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this may not be your typical question.. but I figured I would give it a shot. I have tried Google searches for this type of question, though apparently I'm using the wrong queries.

So my question is basically how to make my widget "flow" better. Right now this is the flow:

  1. App opens with 'jump' screen, with some directions on how to use it, an information button, and a button that directs you to a configure page (user chooses which pictures they want to view). User is also prompted heavily to configure those pictures before adding an instance of the widget to their screen; or else it won't work.
  2. Once configured, exit the app and visit the homescreen. Add the widget, and the user is presented with a time configuration (how often they want an update to occur). User chooses, hits save, and the widget is added to the screen.
  3. If the user successfully configured in step 1, the widget is added. If, however, they did not do the initial configuration, the widget pops up a toast explaining again that they have to configure.
  4. The user then has to delete the blank widget, re-open the app, configure the images, re-add it, set the time, then good to go.
  5. If successfully added, user can open the time configuration through the widget, or return to the image select by opening it from the app drawer.

Based on that information, does anybody know how I can make this process more simple? Ideas I had were to not allow the widget to be added unless the first configuration takes place.. this is something I could not find any information on :( and/or try to group those two configurations (time/images) into one.

Guess I'm looking for whatever input/suggestions/ideas you folks have. Thanks so much if anybody has any insight onto this! Or if I was just dumb and wasn't able to find certain links that have discussed this already, please point me towards them.

Xero
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2 Answers2

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If your app depends on all the configuration, then it should be mandatory. Of course you can make some assumptions in order to simplify the setup, later the user can change those options on some sort of configuration screen.

Tolio
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  • Yes, I want to make it mandatory. I guess my question was, how to disallow adding the widget if the image configuration hasn't been completed? Something to the effect of `if configured { add widget } else { don't add widget}` – Xero May 10 '12 at 00:15
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Actually this is very easy. Based on your question, your widget has a configuration activity declared in the xml file (i.e. android:configure="com.test.widget.act_configure". If the act_configure activity returns RESULT_CANCELED (via setResult(RESULT_CANCELED)) then the widget host cancels its placement.

So you have to check for the required conditions in the widget's configuration activity onCreate method and return OK or CANCELED if they are met or not.

Hope this helps...

ChD Computers
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