Wetterbild

This is a digital picture frame which includes a weather station (a.k.a. my first Android project). Depending on the weather screen also shows what I have to wear for running.

Please note: This project is for my personal use (Hence, the minimal documentation and lack of refactoring ;) ). You can steal whatever you want, but this is not something I would publish on the app store (e.g., changing the city requires intervention in the code).

Installation

Make sure Vagrant is >= 1.7.x and make sure VirtualBox is >= 5.0.12.

I am using Vagrant for compiling the app. To start the machine go into your project folder and run: vagrant up. All following commands assume that you are inside the Vagrant machine. Hop into it by calling vagrant ssh in your project folder. To shutdown the machine run vagrant halt and bring it up again with vagrant up.

Before doing anything you need Java:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:webupd8team/java
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install oracle-java8-installer
sudo apt-get install oracle-java8-set-default

After the machine was up for the first time. Shut it down again (vargant halt) and go into the VirtualBox settings of the new machine. Add a USB Controller and add a filter for your Kindle Fire device (connect it before).

Then add PATH="/home/vagrant/Android/Sdk/platform-tools:/home/vagrant/Android/Sdk/tools" to your .profile. Also, add the paths to secure_path in /etc/sudoers.

If you want to start the package manager for the SDK, please do the following in the GUI window of the machine:

# use the VirtualBox window of your machine
# login with vagrant : vagrant
startx
# open a terminal
android

Install the following packages:

Android SDK Tools: 24.4.1
Android SDK Platform-tools: 23.1
Android SDK Build-tools: 23.0.2
SDK Platform: 22 (rev. 2)
Android Support Repository: 25

Customize and API keys

Please get a new API key for openweathermap.org. Then copy the file Custom.java.template to Custom.java (in wetterbild/src/main/java/de/motine/wetterbild/). Put the key in and change the city.

You can also change the folder from which to import images in Custom.java.

Compile & start

If you have a Mac and Android File Transfer installed, go into Activity Monitor and kill the Android File Transfer Agent. After restarting the machine, you have to make sure to stop the adb server and then restart it as root every time you reboot!

adb kill-server
sudo adb kill-server
sudo adb start-server
sudo adb devices

Also, make sure your Internet connection works.

Then you can go ahead and build and install:

./gradlew assembleDebug # builds
./gradlew installDebug # builds and installs
./gradlew clean # remove build files

# you can check: adb devices
# install manually: adb -d install -r build/apk/wetterbild-debug-unaligned.apk
# or uninstall manually: adb -d uninstall de.motine.wetterbild

# show device logs
adb logcat # show everything
adb logcat *:W # show only warnings

Other stuff

If you encounter something like insufficient privileges, then please restart the adb server as described above.

rm -rf /home/vagrant/.gradle/caches # If the build takes ages and then fails due to some time out.
# create new project
android create project -g -v 0.10.+ --target android-22 --name wetterbild --path /vagrant/wetterbild --activity MainActivity --package de.motine.wetterbild

Time sheet

The whole thing came down during X-mas 2015.

Design: 3h
Android Setup: 4h
Programming: 2h + 1h + 2h + 1h + 2h + 3h + 1h + 2h + 2h + 1h + 2h + 2h