############# EDIT: 07/31/2013. We had an awesome webinar today and spent some time reviewing the new Buzztouch Core for Android. If you missed the meeting, sorry. Attendees got a download link to sneak peack the new project and begin playing around with it. We're intentionally not publishing the download link to the new Buzztouch Core for Android project until a few more details are worked out. In the meantime, you're welcome to share the download link (if you hav it) with other Buzztouch Members that are interested in the reviewing the project. PLEASE DO NOT POST THE DOWNLOAD URL ON OUR FORUMS. WE'LL TRUST YOU. DON'T LET US DOWN. When reviewing the new project, start with the README-DEV.txt file included in the package - it's important that you understand what you have and don't have in this project. Cheers... ############# ############# EDIT: 06/30/2013. We'll be releasing some Android code in the next few days. We'll be asking some of you to test the newly updated project before releasing it the larger audience. If you're interested in getting your hands on the latest BT Core files for Android send us an email with "Android Member" in the subject line. Cheers from Monterey... ############# HI gang, Lots of Android news these days and lots of Android changes coming on our end. This set of roll-outs has been more challenging than some in the past...for a few reasons. Mostly because we've had a hard time figuring out the best "order" or "approach" to roll out all the needed changes. First and foremost...the Maps plugin needs some love: Maps: The BT_screen_map plugin works for older apps but new apps, that can no longer get a Google Maps v1.0 API key, can't use it. Updating this plugin was the first order of business in this slew of Android changes were making. In order to use the newly updated plugin (will appear in the market this weekend) you'll need to make sure your project is using the Google Play Services SDK. This is easy to get using the Android SDK Manager. GOOGLE PLAY SERVICES WILL NOT RUN ON THE EMULATOR. Be sure to review this before pulling your hair out: <a href="http://developer.android.com/google/play-services/setup.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://developer.android.com/google/play-services/setup.htm</a> If you're going to make Android apps you'll need to get used to the Google Play Services idea. It's going to be a big part of Android in the very near future and Google is moving lots and lots of things to this SDK. The Google I/O videos are worth watching if you're interested in where this is headed? Other Android changes.... Fragments: We'll begin embracing the Fragments approach to Android development and moving away from the Activity approach. Screens today (plugins) are Activities..each screen is a new Android Activity. This will be changing and plugins will instead be Android Fragments. The difference is both very little and very much. This post isn't the time to explain all the nuances but it's important that you realize that these changes are coming. We'll end up having to update all the Android source-files for each plugin when this change-over occurs. This means you can expect to see a long list of "freakouts" in the forum while everyone battles to get their self hosted panels updated, old projects working, etc. Large adjustments like this happen often and it's tough for all of us to get through sometimes but, like you know already, change is good. We don't have a date for this Activity to Fragment changeover but it won't be for at least a few weeks. Eclipse / Android Studio: The newly released Android Studio (integrated development environment) is exciting. We hope to begin moving everyone AWAY from Eclipse and into Android Studio. We've done a bunch of tests since the release the other day and it looks promising. If we all use Android Studio, and not Eclipse, we'll all be better off. I think. This is especially true for new users that always struggle to get Eclipse + Android to play nicely. This out-with-Eclipse and in-with-Android Studio won't happen in the next few weeks but do expect us to move in that direction after the Fragment change-over. Android Tabs / Action Bar: Your BT Android project is based on some older design paradigms (super early actually!) and needs to move into a more current approach. Example: Your app's should have an Android Action Bar at the top (not a generic title bar) and tabs should be at the top of the screen and not along the bottom. Expect to see this too. Tabs apps in your control panel will be bottom-tabs for iOS and top-tabs for Android - just as it should be. We'll be on this Android kick for awhile until everyone's through the hard part :-)

Thanks for the update, David! And as always, thanks for your hard work on this excellent environment! Cheers! -- Smug

I love pain!

Thanks for the heads up so I can start studying Joe

Hi David, Referring to google play services sdk incorporating into eclipse, would it be relevant if the app does not require google maps or google+ ? or is this mandatory to setup moving forward to develop ALL apps for android market? Regards, Mickey

Awesome news! The url the play service gives an error. It should be: http://developer.android.com/google/play-services/setup.html

Nice to know about major changes being made for android at last. This will be really huge and promising. Looking forward to it specially the actionbar thing with holo theme. Thank you David and BT Team.

Sounds great - cant wait for the changes to roll out.

Awesome and about time Android! LA

Let's go!

