When creating a pixlet app, is there a way to expose user-configurable settings? I presume this is available due to apps such as stocks, where the user would need to input ticker symbols to see the stocks which they’re interested in.
As a simple example, let’s say I wanted my app to display “Hello World” and allow the user to define the color the text is displayed in via the Tidbit iOS app UI—is this possible?
Hey @joeyhoer.
Internally, there is a way to do just that. Our prepackaged apps (e.g. stocks) expose a function called get_schema() which in turn defines what configuration options the app should present to a user in the Tidbyt iOS/Android app. When an app is installed by a user, their selected configuration values are passed in a dict to the Pixlet main() function, allowing it to customize the rendered graphics.
Getting this available for developers is among our top priorities. We want to make it possible to upload Pixlet scripts to Tidbyt and have them run in our backend environment, removing the need for self-hosting integrations. That’ll include a mechanism like our current get_schema() method, although the current implementation has grown rather “organically” and is in dire need of some refactoring. =)
@matslina not to resurrect this thread, but has any work been done on this front for opening up these up?
Is there an example of get_schema or a MWE for using it in a custom app? Or is this feature still not available?
I have a simple sports news app I made that I want to be able to change the sport (i.e. the URL) via the app instead of having to make separate files.
It’s not publicly available… yet. We’re close but need to clean it up and properly document it.
Awesome, I can’t wait. I’m hoping that should be the last major change to my espn top headlines app since I finally have it updating correctly through out the day.
Is there any timeframe for this to become available?
Can you update it so it doesnt scroll side to side but bottom up? Its basically impossible to read the sentences.
You’re talking about the ESPN news app? I didn’t think it looked nearly as good. It is hard to read sometimes since you can’t keep an app on there longer. I have mine set on the slowest app cycle speed. I still think the app will end early, but there’s nothing much I can do about that.
However, it shouldn’t be hard to do and I’ll try and take a look at it over the next couple of days and see if I can’t add a toggle where you can choose which way it scrolls. Aesthetically though, what’s there now is the best I could come up with where it was consistent.
correct. And yeah cant read three different headlines at once since it scrolls too quickly. So I thought perhaps the “normal” way of scrolling like the other news apps and such would possibly make more sense.
Let me see what I can do.
So here’s the issue. really long words vertically scrolling won’t be wrapped correctly as it currently stands. There’s nothing I can really do about this at the moment. For appearance effects.
What I can do is add an option to modify scroll speed, but I also can’t guarantee the entire headline will finish. which is the next best thing at the moment.
I have no idea what would work best but it is the main issue I have with any/all news/text based apps is wanting an option to control the speed and direction in which the text flows. Usually its too quick, but the basic news one does it best if you ask me. Plus, hey, having the ESPN logo would be kinda cool too if thats doable. It works for the BBC and NYT in the news one as an example.
Not sure if you made the standings app as well (sports standings) but that one scrolls by psycho fast and I removed it for that reason alone.
I may be able to do some math and get it to work vertically, the problem is really long names or really long things could be broken up and be just as non-readable. I’ll see if I can get the math to work and have it broken up.
I’m working on fixing the sports standings one too.
I agree it’s fast, but everything is still limited by how fast the apps cycle too and it being cut off. I have my app cycle speed on the lowest setting, which helps a bit.
PR submitted. Vertical scroll and speed options there.
I did my best with the vertical scroll. Hope it helps.
Thanks for the vertical option as well as the multiple speed settings. I can monkey around with it to find something suitable now!
Great! Glad you found a suitable combination. We’re just kind of at the mercy of how long those title are now too ha ha.
Also I did add a couple options to the sports standings app too.