Awful Forum Reader for Windows Phone

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Awful Forum Reader for Windows Phone

big mean giraffe: Dec 13, 2003; Eat Shit and Die; Lipstick Apathy

DaWolfey posted:

A background agent that checks your bookmarked threads for new posts would be just the best thing. The live tile could show number of new posts since last read.

Background polling of the forums is a strict "don't do it."

# ? Feb 23, 2012 16:37

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# ? Jun 7, 2024 20:57

DaWolfey: Oct 25, 2003; College Slice

The number of times I click refresh on the control panel page in a day, a background agent would actually work out using less resources!

# ? Feb 23, 2012 16:48

Tivac: Feb 18, 2003; No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are

Really like the proposed icon!

# ? Feb 23, 2012 17:06

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

I have a billion ideas for live tiles, but as the giraffe said, no polling.

I think I request pages while browsing normally more than once every 30 minutes, which is the polling frequency for the background agent...

# ? Feb 23, 2012 19:10

Badly Jester: Apr 9, 2010; Bitches!

bootleg robot posted:

To everyone who has been sending crash reports directly to me, it's been a big help -- Thanks!

I whipped this up in a couple of minutes on photoshop. Yay or nay?

You're welcome - I just recently got my phone back from service and I must've sent you a couple of reports either today or yesterday when the app was somehow stuck in a loop of prompting errors whenever I tried to navigate the forums. Did you catch that, or should I try and reproduce it somehow?
Also, yay on the new tile.

Maybe in regards to live tile functionality something can be worked out with whoever makes those decisions?

# ? Feb 23, 2012 19:42

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Badly Jester posted:

You're welcome - I just recently got my phone back from service and I must've sent you a couple of reports either today or yesterday when the app was somehow stuck in a loop of prompting errors whenever I tried to navigate the forums. Did you catch that, or should I try and reproduce it somehow?
Also, yay on the new tile.

Maybe in regards to live tile functionality something can be worked out with whoever makes those decisions?

I've fixed that one, among others. Release 1.10 should be available to download soon, and 1.11 will include the new icon and a small graphic fix.

# ? Feb 23, 2012 19:53

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Horizontal Viewing is on the outs in 1.11. It was a stop gap until vertical reading was finished, and I doubt if anyone prefers it.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 00:56

obeyasia: Sep 21, 2004; Grimey Drawer

Something like this is more visually appealing.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 01:25

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

obeyasia posted:

Something like this is more visually appealing.

I like it! Send me the .png and I'll post a preview.

# ? Feb 24, 2012 01:53

obeyasia: Sep 21, 2004; Grimey Drawer

bootleg robot posted:

I like it! Send me the .png and I'll post a preview.

Send it where?

# ? Feb 24, 2012 02:49

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

obeyasia posted:

Send it where?

kollasoftware at gmail

# ? Feb 24, 2012 14:18

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

1.10 should be available to everyone within 24 hours. Version 1.11 has been submitted to the Marketplace, and should be available several days from now. Notable changes in 1.11 include:

New icon -- sticking with what I posted earlier, as I have some ideas...
No more horizontal viewer.
The reply text box now shifts down accordingly as users input text.
Removing bookmarks will actually remove them from the User CP.
The ability to send crash submissions via email is enabled when users enable debug mode. Otherwise, the app will try to recover from unknown errors on its own.

Cheers!

# ? Feb 25, 2012 09:45

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

1.10 is available now, updated the OP.

# ? Feb 25, 2012 19:27

Badly Jester: Apr 9, 2010; Bitches!

Really impressed with how far you've taken this app. In the beginning, I actually still preferred using the browser, but at as of a couple of versions ago, I can't imagine browsing the forums from my phone any other way.
I gave 1.10 a quick lookover, and it seems the "about this app..." screen still contains info on how to use landscape mode.

As for the moving debugging e-mails to the debugger, well... I realize this might sound :tinfoil:

, but problems with my phone randomly rebooting either started or intensified (my memory is so loving hazy) once I enabled the debugger and encountered problems on a beta build. I know, there's a gajillion other reasons why my phone might have been acting up (several hard resets have fixed it, so far) and I'm certainly not blaming you - I volunteered to be in a beta, afterall. But for the sake of my :tinfoil:

mind, would you mind giving me your opinion whether the debugger is actually even capable of messing with a phone in that way?

# ? Feb 25, 2012 20:35

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Badly Jester posted:

Really impressed with how far you've taken this app. In the beginning, I actually still preferred using the browser, but at as of a couple of versions ago, I can't imagine browsing the forums from my phone any other way.
I gave 1.10 a quick lookover, and it seems the "about this app..." screen still contains info on how to use landscape mode.

