Recently, I started working on Android Wear for the first time. It's been fun playing around with the new platform and form factor. And, of course, the official Android docs that I read could be condensed further for absolute newcomers. So, in the typical fashion, I've created myself a cheat sheet that I would use next time I would want to learn the easiest way for how to best create Wearable apps.
I've open sourced all my code so far on GitHub. It includes how to first set up the virtual Wear device, connect to the handheld device, and how to have the app send and open a notification on the wearable.
https://github.com/danialgoodwin/android-wear
~ Danial Goodwin ~
Showing posts with label first. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first. Show all posts
2014-08-13
2014-02-25
Level Up - Webmaster: How To Get Started With MediaWiki
Want to create your own wiki pages like Wikipedia? You can organize all your thoughts, add notes for your new book you want to write, and more. The wiki can be either public, private, or half and half. You decide.
Going through this process will allow you to edit any and all features that are provided with MediaWiki, the wiki engine for Wikipedia and many other wiki sites.
Step 1. Download MediaWiki, it might be as a .tar.gz file, which in that use 7-Zip to unzip the compressed file, you may have to use 7-Zip twice to fully open it and see the source files.
Step 2. Copy all the files to a directly on your domain.com/mediawiki/w/ directory. One of the easiest ways is using FileZilla, navigating to the public directory using the GUI, then click+drag all the files into the directory. Note: The reason I said that particular directory is because it will allow you to do a lot more later on, like setup the domain.com/wiki site to serve the pages in your wiki. As you wait for all your files to upload to your server,
Step 3. Create a new database and user for that database. This is the method that the MediaWiki instance will be using to save and retrieve all the information for your wiki.
Step 4. Wait until all the files have finished uploading to your domain.com/mediawiki/w/ directory, then navigate to that page in a browser. It'll say LocalSettings.php file not found, so this is where you will use a wizard to setup all the properties of your site, like public/private and more. Each of these properties can always be changed later. I recommend reading through all of them to understand better what is available to you.
Step 5. After going through the entire wiki, the wizard will prompt you to download the LocalSettings.php file which you can then add to the same folder that you previously installed all the files in.
Step 6. In a browser, navigate to your domain.com/mediawiki/w/ and see that you have your main default page show. Congrats, you now have an instance of MediaWiki running on your own server.
If you run into any problems during this process, you can click on the little question marks in the wizard to pop up more information of a section or input area. Another great source of information is on the official install page.
~ Danial Goodwin ~
Going through this process will allow you to edit any and all features that are provided with MediaWiki, the wiki engine for Wikipedia and many other wiki sites.
Step 1. Download MediaWiki, it might be as a .tar.gz file, which in that use 7-Zip to unzip the compressed file, you may have to use 7-Zip twice to fully open it and see the source files.
Step 2. Copy all the files to a directly on your domain.com/mediawiki/w/ directory. One of the easiest ways is using FileZilla, navigating to the public directory using the GUI, then click+drag all the files into the directory. Note: The reason I said that particular directory is because it will allow you to do a lot more later on, like setup the domain.com/wiki site to serve the pages in your wiki. As you wait for all your files to upload to your server,
Step 3. Create a new database and user for that database. This is the method that the MediaWiki instance will be using to save and retrieve all the information for your wiki.
Step 4. Wait until all the files have finished uploading to your domain.com/mediawiki/w/ directory, then navigate to that page in a browser. It'll say LocalSettings.php file not found, so this is where you will use a wizard to setup all the properties of your site, like public/private and more. Each of these properties can always be changed later. I recommend reading through all of them to understand better what is available to you.
Step 5. After going through the entire wiki, the wizard will prompt you to download the LocalSettings.php file which you can then add to the same folder that you previously installed all the files in.
Step 6. In a browser, navigate to your domain.com/mediawiki/w/ and see that you have your main default page show. Congrats, you now have an instance of MediaWiki running on your own server.
If you run into any problems during this process, you can click on the little question marks in the wizard to pop up more information of a section or input area. Another great source of information is on the official install page.
~ Danial Goodwin ~
2014-02-17
Level Up - Programmer: How To Quickly Setup And Use Git And GitHub
A long time ago, the first time I started trying to learn Git and GitHub, I thought it was an unnecessarily complex process. All I wanted was simple version control and easy collaboration. So, instead of learning Git, I just made everything really modular. For one of my teams, we even just worked in completely different files, and it worked out okay.
But, now, I want to explain the absolute basics on how to start, in order to drastically reduce the learning curve. You can always find more detailed information later. And, you can get started right now!
