[APP][Nov-13-2013] Capacitive Buttons v1.0.13

NOTE: Please use the DevDB thread for all devices instead of this device-specific thread: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2496347


This small application allows you to change the brightness of the capacitive buttons (back, home, and recent tasks) on many HTC devices and a few non-HTC devices, including the HTC One X (both dual-core and quad-core models), the HTC One X+, and the HTC One. Users have also reported success on other devices, including HTC One V, HTC One S, HTC Desire HD, and Evo 3g. Root is required in order for this application to work. This application works on any ROM, including CleanROM, ViperXL, Cyanogenmod, AOKP, and MIUI.

App review by Portal Administrator / Editor-in-Chief for XDA-Developers Will Verduzco: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/easily-dim-the-capacitive-buttons-on-many-htc-devices

Features

• Intuitive UI to set the brightness of the capacitive buttons to bright, dim, or off
• Home screen widget to cycle between brightness levels

Latest Versions
Latest Pro Version: 1.0.13
Latest Free Version: 1.0.13

Download
Google Play (Pro version): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.sleepydragon.capbutnbrightness.pro
Google Play (Free version): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.sleepydragon.capbutnbrightness
APK (v1.0.13): http://dl.bintray.com/sleepydragon/CapacitiveButtons/CapButnBrightness-1.0.13.apk
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Zj-z02CR8

Differences in the Pro Version
The Pro version receives new features and bug fixes 2-4 weeks earlier than the free version. That's it! Oh, and also the free version has a link at the bottom of the main UI to upgrade to pro. The main motivation to pay for the pro version is to get official app updates easily and automatically via the Google Play Store. If you're happy with waiting for updates or using beta versions then you can live a full and happy life with the free version.

Officially Supported Devices

• HTC One X (evita and endeavoru)
• HTC One (m7)
• HTC One X+ (evitareul)
• HTC One S
• HTC Sensation

Unofficially Supported Devices

• HTC One V
• HTC Desire HD
• HTC Evo 3D
• HTC Droid MAXX
• HTC Droid DNA
• HTC Butterfly S
• LG Optimus G

Officially Unsupported Devices (devices that are known not to work)

• Samsung Galaxy S2
• Samsung Galaxy S3

Frequently Asked Questions

• Which brightness setting is "stock"? It depends. On Sense based ROMs (eg. CleanROM, ViperXL) "Bright" seems to be the default. On AOSP-based ROMs (eg. CM10, AOKP) "Dim" seems to be the default. It all depends on how/if the ROM maintainer tweaked the default setting. The "default default" (ie. if you RUU to stock) setting is "bright". In v1.0.4, a "Default" button was added to allow reverting to stock brightness.
• How do I get back to the default setting? The most reliable way is to click the "Default" button on the main screen of the application then simply reboot. Or, you can just set the brightness setting that is the default.
• What happens if I uninstall the app? Nothing. Well, it doesn't change the brightness setting if that's what you're wondering. After a reboot, though, the brightness setting will revert back to the ROM's default setting.

Known Issues

• "Dim" does not work on all ROMs and kernels
• "Off" does not stick when "GV Integation" app installed

Source
This application is released under the GPL3 open-source license. Source code is published at https://code.google.com/p/hox-cap-butn-brightness

Reporting Bugs
Use the "Bug Reports" feature of this DevDB project or add a post to this thread. Please include the contents of the application's "Debug Information" page (available from the "Settings" screen) when reporting bugs, as it contains invaluable information for developers to use when investigating issues. There is a "Copy" button in the top-right corner of the screen for easy cut & paste.

Credits
Turge - for providing a MOD to perform the same task (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1694375)
gridlock489 - for providing higher-resolution images for the buttons in the main UI
slimdizzy - for testing on the HTC One X+ and letting me borrow his device to try things out
TToivanen - for testing on the International HTC One X (endeavoru)
lesscro - for providing the title banner that you see at the top of this post
skdubg - for testing on the HTC One X+, especially the new "dim" support

Change Log (brief - see full change log in the next post)

• 1.0.13 (Nov 14, 2013) Fixed buttons turning off issue, skip dim in widget if not supported, HTC Sensation support added
• 1.0.12 (Oct 24, 2013) Fixed "default" button error: "Changing permissions of file failed"
• 1.0.11 (Oct 23, 2013) Fixed long-standing issues with UI lags and superuser permissions usage, animation added to home screen widget
• 1.0.10 (Sept 10, 2013) Home screen widget added, HTC One brightness levels fixed
• 1.0.9 (Sept 03, 2013) HTC One support added, support for devices without the "currents" file added
• 1.0.8 (Jan 02, 2013) dim support for all devices, new home screen icon, debug information and credits screen added, fixed about screen scrolling
• 1.0.7 (Dec 10, 2012) fixes bug where brightness setting does not persist when turning screen off then back on; only affects endeavoru and evitareul
• 1.0.6 (Dec 06, 2012) added support for HTC One X+ and International HTC One X (endeavoru); added detected device name at bottom of "About" screen
• 1.0.5 (Nov 25, 2012) fixed pixelated button images in main UI (thanks to gridlock489 for providing higher-resolution images)
• 1.0.4 (Nov 03, 2012) visual indication when buttons pressed, better error message if not rooted, "Default" button added, some words translated
• 1.0.3 (Oct 11, 2012) Brightness setting now sticks across reboots
• 1.0.2 (Oct 03, 2012) Change theme to Holo (dark), replace button text off/dim/bright with pretty icons
• 1.0.1 (Oct 02, 2012) Added to Google Play, new application icon, added "About" screen
• 1.0.0 (Sept 29, 2012) Initial release

Old APKs:

• https://bintray.com/sleepydragon/CapacitiveButtons/APKs
• http://dl.bintray.com/sleepydragon/CapacitiveButtons (direct links)

Feel free to bake the free version of this app into custom ROMs or publish it in other places. No need to ask permission from me. However, I am quite interested personally in different places that this app is used. So if you do include it in a ROM or whatever feel free to post a note to this thread to let me know! The app is licensed under the GPL, which means you can even take it apart and include it in your own stuff... I just ask that you honor the spirit of the GPL (unlike HTC's 120-day policy... grrr!)

