"wX" Android opensource/free weather app - new beta release 3.4

[plreardon]

Josh,

My radar setting was WX, so changed to WXOGL and that did take care of it. Seems to be running fine now. Did try to switch back to WX but app then crashes at startup again. So went through process again to make WXOGL primary and that worked.

Thx,
Pat

 

[Joshua Tee]

Josh,

My radar setting was WX, so changed to WXOGL and that did take care of it. Seems to be running fine now. Did try to switch back to WX but app then crashes at startup again. So went through process again to make WXOGL primary and that worked.

Thx,
Pat

Thanks Pat,
I'll have a bugfix out for that in a release next Friday. Please let me know if there is anything about the older "WX" option not found in the newer(default) "WXOGL" radar option that you need. Most development effort is going into WXOGL and not the older 3 choices ( WX, IOWA. COD ) which are basically legacy at this point.

Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

The latest version 3.5636 has been uploaded to the URL below as "wX.apk". The next oldest version has been renamed to include the version number and place in the "OLD" folder:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9OogdTO1kXqYzktaHZzdGdQSEk&usp=sharing

Android 4.2 or later is required.

Changes:
- Storm tracks are now available in WXOGL. Option is not enabled by default. Color is configurable ( white is default ).
- Hail index markers are now available in WXOGL. Option is not enabled by default. For now, a marker is shown if probability of hail is greater then 50% and hail size is 0.50 inch or greater. If hail is estimated between 1-2 inches 2 icons will show and 3 icons for 2-3 inch. Color is configurable ( bright green is default ). Marker size will be configurable in an upcoming release. TVS will be implemented next.
- Bug mentioned by Pat is fixed. The OpenGL embedded is the only option on the main screen so if one has a non-WXOGL radar option the lightning icon will still use that activity bu the main screen radar presentation will be WXOGL. Supporting both OpenGL and bitmaps was making the code to complicated. As I mentioned before new development is only occurring in WXOGL so it's recommended to use that.

Please let me know if you have any issues or suggestions on this new functionality.


thanks,
Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

Here is an example of both new features. The southern most warning polygon has a hail marker for 1-2inch hail on the right edge.

 

[Scott Bartholomew]

Josh, when starting the app, I slide from the LOCAL tab to the SPC tab and the bottom portion of the page is black. It's like it is cutoff... this occurs with the subsequent tabs, as well. I tap on the black area, it loads the full page corresponding to the tile for that area. I then hit the back button and everything is restored like normal, including the bottom toolbar.
I am using Galaxy Note 2 running 4.4.2.
I did a clean initial install with last week's release and that is where I first noted this. It stayed with this update today.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[Joshua Tee]

Josh, when starting the app, I slide from the LOCAL tab to the SPC tab and the bottom portion of the page is black. It's like it is cutoff... this occurs with the subsequent tabs, as well. I tap on the black area, it loads the full page corresponding to the tile for that area. I then hit the back button and everything is restored like normal, including the bottom toolbar.
I am using Galaxy Note 2 running 4.4.2.
I did a clean initial install with last week's release and that is where I first noted this. It stayed with this update today.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

I'll take a look next week , thanks for mentioning. I think this is only being seen on 4.4 ( possible lower ).

Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

The latest version 3.5638 has been uploaded to the URL below as "wX.apk". The next oldest version has been renamed to include the version number and place in the "OLD" folder:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9OogdTO1kXqYzktaHZzdGdQSEk&usp=sharing

Android 4.2 or later is required.