Assumptions:
- You already know what Git is.
- You are running Windows OS.
- You already have folder/file(s) in mind for added a version control system to or want to do easy collaboration on code projects.
- You want to get started with GitHub.
- You are okay with basic instructions meant for the easiest use of Git/GitHub.
Git
Step 1: Download Git.
- Make sure you have "Git Bash" to be installed also, and you can add it to your [right-click] contextual menu also during the install process. (And/or you can add Git to your Path.)
Step 2: Configure Git.
- Open Git Bash (either right-click in file explorer or find it through search)
- Type the following two lines into the console, and change the red parts to your own information:
Step 3: Setup project to work with Git.
- Navigate (using cd) the console to the directory where you want to enable Git.
- Run the following lines to setup the folder to work with Git and "save" all the files in the directory.
And, now you have version control. Just do those last two lines again whenever you want to save a new version. Change the red part to something descriptive of the change.
GitHub
Step 4: Create a GitHub account.
- If this is your first time using GitHub, you will need to create an SSH key. After entering the following, hit enter again to save to default location (your user folder/.ssh).
- Check for success by running:
Step 5: Create a new repository (sometimes called a "repo")
- Click the big green button somewhere on GitHub that says "New repository"
- Name the repo and create it.
- On the page you are navigated to, find/copy the "SSH clone URL". This will be used in the next step and looks something like, "git@github.com:danialgoodwin/MyFirstRepoNameHere.git"
Step 6: Pull From GitHub, then Push To GitHub.
- Setup the location that you will push to and pull from. The part in red should be substituted with your info from step 5. (The following should all be on one line.)
For more great information and details, please visit:
- Easy Version Control with Git
- Official GitHub site, there should be large buttons wanting to help you further.
~ Danial Goodwin ~
But, now, I want to explain the absolute basics on how to start, in order to drastically reduce the learning curve. You can always find more detailed information later. And, you can get started right now!
Assumptions:
- You already know what Git is.
- You are running Windows OS.
- You already have folder/file(s) in mind for added a version control system to or want to do easy collaboration on code projects.
- You want to get started with GitHub.
- You are okay with basic instructions meant for the easiest use of Git/GitHub.
Git
Step 1: Download Git.
- Make sure you have "Git Bash" to be installed also, and you can add it to your [right-click] contextual menu also during the install process. (And/or you can add Git to your Path.)
Step 2: Configure Git.
- Open Git Bash (either right-click in file explorer or find it through search)
- Type the following two lines into the console, and change the red parts to your own information:
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
Step 3: Setup project to work with Git.
- Navigate (using cd) the console to the directory where you want to enable Git.
- Run the following lines to setup the folder to work with Git and "save" all the files in the directory.
git initgit add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
And, now you have version control. Just do those last two lines again whenever you want to save a new version. Change the red part to something descriptive of the change.
GitHub
Step 4: Create a GitHub account.
- If this is your first time using GitHub, you will need to create an SSH key. After entering the following, hit enter again to save to default location (your user folder/.ssh).
ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "your@email.com"- The console tells you where the public key has been saved. Open that file in Notepad++ and save the contents to GitHub.com->Profile->Edit Profile->SSH Keys->Add SSH Key. (Each arrow -> is basically another click.)
- Check for success by running:
ssh git@github.com
Step 5: Create a new repository (sometimes called a "repo")
- Click the big green button somewhere on GitHub that says "New repository"
- Name the repo and create it.
- On the page you are navigated to, find/copy the "SSH clone URL". This will be used in the next step and looks something like, "git@github.com:danialgoodwin/MyFirstRepoNameHere.git"
Step 6: Pull From GitHub, then Push To GitHub.
- Setup the location that you will push to and pull from. The part in red should be substituted with your info from step 5. (The following should all be on one line.)
git remote add origin git@github.com:andrew8088/Shazam.git- You always want to "pull" from GitHub before you begin your work because others may have updated the code:
git pull origin master- Now, you can finally update your code to GitHub!
git push origin master
For more great information and details, please visit:
- Easy Version Control with Git
- Official GitHub site, there should be large buttons wanting to help you further.
~ Danial Goodwin ~
2014-02-09
Level Up - Webmaster: Setting Up Your First Laravel Website Or App
(For webmasters, a continuation on my last post Level Up - Webmaster: Installing Laravel and Composer on Bluehost.)
This walkthrough contains all the instructions I would have needed on one page, rather than looking through twenty different pages. This is a blunt how-to for connecting to a database with Laravel and displaying information. At the end are links for more specific and advanced info.
