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A few feature requests...

Open ptlambert opened this issue 1 year ago • 10 comments

Here are a few feature requests (please let me know if you prefer to see such requests at you comment on the orig. author's GitLab page):

  • detailed diff/changelog against the original version at GitLab (I can sort of figure this out by combing through the code, but still...)
  • change timeout on splashscreen with option to eliminate entirely
  • built-in Android Settings tile that can be added directly to the home screen (instead of having to navigate to that via the "gear" menu)
  • bring back Ambient Mode with an option to disable? :^)
  • an additional Donate button here on GitHub for your own work on this fork?

Thanks for your time!

ptlambert avatar Jan 29 '24 21:01 ptlambert

Thanks for your suggestions. It would be better to post things like this here on this repository, because I don't really use GitLab and I just wanted to announce my fork there for anyone looking for updates. As for your requests:

  1. Sure, I'll upload a CHANGELOG.md soon, including the few changes I've made to the original.
  2. Seems like this application is using a standard Android splash screen, which stays for as long as the application needs to initialize. Without it, a blank or dark screen would be used instead.
  3. I was convinced that every Android TV had a settings application that could be added to the launcher as any other application. I'll look into this.
  4. It is still there! Just disabled by default. Under the "Back button action" setting, choose the "Show screensaver" option.
  5. I haven't done much with this project, maybe if it takes more of my time I could do that.

osrosal avatar Jan 30 '24 14:01 osrosal

  1. Thanks for that (whenever you get around to it).
  2. That's interesting about the splash screen. I've got the original FLauncher (latest version) installed on a MECOOL KM2 Plus 4K Android TV Box (with Amlogic S905X4 quad core ARM Cortex-A55 @ 2.0GHz) running a fairly up-to-date Android 11 (OS build RTT0.210829.002.C3.0.6_20231109 release-keys, Kernel version 5.4.210), with Launcher Manager used to make it the default launcher (it requires ADB enabled to do that). FLauncher takes typically takes up to several seconds to load, as opposed to Google Play Store which seems to take less than a second, even with all the dynamic wallpaper content. Wonder why the difference? Is it because Play Store is always running as a background process? Can FLauncher be made to do the same?
  3. Within the original FLauncher on this TV box I don't see any Android Settings in either the TV Applications or Non-TV Applications choices.
  4. OK, then it sounds like I need to give your version a whirl!
  5. I'll be on the lookout for a new Donate button here. :^)

ptlambert avatar Jan 31 '24 02:01 ptlambert

  1. continued... If FLauncher can be made to always run as a background process this it might help fix the current behavior of getting relaunched when exiting any app (e.g. after running that app for a bit). It seems that behavior is dependent on whether or not FLauncher has unloaded since starting the app (i.e. FLauncher doesn't always reload every time I exit another app).

ptlambert avatar Jan 31 '24 02:01 ptlambert

Adding a few more requests here (I can create separate issues if you'd like them treated as actual bugs):

  1. Pressing the Back button from the FLauncher (original version) home screen seems to always restart the app (as evidenced by the splash screen reappearing). Can FLauncher be programmed to ignore the Back button in that case? Or only respond to a long-press? AFAIK the regular Android TV Home app doesn't respond to the Back button (does it?)
  2. As I mentioned in my comment to your announcement post at GitLab, mapping the Escape key on a regular keyboard to the Back key functionality on remote control seems to be a frequently requested item there (though I don't need it myself).

Thanks again for your time and please feel free to Close this entire "issue" with no action at all. :^)

(Peter)

ptlambert avatar Jan 31 '24 02:01 ptlambert

  1. OK I see now that you've added a link on the repo home page to a CHANGELOG.md, thanks!

CHANGELOG.md says we have these options for Back button behavior (good enough for me, thanks):

  • Choose what the back button does while being in the launcher: Nothing, Show a fullscreen clock, Show screensaver (a.k.a Ambient Mode).

ptlambert avatar Jan 31 '24 03:01 ptlambert

About running a background process, I'm not sure if it would benefit performance at all. I believe most apps do that to listen to notifications from online services, or do some active work in the background, and there's not much that in the app that can be put in a background service: the connection to the database, retrieving the list of apps from the system? Besides, my TV only has 1 GB of RAM, and most of the time only 300 MB of that is available, putting more work in the background would just probably make things worse in my case.

I just assumed from the beginning that using Flutter would be the cause for performance downgrades, but that's just a guess, I would need to test what's taking so long for the app to start.

osrosal avatar Feb 05 '24 14:02 osrosal

  1. Pressing the Back button from the FLauncher (original version) home screen seems to always restart the app (as evidenced by the splash screen reappearing). Can FLauncher be programmed to ignore the Back button in that case? Or only respond to a long-press? AFAIK the regular Android TV Home app doesn't respond to the Back button (does it?)

Does this still happen using any of the new options for the "back button action"? I'm assuming it's got something to do with the "Ambient Mode" not being available.

osrosal avatar Feb 05 '24 14:02 osrosal

  1. Pressing the Back button from the FLauncher (original version) home screen seems to always restart the app (as evidenced by the splash screen reappearing). Can FLauncher be programmed to ignore the Back button in that case? Or only respond to a long-press? AFAIK the regular Android TV Home app doesn't respond to the Back button (does it?)

Does this still happen using any of the new options for the "back button action"? I'm assuming it's got something to do with the "Ambient Mode" not being available.

That Back button behavior is what I was seeing in "FLauncher (original version)" so Ambient Mode is still available there. I discovered after that post that you added other Back button options in FLauncher, and I still need to give your version a try...

ptlambert avatar Feb 05 '24 16:02 ptlambert

Sorry for not following up sooner... I've finally got the your FLauncher fork installed (latest build 0fa886a) and it works like a charm, thanks!

Splash screen/load times are somewhere between 1 and 2 seconds (doesn't feel slow at all).

I've got the Back button configured to "Do nothing" which solves the annoying re-launching behavior I was seeing in the original version from GitLab.

I managed to get the Clock display configured to my liking but that was a bit awkward. I'll open a separate ticket for that.

ptlambert avatar Mar 05 '24 21:03 ptlambert

  1. I would like a less intrusive image (smaller, less bright or the option to set a custom image) on boot.

hagst avatar Mar 14 '24 10:03 hagst