yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Hi guys,

Thanks a lot for your kind words. I did put a lot of my spare time into this, and seeing it lagging in the area of 50-100 downloads is indeed demotivational. ;)

Yes, Tube Chaser had by far the cleanest UI. I went for the ICS+background images layout which I personally like a lot (and it required quite a lot of effort to make it 'work'). What I do lack are some nice icons for the main screen, which I guess is what turns a lot of people off on the first look. As I am not a designer (I more or less suck at photoshop), I didn't want to use some 'not quite right' icons. So I went with labeled buttons. If any of you has a suggestion for a good (+free) ICS icon pack let me know.

What I want to implement for the next version is a quick picker for stations that relies on autocomplete/location and use it thoughout the app. The current version requires quite a lot of scrolling.

As for the "take me to a specific screen", it's indeed nice. However, I think this workflow (quick information peeks) is better satisfied with widgets (see below)

Can you ellaborate a bit more on the wigdets that you need? I personally dislike widgets that require me to 'interact' with them in order to se what's new. For example, I don't think that "departures" widgets is a good idea as they will require me to always hit "refresh" to see what's new. If that's the case, I pretty much prefer to launch the app, hit favorites and stay in the clean interface of the app. I thought about doing it for oyster balance, yet I prefer the current implementation that just requires me to launch the main app. Quering servers on the background periodically or getting your location (thus depleting your battery) is something I want to avoid.
[Android Apps and Games] bobsk101:
Hey,

I have just downloaded your app and I must say! I really like it. I spend a lot of time in london for meetings etc... and so this will come in very useful!
[Android Apps and Games] ermacwins:
Do they have to be ICS icons? You know you can find nice icons on loads of icon sites

Good idea

Take me to specific screen would be handy as when I use it on tubechaser, where ever I am, I would like to see nearest stations first. Its worth having I think

The only thing I dont like about tubechaser is that it doesnt have departure widgets. Isnt this one of the benefits of Android, having widgets?

When I use Train Times UK for C2C times https://play.google.com/store/apps/...EsImNvbS5jcm93b3JjLm5hdGlvbmFscmFpbC5saXZlIl0.

I only use the widgets and never the app. All I need to do is hit refresh on my homescreen and that is it. Im sure you can have that the widget doesnt always update unless manually done on the screen?
[Android Apps and Games] simick:
I've just downloaded this and love its features. On first impressions, it looks like it's going to become my new main Tube app! The only criticisms I have with it are:

1. To reiterate what others have said about the UI on the front page - I think that some nicer looking buttons wouldn't go amiss;

2. I have two Oyster cards linked to my online account, the first of which was lost a long time ago and has a zero balance. Until there's the option to choose which card to show in the app (or TfL let you delete old cards off of their online service), the Oyster balance feature could be useless to a lot of people.

Great work though, really nice app overall.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Thanks for all the feedback guys! I am now able to start filling up my list of ToDos. :) Here are my current priorities:

Improve the UI of the main screen (icons are the way to go).

Add a station chooser that uses auto complete and the current user location to void scrolling.

Add support for oyster accounts with multiple cards enabled.

Add widgets.

I will add this to the first post and try to keep it updated. If your favorite feature is not quite high up, maybe I will change my mind if more people ask for it. ;)

Yep, I am aware of this and I added it to my todos. For the time being, I am pretty sure that you can erase cards from your online profile. The option may be burried somewhere but I remember doing it a couple of months ago and then fixing a relevant bug in the app.
[Android Apps and Games] simick:
Thanks for the heads up, I'll have another look on the Oyster site. Now if only there were an app to stop me losing cards altogether...
[Android Apps and Games] image2000uk:
Pocket.apk or wallet.apk :D:p
[Android Apps and Games] ‬1‬:
i mostly use buses and not all bus stops are available yet (app's saying so). on the bus time table not only how many minutes left but also an arrival time information would be nice. and to be honest background photos distract me. i'm telling this to you as a user, who has tried many these kind of apps and to help you to understand what a user wants from a bus tracking app.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
I am using the 'Bus stop locations' dataset released by TfL here. It may be slightly out of date (eg released last year) but I wasn't aware of any stops/lines missing. Thanks for bringing this up. I will update the description to mention this. Are these missing stops available in other apps?

I am not sure that I understand you here. Do you mean "the next bus arrives in 13.49" instead of "in three minutes"? Or maybe "buses on route 49 arrive normally every 12 minutes"? As for the second dataset (sceduled bus frequency), I do not know if it is available somewhere (and I do not think it is particullarly useful given that live information is available).

[/QUOTE]

Yep, others have told me that one before (while others quite like them). If more people feel strong against them I will deactivate them. For the time being, I think that they give a unique touch to the app.
[Android Apps and Games] RED_:
Maybe adding a background configuration in the settings to allow users to chose either blank or image background. On/Off toggle basically. I'm about to try this app, judging by the video it seems packed with features so I'm looking forward to having it. The oyster card thing looks good, I don't want to waste time checking at the station all the time or hoping I have enough.

