Plain Launcher Patch...Looking for Advice

[discolightning]

here is a better video:

YouTube - WebOS Elite Launcher

[xanthinealkaloid]

It looks quite nice... ...I wonder if these modifications will be compatible with the Wrap Launcher Pages & Reset to Middle patches...We'll see I guess when it's finalized...At any rate, you've made great progress.

I bet this could be more conducive to a landscape layout than the current launcher.

However, I'm not sure how this would work for my 166 apps though, but I'd definitely try it.

I did make me think...Icons are so Microsoft!

.

[discolightning]

i've been using it for the past two days. it wouldn't be ideal for anyone with a ton of apps. this will help anyone who has difficulty seeing or tapping the correct apps, and anyone who just wants the launcher to look different. I'm in the second category. what sucks is that I sell phones, and i have to let people know that this isn't how the launcher looks. i may have to start using the store's demo Pre again just so I can keep this launcher on mine.

i could theoretically create an app that installs my altered css and js files (ie. elite_launcher.css), and provides a switch for the icon/list launcher. i need to get the list launcher working and reordering before i can get into app writing.

I wonder if these modifications will be compatible with the Wrap Launcher Pages & Reset to Middle patches...We'll see I guess when it's finalized...At any rate, you've made great progress.

i don't expect those patches to conflict, but you're right. the only way to know is to try it out. i know by now that code doesn't always work as expected.

[discolightning]

i knew something was bound to change with the 1.4 launcher, and so far I have found out that '.launch_feedback' disappeared from the launcher.css file. So, the round glowing puddle indicator keeps showing up in the top left corner when i open apps.

also, i have disabled the gradients. the launcher looks nice even without them, though i may be able to work them back in later. i do see smoother scrolling without the gradients. before, app names would flicker as i scrolled through, and i though it was an issue with the thin fonts paired with the high-contrast nature of this project. that flickering is less intense now.

i still need to get the drag-n-drop working.

i plan to release two versions of this patch. one with words only, and one with small app icons. we'll see how it goes.

[Jason Robitaille]

ya tried reorder list widget? If you're not gonna, mind if I take a stab at it sometime this week?

[discolightning]

Originally Posted by Jason Robitaille

ya tried reorder list widget? If you're not gonna, mind if I take a stab at it sometime this week?

that would be cool

[discolightning]

quick update before i pass out:

the launcher is now reorderable. i even left the js files intact. the problem was that the .icon class was too far down in the z-index, so long presses were not registering. it's all gravy now except the launcher visual feedback that lets you know what app was selected. right now it's a round lens flare, and i need to somehow make it a horizontal line. i'm hoping that a thin border on the div would work, but the launcher_touch_feedback class has disappeared with 1.4. so i have to hunt for the file that references launcher-touch-feedback.png. if anyone knows where to find it, please let me know.

thanks!

[discolightning]

btw, I know where the launcher-touch-feedback image is, I need to know which css file to look at.

[cruzader]

This is really neat. Looking forward to this patch.

[blu8503]

Originally Posted by discolightning

I want to modify the launcher to be simpler. I have a mock-up of the design, and I am sure it can be done, I just don't know how to get a new font into WebOS. The specific font I want to use is "Kalinga."

So, I'm looking for help. I am fairly fluent in css styling, so I will start working with the available font. If anyone knows how I might install Kalinga, and what format I can use (OpenType, Postscript, TrueType?), please advise.

My goal is to create a patch that:

• Removes icons
• Changes font size
• Uses Kalinga font
• changes scrim
• adds gradient top layer (darker top and bottom)
• aligns words to the left

Thanks!

i would for quick launch with walpaper in back ground

[blkhwk4502]

i'd definitely use this. it would be great to change up the appearance in a fancy way

[discolightning]

Now that I'm caught up on Lost, I'm back to work...on my day off, of course.

[fallen3712]

Originally Posted by discolightning

Now that I'm caught up on Lost, I'm back to work...on my day off, of course.

I was wandering what the hold up on development was.

[discolightning]

there will be icons.

[discolightning]

updated...see the original post.

[Veritas06]

Removed the "Named Pages in Launcher" & "5x4 Icons V2" & after that it installed great. Thanks so much for this!

Included a few screenshots just for show.

[discolightning]

be sure to update with your thoughts over the next few days. Thanks for the additional screenshots.

[fallen3712]

Just installed it, I got hunk error the first time around because had 4x4 patch installed. The patch works great, very snappy.

Comments: When rearranging apps you get very little visual feedback. From what the launcher looks like I expect that when I rearrange apps, the text would move around with the icon; it's not a big deal but it works differently then expected. Another thing is when I rearranges apps in the default launcher, the icons move dynamically to show me where the icon would rest if I let go, this does not. One last thing, when rearranging apps, the dropping of the icon has to be very close horizontally to rest of the icons in order to get the right placement. So if I drop the icon in the middle of the screen, it does not pick up where I wanted it and just places the app at the bottom of the list.

Other then those gripes, everything works great.

[discolightning]

Originally Posted by fallen3712

Just installed it, I got hunk error the first time around because had 4x4 patch installed. The patch works great, very snappy.

Comments: When rearranging apps you get very little visual feedback. From what the launcher looks like I expect that when I rearrange apps, the text would move around with the icon; it's not a big deal but it works differently then expected. Another thing is when I rearranges apps in the default launcher, the icons move dynamically to show me where the icon would rest if I let go, this does not. One last thing, when rearranging apps, the dropping of the icon has to be very close horizontally to rest of the icons in order to get the right placement. So if I drop the icon in the middle of the screen, it does not pick up where I wanted it and just places the app at the bottom of the list.

Other then those gripes, everything works great.

Thanks for your notes. I know that rearranging is not working perfectly yet. Before I added icons, and before 1.4, i could hold an app name and drag it around. Other app names would move to make room, so you could see where the app would land. With 1.4, I decided to scrap my previous css work and start fresh. Right now the only way to rearrange apps is to hold the app icon, not the title. My goal is to correct this.

It is very useful to know which other patches are not compatible, so thanks for keeping track of the patches you had to remove.

<rant>
As an aside, I would like to mention that the css code for the stock launcher is a little redundant. I'll explain:

.root {
	position:relative;
	overflow:hidden;
	left:0px;
	top:0px;
	width:320px;
	height: 480px;
}

This defines the launcher's dimensions, or the boundaries for the page.

.launcher_page {
	position:absolute;
	top:0px;
	/* left provided by JS */	
    width:320px;
	height: 100%;
    background:none;
}

Why do we need to define the page's width as 320px again? And wouldn't it be better to define the page width and height as pixels, then use percentages in most other elements? This would help the launcher scale to different screen sizes (ie Pixi, future webOS versions). We're only talking about bytes of code, but a leaner launcher css file could scale more gracefully. Similar redundancies are in other classes.

</rant>



Anyway, I am really enthusiastic that I can even make adjustments like this to my phone. I couldn't even set a wallpaper on the old Instinct.

Keep the feedback coming!

[Veritas06]

The only flaw i see so far is just the re-arranging apps which you already addressed. Since i installed the patch i've been working on some of my themes so that the icons look better with this patch, so i haven;t really noticed any other issues yet. If i find any i'll be sure to post back here with my problem.

I agree with your 'percentage' post ( i'm an ISE major & really not a fan of % versus the actual pixel size included ).