Apt Tips & Tricks

summary:

How's about sharing your day-day experience-based, usage tips & tricks for Apt, like the best way to do this or that; not what you'd necessarily find in the docs. As before, I am sharing one of my own, to start things off...

Apt Tips & Tricks

technical1 1210910669|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

After playing with Dr Alex Pruss' excellent program Accessorizer, I discovered the use of MetaDA. It is a DA that brings up a list of all other DAs (except itself).

So, instead of having to use a line for each DA i.e. 1 Hrd4 DA DAname, you could make just one in *default* & then all DAs will be available in all apps!

BTW, using Accessorizer, you get very close to multi-tasking, b/c w/whichever apps are compatible, you can call up one app that was turned into a DA on top of another…. & all you have to do to get back to original app is to tap on DIA's home icon in the upper left corner, & you are back…

C'mon people, share your tips & tricks, so as to enhance the everyone's expererience with Apt!

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Anonymous (12.46.32.x) 1210949971|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I get much the same sort of results by bringing up the command bar with a grafitti stroke, this gives me
both DAlauncher and pTools. This is somewhat redundent, but simplification is a task for the future.

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

technical1 1210956587|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Anonymous,

Didn't know DAlauncher worked that way. Haven't used a dedicated DA launcher in a while, since I got into other tools, like McPhling.
I hear that pTools is very powerful. What I like about this combo is that it is under the same roof, as most of my other functionality controls Apt ;)

last edited on 1210956633|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover by technical1 + show more

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Anonymous (12.46.32.x) 1210959961|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

technical1,

pTools packs a great deal of functionality in one place including a DA launcher, I sometimes
have to go and remind myself of all the varied functions. Installing Apt prompted me to revisit and do
some customization of pTools too. I've never looked at McPhling, perhaps that's something I'll have
to do in the future.

paul

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

technical1 1210969578|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

paul,

between pTools & Apt, you won't need McPhling, sorry Mike!

Everybody else, where are you? Let's share what you are doing w/Apt, or what else you are using in conjunction with Apt to make it easier to use your pda… I use MetaDA to cut down on the need to have multiple lines in Apt Buttons for all of my DAs,

So people, what do you do to work smart courtesy of Apt? How's about using the macro feature to dim your screen & save power?

Help me here, please. Contribute your ideas….

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Anonymous (203.219.62.x) 1211148265|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I have assigned a short backward stroke to a control in some applications to go back to the previous app. eg. In Notepad a TAP on the Done control will act normally, but a back stroke on the control will return to previous app.

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

technical1 1211179945|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Nice one, anonymous!

I love putting two similar functions in one area, & have usage enhanced courtesy of Apt. In above case, Apt allows everything is 'under one roof'; in the area of one form….

I personally use 1 NavL … Back to return thru all apps, set in *default* & use Accessorized DAs to be able to popup a DA over the current app & then hit home DIA icon to return… I've discovered that if you are in a 2ndary or 3ary form i.e. enter reg code, then it won't popup over that situation, but I just copy/paste reg code fm my MemoLeaf app & then go back & open reg form & paste the code & it works just fine!

Keep 'em coming….

last edited on 1211180113|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover by technical1 + show more

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

trgeoff 1211267539|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

So with v1.1b8, one of my long-held wishes has now become possible— time-based screen brightness settings!! So you can have, for example, a bright screen for the day, a dull one for the night.

To set it up: say for two switches at 7am (brightness =180) and 7pm (brightness =140), you need two lines in Default Events:

Default/Events/0700/ "when time is x"/ Brght/"set Brightness preference in *Defaults* to x"/180

Default/Events/1900/ "when time is x"/ Brght/"set Brightness preference in *Defaults* to x"/140

Two extra things people need to know:

* you actually need to start with a setting for Default brightness in Apt Prefs (can be anything, it will get changed by your Event settings later anyway)

* on my Treo650, if the screen is actually on at the time-point for the changeover, the brightness change doesnt take place until you do something.

enjoy

geoff

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Anonymous (172.135.194.x) 1211345520|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

geoff,

good description - what about a toggling macro that one could use for outdoor / hazy skies situations & another for indoors?

technical1

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

trgeoff 1211354387|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

tech1

One way would be to just assign two presses of a hard key to two lighting levels (eg 255 for bright outside light/ 140 for inside)

eg.

