDK License Agreement, which does not forbid solicitation for sales of apps by app developers. However, solicitation for business on Garmin sites other than the app store (such as this forum) is prohibited but Garmin's Terms of Use.

Can I display seconds on my watch face?

Yes, you can! However, one priority of Connect IQ is the preservation of battery life, so we have a system in place that governs how often watch faces may be updated. Generally, watch faces update once per minute in low power mode, and once per second when in full power mode. The watch will enter full power mode for a few seconds when the user gestures to look at it, and then returns to low power mode. Developers will often detect this transition to full power mode, display a seconds indicator for a few moments, and then hide the seconds indicator once the device returns to low power mode. Newer devices may also support Always On watch faces, which can update once per second as long as they operate within certain limits.

You can find out more about low power mode, full power mode, and Always On watch faces in the Programmer's Guide and User Experience Guide, or read about the related APIs in the API Docs.

How do I format output padded with leading zeros?

Many Connect IQ apps include time values that require leading zeros. For example, time written in an HH:MM:SS format appears as "12:05:05" rather than "12:5:5". Monkey C includes string formatting functions that can get this job done using a %02d format specifier.

A common error is to specify a format of %.2d or %0.2d. This may pad a decimal with leading zeros in some languages, such as in C++'s printf() function, but Monkey C follows the C99 standard. C99 requires the 0 flag to specify padding with leading zeros for d, i, o, u, x, X, a, A, e, f, F, g, and G conversions. In addition, C99 states that if a precision is specified with '.', the the 0 flag is ignored.

How can I load the apps I develop to my device for testing purposes?

Apps are typically installed to devices via the Connect IQ App Store, but it's often useful to side-load an app to a device for testing without having to first upload a version to the app store. Here's how:

  1. In Eclipse, choose Connect IQ > Build for Device Wizard…
  2. In the Build for Device Wizard window:
    • Choose the project you wish to build
    • Choose the target device
    • Choose the SDK version to target
    • Specify a signing key
    • Set an output location
    • Click Finish
  3. Connect your device to the computer via USB (it should appear as a drive)
  4. Copy the PRG file made by the Build for Device Wizard from the output location to /GARMIN/APPS on your device
  5. Disconnect your device; the app should be available for use

I have side-loaded an app as described above, but app settings won't work. Why is this?

App settings allow user to configure an app via Garmin Express or Garmin Connect Mobile, and depend on the Connect IQ App Store to function properly. When an app is side loaded, this connection to the Connect IQ App Store is never established. If you have an app that uses app settings that needs to be tested, you may submit the app to the Connect IQ App Store and test out the settings features while the app is either in a beta state or pending approval.

My app uses app settings, and it sometimes crashes after changing the settings, but the rest of the time it works fine. What can cause this?

In the past, there have been issues where the client used to manage app settings, like Garmin Express or Garmin Connect Mobile, has returned a setting value with an unexpected type, so it's good practice to check a setting value to ensure it's the expected type. For example, this code will check for a null value and convert the value to a Number as long as it is not null. Otherwise, a default value is returned:

function readKeyInt(myApp,key,thisDefault) {
    var value = myApp.getProperty(key);
    if(value == null || !(value instanceof Number)) {
        if(value != null) {
            value = value.toNumber();
        } else {
            value = thisDefault;
        }
    }
    return value;
}

I keep getting a "Too Many Arguments Error", but I never used to get this. What is going on?

We added a a feature in the 2.1.2 SDK release to perform an argument count check on function and method calls. This was included as part of a larger security effort, which includes things like app signing and encryption of app data. Overall, this is a good thing, since it promotes more robust source code prevents some potential security exploits. Unfortunately, it has also caused some apps to crash on 1.3.x and 2.x devices when built with the 2.1.2 SDK even though these same apps execute without issue when built with earlier SDK releases. This kind of crash appears in the CIQ_LOG.TXT or CIQ_LOG.YML file as a Too many arguments error, signifying the argument count check has failed. Here are a couple of examples that illustrate potential causes:

  • Missing state arguments for the onStart() and onStop() methods. These are currently unused arguments and were passed implicitly in earlier versions of Connect IQ, but must now be included explicitly.
  • An initialize() method that takes an array of options but to which none are passed.

How can I test or debug Connect IQ apps I am developing?

A simple way to test Connect IQ apps is to include System.println() statements at strategic points in your app. Within Eclipse, these statements will output to the console. On a device, these statements write to the /GARMIN/APPS/LOGS<APPNAME>.TXT file, if it exists. This file is not automatically created, so must be created manually and named to match the name of the app's PRG file. For example, to log output from /GARMIN/APPS/MYAPP.PRG, create the /GARMIN/APPS/LOGS/MYAPP.TXT file.

For more advanced debugging, Connect IQ has a unit testing framework called Run No Evil, and a debugger that's included in the Connect IQ plug-in for Eclipse that can be used to dig into potential issues within the Connect IQ simulator. Check out the How to Test chapter of the Programmer's Guide for more info.

In addition to these tools, there are two general types of on-device crash that can occur related to Connect IQ, which each generate log files: app crashes and device crashes.

App crashes typically result in an app quitting unexpectedly or displaying an 'IQ!' icon, but does not cause the entire device to crash or reboot. This kind of crash is most commonly due to a bug in an app, though it can also be due to a bug in Connect IQ itself. Whenever an app crash occurs, a /GARMIN/APPS/LOGS/CIQ_LOG.YML file is written to the device, which usually contains a call stack from the app (older devices may write a CIQ_LOG.TXT file).

Device crashes typically cause the device to reboot or freeze. These indicate a Connect IQ or device firmware bug, and should be much less common than app crashes. When a device crash occurs, an ERR_LOG.TXT file is typically written to /GARMIN or /GARMIN/DEBUG on the device, containing stack trace information related to the crash. Garmin's device teams can take a look at the device crash logs to determine the cause of the crash and will typically provide a fix in a future firmware release.

When any crash log file exceeds 5 KB, it will automatically be archived to <LOGNAME>.BAK, and a new log will be started. Any old .BAK files will be overwritten when the archive occurs, so the maximum practical space available for logging is ~10 KB.

 I think that I've found a bug with CIQ. How do I report it?

If you think you've found a Connect IQ bug, please report it in the Connect IQ Bug Reports tool!  Please make sure to read the Bug Reporting Rules to ensure you provide us with the information we need to investigate the problem. Be advised that if you post about a bug in the discussion forum, your thread may be moved or deleted.

My app is receiving inappropriate reviews. Is there something I can do about that?

Developers may flag reviews of their own apps they believe are inappropriate and provide a reason explaining why. Store admins will evaluate each case and remove reviews that:

  • Contain abusive language or profanity
  • Are not relevant to the app or are spam
  • Reference a firmware bug and not an app bug (since that's not the app developer's fault)
  • Refer to a device support issue (e.g. I don't know how to configure my activity with this data field)