EGRemote - new Android app for EventGhost

[rainermueller]

Hi,
I do not want to advertise my app here , but i just wanted to let you know that i published a new android remote for eventghost in the android market. I developed the app primarily for my own needs, but perhaps you want to have a look at it too - just search for 'EGRemote' in the market. I will post a video tutorial about it within the next few days, but if you encounter any problems do not hesitate to ask me .

You can receive and send events with EGRemote, please be aware that you have to start the background service in order to use the network event sender. To use EGRemote with EventGhost just add the two network event plugins to your configuration (network event sender/network event receiver).

At the moment, the app supports 3 events and 7 actions, for example sending WOL packets to wake up your EventGhost PC or starting apps on your android device. You can also create multiple layouts (remotes), e.g. a layout to control winamp and a separate layout to control your HTPC. Just switch to the layout you currently need. Create buttons on your layouts by adding a button click event, select your button icon and finally freely arrange the button on your layout by drag and drop.

You will find two versions on the market. The 'Lite' version is limited to 5 macros and does not provide import/export functionality (e.g. to share your configuration between different android devices).

BR, Rainer .

[Siutsch]

Cool!

I hope it's something like the Android Client App from User liquid8, it seems, he isn't working on this anymore:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1847

Like I said in his thread, I would like to have the following:

"New Wifi Events (When connected/disconnected to a specific SSID/Network)"

Is something like this is planned?

Siutsch.

[rainermueller]

Hi,

yes it's similar to Tim Hoeck's App. I liked his app, but I ever wanted a remote control with configurable background and buttons that can be freely arranged by drag and drop. In fact I think checking the Wifi state is no big deal, I will have a look at this the next few days. Perhaps another action could be the startup of the app, as I would like to tell my EG Server to refresh my icons when my app starts. I can also imagine time triggered actions, e.g. to wake up the EG server in the morning. Another idea is a 'delayed' action ....

... there are many ideas!

[Siutsch]

I am very excited!

Siutsch.

[rainermueller]

Hi,

just release version 1.1

Changelog (v.1.1):

- Wifi state change action added
- Delay action added
- Event on EGRemote start added
- Interaction with file browsers (e.g. image selection) improved
- GUI updated once (if needed) after macro is executed

Play Store takes some time to make the update available, so be patient.

<rgds> Rainer.

[Siutsch]

Hi Rainer,

I've tested new version.

'Wifi state change action added' works.

But I only get "Android. [IP]" as event name back to EG.

The event-name you can use in EG-macros then is only "Android."

There's no possibility to enter the event-name.

If you use more than 1 Android Device it's impossible zu distinguish between them.

Can you add the possibility to enter an event name for a "Wifi state event"?


(I think you are from Austria, cause of the .at at your Mail-Adress. Can I ask you in german too? My english is very bad ...).

Siutsch.

[rainermueller]

Hallo,

nat├╝rlich k├Ânnen wir auch deutsch reden

Also ganz habe ich das Problem noch nicht verstanden, man kann bei hinzuf├╝gen einer network event action ja das Event, Payload und den Server angeben.
Das was dort als Event angegeben wird sollte dann auch am EG Server aufscheinen ...

LG, Rainer.

[Siutsch]

Ja, das klappt ja auch bei den Button events.

Aber beim Typ "Wifi State" kann man ja nur Connecting (oder Disconnecting) und Restrict to SSID (hab ich auch gemacht)
angeben, aber keinen Text f├╝r event mehr.

Der Event "Wifi State" funktioniert ja innerhalb eines macro ohne weitere Action (war hier zumindest so).

Siutsch.

[peter]

Nice app, here is a suggestion to make it usable on some more android devices/phones and some Questions:
I have tried this app on the latest HTC Android One X which has a display resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels on just a 4,7 inch screen (10cm * 6cm).