Defaults/Buttons/1/Hk4/Brgt/set Brightness preference in *Defaults* to x"/255
Defaults/Buttons/2/Hk4/Brgt/set Brightness preference in *Defaults* to x"/140

Then one could just toggle between those two at will.

I guess one could do it with variables too, but as yet I cant see the advantages of toggling that way.

The nice thing of doing brightness based on time is that it doesn't take up any of our precious lines (only 10 with a Treo650!) in the Default Buttons page. For me it works pretty well in that the light levels in my daytime office are at outside light levels. So most days I am generally only experiencing two light regimes, and they are sharply delineated by time-of-day.

To cover occasional situations where light levels might be extraordinarily high, I already have one HK option that brings up the "brightness popup" - that is another way to control brightness relatively quickly, with more flexibility, and only using up one line.

It's a pity that the line-limit forces so many compromises and hard choices,

geoff

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

technical1 1211390255|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

geoff,

thanx for the input, fortunately, I get that level of stuff already, I meant/or should have written how to do that w/time triggers…

It seems that Pent is addressing the number of lines on treos, & specifically for all devices- potentially using tags, but I don't understand all of it…

He posted a thread on that last option here…

t1

last edited on 1211390293|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover by technical1 + show more

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Anonymous (122.167.83.x) 1211392584|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

hi tech1

yeah I was wondering if I was misunderstanding you there. my aplogies. But actually Im still a bit unclear- could you expand a bit on what you were thinking about here?

re the line-limit: yes I think ive been a prominent member of "the chorus" as Pent calls those who have driven him to (distr)action on this issue.

cheers

geoff

Toggling Keyguard

trgeoff 1211529910|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

This is a half-finished trick, which also involves the question of how to perfect it.

I want to be able to toggle the keyguard prefs (on a 650) between "Disabled" and "5 seconds after power off", which are two of the 4 choices for this pref.

The closest Ive got so far are assigning the two following macros to, say, Hrd1:

Disabled

Defaults/Buttons/no conditions/1/Hrd1/Panel/Keyguard
&/Ctrl/Tap/1003
&/Nav/Up/2
&/Pen/Tap/39,32
&/Ctrl/Tap/1009

5 seconds after power off

Defaults/Buttons/no conditions/2/Hrd1/Panel/Keyguard
&/Ctrl/Tap/1003
&/Nav/Dn/2
&/Pen/Tap/39,32
&/Ctrl/Tap/1009

What they do is: open Keyguard, open the Crtl for disable/enable options (=Ctrl 1003) then scroll up or down to the appropriate option, then tap on it (point 39,32) then tap on the "Done" field (= Ctrl 1009).

It works well UNTIL I mistakenly call up the alternate macro to the one I should be invoking. Then, the fact that each macro relies on the Navigation of TWO steps up or down within the range of FOUR disable/enable options results in the macro landing in in one of the options I don't want. And further invokings of the macros continue do the same.

The need to rely on the use of the Navigation up and down stems from the fact that the 4 options within Ctrl 1003 don't seem to be specified in any way. If they were I could side-step the navigation steps, with their potential to screw things up.

If I was content with the 30 seconds after power off option, use of the Nav button would not be a problem, because one just Navigates up or down three steps, and there is no chance of landing on one of the unwanted options. But I typically ride my bike with my Treo in a regular pants-pocket, with screen facing in, and the jostling leads to occasional button presses. Thus I dont want my unit staying on for 30s each time this happens.

