Tag Archives: android

Components, Programming Method, Uncategorized

Android App Inventor Tip Calculator version 4: Introduction to Procedures

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What the App Does

This is the fourth version of 5 versions that implement a tip calculator. Each version has added improvements or new programming methods.

  • Version 1 introduced the basic app and the use of error checking to handle user data entry mistakes.
  • Version 2 introduced the Slider user interface component to select the tip amount. Using the Slider, the user selects a tip from 0% to 30%. Since there is no text entry, it is not possible for an incorrect tip value to be entered.
  • Version 3 introduced an improved user interface to eliminate user data entry errors.
  • Version 4 introduces “procedures” to clean up the code in preparation for version 5.
  • Version 5 revises Version 4 to make the calculation of the tip fully automatic plus fixes some minor oddities.

The Tip Calculator User Interface

No changes from version 3.

The Designer View

No changes from version 3.

The Blocks Code

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Components, Programming Method, Uncategorized

Sensors: Using the Accelerometer to detect motion

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This tutorial introduces the accelerometer – at a high level – as a tool to detect the phone being shaken. You can use this feature as another kind of user input to your app – for example, make a game where shaking the phone resets the game play or starts a new game.

An accelerometer is a hardware device that detects and measures motion, typically in three axes: X, Y and Z. For example, if the phone is moved left or right, the acceleration changes in the X axis and the accelerometer returns a value indicating the X axis movement.

Smart phones – and many modern devices – have special hardware accelerometer components built in. The orientation sensor, described previously, is actually a software sensor that uses the hardware accelerometer but converts acceleration into orientation values.

The purpose of this demonstration app is to show one example of using the accelerometer.

The user interface is simple – it displays a Start button and a Stop button, and the status of the accelerometer.

AccelUI

 

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Components, Tips, Uncategorized

Using TinyDB in App Inventor

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(This post was completely rewritten and updated on October 30, 2015)

What is TinyDB?

TinyDB is a simple “database” that stores data on your phone or tablet. Unlike program variables that go away when your app is finished running or your phone is re-set, values stored in TinyDB remain on your phone for use the next time your app is run.

About Memory on your Phone or Tablet

Your smart phone or tablet typically has two primary types of memory: RAM and FLASH memory.

RAM stands for “random access memory” – but today we mostly think of RAM as memory that can be accessed very fast (as compared to Flash or hard drive memory storage). RAM retains values as long as power is applied to the RAM circuity. Once we turn off the power, the values stored in RAM are lost. (In some applications, extra batteries are used to continuously provide power to RAM even when the “normal” power is turned off.)

Flash memory retains values when the power is turned off. But access to Flash RAM is not as fast as access to conventional RAM memory.

Why is it called “Flash”?  There was an early version of memory technology where the memory was erased by literally flashing it with ultraviolet light. However the inventor of Flash RAM chose the name “Flash” for different reasons. Modern Flash RAM is read, written and erased electronically.

App Inventor variables are stored in RAM memory – and the content of RAM is erased or reset whenever the power is turned off. TinyDB, on the other hand, stores values in FLASH RAM, where the values remain even when the power is turned off.

Using TinyDB

TinyDB provides a simple way to store and retrieve data efficiently and to store the data in long-term storage.  TinyDB is based on the concept of a “tag” to identify the stored data, and the data value. Think of a “tag” as like using your name as your identification to look up your address:

Tag value: Martin

Value: 123 Main St, Anytown, USA

or

Tag value: Alexa

Value: 321 Other St, Someplace, USA

TinyDB uses the “tag” (such as Alexa) to quickly locate the corresponding value. Even if you have 100 names and addresses stored in TinyDB, TinyDB can  look up the “tag” quickly and use the tag to find the corresponding value. We do not need to know how TinyDB does its look up so fast – it just does it [see Footnote 1].

In most database programs, the “tag” is known as a “key” or “key value”. App Inventor uses the name “tag” in place of “key”. As I am used to the name “key”, I tend to use “key” were I should have used “tag” in App Inventor! You will see this is the sample program, below!

To learn how to put TinyDB in operation, we construct a very simple app, described below.

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