1)
In that case even the large buttons are still quite small and some extra selections for using even bigger buttons / grid sizes would be needed. The current (small, medium, large) could do with adding an extra Large XL, XXL, ... on such devices with a high dpi. The small size is actually completely unusable in that case since unreadable/unselectable (too small).

2)
Maybee the buttons/grid themselves need to have an option to resize automatically on screens with more pixels, keeping the proportion of the button the same with the rest of the layout as otherwise a design made for one phone will look completely different for a different phone with higher resolution. (Also avoid letting the positions of the buttons scale without the buttons themselves like they do in the iRule App; because then buttons themselves are getting smaller and smaller and wider appart from one another on high resolution screens if drawn with same pixelssize.)
So an option would be needed for actually keeping the amount of rows/columns on a screen fixed but increasing the pixelsize of each cell on higher dpi screens.
Ofcourse keeping the pixelsize of each cell and adding columns/rows on screens with more pixels opens the posibility to have more rows/colums in bigger devices, so it can have it's use aswell for designs specific to physical bigger screens, however a design made for a lower resolution screen will not scale well on a high dpi resolution screen (that is physically small) and might become not useable in that case.

If it can work in both ways by having a setting to let the buttons / grid either scale (resized in relation to screensize) for high dpi devices ,
or not scale (fixed pixel size) for adding more columns/rows on actual bigger screens,
would probably be the best way forward to solve it and have both design options available?

3)
Any plans to also support enduring buttonclicks (see Tim Hoeck's app, F.e. usefull for Volume Up/Down or Light Dimmer buttons etc.)

4)
Any future plans for adding rectangular buttons intead of only square buttons ? (taking more then 1 cell in x/y direction) ?

5)
Any future plans for adding other types of GUI elements in addition to buttons like f.e. textlabels, gauges, sliders, rotary knobs, ...?

[rainermueller]

Hi,

to fix the problem with the different cell sizes, I can calculate the size of the three cell sizes according to the resolution if you want ... the problem is that an update of the app will confuse the already stored layouts. Users that already created layouts won't be very happy about that . Perhaps I can implement a button to recalculate ... would that be an option?

The different resolutions are very difficult to handle, but when you export your settings to another device the layout settings will be the same. If you have e.g. 7 columns and you export it to another device having a higher resolution, you will still have the 7 cols. Once you change the cell size on that device, the columns/rows will be recalculated. I think that's the best solution ...

Enduring button clicks will be included in the next release. I already startet to implement an 'Edit Mode', because this is needed to distinguish between drag/drop and enduring events. At the moment i'm a bit busy, so please be patient

I think rectangle buttons would be possible, but to mix cell sizes is very difficult ... :S

Other gui elements are not planned at the moment, there are no android built-in forms which i could use. So I would have to completely develop that on my own - very time consuming!

<rgds> Rainer.

[Carnivore]

Hi,

I just stumbled upon your App. First of all, the idea is great. I just can't figure out how to add any buttons to the layout. I can go to edit mode, the background turns red and that's it.
Where is the video instructions you wanted to publish?

Chris

[rainermueller]

sorry for the delayed answer, did you already figure out how to add buttons?

i'm a little busy atm, that's why the video tuts still missing

you have to add a macro (just give it a name and press 'add')
then add an event and select 'button', select an icon for the button and select on which layout it should be placed - that's it!

<rgds> rainer.

[mulletman]

Hi rainermueller, did you ever post a tutorial for your product? Your product sounds promising but I am struggling with the initial set-up. I searched YouTube and Google but couldn't find any tutorials? If you could forward me a link that would be much appreciated

[rainermueller]

Hi!

new video tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgLBXM7smLM

If you have questions do not hesitate ... just ask me.

<rgds> Rainer.

[piert]

So it takes two and a half minutes (length of the video) to just add one button?
That seems rather long if one needs to add many control commands?

Anyway I am still very interested in this and looking forward to seeing your improved video later on.

Thanks for taking up the challenge of continuing the effort of combining Android with Eventghost.

Best regards,
Perry