Windows 10 universal app

Discussions around the Gospel Library application for Windows for Desktop and Mobile

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pahollow
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:48 pm

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#21

Post by pahollow »

Windows 10 is released now and WinGL works well. Just wondering now if the tabs feature that is under construction can be completed? Also I have noticed that trying to login to the forums in the new Microsoft Edge browser is a bit unstable but if you switch to Internet Explorer mode it seems to work well enough.

I am guessing we must be close to completion of the beta now? It is still a bit buggy needing to be uninstalled and reinstalled a bit but overall pretty good.

Finally it would be good to see sheet music view on the phone version (5-6" size screen) when using it in landscape (screen rotation) obviously in portrait screen orientation it would not fit. Kudos so far very good! Next up Xbox One version...
pahollow
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:48 pm

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#22

Post by pahollow »

The finished universal WinGL is good but noticed that sometimes the features vary on PC, mobile phone and slate. The sheet music view is not available on every desktop for example.
ToManyLetters
Senior Member
Posts: 530
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 1:16 pm

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#23

Post by ToManyLetters »

This is unavoidable. Despite being "universal", the fact is that the APIs and feature sets of Windows and Windows Phone are very different. We have tried to implement the sheet music feature on phones, but it was completely unusable, even on high end phones. We're looking forward to see if Windows 10 allows us any more flexibility here, but I wouldn't get too hopeful, to be frank. Optimization comes before feature parity. If the feature makes sense and can function well enough on phones, tablet features will come to phones. If they don't, they don't.

It's really that simple.

The beta feature, sheet music view, is available on all tablet, desktop, and laptop devices which are running the most recent version of the beta app from the Store.
Just wondering now if the tabs feature that is under construction can be completed?
This feature will be worked on again when we have a developer free to work on it. Most of the volunteer time has been spent on fixing bugs and preparing for the release of the updated Windows Phone version.
Next up Xbox One version...
No, next up is feature parity, stabilization, and a movement to a new content platform. We've got a LOT of work ahead of us before we even look at the XBOX One.
Learn more about Gospel Library for Windows 10 Beta at the link below:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Gospel_Library_for_Windows_10
egnlsn
Member
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:33 pm
Location: Taylorsville, UT

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#24

Post by egnlsn »

Just wondering how this project is coming.
CIAO!

Ed Nielsen
ToManyLetters
Senior Member
Posts: 530
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 1:16 pm

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#25

Post by ToManyLetters »

It is moving along. We are still waiting on the new content source to even release a public preview of the new app. It may be some time before the new content is available, but we continue work on the new app so that it will take less time to be ready after the new content is available.
Learn more about Gospel Library for Windows 10 Beta at the link below:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Gospel_Library_for_Windows_10
egnlsn
Member
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:33 pm
Location: Taylorsville, UT

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#26

Post by egnlsn »

Thank you for the update, and thank you so much to you and the whole team for all of your hard work.
CIAO!

Ed Nielsen
mlz01
New Member
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 10:16 am

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#27

Post by mlz01 »

I haven't read this whole thread but wanted to comment. I hope that a windows app that is fully functioning is coming soon! I have used android versions and ipad versions of the gospel library app. They are awesome. Last year I switched to a microsoft surface pro thinking I would be able to study my scriptures on there since there is a windows gospel library app. I was so disappointed when I saw it. It is no where near the same as the android and ipad versions. I was so sad that I switched devices because one of the main things I use my tablet for is to study my scriptures. I wish there had been a disclaimer on the gospel library windows app that says it is not as good as ipad and android versions. I probably wouldn't have switched to the surface pro had I known that. I was sad to hear that the developers are volunteers who are trying their hardest. I wish the church was able to put all the same efforts into the windows version that the android and ipad versions have. I know so many people that are switching to windows tablets so I wish the windows version was similar to the android and ipad versions. I now study my scriptures on my android phone. It is hard because the screen is so small but it is fully functional and works much better. I don't even open the gospel library app on my surface or take it to church. Compared to the android and ipad versions it's pretty useless to me right now as it is. Thank you to everyone working on the app. I just wish you had more resources.
egnlsn
Member
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:33 pm
Location: Taylorsville, UT

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#28

Post by egnlsn »

Both the Android and IOS apps have been around for quite some time, while the Windows version only for a couple of years. It's come a long way in that short time. First development of this app was for Windows 8.1. Then Windows 10 came along, and they now have 2 operating systems to work on, probably not with double the previous staff, either.