Changes:
- bugfix - wxogl animations broke as a regular expression accidentally had Jul hardcoded in it, sorry!
- wxogl hail marker size is now a configurable

Please let me know if you have any issues or suggestions on this new functionality.


thanks,
Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

Josh, when starting the app, I slide from the LOCAL tab to the SPC tab and the bottom portion of the page is black. It's like it is cutoff... this occurs with the subsequent tabs, as well. I tap on the black area, it loads the full page corresponding to the tile for that area. I then hit the back button and everything is restored like normal, including the bottom toolbar.
I am using Galaxy Note 2 running 4.4.2.
I did a clean initial install with last week's release and that is where I first noted this. It stayed with this update today.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Please try out the apk in the "BETA" folder. I am able to replicate the problem on a 4.4 device and this update mostly fixes it. The only minor issue I see ( which you might not see ) is on first launch a small bit of the radar view is visible below the toolbar but this goes away after scrolling down. It does solve the hidden bottom toolbar issue.

thanks,
Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

The latest version 3.5648 has been uploaded to the URL below as "wX.apk". The next oldest version has been renamed to include the version number and place in the "OLD" folder:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9OogdTO1kXqYzktaHZzdGdQSEk&usp=sharing

Android 4.2 or later is required.

Changes:
- wxogl now supports tornado vortex signatures ( TVS ) which can be enabled in settings -> radar ( off by default ), uses the same color as tornado warnings/watches, and is the same size as hail markers
- bugfix - Android 4.4 ( and possibly below ) had the bottom toolbar hidden if radar is configured to show on main screen. Hopefully fully addressed in this release for those seeing this issue, only test/confirmed fixed in emulator.
- NHC storm activity now scrolls to top of text product is changed.
- Settings -> Location, list of locations updates immediately after a new location is saved
- WXOGL imagemap of radar sites now fully utilizes the screen, used to have a small gap
- WXOGL if animation is playing stop button will now immediately stop as opposed to playing animation sequence to the end
- WXOGL - minor performance improvements and code cleanup

Please let me know if you have any issues or suggestions on this new functionality.

NOTE: At some point in the near future I'll be preparing for the 3.6 release scheduled for sometime in the fall ( as long as Android M doesn't bring forward any major issues ). There will temporarily be less new features as I focus on bug fixes, documentation, and code cleanup, etc. I'm also contemplating releasing 3.6 on Google Play to make things easier for everyone.


thanks,
Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

The latest version 3.5675 has been uploaded to the URL below as "wX.apk". The next oldest version has been renamed to include the version number and place in the "OLD" folder:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9OogdTO1kXqYzktaHZzdGdQSEk&usp=sharing

Android 4.2 or later is required.

Changes:
- http downloads are more robust with a timeout and retry mechanism
- in radar settings an option to start the program directly in the radar interface was added
- in radar settings the number of minutes is now configurable for "auto refresh"
- in radar settings an option was added to save the last used radar site, zoom level, and lat/lon instead of resetting to the current locations radar site when wxogl is next used. Similar in behavior to standalone radar programs.
- the option to use the older state lines data has been removed as it adds no value
- for Level2 ref/vel the amount of data downloaded has been in some cases substantially reduced using HTTP's "range" feature to only download certain byte ranges of the file. As an extreme example one recent Level2 data file was 11MB however less then the first 1.5MB was needed to extract lowest title for base reflectivity thus a substantial speedup especially if on a mobile network
- minor performance enhancements particularly in program startup and the WXOGL radar interface
- major code cleanup in prep for 3.6 release

Please let me know if you have any issues or suggestions on this new functionality.

NOTE: At some point in the near future I'll be preparing for the 3.6 release scheduled for sometime in the fall ( as long as Android M doesn't bring forward any major issues ). There will temporarily be less new features as I focus on bug fixs, documentation, and code cleanup, etc. I'm also contemplating releasing 3.6 on Google Play to make things easier for everyone.

Also, I'll be on vacation next week so 9/4 or 9/11 for the next release.


thanks,
Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

The latest version 3.5902 has been uploaded to the URL below as "wX.apk". The next oldest version has been renamed to include the version number and place in the "OLD" folder:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9OogdTO1kXqYzktaHZzdGdQSEk&usp=sharing

Android 4.2 or later is required.

