Oct 11
12

Status Update on 1.1

Probably the two most request features for Cub Tracker are support for belt loops and pins, and Webelos badges.  Cub Tracker 1.1 will deliver both of those, plus some bugs fixes and UI changes.

Communicating Pin Requirements

The support for belt loops and pins is fairly complete. In adding this support, I’ve added a new menu option: Browse. This option will allow the user to browse achievements, electives, loops/pins, etc. Currently, this is the only way to see loop and pin information, though I plan to make this information searchable. The plan with the browse screens is to allow the user to browse the information, then record completion much like is done via the Record Achievement or Search screens, for example. For what it’s worth, the current plan is to track loop/pin achievement fairly coarsely (i.e., all or none) rather than tracking individual loop/pin requirements.

The support for Webelos badges will also be added in this release. As I’ve shared with the Webelos parents I’ve talked to, I’m not too terribly familiar with how the Webelos program works, as my oldest son is a only a Bear. However, I will be talking to the Webelos leaders in my pack and reading as much as I can to make sure the support is complete and, most importantly usable. :)

Row Selection Changes

Those new features aside, I’ve also made some user interface (UI) changes that I hope won’t be too much. Overall, the look and feel of the app is exactly the same. What I’ve done, though, is remove the checkboxes from those screens where selections need to be made. Without getting too technical, the checkboxes made it difficult to do certain things (like scroll text), and I felt they were a bit clumsy, anyway. What I’ve done is changed the interface to allow row selection by clicking anywhere on the row. When it’s selected, the row will be highlighted. Clicking (excuse me, pressing ; ) on the row will deselect it, which removes the highlighting. Multiple row selections are, of course, still supported.

Speaking of scrolling text, on some screens, the text was cut off on the side, making it difficult to see, e.g., what the achievement was. On those screens, the user can now scroll/swipe to the side to read the rest of the line. I’m not sure I like how it’s looking at the moment, but it does work, and is so much better than it was. :) Feedback, once the release is available, is certainly welcome.

This will be the first, fairly major release, and I’m pretty pleased with the progress so far. It is not, however, going as quickly as I’d like due to a variety of factors. I am, though, working as quickly and as diligently as I can to put out a solid and stable release.

If you’d like to get an early peek at the application, you can always try a development snapshot by scanning the QR code at the bottom of the page, or clicking this link on your device. Please note that while I try to make sure I never cause a data loss, this snapshot is a work under development, and accidents do happen. That said, I’d love to hear back from those who are still seeing odd, random crashes. The more information I have, the better I’ll be able to track those down.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them below! :)

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Posted in Status Updates by jason 4 Comments

4 Responses to "Status Update on 1.1"

  • Lazarus2047 says:
    November 21, 2011 at 1:03 am
    Reply

    Tried out the dev snapshot. After highlighting one achievement item then vertically scrolling on my nook color and Samsung captivate I was getting false highlights when scrolling vertically. Otherwise looks great! It has come in handy since I recently took over as wolf den leader..

  • jason says:
    November 21, 2011 at 9:55 am
    Reply

    Thanks for the feedback. I’ll make sure to double check that!

  • scott says:
    December 12, 2011 at 9:48 pm
    Reply

    Really disappointed in the inclusion of advertising in the dev snapshot. Especially now that almost every advert is inappropriate, at best.

    If you need money to keep this going. Just set a price, release a pro version, etc.

    Just don’t make me have to endure all the inappropriate adverts.

    • jason says:
      December 12, 2011 at 10:01 pm
      Reply

      Hi, Scott. Thanks for the feedback. The ads have been there for a while, for what it’s worth. I was not aware, though, that the ads were inappropriate. I thought I had it set up to filter those out. I will, though, double check the settings.

      In a broader sense, I don’t *need* the money the ads generate (it’s been less than $15 over several months, to be honest :) . While I am working on Cub Tracker to help me track my son’s Scouting adventure (and, if possible, helping others do the same), it has also been a learning exercise for in Android development, so I’ve tried to explore the various areas of the environment, with an eye toward more substantial efforts later. That said, any revenues the app can generate would be nice, and it seemed to me that a free, ad-supported app would be preferable to a paid app, even if it was only a dollar. Personally, that’s what I’d prefer. Early on I had considered a paid version without the ads but had forgotten about that to be honest. :)

      I’ll give some more thought to the ads for future versions. In the meantime, I’ll double check the settings. I really am sorry that it’s pulling inappropriate ads. :|