The following has explicit instructions and commands for a shared hosting provider like Bluehost, but the instructions should be the roughly the same for other providers and setups. I suggest to follow the steps explicitly the first time through, then run through it a second time with your specific project's names.
0. This simple "tutorial" assumes that you already know a little bit about Laravel and have possibly read my first install and setup walkthrough.
Setup the database:
1. Create a database on your server with a user and password.
2. From your root project folder, edit app/config/database.php to match your new database credentials.
3. In your root project directory, run php-cli artisan migrate:make create_users_table
8. Create two new views in app/views. Call the first one layout.blade.php and add this code:
@yield('content')
Create the second view, called users.blade.php:
@extends('layout')
@section('content')
@foreach($users as $user)
{{ $user->name }}
@endforeach
@stop
9. Go to your doman.com/users and you should have all the user names from the database displayed on the page.
This walkthrough contains all the instructions I would have needed on one page, rather than looking through twenty different pages. This is a blunt how-to for connecting to a database with Laravel and displaying information. At the end are links for more specific and advanced info.
The following has explicit instructions and commands for a shared hosting provider like Bluehost, but the instructions should be the roughly the same for other providers and setups. I suggest to follow the steps explicitly the first time through, then run through it a second time with your specific project's names.
0. This simple "tutorial" assumes that you already know a little bit about Laravel and have possibly read my first install and setup walkthrough.
Setup the database:
1. Create a database on your server with a user and password.
2. From your root project folder, edit app/config/database.php to match your new database credentials.
3. In your root project directory, run php-cli artisan migrate:make create_users_table
4. You should now have the file that looks something like: app/database/migrations/2014_02_09_195357_create_users_table.php. Edit the up() and down() function to look like:
public function up()
{
Schema::create('users', function($table)
{
$table->increments('id');
$table->string('email')->unique();
$table->string('name');
$table->timestamps();
});
}
public function down()
{
Schema::drop('users');
}
5. Now, back in the project root dir, run: php-cli artisan migrate
6. At this time, your tables in the database will be automatically created. Add some data manually so that we can test that retrieving data works.
Create a view:
7. Create a route (subdirectory pointer) in app/routes.php by adding the following code:
Route::get('users', function()
{
$users = User::all();
return View::make('users')->with('users', $users);
});
Laravel Quickstart
@yield('content')
Create the second view, called users.blade.php:
@extends('layout')
@section('content')
@foreach($users as $user)
{{ $user->name }}
@endforeach
@stop
9. Go to your doman.com/users and you should have all the user names from the database displayed on the page.
Note:
- If the php-cli command doesn't work for you, then try just php
More info:
More info:
2013-05-20
First Impressions Using MoSync and Appcelerator's Titanium Cross-Platform Mobile Development Tools
Last week, I did some background research into which was the best cross-platform mobile development tools. I looked over many different SDKs and have all my notes in my other blog post: http://blog.simplyadvanced.net/cross-platform-mobile-development-tools/
Today, I spent time installing both MoSync and Titanium. Then, I tried to create a basic "Hello, World!" program with them. These results have a clear winner.
Background:
I am running the free version of both programs on Windows 7 (64-bit). I only tested developing Android applications at this juncture. iOS development requires a Mac for both of them (also according to Apple licences: "can only compile and publish from an Apple device").
MoSync:
Within five minutes of installing their MoSync SDK and Eclipse-based IDE, I had a sample app running on my Android (4.0) device and felt very confident it would also easily run on other platforms. There were no problems, I was pleasantly surprised. Tip: I used http://www.mosync.com/documentation/manualpages/getting-started-html5-and-javascript
Appcelerator's Titanium:
First, the installation process took about 4 times longer and took many more steps than I thought necessary. The Android emulator didn't want to run because Titanium installed itself in a sub-directory of "Titanium Studio" and couldn't access the directory itself because there was a space in its name. So, I tried to run the sample application on my same Android device and after 30 minutes of "pre-compiling" it seemed that Titanium crashed (infinite loop). Titanium's getting started guide: http://docs.appcelerator.com/titanium/latest/#!/guide/Quick_Start
Conclusion:
MoSync's first impression is fantastic for developers. Users are able to see results very quickly.
Keep in mind, this was only a test in first impressions so far. Very important, but nevertheless, I will still be experimenting with both MoSync and Titanium as the summer goes on and be posting about my experiences.
