App shortcut deletion

[james-s-w-clark]

"Backup/note down your app shortcuts on your launcher (if you disable an app it is removed from the launcher)"

Could also recommend installing and switching to a lightweight launcher (e.g. Lawnchair: https://github.com/LawnchairLauncher/Lawnchair/releases), and then switching back to previous launcher.

[james-s-w-clark]

Oh, maybe the current launcher app could be disabled first. This way, it gets disabled before other apps get disabled. So, it wouldn't be active to know which apps were disabled then enabled, and thus no shortcuts should have been removed when the launcher is reenabled.

[stooone]

I updated the README with the alternative launcher idea, nice trick!

I'm now against disabling the launcher during the whole process because:

• it the script is terminated during hte run the user can left without a launcher (I know that I can use trap, but somehow I don't feel good about this)
• that way two application are disabled during the test, not just one, so the experiment isn't clean

But I'll think about it in the following days.

[james-s-w-clark]

I was thinking you could embed this script in an app which displays progress (5 of 24 apps tested, 5 minutes remaining) as stuff goes on in the background. If it's all open source, users could be OK with that (rather than running the script from the terminal, which they may trust more).

If each app is tested for 30s, you could display a 30s advert for every one - shouldn't affect app-specfic wakelock detection, and would generate a good kickback for you whilst benefitting the user at no cost to them (assuming they have unlimited data or whatever).

Edit: If an app was made, it could handle launcher install/transition, but again users could get suspicious (even if open source).

[stooone]

I was thinking about the same yesterday, but I lack of time and Android programming skills (last time I was writing something for Android is was for Donut:)). Do you have the skills and time to do this?

[james-s-w-clark]

I think regarding unclean testing of having 2 apps disabled, you could work around this by:

1. disable launcher (until end of trial)
2. go through each app
3. at end of list, test just the launcher

But the problem could be with launcher/app interaction (via widgets), so yeah, not super clean this way.

Could provide multiple methods of running

• safe mode (less accurate, disable launcher at start)
• accurate mode (use alternate launcher)

But overall it's just easier if the user changes launcher themselves. They should be able to do that, if they're looking into wakelock detection at this level haha

[james-s-w-clark]

Actually, my android dev skills aren't too hot either. I think I need to go away, follow tutorials, make some basic apps, then I can come back to this and whip something up - unless anyone else is interested ;)

P.S. I remember reading about Eclair, Fudge, Gingerbread, (forgot Honeycomb) - but I think Donut is so old I never really heard about it haha

[stooone]

Did some tests and it seems that if I force close the launcher app and then disable/enable apps and don't leave the terminal (thus not starting the launcher) then shortcuts preserves. Will do more experiments and add this to the script.

[james-s-w-clark]

That's really good to hear!
Would it be possible to have the script pop up a few choices in the terminal at first, and then proceed according to the user's choice (e.g. selected option 1/2/3/4)
e.g.
[1] "Do not exit script mode"
[2] "I already backed up my launcher mode"
[3] ...

[stooone]

pop up a few users

???

[james-s-w-clark]

pop up a few users

???

Sorry, I don't know why I typed that! I just ate a big dinner so maybe all the blood went from my head to my stomach haha. Edited my comment to make more sense now!