v0.8.2 Release Candidate Posted

A new build of HousePad, v0.8.2, has been posted as a release candidate to the "Release Candidate Channel" for those so inclined to check out the latest-and-greatest. A bunch has changed since the last formal release -- much more than I can detail here. However, some of the major highlights:

• Native control pages are now very usable -- refreshing images and device updates are snappier and should work all the time, fixed a bunch of potential crash points, text rendering is much improved, image caching is working snappier and much more. There are a few minor display issues but those seem to be the fringe cases. Please post with any issues you find and I'll walk you through sending me the underlying display information to diagnose/fix.
• Web control pages will benefit from native device popups (e.g. sliders on dimmers, on/off, etc.)
• The Indigo Server selection has been drastically improved in the settings; HousePad can now automatically detect Indigo Servers on the network and configure all settings for you (similar to Indigo Touch)
• If you use the above method to select your Indigo Server, HousePad is now able to automatically switch from Home to Away servers (utilizing local IP address for when at home on the local network and an external IP or Prism Reflector when away)
• Geofences will now re-enable themselves on device boot (note this requires a new permission of Launch on Device Start; HousePad does not actually start to the foreground but does run code to re-enable Geofences that were previously enabled before the reboot)
• TiVo and Roku controls are better supported in the native device popup control, including keyboard support

Release Candidate Download

I hope that some of the beta testers will upgrade to this version and leave any feedback before I launch to everyone via the standard download.

Adam

Thank you!
This app keeps getter better with every time!
Greatly appreciated.

Glad you are liking it! Let me know how it goes -- I have been running this version for a bit and attempted to test it out, but I only have one configuration to test so it makes it hard to attempt to cover all the bases...

Adam

Posted a small update (same link as first post) to v0.8.3 -- identified an issue with a beta tester that could cause a random crash when the device shut down the Network Discovery (Bonjour) service without proper notice. This is likely due to a low memory or battery condition or an app killer, so doesn't affect many people. However, I advise updating to this just-in-case to prevent it from happening.

Also enabled the ability to leave a notification in the notification shade for quick access to your home automation system. I got tired of going through the screens/app drawer.

Adam

Hello Adam,
Another useful update!
Thank you for sharing

I updated the release.. v0.8.4 which adds support for managing Indigo Plugins on the server (Enable/Disable/Restart). This is not 100% vetted, but in normal cases thus far it is working fine.

Adam

Adam is seriously taking this app to the next level every time!
LOL
Thanks!

I'm using the current version downloaded a few days ago. I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.4.2. The HousePad app crashes frequently, and seems to get in a mode where it is sending one of the two Actions at random, sometimes at 10-15 minute intervals. I deleted the app, then re-installed it. Not enough time has elapsed to see if it still sends actions at random.

I can't find the version info on any of the Settings or Help screens. Is this info available in the app?

Thanks.

Mike

From the main screen, swipe right. The version number is at the top of that menu.

You can also find the app version here:
System/Apps/

From the main screen, swipe right. The version number is at the top of that menu.

You're right! I've seen that screen before, I found it by accident early on but forgot about it.

No spurious Actions since the re-install, but I'm still getting numerous "HousePad has stopped" messages.

Great. Good luck with your troubleshooting!

No spurious Actions since the re-install, but I'm still getting numerous "HousePad has stopped" messages.

What version are you on? If it is on v0.8.5 then you are likely running into the network discovery that plagued that version -- basically on some phones (and tablets) the OS is more aggressively shutting down services and closes the service while it is waiting for the network -- then the Android system itself throws an error which traverses through the application. A LOT of people on the web have complained to Google about this, with no real resolution, so I changed up how it awaits the response. I believe that should be fixed in v0.8.6, however, so you may be seeing something else if you are on that version.

Let me know the version and we can go from there. Also, under settings at the bottom please put some identifier in the debug section so that I can identify any error reports. Forum username or something would be fine.

Thanks and sorry for the troubles!
Adam

Yes, I'm on v0.8.5. I have entered my username in the Settings.

Mike

I'd update to v0.8.6 (available here) as a first start... this does away with by far the most common cause of the crash -- I've only detected one of these crashes on v0.8.6. I am working to restructure the Bonjour discovery to work around this for the next release; but that is likely a couple of weeks away.

Adam