LiveCode 4.6.3 - Android Manifest Support - reference?

[BarrySumpter]

* Manifest support: All Android applications have a manifest that is built into the package which controls many aspects of the applications requirements and functionality. To set the manifest up, you can now simply use the options presented in the Standalone Builder's Android pane.

Anyone have a reference to the Android Manifest Support options?

Standalone Application Settings
Requirements and Restrictions
Application Permissions

What are they and when would I use them, etc?

[jacque]

I think these are just the abilities allowed for your app, and they also control the permissions display a user sees during installation so that they know if they want to grant access or not.

[BarrySumpter]

Well, I know I didn't have to tick the Camera Permissions for it to work.
Just the Storage.
Strange.


So the Requirements and Restrictions are just something I tick to document
and inform the user about my app?
And they will see this on installation.

So no additional libraries or functions?

Where else would these Manifest topics come up?

Perhaps they are required when submitting an app to the android market?

And if my software is propriatary and the phones are all owned by my company?
And I won't be submitting my app thru the Android market?
Are these manifest topics still required?

Where is the doco discussing Manifests and what its for?

[jacque]

I didn't need to check off any of the options for my app to compile. If yours needs storage capability then maybe that's why you had to.

I looked up the functions of the manifest. It's the first Google hit, if you're curious.http://developer.android.com/guide/topi ... intro.html. An app will not run at all without a manifest.

Bascially the manifest not only advises the user of the permissions the app requires, but it also tells the OS which libraries to link against, which APIs are being used, and which external processes should be allowed to communicate with the app. It's all in that URL.

[BarrySumpter]

Excellent!

So its NOT really a LiveCode subject to create a reference doco for.
But yes, it does need to be mentioned in the release notes.

Just that vague-ness that keeps popping up with LiveCode doco.
Usually the code samples help but not in the LiveCode dictionary.
And was actually misleading for the Play Video reference.

Thanks for that qualification and the hyperlink.

I'm thinking there are more ticks there than LiveCode for Android is capable of.
Like the Teleohony and Touch variations.
I'll have to research more on what those are
and how to identify them in LiveCode for Android.

I'm just not sure where it all fits in exactly yet.
But over all it's much clearer now.

It's Android document standards for apps and NOT LiveCode extra features.

So even though I use the camera I don't HAVE to tick the camera.
But its best to do so to let peeps know at installation.

[BarrySumpter]

The AndroidManifest.xml File
Every application must have an AndroidManifest.xml file (with precisely that name) in its root directory. The manifest presents essential information about the application to the Android system, information the system must have before it can run any of the application's code. Among other things, the manifest does the following:
It names the Java package for the application. The package name serves as a unique identifier for the application.
It describes the components of the application — the activities, services, broadcast receivers, and content providers that the application is composed of. It names the classes that implement each of the components and publishes their capabilities (for example, which Intent messages they can handle). These declarations let the Android system know what the components are and under what conditions they can be launched.
It determines which processes will host application components.
It declares which permissions the application must have in order to access protected parts of the API and interact with other applications.
It also declares the permissions that others are required to have in order to interact with the application's components.
It lists the Instrumentation classes that provide profiling and other information as the application is running. These declarations are present in the manifest only while the application is being developed and tested; they're removed before the application is published.
It declares the minimum level of the Android API that the application requires.
It lists the libraries that the application must be linked against.

[jacque]

I'm thinking there are more ticks there than LiveCode for Android is capable of.
Like the Teleohony and Touch variations.
I'll have to research more on what those are
and how to identify them in LiveCode for Android.

They are explained here near the bottom of the page: http://developer.android.com/guide/topi ... ement.html. You can use the links at the left to also look up the permissions requirements.

It's Android document standards for apps and NOT LiveCode extra features.

So even though I use the camera I don't HAVE to tick the camera.
But its best to do so to let peeps know at installation.

You should tick the camera if your app uses it. It informs the OS that your app needs to support the API for camera functions.

[BarrySumpter]

Excellent!

Many thanks for the continued support.

Wonder if there is a way to automatically check all these tick boxes based upon LiveCode commands etc.

[SimpleLife]

Can we have an actual working example of a basic xml file for livecode?

My project is not creating one!

After it builds the classes etc. it says;
unable to build app for testing:
could not generate package manifest

It does not explain why!