2022 was an exciting and eventful year at JourneyApps. We solidified our position as RealWear’s preferred development platform. We also launched a host of other features and improvements this year - here are some of the highlights:
JourneyApps Announced as RealWear’s Preferred Development Platform
This year, we took our partnership with RealWear to the next level: RealWear officially announced that JourneyApps is the preferred development platform for creating bespoke apps for RealWear devices.
JourneyApps has empowered RealWear customers to explore innovative uses of their devices, getting frontline workers access to cutting-edge technologies.
For JourneyApps customers, our partnership with RealWear opened up the opportunity to use RealWear’s rugged wearable devices as all apps are now automatically voice-controllable.
Auto Voice Engine for RealWear
One of our biggest feature releases this year was the auto voice engine for RealWear.
Apps could now be shipped with automatically-generated voice commands. Users can say what they see to “click” buttons, select list items, or take pictures without any work required by developers. In addition to the default voice commands, developers can configure new patterns that best suit their specific app, from app-wide voice inputs to voice commands for a single component.
The Auto Voice Engine has four key functionalities:
- Automatically generated voice commands for UI elements (which can be customized).
- Visual highlighting of UI elements as they are selected by users, resulting in more intuitive app navigation.
- An automated “app help” system that displays the voice commands available to users wherever they are in the app.
- A voice debugging window on Windows or macOS for developers to see which voice commands are being registered on each view without having to use a RealWear device.
See these functionalities in action:
A New Grid Component for More Flexible View Layouts
The newly launched grid UI component gave developers more control over the layout of UI components in a view. This has proven useful when there is a need to customize the width of UI components respective to other components on the view (where previously columns kept each component’s width equal). grid could also be used to compile components in a way that is similar to the layout of icons on a phone’s home screen.
grid includes the following functionality:
- A basic grid layout component with a specified maximum number of columns.
- A grid contains a number of cells that can span multiple columns or rows.
- The row height is equal to the height of the largest component inside the specific row.
- You have the option to wrap columns on smaller screens or enable scrolling.
- Content is aligned to the top of cells.
Read more about it here.
Introduction of BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Support
In July we released our new Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support. BLE support allows users to scan for and connect to nearby BLE devices in real time. This has opened up use cases where the app needs data from connected BLE hardware or sensors.
BLE support documentation is available here.
Access Accelerometer Device Data From JS/TS
We introduced the ability for developers to access accelerometer, orientation, and compass data from iOS and Android devices. This sensor data allows developers to customize their app UI or logic based on factors such as the acceleration, angle, or direction of users’ mobile devices.
More information can be found here.
New UI Controls For the List Component
The list component is highly versatile and visually appealing — it can be scanned more easily than a table, especially on smaller screens. This year we updated the list component to include search functionality and pagination which allows you to specify how many list items a user sees per page and also makes it easier to find what they are looking for.
These controls make list a perfect substitute for object-table for mobile phone screens, providing a more intuitive experience for users in the field.
You Can Now Use Azure Repos for Source Control (Beta)
One of our most recent releases is the ability to use Azure Repos as your source control provider in JourneyApps. Once it is set up, you can use Azure Repos to manage pull requests and more while developing in OXIDE. We also added an “Integrations” interface in the Admin Portal to manage your integrations with Azure Repos and GitHub. Finally, apps can also now easily be converted from GitHub to Azure Repos (and vice versa).
TypeScript Apps: View Build Logs in OXIDE
We launched the ability for TypeScript (TS) app developers to inspect the logs of the build process in OXIDE. This has made it easier to review and access build errors and spend less time fixing issues in code.
Additionally, error lines are now automatically detected and underlined, and clicking them will take you directly to the error within your code. This is applicable to regular TS files in apps, as well as TS App Packages (with some minor differences).
Also, build logs can be accessed by clicking on one of the deploy pills (Backend, CloudCode, or Update Service) under the “Deploy Logs” for a deployment, or by opening the “Live Build Logs” panel.
Define Sync Rules And Data ACLs In A Single File With Data Rules
This year we introduced data rules. Data rules are a combination of sync rules and Access Control Lists (ACLs), specified in a single XML document. Specifically, data rules allow you to specify not only which data is synced to devices (as sync rules currently do) but also allow you to define granular read and write permissions on individual data buckets and models. Data rules, therefore, provide more control over what data users have access to and make apps more secure by default.
Read more about data rules here.
And that’s it for 2022. Wishing you a happy holiday season and a successful 2023.