Okay - David inspired me to give Android Studio another go. I got it up and running, and it does do some things better than Eclipse. Namely, it has a much better autocomplete, which is something I was really hoping for. Still don't like it as much as XCode, but it's a step in the right direction. If only I could get my issues with ADB straightened out. My emulator disconnects on me half the time when I try to launch it. I think it's because I accidentally have two copies of ADB installed. Anyone know the proper way to uninstall one?

Thank you David! Maybe I should buy me another head to pour in all the information. Cheers! Frogman

Thats great! I'm lovin the direction Google is taking Android. -Shane

Changes sound good, and time consuming on your end, thanks for the effort.

Is BT update on google map API v2 out yet?

Ok David. You've inspired me to keep up with Android. TY

Wow. This is pretty huge...... Needed for sure but that's a lot of changes! Fragments and Action bars - stuff I've been dying to play with in BT apps. I've tinkered with the Actionbar Sherlock a bit and have been using fragments in some of my code currently. As long as I add the Android 4 support jar and import fragment classes - - they have been working fine in my 2.2.2 BT projects. I like to organize my fragments into packages inside the project. Picked that tip up looking at tons of sample code and seems to be a common practice. I was thinking it would be nice someday to see the BT Core activities in a package. Awesome on moving the Tabs and the Map updates are much needed. Thanks! As soon as you can kick out a sample, blank plug-in using the new code and post it that would be awesome. I've got tons of custom droid plug-ins I've been building and sounds like I'll have a lot of updating to do! Thanks!

For us newbies that just started, test apps that we created recently don't seem to work anymore. Any suggestions.

Hi @Repam, How about starting a new thread with details on the particular problem, and we'll get it sorted out? That way it doesn't get buried here. Mark

Thank you for all the effort put into bringing the latest best practices into buzztouch.

Has the Google Map V2 made it out yet?...can anyone give an update seeing it never made out out last weekend? ................................ David: 05/17/13 11:37 PM (6 days ago) Maps: The BT_screen_map plugin works for older apps but new apps, that can no longer get a Google Maps v1.0 API key, can't use it. Updating this plugin was the first order of business in this slew of Android changes were making. In order to use the newly updated plugin (will appear in the market this weekend)

Hi, should we wait for an update on BT_screen_map plugin or the procedures Dave explained about Google Play Services can already be used with existing plugin? Thanks!

You'll want to wait. Support for the Google Maps API for Android v2 is not available yet...David is working on it as fast as he can. The Google Play Services will be a prereq for getting that screen to work when it's ready. At the moment...the maps plugin doesn't work (unless you have a v1 key).

Ok, thanks, I don't have v1 key, I'll need wait then.

Is there any news on a release date? Jake

@David, I'm a complete newbie, just getting started with android. You said, "The Google I/O videos are worth watching" Do you have a link? Is this it: https://developers.google.com/events/io/ ...because this video is 3.5 hours.

Sounds like the one! Go get some popcorn:)

A lot of popcorn. Here's a quick read that helped me too- but I know nothing about android. http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/australia/android-studio-can-fix-android-development/1795

Thanks for the Android update Dave, it helped me alot. :)

I have an app out on IOS and was hoping to make an android version of it. I have never played with android or eclipse or Android studio (dont even know what they look like) but i need advise whether to wait till all this is sorted or start now?

Probably a personal decision but if you have no rush I would wait.. If we are moving to android studio there probably is no point stressing with eclipse? Or maybe it is so that you get use to the idea of java and the workspace ..

(I copy / pasted this into the original post at the top of this thread) We'll be releasing some Android code in the next few days. We'll be asking some of you to test the newly updated project before releasing it the larger audience. If you're interested in getting your hands on the latest BT Core files for Android send us an email with "Android Member" in the subject line. Cheers from Monterey...

@David- Can not wait to try my hands on the new bt android version. Thanks a lot.

Anxious to get a look as well, have lots of custom plug-ins I may need to do some work with. Email sent. Thanks BT Crew!

Any estimated time yet for till when will the changes roll out.. I even have a lot of custom codes and plugins to modify....By the way did anyone of you got to try the new new code? I had even sent a email earlier but didn't got a reply yet..

David mentioned in a meeting last week that the code is not quite ready to go out to the volunteers. But I know it is a high priority.

Waiting eagerly for it to release.. By the way is an update for Self Hosted also on its way? As the download screen for apps at buzztouch.com looks great and would love to have it on self hosted too...