Threads for this app for other devices (obsolete - please use this thread instead):

• HTC One X (North American "evita" variant) (original version)
• HTC One X (International "endeavoru" variant)
• HTC One X+
• HTC One
• HTC One S
• HTC Sensation
• HTC Sensation XL

ptesmoke said:

If we can do this much what is stopping us from making a bln type mod? Since our notification led sucks so bad, let's make the cap lights flash!

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I'm just a novice Android developer so I'm afraid I can't help too much with this. In theory, it is quite easy to "flash" the capacitive buttons. Maybe you could try using an application like Tasker to flash the LEDs in response to a message being received? You would need to write a plugin or something to Tasker, but that would certainly be possible. You could also post in the forum of your ROM of choice requesting this feature, and pointing them to this thread as proof that it is possible, and not too difficult. If you REALLY want the feature, you may even be able to offer a bounty for someone to implement it for you? Nothing speaks quite as loudly as your wallet.

Tasker on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm&hl=en

rohan32 said:

Nice App! Works well on AOKP.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thanks for confirming, rohan. I've added a note to the OP that this app works on any ROM... the way that it sets the brightness is ROM-independent.

If anyone with a hint of artistic talent (unlike me!) is interested, I've love to have a decent icon for this application. The one I'm using right now is just a black circle with a white "home" icon in the middle, with a white glow around the outer circle (see attached image). Lame if you ask me I'm open to just about anything, and will certainly give credit! Thanks!

Chrysis said:

Just installed 1.01 for use with AOKP and the on-screen navbar. Looks good! Wish it did stick at boot, but hasn't been a big deal at all. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thanks for the feedback, Chrysis! It shouldn't be too hard to add the feature where it sets the brightness on startup, so I'll add that to my todo list.

jkel777 said:

is the default brightness the full-bright option for whatever ROM you're running? To phrase it a little better, what's the default brightness before installing the app: the half-bright or full-bright option? And does uninstalling the app revert everything back to normal?

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thanks for the feedback! Good questions too. I've added the answers to the FAQ section of the OP. Does it answer your questions:

Frequently Asked Questions

• Which brightness setting is "stock"? It depends. On Sense based ROMs (eg. CleanROM, ViperXL) "Bright" seems to be the default. On AOSP-based ROMs (eg. CM10, AOKP) "Dim" seems to be the default. It all depends on how/if the ROM maintainer tweaked the default setting. The "default default" (ie. if you RUU to stock) setting is "bright".
• How do I get back to the default setting? The most reliable way is to simply reboot. Or, you can just set the brightness setting that is the default.
• What happens if I uninstall the app? Nothing. Well, it doesn't change the brightness setting if that's what you're wondering. After a reboot, though, the brightness setting will revert back to the ROM's default setting.

jkel777 said:

I updated to the latest version a couple days ago, and it's been working great! But as of yesterday, the settings don't stick after boot, even though the option is checked under the settings. Any way I can fix this? If it helps, my phone rebooted on me once, and then I had to hard reset it shortly after because it froze up on me. I'm on the 10-12 nightly. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thanks for reporting this. Can you answer a few questions for me?
1. Which ROM are you running? (it's possible that your ROM overrides the capacitive button brightness setting)
2. Which brightness levels (off, dim, or bright) have you noticed are not sticking?
3. Can you reboot and capture a logcat log after the device boots back up? With this log output I can see if it even tried to set the brightness.

If you are unsure how to capture the logcat log, try this:
1. Install "Android Terminal Emulator" from the Google Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jackpal.androidterm
2. Start "Terminal Emulator" on the device
3. Type "su" into the Terminal Emulator app and press ENTER
4. Type "logcat -d >/sdcard/logcat.txt" into the Terminal Emulator app and press ENTER

This will create a file named "logcat.txt" on your SDCard. Attach that log here. If you want, you can scrub logcat.txt to remove your email address and any other personal info that might be in there.

jkel777 said:

No problem! I'm running the 10-12 CM10 nightly right now. It was sticking after boot previously. I've been setting the capacitive buttons to off, and that seems to not be sticking recently (however, I've only noticed this once, so it may have just been a fluke). I know I sound really stupid, but I'm not too comfortable with doing a logcat lol... thanks for the steps though, it does seem quite easy. I'm just being really paranoid with my device right now because I can't afford another one if something happens. I'll try shutting down with the checkbox unticked, then shut down again with the checkbox ticked and see if that makes a difference. Thanks for the reply!

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Okay, fair enough. When you say "It was sticking after boot previously" are you saying that it worked with a previous version of the app (v1.0.2 or older) or earlier in time with the latest version of the app (v1.0.3)? If you muster up the courage to take a logcat, I'll take a look and see if I can help. Otherwise, I'm afraid there's not much I can do since it works for me.