Compile flows to separate APKs

[psydex]

Me too!

want to render one flow and one group into APK

[jiehooni]

+1

I just started using Augomagic yesterday, and I already like it very much, intuitive...
It will be great to sell separate plug-in to make the Flow as an .apk so that other people who are not comfortable with coding can use the app.

[Mar]

+1

Me too.

[lchiocca]

I'm actually against it for a couple of reasons:

* Creating an APK for other people makes other people NOT buy automagic. You could also bypass buying it by downloading the EAP version and creating you "flows" and not buy the software.
* Created APKs would not get "upgrades"
* If there is a bug in the generated APK then people would start blaming automagic, which is something I really don't want to see
* Technical reason: APK need to be signed with a public/private key-pair. If Martin uses a generic key-pair (or a test key-pair), the this would be an open door for hacker to feed malicious code into your phone. If he uses different key-pairs per automagic installation, then the user that generated the APK would need to make sure the key-pair needs to be backed up, which is something a dev would do, but not a normal user.
* The current "flow sharing" feature is more that enough more the standard user. If you want to share a flow, then tell the other user to buy automagic and give him/her the flows as xml

This is my opinion, but I hope that people that "+1"ed this feature might see that this is a "problematic" feature that has implications.

[Wibbly]

I'm actually against it for a couple of reasons:

...

This is my opinion, but I hope that people that "+1"ed this feature might see that this is a "problematic" feature that has implications.

Good to see different opinions discussed. My 2C is as follows (to your points):

1. Creating an APK for other people makes other people NOT buy automagic. You could also bypass buying it by downloading the EAP version and creating you "flows" and not buy the software.

- So that Martin doesn't lose out, I would support a scenario where there was, say, an "APK maker" companion app that was licenced separatately in some way. The normal downloaded (or the non-paid for) version of Automagic does not need to be capable of creating APKs. I would even be happy to pay for Automagic for the end user, but there is no simple way to do this, as the user must buy it from their own Goggle Pay account (see below).

As I suggested above maybe there could instead be a AM 'runtime' for free in Google Play. This would be able to import and execute "runtime flows". Again it's not so much about the money - runtime flows could have a binary format I would have to pay extra to generate (AM in-app purchase?)? This isn't strictly a stand-alone APK then, but means the flows are not editable at least.

2. Created APKs would not get "upgrades"

- Although not currently the concept of Automagic as far as I know (it's not a development platform), those who create APKs are responsible for upgrades, just like with any other app that's created by a dev

3. If there is a bug in the generated APK then people would start blaming automagic, which is something I really don't want to see

- APKs do not have to 'look like' they were created by Automagic to the end user. It's the dev of the APK that gets blamed

4. Technical reason: APK need to be signed with a public/private key-pair. If Martin uses a generic key-pair (or a test key-pair), the this would be an open door for hacker to feed malicious code into your phone. If he uses different key-pairs per automagic installation, then the user that generated the APK would need to make sure the key-pair needs to be backed up, which is something a dev would do, but not a normal user.

How do other apps do this, like Tasker? The AM run-time idea above would also address this.

And there is another tech issue. I would expect a simple APK generator to ask for ALL the permissions that Automagic requires, unless it's clever enough to work out the permissions required for the flows in the APK. So the resulting APKs are a bit 'dirty', so to say. But I see an APK generator being used to help out people you know, rather than become apps you sell on the Google Play store

5. The current "flow sharing" feature is more that enough more the standard user. If you want to share a flow, then tell the other user to buy automagic and give him/her the flows as xml

Yes, this is always an option, and the only option today. My ask for APK is to be able to give a friend a set of flows and not make them buy the app. An option would be to donate the cost of Automagic to their Play account and ask them to buy it, but this is complicated. So my own ask for APK generation is to be able to 'simply' pass an APK to to a friend to help them out with some automation - I don't mind if *I* have to pay for it, somehow, so long as it's easy for the end the user.

[MURTUMA]

The reason I +1'ed this is because some people are just too dumb technically to make even simplest of flows themselves, but still would benefit greatly from them. Lets say my mom and grandmom for example. Its already hard enough for my g.mom to use her phone and she would benefit greatly from low level of automation.

Martin said in the past that flows require the am runtime to work and that would require a companion app. Because technically dumb people are highly unlikely to ever root their phone or even know what rooting is, components that require root could be stripped from the companion app along with the editor.

[lchiocca]

I understand all you points as well . I've seen other developers stop their great tools, because there is no monetary incentive to it (people circumventing the small payment). I'm simply "afraid" that opening that door might cause some troubles for him and that he stops adding features/maintaining this really great tool. A really good plan is needed for this feature to happen, so that all parties are happy.

[Wibbly]

I think Martin will only implement things he is happy with .

Reading through the thread again, I would indeed be happy with an AM run time APK, as a free app, that executes flows exported in some way from the main AM app. And I would probably pay a reasonable in-app charge for this export capability, if necessary. A free AM run time from the Play Store has the advantage that the user doesn't have to allow side-loading of APKs/apps either . Presumably they could download the run time and then, in principle, click on an exported set of flows sent to them via email and that's it?

But I don't see that us getting or not getting this feature is a real deal-beaker, either way. It's a "nice to have" if it's not too difficult to implement and maintain.

[maxxyypoo]

+1

[Mar]

+1