mirror of
https://github.com/google/pebble.git
synced 2025-03-28 05:47:46 +00:00
265 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
265 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
---
|
||
# Copyright 2025 Google LLC
|
||
#
|
||
# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
|
||
# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
|
||
# You may obtain a copy of the License at
|
||
#
|
||
# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
|
||
#
|
||
# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
|
||
# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
|
||
# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
|
||
# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
|
||
# limitations under the License.
|
||
|
||
title: The Road to Pebble SDK 3.0 in Ten Questions
|
||
author: thomas
|
||
tags:
|
||
- Freshly Baked
|
||
date: 2015-04-03
|
||
banner: /images/blog/road30-banner.png
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
We launched the first version of our new SDK with support for Pebble Time two
|
||
days into our Kickstarter campaign. Since then, we have updated it every week,
|
||
releasing six iterations of our developer preview. Some of these versions
|
||
included major new features like support for color in the emulator and support
|
||
for the timeline. Some other features were more subtle, like the new
|
||
antialiased drawing mode and the updates to the animation system. All these
|
||
changes together, and a bunch more that you have not seen yet, will form the
|
||
SDK that you will use to build watchfaces, watchapps and timeline apps for all
|
||
models of Pebble watches in the coming months.
|
||
|
||
These updates include lots of changes, and no matter how hard we try to
|
||
document everything there are a lot of unanswered questions. Some subjects have
|
||
just not been addressed by the developer previews yet, some need more
|
||
explaining and as always there are things we just missed in our communication
|
||
efforts.
|
||
|
||
In this update, I want to answer publicly the most frequent questions received
|
||
from the community in the last few weeks. I will cover components that have
|
||
been released but also those that are still to come so you have the information
|
||
needed to plan ahead and prepare your apps for the Pebble Time launch.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
## What is the “timeline” shown in the Kickstarter video and how can I plug into it?
|
||
|
||
The timeline is a system-provided app that allows the user to navigate through
|
||
important events in their near future and their past.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Apps have a very important role to play in the timeline. All Pebble apps (but
|
||
not companion apps that use our native PebbleSDK on Android and iOS) can push
|
||
“pins” to the timeline. From a developer perspective, pins are just a block of
|
||
JSON which describes the information to show to the user and what layout to use
|
||
to display the information (generic, calendar, sports or weather). Pins can
|
||
also include notifications that will be shown to the user when the pin is
|
||
created or updated on the watch, and reminders that can trigger at a specific
|
||
time. Finally pins can have actions attached to them. Actions can open a
|
||
Pebble app with a `uint32` parameter.
|
||
|
||
You can experiment with pins in CloudPebble’s new “Timeline” tab or with the
|
||
command line SDK and the `pebble insert-pin` command. For documentation, refer
|
||
to our [“Understanding Timeline Pins”](/guides/pebble-timeline/pin-structure/)
|
||
guide. Once you have nailed down what you want your pins to look and feel like
|
||
you can start pushing them via a public HTTP API. This API requires that your
|
||
app is submitted on the Pebble appstore; that is also how you get your API key
|
||
to use the timeline API. We have built a [Node.js
|
||
library](https://github.com/pebble/pebble-api-node) to make this easier and
|
||
David Moreau has already shared a
|
||
[PHP library](https://github.com/dav-m85/pebble-api-php/).
|
||
|
||
We also have a number of examples to help you get started:
|
||
|
||
* A very simple [timeline hello
|
||
world](https://github.com/pebble-examples/hello-timeline) that shows how
|
||
to push a pin every time you press a button in your app
|
||
* A [TV show tracker](https://github.com/pebble-examples/timeline-tv-tracker/)
|
||
that announces your favorite tv show and lets users click on the pins to
|
||
increase the number of viewers in realtime.
|
||
|
||
Get started now with our [Getting started with Timeline
|
||
post](/blog/2015/03/20/Getting-Started-With-Timeline/) or join us at the next
|
||
[Pebble SF developer meetup](http://www.meetup.com/PebbleSF/) on April 24th
|
||
where we will do a walkthrough of how to build a timeline app. If you are unable
|
||
to make it, you can also find this session on our [YouTube
|
||
channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFnawAsyEiux7oPWvGPJCJQ).
