[APP][16/11] Clockr - Text-based clock widget [UPDATED][v1.5]

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Clockr v1.5.1 is now available from the Android Market.

NOW UPDATED TO VERSION 1.5.1!!



What is Clockr?

Clockr is a simple home-screen widget that displays the current time in a readable text format.

While it is simple in design, it is packed full of customisation options to make it look just the way you want it to.

Why did I make Clockr?

I have always been a fan of minimalism. I like to have a clean home-screen. Since there was no other widgets available that presented the current time in a way that I wanted it, I decided to make my own widget.

Will it work on my device?

At the moment, Clockr is supported on all current devices running 2.1+. Soon I will have support for earlier versions of Android, but I haven't been able to test this yet. It was designed with a 480x800 screen in mind, but this isn't to say it wont work on other sizes (again, it is something I haven't tested).

Where can I get Clockr?

Clockr is again available as a free download from the Android Market. You can find it by searching for "clockr".

QR code, its click-able if you are on your phone (thanks to Wallla and excedio for helping me out):



I hope you enjoy my widget!

Thanks

- xaffron (One More Clock) for his help with services and his nifty notification trick.
- zappatilias (BattStatt) for the initial inspiration and for the Color picker suggestion!
- ralfoide (24 Clock) learnt a lot by studying his code.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How do I use this widget? Every time I click the icon it just brings up a stupid information screen.
A: Scroll down to the next post, I have provided a simple guide to installing Clockr/Clockr Evolution on your Home screen.

Q: Why does a clock need permission to read phone state?
A: Apparently it doesn't, this has been removed in the latest versions available on the Android Market. If you are being asked for this permission by my app, you are using an older version, please update. - Thanks zappatilias

Q: Some other clocks don't use a service, why does yours?
A: Clockr will only use a service if you enable "Force Update". If you are having problems with the clock going out of sync, you might need to enable "Force Update" as most people suggest this is the best method. In fact I have tested Clockr against other similar clocks using Watchdog real-time profiling and I have found Clockr (With Force Update enable) to be one of the most efficient of all of them in regard to actual CPU usage. I encourage you to test this yourself, you will be surprised at how little this app uses.

Q: Why does it put an item in my notification bar if I select "Force Update"?
A: Since Android 2.0, there have been changes to how services are handled. To keep a service from not being killed by the Android OS, you need to set it to run in the foreground. Since a clock widget needs to be constantly updating itself every new minute that passes, we don't want the OS to kill it off at the wrong time. Now, by setting itself in the foreground, it doesn't mean it's actually working any harder, it just means that when the OS decides to kill off services, it will leave it alone.

In the old days (pre-2.0), it was possible to start a service and flag it as "foreground" and that was it. To do the same thing now, Android requires that a notification is shown to the user at all times. I've hidden it as much as possible (thanks to xaffron for his suggestions), but if you don't like the idea of a notification sitting there, you can switch "Force Update" off.

Q: When will you add this feature...
A: At the moment, I am working on including many features. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in this thread but I can only work on so many things at once, I am only human!

Q: Why don't you respond to my complaint in the market.
A: While I do read every comment on the market, if you have a bug/issue, it is best to write about it here or even email me via the email address on the Clockr Market page (which is: clockr@phasethree.net). Please try to provide as much information as possible, I'm not psychic. If you can include what phone you have, which rom (official/custom) you are using, how did the bug occur, what were you doing, etc... it will help me greatly to find the problem.

Q: Will you be adding support for App2SD
A: No. Please stop asking, you're making yourself look silly. App2SD does not and never will work for widgets.