NOTE: This is most likely one of the final releases before the 3.6 production version will be released. At that time I plan to also publish 3.6 to Google Play and I'll start a
new thread in this forum. Thanks to everyone who has tried the development verion (3.5) over the past year and contributed with bug reports and suggestions.

Changes:
- Substantial changes behind the scenes that should improve performance, reduce memory usage, and provide a cleaner code base.
- The wX radar option is no longer offered as an option, it adds little value compared to the OpenGL based default of WXOGL.
- The white theme previously mentioned as being depracated is no longer list as an option in settings.
- TDWR radad choices in WXOGL have been removed. If you desire TDWR radar sites please let me know and I'll add them back in. Before this release bugs were present to the point that I doubt anyone is using them. Level 2 offers a better alternative in most cases.
- bugfix, If using a "roaming" location ( one that updates as you physically move more then X miles ) the locatiokn may set to a bogus value of airplane mode is enabled or loca
tion settings are disbled, this is now fixed.
- bugfix, In NHC storms certain storms were not displaying all text products correctly.
- If a location is deleted from the location page itself versus the list view after deletion the activity will automatically close and you will return to where you were.
- bugfix, In the lightning activity some fo the labels for sector and time selection were showing incorrectly even though the value itself in effect was fine.
- bugfix, HRRR Model viewer no longer offers "HRRR" but instead only offers "HRRR experimental". Removed all references to "HRRR"
- The setting to use Sounding data from OU ( vs SPC ) has been removed. After recent testing I noticed after switch to OU the data was roughly 6 days old. We had problems last
winter as well so I'm removing OU as an option until the level of stability is better.
- If running Android 5.0 or higher the submenu accessible in many activities from the toolbar is now themed to a specific color instead of the default gray. This feature was pr
sent in 4.4 but now implemented differently in 5.0+. The dropdowns in the toolbars are now themed appropriately for the "green" theme.

Please let me know if you have any issues or suggestions on this new functionality.


thanks,
Josh

 

[Caleb Grunzke]

One thing I would like to see implemented is when I'm viewing the SPC Convective Outlooks, I would like to be able to share the individual probability hazard maps (tornado, wind, and hail). Otherwise, no other suggestions from me. Keep up the great work!

 

[Joshua Tee]

One thing I would like to see implemented is when I'm viewing the SPC Convective Outlooks, I would like to be able to share the individual probability hazard maps (tornado, wind, and hail). Otherwise, no other suggestions from me. Keep up the great work!

Thanks Caleb !

I like your idea. I've upload a new "wX.apk" into the "BETA" folder that has this ( and a few more options - all, text, probabilistic for D2/3 ) implemented.

Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

Thanks Caleb !

I like your idea. I've upload a new "wX.apk" into the "BETA" folder that has this ( and a few more options - all, text, probabilistic for D2/3 ) implemented.

Josh

I should mention for Convective outlook now the share icon actually brings up a sub-menu that lists the various images/text to share.

Josh

 

[plreardon]

One thing I would like to see implemented is when I'm viewing the SPC Convective Outlooks, I would like to be able to share the individual probability hazard maps (tornado, wind, and hail). Otherwise, no other suggestions from me. Keep up the great work!

Hi Josh,

Echo Caleb.....keep up the great work!

Just one issue......and been having this for a bit.....it takes awhile to get the Level 2 SuperRes Reflectivity and Velocity to animate. It can take up to a minute to load and go. I have a Galaxy S5 operating Android 5.0.

Couple of suggestions:
a. I would find the Hydromet Class from the dual polarization radar menu useful, especially come winter time.
b. For what its worth, I'm one of those that likes the TWDR sites. Having those sites in the app can be one of those perks that makes your app stand out on Google Play.

Bet you're going to get a pretty darn good response once you post the app.

Pat

 

[Joshua Tee]

Hi Josh,

Echo Caleb.....keep up the great work!

Just one issue......and been having this for a bit.....it takes awhile to get the Level 2 SuperRes Reflectivity and Velocity to animate. It can take up to a minute to load and go. I have a Galaxy S5 operating Android 5.0.