|
||
|
||
As a side note, many people have asked us what will happen if their app does
|
||
not integrate with the timeline. The new Pebble system still includes a main
|
||
menu in which all the apps will appear and they can be still be launched from
|
||
there.
|
||
|
||
## How can I build apps with transitions and animations like the ones shown in the Kickstarter videos?
|
||
|
||
The user interface in the new OS is full of extremely rich animations, and of
|
||
course we are not limiting them to the system applications. We want all apps to
|
||
take advantage of them and to achieve that, we are investing a lot of effort.
|
||
|
||
An essential part of all the animations is the core graphics framework used to
|
||
draw shapes, text and images. We have improved it a lot in recent weeks with
|
||
[much better support for animations](/guides/graphics-and-animations/animations),
|
||
[anti-aliasing and stroke width](/guides/graphics-and-animations/drawing-primitives-images-and-text/),
|
||
color bitmap handling and a lot of bugfixes and performance improvements.
|
||
|
||
Upcoming releases of the SDK will add the new UI components that you saw in the
|
||
Kickstarter video:
|
||
|
||
* A new MenuLayer with support for color, infinite scrolling (i.e. looping back
|
||
to the top), and new animations 
|
||
* A new ActionBar (available this week in developer preview 6!) that is wider,
|
||
takes the full height of the screen, and includes some new animations. 
|
||
* An ActionMenuWindow which is a full screen component to select an action in a
|
||
list. This is the same UI used to select an action on a pin or a
|
||
notification, and it is available to all apps. 
|
||
* A StatusBarLayer that gives you much more control over the status bar,
|
||
including the ability to animate it and add goodies like a progress indicator
|
||
and a card counter for the card pattern. 
|
||
* Cards are not really a UI Component but more of a standard pattern, seen in
|
||
the Weather app in the Kickstarter video and we expect that a lot more apps
|
||
will want to re-use it because it is an extremely efficient way to represent
|
||
information and looks very good! We will have a full example available to you
|
||
very soon showing how to build this type of app. 
|
||
|
||
For more information on the design of apps in SDK 3.0, we are putting the
|
||
finishing touches on a completely new design guide. Stay tuned!
|
||
|
||
## What is up with the icons on Pebble Time? Can I use these effects in my applications?
|
||
|
||
A lot of the new design aesthetic is provided by icons, and those icons are not
|
||
your usual bitmap file. They animate during transitions to give a level of life
|
||
and personality never seen in any User Interface framework before.
|
||
|
||
They are vector based animations and we came up with a complete new set of APIs
|
||
called Pebble Drawing Commands, as well as a new file format (.pdc) to
|
||
implement them. Compared to bitmap icons they can be automatically animated by
|
||
the system depending on the context: the same icon can explode on the screen,
|
||
regroup into a dot or fly through one of the screen edges; all of this in a
|
||
fraction of the space it would normally take to do such effects with animated
|
||
PNGs.
|
||
|
||
We will be providing a large set of icons that you can use in your timeline
|
||
pins and in your apps. You will also be able to make your own animated icons to
|
||
play in your app.
|
||
|
||
|
||
## What is really happening when I compile an app today to be compatible with all Pebbles?
|
||
|
||
With the current version of the Pebble SDK, we compile your apps once with SDK
|
||
2.9 for Aplite (Pebble and Pebble Steel) and once with SDK 3.0 for Basalt
|
||
(Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel). This means that your apps can have a
|
||
different look on each platform. This is going to be even more true as we
|
||
introduce the new UI components in the next few releases.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
However, as soon as we provide official support for Aplite in SDK 3.0, we will
|
||
start compiling against the same set of APIs and the UI components will have
|
||
similar sizes, look and behavior.
|
||
|
||
All the new software features of Pebble Time will be available on the original
|
||
Pebble, including the timeline, as well as the new UI components, PNG, Pebble
|
||
Drawing Commands, unlimited apps, AppFaces, etc. Of course features that are
|
||
hardware-dependent (such as the microphone) will not be supported on Aplite.
|
||
|
||
We encourage everyone to maintain support for both Aplite and Basalt in their
|
||
source code. You can easily do it with `#ifdef` calls. If you just want to
|
||
freeze your Aplite app as it is today and focus on your Basalt app this will be
|
||
possible too with a new feature in the build process coming in the near future.