As for the moving debugging e-mails to the debugger, well... I realize this might sound , but problems with my phone randomly rebooting either started or intensified (my memory is so loving hazy) once I enabled the debugger and encountered problems on a beta build. I know, there's a gajillion other reasons why my phone might have been acting up (several hard resets have fixed it, so far) and I'm certainly not blaming you - I volunteered to be in a beta, afterall. But for the sake of my mind, would you mind giving me your opinion whether the debugger is actually even capable of messing with a phone in that way?

Sure.

I'm away from a computer, so I won't elaborate too much (will edit this post later) but long story short, the "debugger" simply writes error messages to a file when the app closes. It's not a separate process at all, so I highly doubt your issues are related to it.

Horizontal viewing remains in 1.10, it's gone in 1.11.

EDIT:

The following examples are just simple illustrations. The actual code is a lot more elaborate. So, throughout the code I generate log messages during certain events. For example,

code:


void PostReplyAsync(string reply) {
  
 if (DebugModeEnabled == true) 
 {
   // write the following message to the log file //
   
   Logger.Append("Posting a reply to the current thread."); 
 }

 // code to send the reply goes here //

}

When you move the Debug Mode slider to On, all that does it set DebugModeEnabled to true.

In 1.10, The Unknown Error crash reports work as follows:

code:

try 
{
 // this code runs every time you start Awful //
 
 Awful.Start();
}

catch (Exception error)
{
  // if we got here, an error happened while the application was running //
  // send an email to 'kollasoftware@gmail.com', subject 'Unknown Error', and error message as the Body //

  SendEmail("kollasoftware@gmail.com", "Unknown Error", error.Message);
}

In 1.11, all that changes is

code:

catch (Exception error)
{
  // if we got here, an error happened while the application was running //

  if (DebugModeEnabled == true) {
   
   // send an email to 'kollasoftware@gmail.com', subject 'Unknown Error', and error message as the Body //

   SendEmail("kollasoftware@gmail.com", "Unknown Error", error.Message);
 }
}

So if users notice erratic behavior, they can enable debug mode and send me the crash data.

I hope this makes sense. I prefer explaining things without resorting to simple code examples, but I figured illustrating it here would better put your mind at ease.

bootleg robot fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Feb 26, 2012

# ? Feb 25, 2012 21:25

Stay Safe: Sep 1, 2008; by FactsAreUseless

I really love this update. I just hope that the tile/icon changes with theme color.

Also the emoticon tile is great, but isn't the SA icon a grenade?

# ? Feb 27, 2012 01:34

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Dead Man Posting posted:

I really love this update. I just hope that the tile/icon changes with theme color.

Also the emoticon tile is great, but isn't the SA icon a grenade?

Yep, the tile changes with theme color. This app is unofficial, so I felt it prudent not to use the official icon. :v:

# ? Feb 27, 2012 01:55

Stay Safe: Sep 1, 2008; by FactsAreUseless

Its not like the admins will ever use WP7. I'll start a thread in QCS to ask if this app can be official in the WP7 platform if you want that status.

# ? Feb 27, 2012 02:00

Doomsday Jesus: Oct 8, 2004; Doomsday Jesus we need you now.

Dead Man Posting posted:

Its not like the admins will ever use WP7. I'll start a thread in QCS to ask if this app can be official in the WP7 platform if you want that status.

You can try but I remember the Awful App on Android got shot down for use of the icon.

# ? Feb 27, 2012 04:15

Stay Safe: Sep 1, 2008; by FactsAreUseless

Doomsday Jesus posted:

You can try but I remember the Awful App on Android got shot down for use of the icon.

Really? I wonder why. I mean the Steam SA Group has a grenade. Goonfleet logos have one. Pretty much anything SA related outside the site. Hmm.

Oh well the grenade thing isn't a big deal, I like the icon/tile.

# ? Feb 27, 2012 04:56

Badly Jester: Apr 9, 2010; Bitches!

Thanks, I appreciate the detailed explanation - it does set my mind at ease. I'd figured it was just bad timing, but there was nothing else sticking out that would have caused the problems at the time, either. :iiam:

Anyway, glad to hear the new tile will change color.

# ? Feb 27, 2012 16:10

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

The ability to create threads using the app is in the works; currently thinking of a nice way to choose thread icons.

# ? Feb 27, 2012 17:04

Badly Jester: Apr 9, 2010; Bitches!

Browsing a giant-rear end thread on the phone made me realize that I miss the ability to only view the OP's posts. Is there any chance you could ever get that to work?
Also, today I found out that - while I certainly don't miss the horizontal viewer - having access to the horizontal keyboard when typing long replies might be a good idea.
As for the thread icons: I think a good old pull-down menu might do the trick (if you can actually get the icons to show up in it), but I guess that's not exactly a 'nice way'.