The buses section doesn't work very well. Maybe a compass would help to understand which way is which. I guess we can use the journey planner if we are stuck somewhere. On my road the local bus is only shown as one direction. The tube part is good though, haven't tried the oyster card thing yet.

I use BusCount for bus information, it's pretty good, maybe you would want to look at that to see how they get all the information. Just a suggestion since it's spot on.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Let's update my todos. ;)

Can you give me the route number so that I check what goes wrong?
[Android Apps and Games] RED_:
Bus number is 462. It shows two buttons but both say "Departures not available. This is Tfl service so be patient". I presume that means it's a problem on their system. It works for other bus routes.
[Android Apps and Games] ermacwins:
Will you be adding option for which menu to go to on app launch? And is it possible to have c2c to make it more comprehensive?
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
I am not 100% sure if I will go for widgets or for the app-launch option. I will propably implement one of these, not both. As for c2c, can you explain what you mean? Never heard of the term before.
[Android Apps and Games] ermacwins:
I think widgets should have more priority over app launch option

c2c is another train service http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/
[Android Apps and Games] ermacwins:
Hows the app going?
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Version 1.2 should be released either this or the next weekend.

It will include an overhaul of the UI that will drop the background images, intergration with the google search box to allow easy access to departures & journey planning and a simplified journey planning screen that doesn't require the user to select the type of each endpoint. Plus the usual bugfixes and an updated db of bus stops using the latest tfl dataset.
[Android Apps and Games] ermacwins:
Good to hear, any plans for widgets?
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Unfortunately, no. However, the new version will have easy access to departures/journey planner via the google search box and the ability to jump directly to any app section, eg favorites. I am halfway to implement a sliding menu (similar to the facebook app) that I believe will make the app much easier to use. The downside is, of course, that I need more time...
[Android Apps and Games] ermacwins:
So app release delayed for more features to be added? And widgets are totally of the cards i.e. will never make it in the app?
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
I hope that I will release 1.2 tomorow. The ugly "summer" weather is a development catalyst...

As for widgets, no, they are not totally off the cards---I am just pushing them back to focus on (what I think are) more pressing things. However, after seeing 1.2 please do come back and let me know if you still think they are important.
[Android Apps and Games] ermacwins:
Great, cant wait to try v1.2 and glad to know widgets arent scratched off. What do you think of c2c integration?
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Version 1.2 is now live on Google Play! Here is the change log:

---v.1.2----

Improved: UI

Added: Content Provider (type in the Google search box for quick access to departures and to the journey planner).

Added: Autocomplete textboxes.

Added: Official TfL bus departures API.

Fixes: countless small fixes here and there.

I have also updated my list of TODO items in the first page. So, what do you think about 1.2? :cyclops:
[Android Apps and Games] Isadora:
Whoo-hoo Tube Run on Android! Had it on my HD2 and very happy to (finally) be able to use it again :)
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Hey,

I just pushed a small update that fixes a white-on-white background issue in the journey planner for Gingerbread users. Sorry for the additional download.

Cheers,
[Android Apps and Games] am11:
One for the future to go at the bottom of the To Do list but how about adding a section that shows nearby places where you can top up your oyster card
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Definitely worth of a point in the todo list. :-)
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
1.2.2 is now online.

I fixed the long-standing issue of oyster accounts with multiple cards and added National Rail stations in Journey Planner suggestions (thanks to everyone who pointed this out). If you come accross any problems please let me know.

Again, sorry for the frequent updates.
[Android Apps and Games] Isadora:
Could you add station status to a future update?

Sent from my CM9 TouchPad
[Android Apps and Games] am11:
Was using the Journey planner today noticed that it fails if I don't put the correct spaces in the postcode. So SE1 7PB worked but SE17PB returns Planning Failed.
[Android Apps and Games] Luckyman79uk:
Hi, I had this app installed on my Galaxy Nexus while I was running ICS. I recently flashed Jelly Bean preview onto it and the app worked perfectly however I noticed that the app wasn't receiving the latest 1.2.2 update. So I uninstalled the app and went to reinstall it and the market is saying the Galaxy Nexus in not compatible. Is there anyway you can make it available for Jelly Bean users or maybe post the apk? Thanks.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Sure! ;-)

Thanks for pointing this out, I will fix it.

I was hoping that I'd first test it on my Galaxy Nexus and then release it. I have had some bad experiences in the past when relying only on emulators to test stuff and I don't want to release a version marked as JB-compatible without testing it first on a device. So, the day my GN receives the JB update, I will post a compatible version on the market. Sorry if this too inconvinient.
[Android Apps and Games] ermacwins:
When I do a search it doesnt show the station Im looking for? Didnt see option in the app for it. Neaby shows maps but would prefer station names

I also found the timing to be innacurate compared to Tube Chaser, the later of which is accurate on train arrivals.

