New App Inventor User Interface in Open Beta!

[Susan_Lane]

I will make sure there's an issue for this. This is a moderate bug, since we went to the trouble of creating the "Select All" checkbox in the first place, and it sounds like it's not usable for users with more than a small number of projects.

[deadlocked]

@Tech-Tac

I think the new interface is too bright, it may be just because I'm a dark-mode user but the old design's grays made it more bearable to look at, I'd like if you add dark-mode to App Inventor.

I can't say anything to the bright theme, because it is called Neo; which came "Neon".

But about the dark-mode, I'm totally agreeing.

[TIMAI2]

@deadlocked

Neo; which came "Neon"

Neon came from neo

[deadlocked]

ohh okay

[Susan_Lane]

We do have dark mode planned for both Classic and Neo for a future release. This is waiting on an update of the blockly library. Until that update, we can set all colors to dark mod except the blocks editor, which would remain white. I'm pretty sure nobody wants that.

[ewpatton]

@TIMAI2

A while ago I was struggling to export aia projects if I just clicked the select all checkbox, or selected +20 projects. By trial and error I found that selecting @ 15 projects exported OK, therefore each month, when I have a clear out, I select no more than 15 at a time, and this works OK.

This is a technical limitation of running on Google App Engine. Exporting projects takes time, and we are limited to 1 minute of foreground runtime per HTTP request. Since the runtime will be linear in the number of projects, eventually you will hit the limit and Google will terminate the job. You shouldn't see the same behavior on code.appinventor.mit.edu since we completely control the runtime on that version (it just runs on Linux VMs).

[TIMAI2]

Back to the dreaded Toolkit again.

Why not just remove Beginner, Intermediate and Match Project (this could be the cause of some of the grief as well), so we just have Default and Custom? (once the bugs are ironed out)

[Susan_Lane]

@TIMAI2

Why not just remove Beginner, Intermediate and Match Project (this could be the cause of some of the grief as well), so we just have Default and Custom? (once the bugs are ironed out)

Custom and Match Project are the ones we probably don't want to show on the new project dialog. No user is going to have an idea of what specific blocks they need. Custom and Match Project are aimed at teachers and curriculum designers.

Also, if we want to talk about this more extensively, could we start a new thread? Toolkit is not related to the new UI.

[TIMAI2]

There are 8 other posts in this topic regarding ToolKit, so thought best to continue here...

[Sonia_C]

Hi everyone, I would like the top panel to be in the center because in my opinion it is strange that the toolbar is in the center and the top bar is not
I attach a photo of how I would like it to be
Thanks

[Jacques_Dumarest]

I just tried this neo interface. One feature (not availble in classic I/F) that would be great is that when we do a search (Ctr F) in the block screen it scrolls the screen to display the found text in the center of the screen. With big projects, it is very difficult to locate the found item (yello or orange one)
Thanks a lot for all the impovements you are continoualy bring to App Inventor

[Susan_Lane]

The top toolbar has a left-justified logo and right-justified buttons.
The form designer toolbar has left-justified project name, center screen menu buttons, and right-justified design/blocks toggle.

I don't see the blocks toggle on your mockup. Are you seeing it?

[Susan_Lane]

@Jacques_Dumarest

when we do a search (Ctr F) in the block screen it scrolls the screen to display the found text in the center of the screen

I'm happy to say that we have a completed Blockly plugin that does just that. We can make it available as soon as a big project to upgrade our Blockly version is complete.

[Susan_Lane]

@ewpatton

This is a technical limitation of running on Google App Engine. Exporting projects takes time, and we are limited to 1 minute of foreground runtime per HTTP request.

Hmm. Is there some way we could make this clear to users? Since we implemented a "Select All" checkbox, I would expect users with a lot of projects to think they can use it for all their projects. Would it be possible to present a more informative error message?

I don't know for sure, but if it's a resource limitation, I'll guess that 15 is the limit @TIMAI2 can handle, but a user with a lower-end machine or slower internet would handle fewer.

[PTPT]

@Susan_Lane

update of the blockly library

When will the update come? I just can't wait.

@Susan_Lane

I'm pretty sure nobody wants that.

I would like even just that, at least, because I hate light mode sooooo much.

[Charley_Nelson1]

Since the new interface was released, I have noticed a delay, of sometimes only 2 seconds (but they add up) in the blocks environment. Whilst clicking to drag a block, whether or not fresh or used, there is a delay of anywhere from 1/2 to 2 seconds. I have tried rebooting, reloading, re-everything i can think of... but to no avail. I tried the new interface (looks great by the way) but if anything the delay is slightly less, but still painfully noticeable.
I know my chromebook is not brand spanking new, and I have had issues in the past. (Still having some irritating issues with the companion not being visible).
Any clues to the delays? It seems as though the server(s) is(are) busy maybe?

Charley

[Kevinkun]

@Jacques_Dumarest

One feature (not availble in classic I/F) that would be great is that when we do a search (Ctr F) in the block screen it scrolls the screen to display the found text in the center of the screen

try this one: ai2helper

[Jacques_Dumarest]

Great news! waiting for this new feature
Thanks

[Sonia_C]

thanks for your reply,
yes I see the blocks and I just cropped the image because my image editor was giving me problems.