Developer Wish List

[Habhome]

In this thread I am going to compile a list of what features we as developers would like if Creative gave us access to, so we can create even more awesome apps. Feel free to post here with additions to the list.
Making this list may aid us to actually make this happen.
As I myself am not sure of what would be wanted (I am just a beginner after all) I hope some of you others have it more clear.
Also if somebody have suggestions for how to improve this list in other ways than adding to it, feel free to share your ideas.

The list:
(All entries are linked to the original post suggesting them)

• Image rotation & alpha altering
• io.lines fix -> read each line, including the last one
• screen.drawline fix -> make last parameter work
• file io: read directories
• support for audio formats other than 44.1kHz stereo .wav
• The addition of the C and Auxillary libraries in their entirety.
• The addition of the Lua-GD library.
• fix for the drawpixel x,y < 0 crash error
• Messages about change of state: control.isGoingToSleep(), control.isShutingDown()
• More control over screenbuffer: screen.getPixel(x, y)
• Ability to make images on runtime:
• image.create(width, height, data{})
• Image creation from screen(eg screen shot)
• Image.Save()
• More memory available for the lua stack
• control.read(1,<ms until timeout>)
• support for either animated gif or animated png
• screen.update() automatically check to see if a frame has been displayed in the last 33ms before trying to display a new one
• Millisecond standard timing
• os.clock fix -> should return the time passed since the app's initiation
• image.draw(x,y,srcx,srcy,srcwidth,srcheight) fix to work in different orientations, also the function itself seems to be in need of fixing
• Unicode support in applications
• Access to the battery status, so we can display battery info[NEW]
• Multitasking, run apps in background[NEW]
• Ability to load fonts[NEW]
• Ability to use the player's screen lock in apps[NEW]

[CrowdAds]

[ZaPx64]

- Image rotation & alpha altering
- io.lines fix -> read each line, including the last one
- screen.drawline fix -> make last parameter work
- file io: read directories

I think there is a lot more to change that I don't remember now

[ultrauber]

How did this get stickied so fast? Oh you're a mod, I see. I don't own the xfi but from what I've heard it seems like there's certain lua libraries everyone wants imported, like some 3d engine thing. I think it might be a good idea for them to support sound files for apps in formats other than 1411 wav-pcm, because if someone wanted to have a big selection of background music for a game or something, they could use smaller files and eliminate the requirement of having a 500mb app.

[Habhome]

Originally Posted by ZaPx64

- Image rotation & alpha altering
- io.lines fix -> read each line, including the last one
- screen.drawline fix -> make last parameter work
- file io: read directories

I think there is a lot more to change that I don't remember now

Adding these to the list. If you remember any more, don't hesitate to post them here.

Originally Posted by ultrauber

How did this get stickied so fast? Oh you're a mod, I see. I don't own the xfi but from what I've heard it seems like there's certain lua libraries everyone wants imported, like some 3d engine thing. I think it might be a good idea for them to support sound files for apps in formats other than 1411 wav-pcm, because if someone wanted to have a big selection of background music for a game or something, they could use smaller files and eliminate the requirement of having a 500mb app.

Yes, it's because I'm a mod =P I'll add the sound support thing, but for the 3D engine there need to be more specific information I believe.

[Tetrajak]

The addition of the C and Auxillary libraries in their entirety.
The addition of the Lua-GD library.
Oh, and a fix for the drawpixel x,y < 0 crash error.

[delirius]

I would like to see at least some of these features implemented.

Messages about change of state:
- control.isGoingToSleep()
- control.isShutingDown()
or at least do not allow player to freeze while left unatended for some time.


More control over screenbuffer
- screen.getPixel(x, y)

Ability to make images on runtime
- image.create(width, height, data{})

[ThievingSix]

-Image creation from screen(eg screen shot)
-Image.Save()
-More memory available for the lua stack
-control.read(1,<ms until timeout>)

[cilmaviel]

-support for either animated gif or animated png would be useful.

i have been testing some things with screen.update() and if you only display or update the screen once every 33ms (30 fps) then you can get huge performance increases, so...
-screen.update() automatically check to see if a frame has been displayed in the last 33ms before trying to display a new one.

[ThievingSix]

Originally Posted by cilmaviel

i have been testing some things with screen.update() and if you only display or update the screen once every 33ms (30 fps) then you can get huge performance increases, so...
-screen.update() automatically check to see if a frame has been displayed in the last 33ms before trying to display a new one.

Ha! You caught that too. If we had ms timing we could emulate that easily ourselves.

Actually something to add to the list:

-Millisecond standard timing

[bzdbbb]

os.clock to work

[ThievingSix]

os.clock works, just not the way we want it.

[Habhome]

Originally Posted by ThievingSix

os.clock works, just not the way we want it.

So we would like it to work differently? Could you specify how it should be changed so I can add it to the list?

[bzdbbb]

os.clock doesn't work ¬_¬ it always gives the same value on the player, even though it works on the sim. What it should do is give the amount of time the app has been running in milliseconds.

[ThievingSix]

It gives the time the os has been running, not our application scripts. I think, I haven't used it in a while.

[bzdbbb]

It would also be nice, but not essential, to add the +=, -=, *= etc operators, they can save so much time :P

[Tetrajak]

Originally Posted by bzdbbb

It would also be nice, but not essential, to add the +=, -=, *= etc operators, they can save so much time :P

They weren't implemented in Lua itself. There's an explanation as to why this is on the main Lua site.

EDIT: It'd be good if the image.draw(x,y,srcx,srcy,srcwidth,srcheight) worked on orientations other than the default 0 (landscape). The function doesn't use the source x,y position from which the image is supposed to draw and instead uses 0,0 within the image. So if you wanted to draw a part of an image in portrait view it will always give you a piece from the top left corner of size srcwidth, swrcheight instead of from the position within the image of srcx,srcy.

[delirius]

Originally Posted by Tetrajak

They weren't implemented in Lua itself. There's an explanation as to why this is on the main Lua site.

EDIT: It'd be good if the image.draw(x,y,srcx,srcy,srcwidth,srcheight) worked on orientations other than the default 0 (landscape). The function doesn't use the source x,y position from which the image is supposed to draw and instead uses 0,0 within the image. So if you wanted to draw a part of an image in portrait view it will always give you a piece from the top left corner of size srcwidth, swrcheight instead of from the position within the image of srcx,srcy.

-------------------------[drawing one tile]------------------------
-- standart creative image:draw is weird:
-- (against their own specification in pdf)
-- image:draw(x,y,imx,imy,imw,imh)
-- it works this way:
-- x, y = offset of image on screen (where would be left upper corner of full image positioned on screen)
-- imx, imy = screen coordinates of upper left corner of scissor rectangle
-- imw, imh = width and height of scissor rectangle

-- (i fixed this is by their specifications)
-- my function is different:
-- x,y are coords of image part on screen
-- imx, imy are coords of upper left corner of part in image coord system
-- imw, imh are width and height of part cut from image

function drawtile(image,x,y,imx,imy,imw,imh)
   image:draw(x-imx,y-imy,x,y,imw,imh)
end

So what i want is, Creative to fix either specs or function.

[Habhome]

So, a new firmware is out. If any of you guys notice that any of the things on our list have been added please inform about it here so I can scratch it from the list.

[llaurrentt]

What about unicode support ???
The device itself is capable since it does displaying ID3 tags!

[gadon]

1) Access to the battery status, so we can display battery info

2) Ability to run apps in background so users can go back and change music, then come back to the running app exactly where they left it

3) Different fonts - ability to load fonts

4) Screen lock functionality like the player's auto lock