So Im curious if anyone knows:

• if there is some way to choose the enable/disable Keyguard options more precisely

• some other solution!

BTW: Apt actually handles this macro much better than MacroPlayer, because MP doesnt let you choose Keyguard directly, and thus you not only have to use the Nav buttons within the Keyguard options ,but to choose Keyguard itself within Prefs. Macroplayer doesnt handle such Navigation tasks all that well.

cheers

geoff

Re: Toggling Keyguard

Pent 1211535157|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Some kind of list select action would be handy that's true.

BTW Nav/Centre is easier than using a pen tap to finalise a list selection.

Pent

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

trgeoff 1211538213|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Thanks Pent

"Some kind of list select action" is feasible?

For my current macros, I did actually try Nav/Centre first, but for some reason it doesn't do anything in this case.

Edit: Ah I found that if I disable SkinUI completely, NavCentre DOES work. Curiously if I disable SK for Preferences, it only disables it for the main Prefs screen, and not for the individual panels.

So in the absence of turning SkinUI off then on again as part of the macros, I guess tapping is here to stay for the moment :)

geoff

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Pgr 1211540734|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I use letters to select items in drop-down lists. Like sending an "A" (Pen / Text / A) to go to the "All" category in Applications. If there were two options starting with an A, I think sending two A's in a row would work. This could probably solve your problem.

PS- Geoff, did you see my Private Message to you on 1src a few days ago?

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Pent 1211545557|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Hey that's definitely a Tip and Trick Pgr.

Pent

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

bluefish 1211985407|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I reckon this works with letter input without any outside help from Apt.

Been doing this for years in drop down lists, especially in the built in launcher. Try it and see.

Regards
Andy

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

trgeoff 1211546081|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Hi Pgr

Thanks for getting on top of my example and providing very helpful insights. Curiously your suggestion works perfectly for choosing the 5 seconds after power off option if I use (Pen/Text /5), but not for Disabled (Pen/Text /D). Nor for any other of the 4 options, including the other one that starts with a number.

But in any case just being able to choose that one option consistently is sufficient to solve my problem. Because if I use (Pen/Text/5) for the 5 seconds after power off macro and Nav/Up/2 for the Disabled macro there is now no possibility of landing on one of the unwanted Enable\Disable options!

I just saw your PM, sorry I'd missed it. The associated computerised request did come through a few days back, but something weird happened at the time, I didnt activate it, then promptly forgot about it. I have now activated that. Ill work towards the requested activity!

Maybe you or someone else can shed some light on what is hopefully a slight ugliness in my use of variables (in this pre-tag era)

I now realise how one can use variables to move the bulk of some default macros - basically those that utilise another app - into the Events page of that other app and I have done that for my Keyguard macros, as below:

Disabled

Defaults/Buttons/no conditions/1/Hrd4/Apt/Var+/a
&/App/Prefs

Prefs/Events/a=1/+Lnch/Panel/Keyguard
&/Ctrl/Tap/1003
&/Nav/Up/2
&/Pen/Tap/39,32
&/Ctrl/Tap/1009
&/Apt/Var0/a

5 seconds after power off

Defaults/Buttons/no conditions/2/Hrd4/Apt/Var+/a
&/Apt/Var+/a
&/App/Prefs

Prefs/Events/a=2/+Lnch/Panel/Keyguard
&/Ctrl/Tap/1003
&/Pen/Text /5
&/Pen/Tap/39,32
&/Ctrl/Tap/1009
&/Apt/Var0/a

This approach reduces the use of Defaults real estate from 10 lines to 5, which is great, but I was wondering if I could do better. In particular is there any way to get a=2 in less than the 2 lines required as below—-

Defaults/Buttons/no conditions/2/Hrd4/Apt/Var+/a
&/Apt/Var+/a

Or is there some other more elegant way to get variables to set up a toggle?

cheers

geoff

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Pgr 1211547408|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

To avoid using two lines to bring "a" to a value of "2", you could simply use a different var (B=1) - if you are not short of variables, of course.