Change Log:

2010.11.16 - version 1.5.1
- Removed Notification
- Added option to change case (lower, defAUlt, UPPER)
- Added option to change alignment (left | center | right)
- Added force 12hr (for 24hr system clock users that prefer 12hr style Clockr)
- Fixed some landscape view bugs

2010.11.11 - version 1.1
- Total re-design of the Options Menu!
- Added new slide-bar dialog for selecting colors! (Thanks for the tip zappatilias!)
- Font Colors are now 100% custom instead of pre-selected list
- The middle number can now be colored separately
- *Date now has a lot of new options similar to the Time (Clockr Evolution only)
- Uniform version numbers for Clockr and Clockr Evolution

2010.11.08 - version 0.9
- Added "Tap To Open.." feature
- Added Lowercase option if you prefer the middle word in lowercase
- Added Different clock styles to change the middle word to ZERO, OH, or O'
- Added Font customisation options
- Big code clean-up
- Reduced file size by 25%
- Improved performance

- Added Date feature to Clockr Evolution (donate version)

2010.11.05 - version 0.9
- Fixed FC issues
- Added configuration screen (tap on widget to open)
- Service method now updated to work with Android 2.0+ changes (thanks xaffron)
- Added handler to check if phone screen is on/off (borrowed from 24 Clock)

2010.10.28 - version 0.3.6
- Major overhaul
- Recoded 80% of the application
- Now starts a service which is a lot more efficient that previous versions.
- Fixed the "not updating after reboot" issue.
- Added 24 hour clock support.

2010.10.27 - version 0.3.5
- Minor patch to fix some reports of crashing.

2010.10.26 - version 0.3.4
- Clock now updates correctly at the same time as system clock

2010.10.25 - version 0.3.3
- Changes made to some of the words.

2010.10.25 - version 0.3.2
- First public beta release
- Support for devices 2.1+

How to install the Clockr Widget on your homescreen

NOTE: This isn't the only way to add widgets to your Home screen, but it is one way that is easy to explain.

FIRST STEP

You need to start from your Home screen. This is what a basic Home screen looks like:



It has widgets and other things that you can move around.

You need to make sure that you have room for Clockr to be installed (It does take up a whole row of space).

SECOND STEP

Press the "Menu" button on your phone so that this pops up:



Now you need to select the "Add" option (the one I have highlighted).

THIRD STEP

Now this dialog box will pop up:



Select the option to add "Widgets" (highlighted in the image).

FOURTH STEP

Now a list of available widgets will appear:



Select the Clockr widget that you wish to install.

FIFTH STEP

If you followed these simple steps, Clockr will now be added to your Home screen:



If you tap on the widget, you can then change any of the custom options to make it look how you want it to look.


Hope this has helped you, if you are still having trouble, let me know!


Reserved for screenshots!

Stripes by Hollywooder:


Smile by Hollywooder:

Clockr Mods

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Taking requests, until he gets the color pickers worked out =P
ALL MODS POSTED ON MY BLOG, DOWNLOAD THEM THERE
Link in first post, and in located to the right of my signature.

Originally Posted by hollywooder

Took you long enough. I was very well tempted to steal that post from you, lol.

Yeah, it has a limit on how often you can post. Need to wait 30 seconds between each post.

Originally Posted by hollywooder

God, I've been waiting for this for a while. I think a few mods are in order...let's
see, black text, most obviously...who knows what else I'll come up with =D

Future version releases will have basic options to change text color, size, background and other necessary things. I just wanted to get this released so people can stop asking me about it. ^_^

Can't wait to see what you can make out of it!

Added some mods. Uploaded to here, and on my blog's downloads section

Zehro and Hollywooder thanks for all your efforts!!

looks like an awesome app, just now added to my screen its much better than tjam in my opinion!

Looks cool, I'll try it out later.

Oh, how about localised versions? One thing that always bugged me about Tajm is that it is only English and am/pm, I'd very much love a widget like that that reads e.g. "ZwölfSiebenundZwanzig"

Originally Posted by Cucoo

Looks cool, I'll try it out later.

Oh, how about localised versions? One thing that always bugged me about Tajm is that it is only English and am/pm, I'd very much love a widget like that that reads e.g. "ZwölfSiebenundZwanzig"

I hope to be able to add this soon.

I'm still very new to Android Development, just learning my way around. At the moment, I am working to provide a configuration screen that allows you to change font size, font color and also add a background image (similar launcherpro dock). After this, I think localisation will be my next goal.

Man, I was totally lurk-stocking the Nexus boards waitin for this. Great work man, thank you!