Good work nonetheless
[Android Apps and Games] RED_:
Can I ask a question to the developer, is your app supported for tablets? Does it sit well with the size of the screen?

I'm using it on a phone and it's great, one thing, the images for your buttons are a good size and for someone also developing an application (unrelated to this one) with imagebuttons is there a particular thing you did to make them compatible with different screen sizes? Thanks!

Thought it would be better to ask people that have already built apps rather than a general question in the software sub-forum.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Can you elaborate a bit more on your problem? In which section of the app are you looking for a station and you can't find it? Maybe you refer to a bus stop?

As for timing, do you refer to tube or bus departures? I get the tube departures from tfl's website. It's one of the last parts of the app where I haven't yet intergrated the official tfl api. If others can confirm that it is innacurate, I will add this to my todo list.

Thanks for your input.

No, TubeRun isn't optimized for tablets. Tablet support is actually a low priority for me as I develop TubeRun mainly as a tool that you use outside on your phone when you need directions/info the most. For the same reason, I haven't added the ability to, for example, see data about a random bus route (only the ones nearby). Overall, I prefer to have a simple and effective app for use on the go than a full-blown app with a lot of functionality that you seldom use. This, imho, is a reason why many similar apps suffer.

As for the icons, they are 512x512 bitmaps. Android is responsible for scaling them down via the use of "dp" units when needed.
[Android Apps and Games] RED_:
Interesting. Thanks. Mine is a data based app so I'll have to make it tablet compatible. I've figured it out in theory lets just hope it all works when I implement it! Bloody nightmare.
[Android Apps and Games] am11:
Regarding tube departures, unfortunately live departure times are not available for the station I use but rather frustratingly it is for the station before and after it on the line. Not sure about the feasibility/practicallity of it but would guessing/estimating the departure time in this sort of situation work?

In terms of bus departure times I have seen some times where the list is not ordered by time. By that I mean the first entry is of a bus which is 6 mins away the second entry a bus which is 10 mins away and the third entry of a bus which is 3 mins away. Perhaps allow the user some control on how departure times are displayed. e.g. display earliest first or filter out certain bus routes from the list. The latter is particularly useful one there are several routes going through a single stop and you cannot see yours in the list as 3 other busses on different routes are displayed above it. But this may not be worth the effort either as this problem only appears in the facourites view.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Actually, the best solution here is to migrate to the official TfL API for tube departures. Hopefully, this will increase stations coverage and predictions accuracy. Let's add this somewhere close to the top of the todo list...

This used to work fine until I migrated to the official TfL bus departures API which messes up ordering. I just fixed it (and removed some duplicates that are often returned) so expect to get this when I push the next minor update. Thanks for pointing this out. :-)

Yes, this is a limitation in favorites where I limit the view to three results. Hmm, I will think of a way to improve this...
[Android Apps and Games] am11:
Won't make a difference for me as there is no live departure for the station I use on the tfl live departure boards as well so just have to hope tfl add the information.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetrave...neCode=district&StationCode=UPK&DistrictGo=Go

Alternatively could have non-live departure times by using the times in the timetable.

http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_SEL_STT_REQUEST

Probably not worth the work if tfl are actively adding departure data though...
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
You are right, even the official API does not have departures for your station:

http://cloud.tfl.gov.uk/TrackerNet/PredictionDetailed/D/UPK

However, I wouldn't like to add to the departures section either scheduled departures or my own estimates. Both will be highly inaccurate and especially the second (estimates based on stations nearby) is quite tricky to get right. I know it's not great, but consider yourself lucky that the next station down the line actually has data (mine does not...) :crying:
[Android Apps and Games] am11:
Thats too bad. Having the previous stations data means I can at least get an estimate.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Hi all,

After a prolonged busy period that prevented me from working on TubeRun, 1.2.4 is now on Play. I fixed the sorting of bus departures (that was broken since I migrated to the official TfL bus departures API). I also added the ability to display service messages while serving departures. This means that a red box will appear at the lower part of the departures screen if any service message is available for that particular station/stop.

I have also open-sourced the project. Here is the project page on GitHub.

Cheers,
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Hi all,

Version 1.2.5 is now on play.

This is mainly an bug-fix update with only minor improvements (most notably. the text in the journey planner's "from" textbox is now auto-selected when you tap on it for easy deletion). Here is the change log.

---v.1.2.5---

Added: New sliding menu implementation

Added: Android 4.2 support

Fixes: Oyster functionality

If you spot some broken functionality, please drop me an email or mention it here.

