CANdroid slows down with more data and...

[sirpatrick]

Graham, I have to say thank you first for your work and that I think with my current OBD interface, your app works better than Torque. I have noticed errors in the data changing values and is more erratic. I have made so much headway since my last post. I am rather concerned with what happens to the app itself when a person adds data e.g. inputs, variables and widgets. It can be as simple as adding just inputs that will end up slowing it down while not even connected to an OBD interface. Just simple navigating is much slower and I fear that the more I add that it will be a problem at some point. I don't know much about xml, but enough to understand some basics. I have a feeling that maybe the fonts are slowing it down and making the export files larger than they need to be, hence slowing the importing speed. I have a couple of questions about xml and your usage. I have noticed that with for example the Grotesk-Bold.ttf font takes up approximately 193KBs of data for each instance used in text widgets. A very small light weight font that I came across is less than 6KBs in size called "Fixedsys Regular" in my windows 7 font folder. At least this font could be used 32 times to equal one use of the grotesk font. Am I able to remove any of the text from the following so that I can save room? I have a feeling that it is important to your structure and that I may not be able to change any of it without changes to the app by you first.

uk.co.duckmonkey.candroid2.middleend.OBDInput
uk.co.duckmonkey.candroid2.middleend.Variable
uk.co.duckmonkey.candroid2.frontend.widgets.HorizontalBarWidget

Some of this makes sense, but can it be shrunken down? uk.co.duckmonkey: can it be removed or assigned anything else?
front and middleend: can these be abbreviated to fe and me?

I take it that I don't have to add "Input" at the end of every input that I define since this seems to work with or without "Input" at the end? I know that you can't just use the same name throughout the app e.g. inputs, variables and widgets. Does capitalization matter anywhere at all? I take it that it does in respect to "VALUE" if a person wants it to be displayed? Can add to the app the ability to create folders for inputs, variables and widgets. It would help to find things along with alphabetizing them if it can be done! I think the folders would at least be a higher priority since it may be easier for you to code.

As for the text widgets, I was wondering if you can address a font just once in xml or some other way of directing that portion of the xml to look up the font in a directory on either an sd card or the system folder? If this could be done, it would really help the app out so much... I think... I hope ;D

I have noticed the color from 1 and 2 being an issue at least to me. I have tried changing them both and I think from what I remember is that color 1 is the only one that makes things change color and that 2 does not change anything. I also noticed somewhere in a widget I think... that there are 2 sizes that are the same for height and width. I'm not sure why there would be 2? It would be nice to display a bar ect. in reverse e.g. a bar that starts at zero in the middle with -100 or 100 to the left and 100 or -100 to the right of the zero. This would be useful with values less than zero. I hope i explained that well. Sorry for so much information and questions that I have for you. A couple more questions... Can you make the app have an option to use the full screen at the top of the screen? Oh and by the way, I'd really like to get rid of the ad banner. ;D Another feature that would set your app apart from others would be the ability to not only scroll left to right, but to also scroll up and down. It would be useful if you had similar gauges above or below and not just side to side. I hope I explained that one well? When are you going to be able to release an update? I really need to get to sleep or else I'm not going to have enough time to work with your app this morning... I'm so tired that I'm not going to proof read what I typed. I have more to add but need to do it when I'm more awake. Keep up the good work.

Thank you,

Patrick

[Graham Mackenzie]

Mar 18, 2012 4:32:43 GMT -5 sirpatrick said:

Graham, I have to say thank you first for your work and that I think with my current OBD interface, your app works better than Torque. I have noticed errors in the data changing values and is more erratic. I have made so much headway since my last post. I am rather concerned with what happens to the app itself when a person adds data e.g. inputs, variables and widgets. It can be as simple as adding just inputs that will end up slowing it down while not even connected to an OBD interface. Just simple navigating is much slower and I fear that the more I add that it will be a problem at some point. I don't know much about xml, but enough to understand some basics. I have a feeling that maybe the fonts are slowing it down and making the export files larger than they need to be, hence slowing the importing speed. I have a couple of questions about xml and your usage. I have noticed that with for example the Grotesk-Bold.ttf font takes up approximately 193KBs of data for each instance used in text widgets. A very small light weight font that I came across is less than 6KBs in size called "Fixedsys Regular" in my windows 7 font folder. At least this font could be used 32 times to equal one use of the grotesk font. Am I able to remove any of the text from the following so that I can save room? I have a feeling that it is important to your structure and that I may not be able to change any of it without changes to the app by you first.