I try to totally avoid Taps with coordinates, if I can. They tend to break when the screen is in landscape mode, for example.

When trying to act on a UI with a macro, my order is:

1. if possible, use Pen / CBar for command bar shortcuts
2. use hard keys like 5-way nav and cntr
3. if 2 is not possible, try handling controls (Ctrl) by control ID.
4. only if 2 and 3 are not possible, try Pen /Taps by coordinate.

I do lots of stuff with the Nav and Hard action categories. If you use them creatively, you'll see you can do stuff fast and effectively.

For example, in your case, you could use NavD 5 to move down 5 times (with only one action!) to get to the bottom of the drop-down list (as long as the list doesn't wrap around cursor movements); then move up 3 times to go to a specific option and select it with Cntr.

I have an advanced example in the wiki for deleting an item in KsDateBook; if you could try it manually, you'd see that those key sequences effectively handle two cases (for recurring or simple events) because I was able to figure out a key sequence that works well in two different dialog boxes. This is because some Nav keys won't do anything in one form, but do something in others. It's a matter of being creative… :-)

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

trgeoff 1211550574|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Thanks Pgr

Another variable, how easy!!

Thanks for the other tips too, good advice. But for this particular case, unless I disable SkinUI for my entire unit, I can't use the Nav/Centre on that list unfortunately.

I love the way one can shift most of the macro out of Defaults using the variables approach. And I think that generic concept should make its way into the User Guide too.

Is there any crafty way to spread the love for any of the other list types?

geoff

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

trgeoff 1211553768|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

hmm, I just came across a glitch with my split-macro-toggle approach above. Pent can probably address this within Apt — but no rush! All this fiddling is mainly of theoretical interest to me.

When I try to add two +Lnch macros in the Prefs/Events screen, Apt wont let me ("duplicate trigger" error) even though the two +Lnch macros are "preceded" by different conditions.

geoff

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Pent 1211556320|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

On todo list already I think.

Pent

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

ww1900 1211815069|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Asunto: apt
Fecha: Mon, 26 May 2008 13:57:44 +0100

Simulating the operation of: IF…->ElseIf

We will use the *Tags*

Example:
(Hrd1 Botton pressing for 2 seconds)
IF "a=1" then App->Calc ELSEIF "a=2" "App->Note"

In Apt…
a>0/ (2)Hrd1/ Apt->Call ONE
&/Apt->Call TWO

*Tags*
a=1/ (ONE) Tag/ App->Calc
a=2/ (TWO) Tag/ App->Note

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Pent 1211816102|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Hey that's very creative thinking, I guess you have been a programmer sometime :-)

Buuuut, I don't think it will work in the latest release unfortunately since I got lazy with the tagged macros. I might look at that code again since it clearly has a good use!

Pent

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

ww1900 1211829668|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

In fact, it does not work in 1.2b2 but in 1.2b1 yes.

While not available "Elseif" or "Else" it would be advisable to allow it work.

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Pent 1211963554|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Should work again in 1.2b4.

Pent

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

ww1900 1211981429|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Ok. it's works perfectly

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

ww1900 1212446422|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Up and down the brightness with the 5-way without losing the scroll.

If desired, activate the option to change the brightness with the buttons. Choose "CBri" and can use up and down to control the brightness. Choosing the same option, it disables

Example:
*Defaults* (b=0-> scroll; b=1-> up & down bright)
b=1/(0) NavU/Brgt/Up%15
b=1/(0) NavD/Brgt/Dn%15
(1) Cntr/Apt/Call/Per f(Profiles of Bright)

*Tags 1*
(Perf) Tag/Apt/Call/CBri (Change Bright - Up & Down)
>/Apt/Call/Ext (Brightness for external environment)
>/Apt/Call/Int (Brightness for internal environment)

(CBri) Tag/Apt/Var+ b
>/Apt/Call Abri (Activate)
b>0/(ABri)/Apt/Call DBri (Disable)
b>1/(DBri)/Apt/Var0 b

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

Pent 1212476652|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Wow. I was thinking of something like that.

