Gestures implementation in Animated Widget 2.1

New version Animated Widget 2.1 is just released. Key feature of new version is support of gestures. The purpose of this article is to explain detailes of implementation and show ways to use this feature most efficiently.

Specialized shortcuts in Animated Widget 2.X: direct support of SMS through Whatsapp, Viber, Hangouts, etc.

Animated Widgets provides Single Contact widget, that allowes to create shortcuts for common contact actions: phone call, sms, email, Viber call, Skype call, sending message through IM or Facebook messager, opening contact address on map and so on.

By default, each action is handled by default application. If default application is not specified, system will show chooser dialog for selecting required application. For example, if you tap on SMS shortcut you could see chooser dialog like below:

If you use several sms-applications you are forced to select required application each time. It's inconvenient. Animated Widget 1.X suggests workaround for the problem:

• single tap on SMS-shortcut opens default SMS-application,
• long tap opens chooser dialog with full list of SMS-applications,

see Long, Short and Double Tap in Animated Widget for detailes. So, if you used both standard SMS application and Whatsapp, you were able to set standard SMS application as default application and start it by single tap, and, at the same time, open Whatsapp through long tap.

Animated Widget 2.0 provides new feature: specialized shortcuts. Now it's possible to select specified application for any contact shortcut. You are able to add several SMS-shortcuts to Single Contact: one shortcut for default SMS application, another one for Whatsapp, one more for Viber and so on.

Privacy Policy for Animated Widget for Android

This Application collects some Personal Data from its Users.

Policy summary

Personal Data collected for the following purposes and using the following services:

• Access to third party services' accounts
• Access to the Facebook account

Permissions: Access Friend Lists, Analytics, Apsalar.

Personal Data: Cookie and Usage Data

Group actions in Animated Widget

Animated Widget Group Contact supports possibility to send email/SMS to several contacts. You can't arbitrary set of contacts - you are able to select from contacts, registered in Group Contact only. For example:

Custom skins and custom iconsets in Animated Widgets

Animated Widget 1.6 includes 7 skins and 3 iconsets. But it allows to use custom skins and iconsets.

Skins

To add custom skin it's necessary to place skin files to directory: //mnt/sdcard/Android/com.mobilityflow.awidget/icons/NEW_SKIN_NAME where NEW_SKIN_NAME is a name of new skin. Skin should include all or some of files:

• button.png
• button_contact_mask.png
• button_pressed.png
• link.png
• link_contact_mask.png
• link_pressed.png
• link_overlay.png

There are two kind of images - "Button" and "Link". "Button" is used for drawing background of shortcuts. "Link" is used for drawing background of widget.

"xxx.png" contains image for unpressed button/link, "xxx_pressed" - for pressed button/link. Images "xxx_contact_mask" are used for cropping external images, that are drawn over buttons/links. Image "link_overlay" is drawn over ready link-picture (=background + external image) at final step.

Iconsets

To add custom iconset it's necessary to place iconset files to directory //mnt/sdcard/Android/com.mobilityflow.awidget/icons/NEW_ICONSET_NAME where ICON_SET_NAME is name of new iconset. Iconset should include all or some of files:

• call.png
• call_2.png
• call_assistant.png
• call_assistant_2.png
• call_fax.png
• call_gtalk.png
• call_home.png
• call_home_2.png
• call_home_fax.png
• call_mobile.png
• call_mobile_2.png
• call_pager.png
• call_pager_2.png
• call_viber.png
• call_video.png
• call_video_2.png
• call_work.png
• call_work_2.png
• call_work_fax.png
• contact.png
• email.png
• gtalk.png
• internet.png
• more.png
• skype.png
• skype_call.png
• sms.png

Sample files

Download sample skin and iconset.

How to reorder items in Animated Widget

There are two ways to reorder items in Animated Widget 1.6:

• Automatic sort by alphabet
• Manual sort

To make automatic sort use button "Sort" at the bottom of the items list. Use drag and drop to sort list of items manually. You should tap on item icon to start drag and drop.

Overlays in group contact

Animated Widget allows you to create Group Contact Widget. Tap on Group Contact Widget opens list of pre-selected contacts. Tap on any contact launches default contact action, i.e. phone call. Default action is marked by so-called "overlay" icon - small icon of action at the right top corner of shortcut.

There are a couple of parameters in Applications Settings associated with overlays: "Enable overlays in group contacts" and "Hide overlays on shaking". Fist one enables/disables showing overlays over shortcuts. Last one enables possibility to hide overlays for short time (~2 seconds) by shaking device.

Animated Widget 1.6 introduces new possibilities to customize overlays appearance: it's possible to select skin for overlay background, iconset for overlay icon and overlay position. It's possible to hide overlay background at all by selecting "none" skin. There are some examples of possible overlays appearance below.

Please note, that Animated Widget 1.6 allows you to change widget parameters and immediately preview widget appearance without saving and closing Widget Properties.

Long, Short and Double Tap in Animated Widget

Animated Widget is animated fast dial widget for Android. This application allows you to accelerate such tasks as dialing frequent contacts, sending SMS, e-mailing, making Viber calls, launching favorite applications, bookmarks, opening Facebook pages, etc.

Animated Widget uses three kinds of tap: short, long and double. Short tap is most common and mostly used. Double and long taps are less intuitive, most users don't know about their possibilities at all. Nevertheless, double and long taps can be very useful in some cases. I will try to describe these cases below.