Source
~ Simply Advanced ~
Today, I spent time installing both MoSync and Titanium. Then, I tried to create a basic "Hello, World!" program with them. These results have a clear winner.
Background:
I am running the free version of both programs on Windows 7 (64-bit). I only tested developing Android applications at this juncture. iOS development requires a Mac for both of them (also according to Apple licences: "can only compile and publish from an Apple device").
MoSync:
Within five minutes of installing their MoSync SDK and Eclipse-based IDE, I had a sample app running on my Android (4.0) device and felt very confident it would also easily run on other platforms. There were no problems, I was pleasantly surprised. Tip: I used http://www.mosync.com/documentation/manualpages/getting-started-html5-and-javascript
Appcelerator's Titanium:
First, the installation process took about 4 times longer and took many more steps than I thought necessary. The Android emulator didn't want to run because Titanium installed itself in a sub-directory of "Titanium Studio" and couldn't access the directory itself because there was a space in its name. So, I tried to run the sample application on my same Android device and after 30 minutes of "pre-compiling" it seemed that Titanium crashed (infinite loop). Titanium's getting started guide: http://docs.appcelerator.com/titanium/latest/#!/guide/Quick_Start
Conclusion:
MoSync's first impression is fantastic for developers. Users are able to see results very quickly.
Keep in mind, this was only a test in first impressions so far. Very important, but nevertheless, I will still be experimenting with both MoSync and Titanium as the summer goes on and be posting about my experiences.
Source
~ Simply Advanced ~
2013-02-25
Inertia Dampeners
Re: Designing inetia dampeners.
First version would just be changing forward velocity to rotational energy. Or somehow, by moving forward, we could store a negative rotational energy. When stopping, apply a positive rotational energy and overall, not feel the effects of slowing down.
Most people who have heard of inertia dampeners may think of space ships in tv shows and movies. But, I want to apply inertia dampeners to vehicles here on Earth. For example, a car crash would be significantly less fatal if the effects of gravity and Newton's Laws of Motion weren't in play.
(I like to believe that technology and knowledge will eventually allow for great [current-]physics-law breaking.)
~ Simply Advanced ~
First version would just be changing forward velocity to rotational energy. Or somehow, by moving forward, we could store a negative rotational energy. When stopping, apply a positive rotational energy and overall, not feel the effects of slowing down.
Most people who have heard of inertia dampeners may think of space ships in tv shows and movies. But, I want to apply inertia dampeners to vehicles here on Earth. For example, a car crash would be significantly less fatal if the effects of gravity and Newton's Laws of Motion weren't in play.
(I like to believe that technology and knowledge will eventually allow for great [current-]physics-law breaking.)
~ Simply Advanced ~
2008-11-11
First Impressions
To get things started for me, I'm just going to post a few things about me.
The reason I have started this blog is to gain some personal insight to blogging and blogging sites and hopefully I can give some blogs that readers will appreciate. I have never done a blog or wrote a diary before. And a great thing about this is that I can keep my notes available anywhere/anytime. It is possible in the far future that I am grateful for making this blog. I don't know why though..
Another thing that I am currently learning and working on is learning web coding. I took a web design class in high school and I'm trying to remember everything now and using my school servers to host my experimental web pages. If you can give my any tips on coding or programming, then I'd greatly appreciate it. Mysite: http://djgoodwi.myweb.usf.edu/
Quick Favorites List:
Anonsage
The reason I have started this blog is to gain some personal insight to blogging and blogging sites and hopefully I can give some blogs that readers will appreciate. I have never done a blog or wrote a diary before. And a great thing about this is that I can keep my notes available anywhere/anytime. It is possible in the far future that I am grateful for making this blog. I don't know why though..
Another thing that I am currently learning and working on is learning web coding. I took a web design class in high school and I'm trying to remember everything now and using my school servers to host my experimental web pages. If you can give my any tips on coding or programming, then I'd greatly appreciate it. Mysite: http://djgoodwi.myweb.usf.edu/
Quick Favorites List:
Games – DDR, Guitar Hero, Super Mario Brothers
Artists – The Beatles, Weird Al Yankovic (lyrics/stoners)
Number – Twenty-Three (Born 23Nov88)
Music Group – Blue Men Group (Great instruments and sounds)
Color – Black is no color, so, blue
Food – Meat-Lovers Pizza (I don't care for sushi, fish, or vegetables)
Animal – White Tiger
TV Shows – The Simpsons, House M.D., and all Japanese Game Shows
Subject – Math
Sport – Soccer. Then Racquetball, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, et cetera...
Anonsage
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)