Now to take a day off to understand how it works :-)

Thanks,

Pent

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

trgeoff 1212482483|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Hehe, yeah Ive been trying to get my head around it too :)

But there's a few things that seem missing in the "syntax"

There's six different things called up as tags

Perf, Cbri, Ext, Int, Abri, and DBri

but only the first two of these are explicitly defined as such (Perf and Cbri) in the way I understand things to work anyway..

Could you comment on this www1900?

Below, is how i imagine this "works". have I got the right idea?

Im imagining that a 5-way centre button press pulls up a star menu with 3 options here described functionally (1) activate changing brightness up or down via 5-way U or D (2) set brightness to a fixed high level (Ext) and (3) set brightness to a fixed low level (Int).

the button press (ends up) setting varB to 1, which means that the 5-way U or D buttons dont scroll for now, but rather they change brightness.

Then hitting that 5-way centre button press one more time clears VarB and returns the normal scrolling functionality to the 5-way.

geoff

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

ww1900 1212504748|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Your deduction is correct.

Perf, Cbri, Ext, Int, Abri, and DBri are tags.

The idea comes to be able to use "up" and "down" to control screen brightness, without losing the scroll.
When b = 1, "up" and "down" control the brightness. When b = 0 we can use the scroll.

*Defaults* (b=0-> scroll; b=1-> up & down bright)
b=1/(0) NavU/Brgt/Up%15
b=1/(0) NavD/Brgt/Dn%15
(1) Cntr/Apt/Call/Perf

"Perf" is a tag to show a star menu with 3 options here described functionally (1) activate changing brightness up or down via 5-way U or D (2) set brightness to a fixed high level (Ext) and (3) set brightness to a fixed low level (Int).

"Ext" an "Int" not enter because they are not needed for example.

"CBri"i is responsible for changing the value of "b" from "0" to "1" or "1" to "0".

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

ww1900 1212447209|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

This allows you to choose the application to use when you connect the USB cable.

*Defaults*
(u) / App / CardReader
> / App / HotSync

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

thierry2064 1212480734|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

To change the wifi prefs when connected (not preserving power or whatever it is in English, 15 min), or not (preserving power, default). It is not complicated but long to configure because when calling apt menu in wifi prefs, it resets…
tag1
WCn/Tag/panel/wifi
&/ctrl/off/1004
&/ctrl/tap/1022
&/nav/dn/3
&/ctrl/tap/1905
&/ctrl/tap/1005

tag1
WDcn/Tag/panel/wifi
&/ctrl/on/1004
&/ctrl/tap/1022
&/nav/up/3
&/ctrl/tap/1905
&/ctrl/tap/1005

Default
p/con/apt/call/WCn
p/Dcon/Apt/call/WDcn

It does the job really fast.

last edited on 1212480949|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover by thierry2064 + show more

Re: Apt Tips & Tricks

videkatten 1212497634|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Two macros (tags) I have under the default star menu. I use

New untimed item in DateBk6 (call it with "dbkn"). The DIA may go up and down if you dont have set DIA up as default in DateBk6. You also need to set "today" as your start view in DateBk6 (go to options/preferences/views).
(dbkn)/Tag/App/DateBk6
&/Ctrl/Menu 1000
&/Ctrl/Tap 3908

Download DateBk6 here!

New memo in PsMemo with date and time stamp (call it with "psmn"):
(psmn)/App/PsMemo
&/Ctrl/Tap 1002
&/Field/Enter 1009
&/Ctrl/Tap 1132
&/Ctrl/Tap 1133
&/Ctrl/Tap 1103

Download PsMemo here!

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