Cheers,
[Android Apps and Games] am11:
I wouldn't really call it broken functionality but v1.2.5 has broken the way I had TubeRun set up on my homescreen. I use Nova Launcher which allows you to assign a swipe action to icons on the homescreen. I had set it up so when pressing the icon TubeRun would start as normal on the main page but when swiping it would open the favorites section. Did this by setting the swipe section to launch the FavoritesActivity. In 1.2.5 majority of the activities have been removed.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Oh, good to know --- sorry for this. I had no clue that launchers allowed such direct invocations of activities. In 1.2.5 I made most activities non-exportable in order to easily satisfy lint. I will fix this on the next update. In the meantime, you can still find 1.2.4 here:

https://github.com/jpapayan/tuberun_android/tree/dev/bin_hist

(uploading now)
[Android Apps and Games] Teio:
Walk from Peckham Rye to clapham junction and then walk to Willesden Junction? Haha quite a walk isnt it?

It was supposed to be the overground mate... just a little bug I believe!

Check attachment
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Nice catch! Apparently, TfL now exposes the Overground as a separate option/means of transport to the journey planner. I am now working on exposing this in the app as well. This will be included in the next update.
[Android Apps and Games] Teio:
What about national rail support?
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
The last thing that I want to implement before releasing the next update is "nearby rail stations" in the nearby section. The app already shows rail routes in the journey planner. In the future I should also add rail departures (but I have too look into the national rail api before promising anything).

Cheers,
[Android Apps and Games] Teio:
If it gets rail departures this would be the perfect app... I would pay a lot to have it!

It will replace loads of apps as it does everything in one app, whereas I have 3 - 4 different apps to do what this app does alone!
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Hi all,

I just uploaded 1.2.6. I mainly focused on the nearby section of the app. It now both displays rail stations & oyster shops. It also better integrates with departures. I also fixed some of the problems with 1.2.5 (sorry 2.X users). Here is the short log:

---v.1.2.6---

Added: Overground support in the Journey Planner

Added: Nearby rail stations

Added: Nearby oyster ticket shops

Again, please let me know about any problems.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Hi all,

I just uploaded a new update, 1.2.7, on play. You will have to manually approve the update because the app now requires a few additional permissions due to the use of the newer Google Maps API.

The new version has support for rail and overground departures, as many people in here have requested. The code, unfortunately, relies on parsing the national rail website so it may be brittle. However, it works well currently. I also redesigned the departures section, aiming to make it require less taps for most workflows. Enjoy ;)

Here is the change log:

---v.1.2.7---

Added: Overground and Rail departures

Added: Departures section overhaul

Added: Official TfL Tube departures API

As always, please let me know if you run into any glitches.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
The current live APK in the market is broken. The app fails upon launch. I uploaded an update already so just try again tomorrow if it doesn't work now. Sorry for this.

Also I forgot to mention before that due to extensive changes in the departures section, your favourites will be lost when you update to 1.2.7. Sorry for that as well.
[Android Apps and Games] am11:
I'm having an issue with the app. The app doesn't seem to be able to pick up my location via cell tower location. When I try to open the departure or navigation section I'm just shown the loading screen indefinitely. In the Journey Planner section when I enter the destination and click on get direction it displays a popup asking me pick an alternative location. The option it gives me 0.0:0.0:WGS84[DD.ddddd]

When GPS is enabled the Departures and nearby pages load correctly. Also in the Journey Planner page upon pressing get direction it asks me accept the current accuracy and then works.
[Android Apps and Games] papajohn:
Hmm, that's weird. The app requests both fine and coarse locations from the device and accepts both. It seems that your device is unable to produce a valid location via triangulation at the place where you currently at. I just tested in on my device (in central London) with GPS turned off and it worked as expected. Which device do you use? Can others confirm this? Two things come to mind:

Have you tried launching google maps to see whether it can get your location without GPS? It may be that you have poor cell coverage at your current location. Please do try the app in different places and tell me what happens. Also try turning wifi on. This also helps.

Why do you deactivate the GPS sensor? I made sure that TubeRun always switches off the GPS sensor when it is not needed. Also, I doubt that a 10-sec of GPS sensor activity will kill you battery. Instead, the user experience throughout Android without GPS is significantly worse.

Well-spoted! I should check for this (invalid starting location/coordinates) before allowing you to plan the journey. I will fix it on the next update.
[Android Apps and Games] am11:
Google Maps picked up my location and the beautiful widgets weather/clock is also picking up my location. Could you attach the previous version of TubeRun so I can see if I have any issues with it. I use a Samsung Galaxy S2.

I always have the gps sensor off. I only ever need it when using navigation. At other times cell tower location has been more than adequate. I used previous versions of TubeRun with GPS off and it was still a good experience.

Perhaps you could add an option to TubeRun to switch on the GPS, get the location and then switch it off when it is done.