Testing the next release of MIT App Inventor (nb183)

ewpatton · March 21, 2020, 3:03am

Hello everyone,

We are planning the next release of App Inventor for March 27th. ai2-test has been updated. This is a components release and will come with a new companion, which you can download from the test server (under Help > Companion Information). Some highlights in this release include:

New components (Magnetometer, Navigation, Serial)
New Screen properties to discover platform and version (e.g., customize behavior for Android or iOS)
New blocks, including a block to iterate over dictionaries, different numeric bases in math, and new text operations
Plenty of bug fixes

For full release notes that you can comment on, please see this Google Doc:

A special thanks to all of our open source participants who have contributed features and patches in this release.

Known Issues:

~~Navigation component crashes on Android versions < 4.4 (fix pending update)~~ (Fixed with March 23rd update of ai2-test)

Regards,
Evan W. Patton, Ph.D.
On behalf of the MIT App Inventor team

ewpatton · March 23, 2020, 3:27pm

Here’s an example app I built that uses the Navigation component to tell you how to get to Carnegie Hall. This will only work on ai2-test until we do the release, and you will need to provide your own API key from OpenRouteService.

HowToGetTo.aia (5.6 KB)

TIMAI2 · March 23, 2020, 3:48pm

Blocks example for evaluating JS in ai2-test

returns 8 in Label 1

ABG · March 23, 2020, 3:58pm

I recorded a GenyMotion session of getting a copy of Emulator.apk onto a fresh emulator, and connecting to ai2-test. (I was trying to reproduce a problem I had on my laptop before, unsuccessfully.)

So I will repurpose the video to show how to use GenyMotion to test …

ABG · March 23, 2020, 4:24pm

Regarding the Serial component, I notice you have BaudRate but not the other two attributes that defined a serial connection: bits (7/8) and parity (None/Odd/Even) in the old BBS days.

Is there a default?

Also, in GenyMotion Companion connection, I use the Connect->USB option.
Will this interfere with the Serial component at test time?

ewpatton · March 25, 2020, 2:27pm

Looking at the physicaloid library sources, the defaults are 8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity.

@Diego @pavi2410: Do one of you want to take a look at this?

I don't think so, but you may need to do additional configuration in Genymotion so that it can see hardware attached to your computer. This may be a case where it is easier to test with a physical Android device.

Diego · March 25, 2020, 3:05pm

As Evan says, the library uses 8 bits, 1 stop bit, and no parity:

github.com

ksksue/PhysicaloidLibrary/blob/master/PhysicaloidLibrary/src/com/physicaloid/lib/framework/Uploader.java#L47


      
                  callback.onError(UploadErrors.AVR_CHIPTYPE);
              }
              return false;
          }
          
          if(     board.uploadProtocol == Boards.UploadProtocols.STK500 ||
                  board.uploadProtocol == Boards.UploadProtocols.STK500V2) {
          
              AvrUploader avrUploader = new AvrUploader(comm);
          
              comm.setUartConfig(new UartConfig(board.uploadBaudrate, UartConfig.DATA_BITS8, UartConfig.STOP_BITS1, UartConfig.PARITY_NONE, false, false));
          
              ret = avrUploader.run(fileStream, board, callback);
          
          } else if(board.uploadProtocol == Boards.UploadProtocols.ALTERA_FPGA_RBF) {
              ret = new PhysicaloidFpgaConfigurator(comm).configuration(fileStream);
          }
          
          if(callback != null) {callback.onPostUpload(ret); }
          
          return ret;

Technically, it could be possible to set a different one using this method:

github.com

ksksue/PhysicaloidLibrary/blob/master/PhysicaloidLibrary/src/com/physicaloid/lib/Physicaloid.java#L399


      
                  if(mSerial == null) return false;
                  return mSerial.setDataBits(dataBits);
              }
          }
          
          /**
           * Sets Parity Bits
           * @param parity parity bits e.g. UartConfig.PARITY_NONE
           * @return true : successful, false : fail
           */
          public boolean setParity(int parity) throws RuntimeException{
              synchronized (LOCK) {
                  if(mSerial == null) return false;
                  return mSerial.setParity(parity);
              }
          }
          
          /**
           * Sets Stop bits
           * @param stopBits stop bits e.g. UartConfig.STOP_BITS1
           * @return true : successful, false : fail

However, the question would be: is it really needed? I mean, there is no "mention" in the front page to set parity, which makes it feel like it is not really needed to be specified.
Do you know of any cases which setting the parity is strictly needed? That library was designed for Arduino, and it works perfectly using that configuration.

And also, won't it make the component too complex? Having to set a data size in bits, parity, stop bits (and specifying rts request to send, and dtr data terminal ready) may confuse some newbie users.
I think that, if it is needed, we could "extend" the component by making a modified version and distributing it through an extension, rather than making over-complex the existing component.

TApps_AppsToAll · March 25, 2020, 3:25pm

My problem is that the app doesnt recognize the usb connection, i think the parity needs to be different, im not using arduino.

ABG · March 25, 2020, 3:33pm

Please don’t take my question as a request for enhancement.

I’m just trying to track how serial communication has evolved from the acoustic coupler-RS232 days.

I suspect the need for error detection has dropped due to advances at the wire level.

ABG · March 25, 2020, 3:36pm

There might be a few ways to go wrong at the cable level.

Does the cable have all the necessary conductors? (power supply cables might lack signal wires.)

What's the voltage level standard for serial communication these days? 5V? 12V 3V?

TApps_AppsToAll · March 25, 2020, 3:54pm

Yes the serial device connects to apps in the google play.

TApps_AppsToAll · March 25, 2020, 4:10pm

Do you have the example blocks?

TApps_AppsToAll · March 25, 2020, 4:34pm

This connection popup doesn’t appear in the appinventor app.
You are right about the parity.
The parameters are

This part is not happening

nitinseshadri · March 26, 2020, 2:32pm

@ewpatton Here is a test AIA to demonstrate some of the new WebView changes. It is a web browser that uses the new BeforePageLoad event and Stop method to block URLs that match a list of websites.

WebViewTest.aia (4.1 KB)

mike · March 31, 2020, 1:28pm

@ewpatton @ABG interested in the serial component. Could you please share a simple example .aia on this? Thanks guys.

ABG · March 31, 2020, 3:00pm

While I have no direct Arduino or USB experience, this Arduino project looks appropriate to connection through the USB component …

I await more expert opinions.

TIMAI2 · March 31, 2020, 3:03pm

thumbsup2

S_A · April 2, 2020, 6:31pm

Здравтсвуйте, что изменилось в новой версии listview?

ABG · April 2, 2020, 7:00pm

@ nitinseshadri

To do your post justice, I am adding here the blocks and Designer, all draggable …

WebViewTest.aia (4.1 KB) when BackButton Click

![when WebViewer1 PageLoaded|355x116]
(upload://h5lQXOmhBlsgecfAz3QbHPMKmwV.png)

Taifun · April 2, 2020, 9:03pm

you can find the release notes here Release Notes for MIT App Inventor 2
Taifun

Trying to push the limits! Snippets, Tutorials and Extensions from Pura Vida Apps by Taifun.