Tag Archives: Release

MM Update – Share Button Options

I recently tested the code for the share options on my Ion and I’m proud to say they work perfectly! Well, with the exception of the browse button not working yet… (that is next on my list!). Now, users are able to press the share button, and choose an output format: .mmr for sending results to other phones, or .txt for sending results to computers. The text version has been tested in Windows, Linux, and Mac environments and is viewable in all three. One application that has problems with the output is Notepad in Windows; the WordPad application works fine, and is an acceptable alternative.

Another thing I’m happy to have done is the registration for the Android Market. In the future I’ll be able to upload our lab applications to the market where they will be available as free downloads to anyone with an Android phone. It was a pretty simple process to go through, and would’ve been really quick, but I decided it was probably a good idea to actually read the license agreement… Either way, I am now set up to upload our apps! Big thanks to Rob for paying my Market fees! (I’ll be sure to remember you when I make my imaginary millions on MtgHelper…)

I’ll have to talk it over with Rob, but I think there are only a few adjustments I’d like to make before releasing initial versions of GenomeSearch and Mobile Metagenomics. Both applications currently have no provision for warning the user of poor/no internet connection – this results in application failure and is unnacceptable for Market-deployed apps. The other issue is that MM needs to have the browse button coded, which requires me to either code a file browser by hand or somehow incorporate one which has been written by others. Once I complete these features, we can consider deploying the apps on the Market.

GenomeSearch v1 (Kind of…)

Today I successfully ran what I would call something like an alpha v1 of GenomeSearch. It works on a real Android phone, connects to the internet, loads genome data, performs the search, launches the web browser app when you click links, etc. I haven’t created a program package for it to run stand-alone yet (i.e. without being initially installed and launched by Eclipse on a PC that the Android is USB-connected to), but this is a possibility in the near future.

Two things that Daniel and I want to change with the current version of the app are the lack of a prompt above the box where a user is supposed to enter a genome (as this is very confusing to those who didn’t actually write the app), and the fact that the onscreen keyboard doesn’t minimize when the user performs a search (which blocks search results). At present, the user can hit the ‘back’ button to minimize the onscreen keyboard and free up more screen real-estate for results, but this is obviously not desirable. Clearly, the back button is calling some method to minimize the keyboard when the user presses it, and once we figure out what that method is, we can fix this UI clunkiness.