[App] Readability App

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https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...om.readability

This app would be perfect on the NST: It allows to mark a website on your PC browser for later reading, and the website will get sent to the app automatically.

The great thing about this is that only the text will be sent, every useless content of the website will be stripped. The text then gets displayed in the app using pretty nice typography etc.

Really great, unfortunately it does not work on my NST. Clicking the app icon makes the screen flash, but then nothing happens. On the Google Play site it says it needs 2.1, so it should work, but nope.

I contacted the authors of the program, and actually got a response, but it consisted of one word: "Sorry". No idea whether that means they will fix it...

Any ideas?

Hi, when the app was released I faced this problem too. I managed to fix the crash by hacking it with apktool and now it works. However, the UI is severely broken (mostly text color equals to the background, can't read anything) so the XML files need tweaking. As I didn't like the app much and ended up uninstalling anyway. I can send the apk if someone is willing to try.

I really think the NST is missing a good app for reading webpages later. Since the Readability API (also maybe other similar services) is public, it is feasible to write a new app for this.

Yes there are also Readitlater and Instapaper, but they don't seem to be as good:

They do not have Firefox plugins (only bookmarklets), the Android app is not so nice typography-wise, and also I am not sure whether they are completely free.

On my Android smartphone I really like Readbility.

I found an alternative Readability client for android, ReadIt, but the latest version was somewhat broken, probably because Readability changed its layout recently. Good thing is this app is open source, so I could fix its behavior and now it works properly (it's basic, but quite nice app). I also added NST keys support.

Modified source is here: https://github.com/marspeople/ReadIt

Wow, awesome, thanks!

It does not have background sync so you have to remember to sync your articles before you get out of Wifi range. But the reading module is great.

There seems to be a bug with the Archives section: I can not read all articles in there. Some load correctly, others throw you back to the start screen of the app.

Yeah, there may be some bugs since the developer stopped working on it. I could reproduce this one you mentioned and it is also here: https://github.com/fahimk/ReadIt/issues/3

But is open source, maybe I will try to fix it later.

It would be nice not to have to screw around with the key bindings of every program.
It's better to fix it in the Nook, where the problem actually is.
Moreover, there will be some other programs where we can't easily change the bindings.

Keycode 92 = KEYCODE_PAGE_UP (Android) = "LEFT_NEXTPAGE" (Nook Reader.apk)
Keycode 93 = KEYCODE_PAGE_DOWN (Android) = "LEFT_PREVPAGE" (Nook Reader.apk)

If you just set any of the four hard keys in TWL4030_Keypad.kl that you want to do a page down/next page to
"LEFT_PREVPAGE" everything will work out fine.
Likewise, set any of the four hard keys that you want to do page up/previous page to "LEFT_NEXTPAGE".
You have to then switch the preference in Settings / Reader to the right image.

When you are all done, a Page Down is a Page Down is a Page Down.

Originally Posted by Renate NST

It would be nice not to have to screw around with the key bindings of every program.
It's better to fix it in the Nook, where the problem actually is.
Moreover, there will be some other programs where we can't easily change the bindings.

Keycode 92 = KEYCODE_PAGE_UP (Android) = "LEFT_NEXTPAGE" (Nook Reader.apk)
Keycode 93 = KEYCODE_PAGE_DOWN (Android) = "LEFT_PREVPAGE" (Nook Reader.apk)

If you just set any of the four hard keys in TWL4030_Keypad.kl that you want to do a page down/next page to
"LEFT_PREVPAGE" everything will work out fine.
Likewise, set any of the four hard keys that you want to do page up/previous page to "LEFT_NEXTPAGE".
You have to then switch the preference in Settings / Reader to the right image.

When you are all done, a Page Down is a Page Down is a Page Down.

I don't understand. Are you saying that editing TWL4030_Keypad.kl you can make any app (including Opera) perform page down/up without modification? I see that my TWL4030_Keypad.kl ends with:

key 407 RIGHT_NEXTPAGE WAKE_DROPPED
key 412 LEFT_NEXTPAGE WAKE_DROPPED
key 139 LEFT_PREVPAGE WAKE_DROPPED
key 158 RIGHT_PREVPAGE WAKE_DROPPED

I guess these lines were added by NookTouchTools. But most apps will not respond to these keys (except some framework elements such as ListView), unless you modify the source code. What am I missing here?

In the stock Nook, the four hard keys generate four scan codes.
Using /system/usr/keylayout/TWL4030_Keypad.kl these four scan codes are mapped into four key codes.
In /system/app/Reader.apk these four keycodes are mapped into two operations: next and previous page.

There is no reason at all to use four keycodes.
The standard keycode for KEYCODE_PAGE_UP is 92.
The standard keycode for KEYCODE_PAGE_DOWN is 93.

Assign the hard keys how you want them.
If you want two up buttons and two down, do it that way.
If you want down, up, menu, back, do that.

For apps besides Reader.apk you will be generating normal page up/page down keys.
Reader.apk fortunately does not require modification, simply set the preference as above to get the sense of up/down correct.

I have my Nook set up like this and paging works fine on OI File Manager, AndChat, K-9 Mail.

# Layout file for Nook Touch hardware buttons

key 412  LEFT_NEXTPAGE   # Upper left
key 407  LEFT_PREVPAGE   # Upper right
key 139  BACK            # Lower left
key 158  MENU            # Lower right

This is what I have for Upper left = Page up, Upper right = Page down, Lower left = Back, Lower right = Menu.
(Yes, the names in the file are "backwards" from what you would think.)

Note: Opera is ignorant. It doesn't do anything for page up/page down keys.
This has been noted and complained about bitterly on the internet.

Ok, but just to clarify, since your settings seems to be equivalent to mine (regarding page up/down), I guess your system cannot perform paging by keys in stock ReadIt app because it doesn't implement actions for KEYCODE_PAGE_UP and KEYCODE_PAGE_DOWN (I think several apps don't), right?