Edit:

bootleg robot posted:

Working on it!

Sweet.

bootleg robot posted:

Unlock the view first before replying.

Oh, my bad! How is this going to be handled from 1.11 onwards?

vvvv

Badly Jester fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Feb 28, 2012

# ? Feb 28, 2012 14:07

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Badly Jester posted:

Browsing a giant-rear end thread on the phone made me realize that I miss the ability to only view the OP's posts. Is there any chance you could ever get that to work?

Working on it!

quote:

Also, today I found out that - while I certainly don't miss the horizontal viewer - having access to the horizontal keyboard when typing long replies might be a good idea.

Unlock the view first before replying.

quote:

As for the thread icons: I think a good old pull-down menu might do the trick (if you can actually get the icons to show up in it), but I guess that's not exactly a 'nice way'.

I have a good idea, will post a preview soon!

# ? Feb 28, 2012 15:40

SilverThread: Jun 18, 2004; Kick the Emo

App is great, but am I blind, or is TCC missing?

# ? Mar 2, 2012 00:34

Maneki Neko: Oct 27, 2000

SilverThread posted:

App is great, but am I blind, or is TCC missing?

I think he had to remove TCC to get it past Microsoft certification, but bootleg robot can confirm I guess.

# ? Mar 2, 2012 03:00

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Maneki Neko posted:

I think he had to remove TCC to get it past Microsoft certification, but bootleg robot can confirm I guess.

Yeah, I had to blacklist TCC. I added the ability for users to jump to any forum with a valid ID in the next release :shh:

# ? Mar 2, 2012 03:19

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Badly Jester posted:

Edit:

Sweet.

Oh, my bad! How is this going to be handled from 1.11 onwards?

vvvv

I missed your edit. In 1.11, the app will automagically unlock the view for you when the reply window is open.

1.11 was rejected to a bug that I missed, so the bad news is that it's going to be another couple of days before it reaches you guys. The good news is that I've merged the changes in 1.12 with 1.11 so you'll get a bunch of features earlier, like:

Threads you've visited are now available offline.
New icon
Browse forums by forum id
Create new threads
Filter threads by poster

Things left to do:

Platinum stuff

Since I don't have platinum, these won't be implemented until...I get platinum. :v:

I'll upgrade sooner or later, no worries. In the meantime, feel free to post any feature requests, and I will see what I can do.

# ? Mar 2, 2012 23:55

OHIO: Aug 15, 2005; touchin' algebra

bootleg robot posted:

Create new threads

Did you test this or are you just a baller developer?

# ? Mar 3, 2012 00:01

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

OHIO posted:

Did you test this or are you just a baller developer?

My webform-fu is strong!

As far as testing goes, I have two (legit) OPs drafted for QCS. Gonna make em count. So not fully tested yet.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 01:12

Naffer: Oct 26, 2004; Not a good chemist

I love this app. It has made so much progress over such a short period of time.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 02:59

Ferg: May 6, 2007; Lipstick Apathy

bootleg robot posted:

My webform-fu is strong!

As far as testing goes, I have two (legit) OPs drafted for QCS. Gonna make em count. So not fully tested yet.

Are there any catches to it like grabbing the unique key needed for posts?

# ? Mar 4, 2012 07:24

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Ferg posted:

Are there any catches to it like grabbing the unique key needed for posts?

I would have responded sooner, but I wanted to be very sure. You need the unique key.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 21:54

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

Next release is looking really smooth. All that's left to do is implement a 'preview thread' section when creating a new thread. I'm thinking 1.11 should be available to everyone two weeks from now at the latest.

I should mention that there is a strict limitation on how much text you can type in a text box before you can no longer see what you're typing. I don't forsee any megathread creations in this app's future :v:

# ? Mar 9, 2012 01:00

obeyasia: Sep 21, 2004; Grimey Drawer

bootleg robot posted:

Next release is looking really smooth. All that's left to do is implement a 'preview thread' section when creating a new thread. I'm thinking 1.11 should be available to everyone two weeks from now at the latest.

I should mention that there is a strict limitation on how much text you can type in a text box before you can no longer see what you're typing. I don't forsee any megathread creations in this app's future

Things are working great. Better and better. The only issue in running into is when it's taking me to the last unread post it way overshoots everytime and I have to scroll up 4-5 posts to get back to the real last unread post.

# ? Mar 9, 2012 18:15

bootleg robot: Dec 8, 2004

obeyasia posted:

Things are working great. Better and better. The only issue in running into is when it's taking me to the last unread post it way overshoots everytime and I have to scroll up 4-5 posts to get back to the real last unread post.

Do you have smooth scrolling enabled? If so, then disable it. The function that performs the scrolling and the local jQuery functions in the app aren't playing nicely.

# ? Mar 9, 2012 21:12