Better than Torque? Thanks :-P Why not give me a 5-star review ;-)

It does slow down dramatically the more things you add. This is due to the XML parsing being slow - if I was starting again, I would not use XML for the internal data format... However, the internal data format does not have the images and fonts encoded within it - this only happens when exporting a widget set to a file. Theres not much I can suggest, except perhaps keep your widget sets split up and import each one as you need it. Not a great solution I know. I might do a re-write in the future that works a different way, but the XML format is so ingrained into the code that it unlikely to change in the near future :-(

Mar 18, 2012 4:32:43 GMT -5 sirpatrick said:

uk.co.duckmonkey.candroid2.middleend.OBDInput
uk.co.duckmonkey.candroid2.middleend.Variable
uk.co.duckmonkey.candroid2.frontend.widgets.HorizontalBarWidget

Some of this makes sense, but can it be shrunken down? uk.co.duckmonkey: can it be removed or assigned anything else?
front and middleend: can these be abbreviated to fe and me?

The tags uk.co.duckmonkey... are package names in the code, and are used because it makes instantiating objects directly from the XML easier. I don't think shrinking them down would make too much of a speed difference anyway.

Mar 18, 2012 4:32:43 GMT -5 sirpatrick said:

I take it that I don't have to add "Input" at the end of every input that I define since this seems to work with or without "Input" at the end? I know that you can't just use the same name throughout the app e.g. inputs, variables and widgets. Does capitalization matter anywhere at all? I take it that it does in respect to "VALUE" if a person wants it to be displayed? Can add to the app the ability to create folders for inputs, variables and widgets. It would help to find things along with alphabetizing them if it can be done! I think the folders would at least be a higher priority since it may be easier for you to code.

No, you don't have to have 'Input' at the end of an input, but I think capitalization probably does matter. The 'VALUE' in a 'subtitle format' must be expressed exactly as 'VALUE', for the text subtitution to work.

Folders for Inputs/Variables/Widgets would be a nice idea - I'll add it to the list...

Mar 18, 2012 4:32:43 GMT -5 sirpatrick said:

I have noticed the color from 1 and 2 being an issue at least to me. I have tried changing them both and I think from what I remember is that color 1 is the only one that makes things change color and that 2 does not change anything.

Yeah you're right, I'm not sure I've ever used colour 2 anywhere. My list is getting longer!

Mar 18, 2012 4:32:43 GMT -5 sirpatrick said:

I also noticed somewhere in a widget I think... that there are 2 sizes that are the same for height and width. I'm not sure why there would be 2?

That'll be a bug. To workaround it, just make sure the two widths and heights are the same.

Mar 18, 2012 4:32:43 GMT -5 sirpatrick said:

It would be nice to display a bar ect. in reverse e.g. a bar that starts at zero in the middle with -100 or 100 to the left and 100 or -100 to the right of the zero. This would be useful with values less than zero. I hope i explained that well.

There are a couple of bitmap dial widgets that do +ve and -ve numbers, though there is no bar-type chart that does this. You could make your own dial, if there isn't a suitable one:

candroid.wikidot.com/creating-your-own-dial-widget-from-bitmaps

Mar 18, 2012 4:32:43 GMT -5 sirpatrick said:

Sorry for so much information and questions that I have for you. A couple more questions... Can you make the app have an option to use the full screen at the top of the screen? Oh and by the way, I'd really like to get rid of the ad banner. ;D

I might well just get rid of the ad-banner in the next update. Given that so far I've made $2.17 from the advert...

Mar 18, 2012 4:32:43 GMT -5 sirpatrick said:

Another feature that would set your app apart from others would be the ability to not only scroll left to right, but to also scroll up and down. It would be useful if you had similar gauges above or below and not just side to side. I hope I explained that one well?

This isn't likely to happen soon - I'd need to do a complete re-write to implement this, sadly, though I agree - its an interesting idea. I am thinking of starting again at some point. There are so many better ways of writing it!

Thanks for your questions!