Couple of suggestions:
a. I would find the Hydromet Class from the dual polarization radar menu useful, especially come winter time.
b. For what its worth, I'm one of those that likes the TWDR sites. Having those sites in the app can be one of those perks that makes your app stand out on Google Play.

Bet you're going to get a pretty darn good response once you post the app.

Pat

Thanks Pat for the feedback !

I've posted a new "wX.apk" in the "BETA" folder that adds TDWR back to WXOGL and also fixes one more bug related to TDWR. I do notice one more issue in that the zoom is not reset when moving to a non-TDWR site and I'll address that by Friday.

I'll add Hyromet to my todo list for after the 3.6 release as it's a little more involved and I won't be able to fit in before 3.6 release.

For L2 animation is this timing over WIFI or cellular network? Was it better at one point in the past or always slow since you started using it?

thanks again,
Josh

 

[Caleb Grunzke]

When sharing the SPC Mesoscale Discussions and Watches, all of the text but none of the images are shared. This makes it so that sharing to Twitter is impossible as the discussions in these products are extremely lengthy and Twitter only allows 160 characters. I think these products should be shared as a webpage and/or you can share the images in the products like my earlier suggestion of the SPC individual risk hazards.

 

[Joshua Tee]

When sharing the SPC Mesoscale Discussions and Watches, all of the text but none of the images are shared. This makes it so that sharing to Twitter is impossible as the discussions in these products are extremely lengthy and Twitter only allows 160 characters. I think these products should be shared as a webpage and/or you can share the images in the products like my earlier suggestion of the SPC individual risk hazards.

Caleb,
I've uploaded a new beta that partially implements this. If you access the watch or mcd via the alert icon on the main screen ( "severe dashboard" ) then you will see the new share options of all, text, url, or image. I'll handle the other code path ( SPC tab icons a little later ).

thanks,
Josh

 

[plreardon]

Thanks Pat for the feedback !

I've posted a new "wX.apk" in the "BETA" folder that adds TDWR back to WXOGL and also fixes one more bug related to TDWR. I do notice one more issue in that the zoom is not reset when moving to a non-TDWR site and I'll address that by Friday.

I'll add Hyromet to my todo list for after the 3.6 release as it's a little more involved and I won't be able to fit in before 3.6 release.

For L2 animation is this timing over WIFI or cellular network? Was it better at one point in the past or always slow since you started using it?

thanks again,
Josh

Hi Josh.......bet 95% of the time I'm on WIFI. Would say in the past month L2 has gotten slower. My WIFI's not the best at home.....a watered down DISH package that I'll replace in the next couple of months......but have had that for a year and a half.

Also downloaded your latest BETA version and saw the TWDR sites, thanks. I'm in Colorado Springs so check out Denver. I'm from Wisconsin so with family there use the Minneapolis and Milwaukee TWDRs' from time to time.

Thanks,
Pat

 

[Joshua Tee]

The latest version 3.5921 has been uploaded to the URL below as "wX.apk". The next oldest version has been renamed to include the version number and place in the "OLD" folder:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9OogdTO1kXqYzktaHZzdGdQSEk&usp=sharing

Android 4.2 or later is required.

Changes:
- re-enable TDWR support and fix one bug.
- add additional sharing options to SPC MCD/WAT and Convective outlook.
- move widgets to use solid blue instead of gradient to match main app ( main app moved to solid blue earlier this year )
- code cleanup and minor performance enhancements
- move legacy geography data out of the "res" directory and as a result the APK size is reduced by ~1.5MB
- app settings change ( as the default for new users ) to prevent any data from being pulled in the background ( tab headers displaying tor/tst/ffw and SPC MCD/WAT now need to be enabled explicitly )
- The soundings activity now has additional entries in the bottom toolbar submenu which show upper air plots similar to the following:
http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/upper/upaCNTR_500.gif
- bugfix: if location added in which the county is the last word of another county in the same state the NWS zone will not be correctly determined which impacts notification based alerts

Please let me know if you have any issues or suggestions on this new functionality.


thanks,
Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

The latest version 3.5948 has been uploaded to the URL below as "wX.apk". The next oldest version has been renamed to include the version number and place in the "OLD" folder:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9OogdTO1kXqYzktaHZzdGdQSEk&usp=sharing

Android 4.2 or later is required.