Yes, the staff is volunteer and understaffed, but they are still doing a tremendous job. In time, it will catch up with the other versions.
CIAO!

Ed Nielsen
richardsonkp
New Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 8:31 pm

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#29

Post by richardsonkp »

Thank you for your updates and for all of your donated time and effort. The app is amazing and I am looking forward to the future based on the updates you described. A few questions, what is the 'content delivery' function you describe? Is that how the content is delivered to the app like new conference talks every 6 months, etc? Are you thinking this is a multi-month activity to get to the next major release or a 2017 type timeframe?

Is the beta app available in the Microsoft store the most up to date preview?

Any way non-coders like myself can contribute to the activity?

Once again thank you very much for your service developing and upgrading this app!
ToManyLetters
Senior Member
Posts: 530
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 1:16 pm

Re: Windows 10 universal app

#30

Post by ToManyLetters »

A few questions, what is the 'content delivery' function you describe? Is that how the content is delivered to the app like new conference talks every 6 months, etc?
The content delivery we're talking about is basically twofold. There's a team that works on creating content that the Gospel Library applications on iOS, Android, and Windows, as well as lds.org can see. This is the stuff you get to download for offline use. Their preparation of the content is what makes it possible to create, store, and synchronize any annotations you have for a piece of content to your LDS Account. As new content gets created and older content gets updated, the apps receive a notice that some piece of content needs to be updated or made newly available. For example, just in the last week, the content team made the Gospel Topics Essays available in the application. These now show up and you can access them, annotate them, etc.

What is going on--and what is causing our team as much grief as it is--is that the content team is drastically changing how it delivers content and, as a result, how it synchronizes your annotations. This does have many benefits, but is putting quite a burden on the developers. Ideally, users won't have much of an idea that anything has changed, and indeed, I believe the iOS and Android teams are basically aiming to have an app that looks and operates basically the same way when that new content is finally available. However, the code change requirement for the Windows version of the app is so substantial that it was drastically easier to just start our entire app from scratch. This, compounded with some much-needed user interface changes (like replacing the radial menu with something easier to use for most users), have necessitated a new app--what we've interchangeably been calling the "Windows 10" version of the app (as it will require Windows 10) and version 3.x. This app is in development, spreading our already small development team even thinner. In order for us to launch this new app, not only to do we have to have the app working with the new content (this is done), we have to also reach feature parity with the current version of the application. This is probably our biggest struggle, as the current app has quite the number of features. In addition, the new app will introduce several much-requested features at launch, including a "Download All" feature.

At some point in the not too distant future, we will most likely make "Gospel Library Preview" available for public consumption, even before we reach feature parity with the current version of the app, but for now, we've kept the admittedly very rough 3.x app only available to internal testers so that we can work out the particularly egregious bugs before we take it to the public.
Is the beta app available in the Microsoft store the most up to date preview?
It is the most current publically available version of the app, yes.
Any way non-coders like myself can contribute to the activity?
Yes. You can join the Gospel Library Windows project here at tech.lds.org and join our Saturday morning meetings. We can assess the skills you bring to the project and see how you might best contribute. Some people are testers that help to reproduce bugs, find bugs, others are helping with localization, etc.
Once again thank you very much for your service developing and upgrading this app!
Thanks for your thanks!
Learn more about Gospel Library for Windows 10 Beta at the link below:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Gospel_Library_for_Windows_10
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