|
||
|
||
## What are AppFaces and when can we use them?
|
||
|
||
AppFaces are previews of your app that are displayed in the launcher before the
|
||
user starts your app. To use them, your app will need to support being launched
|
||
without a UI to update the AppFace.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
AppFaces will not be part of Pebble SDK when we launch Pebble Time. Your apps
|
||
will just appear with their name until we add this API at a later stage. This
|
||
also means that your app icons defined in the appinfo.json are not used with
|
||
the new launcher (but they will still appear on Aplite until 3.0 ships for
|
||
Aplite).
|
||
|
||
## When can we start interacting with smartstraps?
|
||
|
||
We have released a lot of [mechanical and electrical information about
|
||
smartstraps](/smartstraps/) but no APIs yet. You will quickly find out that
|
||
without software support, the smartstrap does not get any power.
|
||
|
||
We are working hard with our first smartstrap partners to finalize the
|
||
specifications for this API. If you want to be a part of this discussion,
|
||
[please make yourself known!](/contact)
|
||
|
||
## How can I get my hands on Pebble Time? When will users get them?
|
||
|
||
If you did not order one on Kickstarter you can register on [our
|
||
website]({{ site.links.pebble }}/pebble_time/) to be notified as soon as they are
|
||
available for normal orders. We will ship every Kickstarter pledge before we
|
||
start selling them on the Pebble website. If you ordered one through the
|
||
Kickstarter campaign, we are working hard to get it to you as soon as possible.
|
||
|
||
As you know if you are a Kickstarter backer, Pebble Time starts shipping in May.
|
||
|
||
As a developer, you already have access to the emulator. It includes everything
|
||
you need to work on your app. If you are missing anything, [contact us](/contact).
|
||
With only about a month left, there is no time to lose!
|
||
|
||
## What about PebbleKit for iOS and Android? Any improvements?
|
||
|
||
We decided to focus all our efforts on the new UI framework and the timeline.
|
||
There are no functional changes to PebbleKit in SDK 3.0. However, all Android
|
||
apps must be recompiled with the new PebbleKit Android library to be compatible
|
||
with Pebble Time. If you do not recompile, your app will not work with Pebble
|
||
Time.
|
||
|
||
We have lots of plans for PebbleKit in the future and hope to share them
|
||
with you soon.
|
||
|
||
If you have suggestions for APIs you’d like to see, please
|
||
[contact us](/contact)
|
||
|
||
## Will developers have access to the microphone? What can we do with it?
|
||
|
||
Absolutely. We will give developers access to our speech-to-text APIs. You will
|
||
be able to show a UI to start a recording and your app will receive the text
|
||
spoken by the user. This API is coming soon™ - not in 3.0.
|
||
|
||
We are considering other APIs such as direct microphone access. Stay tuned for
|
||
more information on those.
|
||
|
||
## Can we submit apps for Pebble Time to the Pebble appstore now?
|
||
|
||
No, you should not. As long as you are using a developer preview SDK, the APIs
|
||
are non-final and apps built with the developer preview SDK may not work with
|
||
the final firmware and SDK shipped with Pebble Time.
|
||
|
||
Once the APIs are stable, we will announce a final SDK and encourage everyone
|
||
to push applications built with the final SDK to the Pebble appstore.
|
||
|
||
## Want more answers?
|
||
|
||
For more questions and answers, such as the future of the `InverterLayer`,
|
||
information on floating point support or whether Pebble is really powered by
|
||
unicorns and rainbows, please take a look at this [/r/pebbledevelopers
|
||
thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/pebbledevelopers/comments/314uvg/what_would_you_like_to_know_about_pebble_sdk_30/).
|
||
|
||
Much thanks to all the developers who contributed questions to prepare this
|
||
blog post!
|
||
|
||
If there is anything else you would like to know, [this
|
||
thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/pebbledevelopers/comments/314uvg/what_would_you_like_to_know_about_pebble_sdk_30/)
|
||
is just [one]({{site.links.forums_developer}}) [of
|
||
the](https://twitter.com/pebbledev) [many
|
||
ways](/contact) [to get in touch](http://www.meetup.com/pro/pebble/)
|
||
with us and get answers!
|