Changes:
- In SPC SREF save current time selected on exit and restore when activity is entered back into.
- In SPC SREF replace the static title at top with a dropdown ( similar to radar, WFO text, soundings ) that allows management of a list of favorites. The abbreviated code for the parameter is shown so that it fits on one line. This makes navigation to the more then 300+ different parameters far more efficient.
- In SPC SREF ( and now also radar, WFO text, soundings ) the "Remove" option in the dropdown has been changed to "Modify" and once selected in addition to deleting entries you can rearrange entries by selecting to be in "up" or "down" mode. After one of these modes is selecting tapping on any entry will rearrange it.
- The SPC SREF Favorites code has also been ported into SPC Mesoanalysis but this was done very recently. If issues you can use the old SPC Mesoanalysis code by enabling "debug" in settings.
- In settings when GOES was chosen over COD of vis/ir/wv/rad mosaic only the cloud icon and radar mosaic submenu were impacted. Now the entire 4th tab ( "images" ) is given a new set of icons to reflect GOES and they take to the related GOES activity with appropriate sector selected.
- In GOES removed pfalls and gusts, 2 mesoanalysis parameters that no longer seem to work. ( COD in general has more robust mesoanalysis iamges )
- In general I try to minimize movement of icons but the following made sense: On SPC tab swap the thunderstorm outlook with SPC SREF since on certain phones the SPC SREF icon is hidden from view and requires a swipe down. Now it's at the top. On "MISC" tab , move WPC text product viewer down one row, move the recent severe warnings to a submenu in US warnings and put NCEP model viewer in the top row at center right between COD and HRRR viewer. ( for now NCEP still appears at bottom of SPC tab )
- cleanup and few minor bugfix

Please let me know if you have any issues or suggestions on this new functionality.


thanks,
Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

The release issued earlier today created one bug but also exposed one additional bug in SPC Mesoanalysis.

I've just released 3.5953 in the normal location to fix these 2 bugs and it also contains the following new feature:

In the following activities the initial image zoom level and X,Y position is restored to the same position when you last exited that activity:

SPC SREF
SPC Mesoanalysis
COD Model interface
NCEP Model interface
HRRR Model interface

thanks,
Josh

 

[Joshua Tee]

Pat,
I just uploaded a new wX.apk into the BETA directory that has the "Hydrometeor Classification" product available under "Level 3" submenu in WXOGL radar interface. Color map is similar to COD ( DuPage ).

thanks,
Josh

Hi Josh,

Echo Caleb.....keep up the great work!

Just one issue......and been having this for a bit.....it takes awhile to get the Level 2 SuperRes Reflectivity and Velocity to animate. It can take up to a minute to load and go. I have a Galaxy S5 operating Android 5.0.

Couple of suggestions:
a. I would find the Hydromet Class from the dual polarization radar menu useful, especially come winter time.
b. For what its worth, I'm one of those that likes the TWDR sites. Having those sites in the app can be one of those perks that makes your app stand out on Google Play.

Bet you're going to get a pretty darn good response once you post the app.

Pat

 

[plreardon]

Hi Josh,

Sorry for the delay. Just checked the beta version and the hydrometeor classification addition....thanks. The image popped in right away and has good clarity.

Pat

 

[Joshua Tee]

Hi Josh,

Sorry for the delay. Just checked the beta version and the hydrometeor classification addition....thanks. The image popped in right away and has good clarity.

Pat

thanks Pat for checking it out !

Josh