[WatchApp] PebbleNotes - a Google Tasks client (free/opensource)

Semen Maryasin

Eventually I could not find any free Notes/ToDo app for Pebble. So I decided to create one. Sources are available at GitHub.

  

PebbleNotes is an SDK2 app (Android/IOs agnostic) which allows you to have your ToDo lists created in Google Tasks right on your wrist. It cannot edit or append items to your checklist, but you may mark any item as done or undone.
It supports both iOS and Android phones (well, must support; tested mostly on Android).
Currently it is in beta state, so expect some strange and nasty bugs (and please report them). Also note that many more features are still coming.

How to use it:

1. Create some ToDo lists in Google Tasks using eigher GMail's "Tasks" window or from mobile version, also you may choose to use some native IOs/Android app (GTasks, GTasks HD, NoNonsenceNotes (android), many more...).
2. Download and install PebbleNotes watchapp from Pebble AppStore (or from MyPebbleFaces).
   
3. Open its settings, if they didn't open themself (in Pebble app: Watchapps -> PebbleNotes -> Gear icon)
4. Tap "Log in" button and enter into your Google account. This is neccessary to give the app access to your ToDo lists
5. Done! Now look at your watch - you should see all your tasklists. You may open one of them to see tasks in it, and you may mark tasks as done/undone with middle button.

Known problems

• When you update your tasks, the app will only notice it after reloading tasklist (i.e. open another one and return to previous, or exit program and launch it again).
• It is not recommended to leave tasklist window before it finished loading, as it may cause unpredictable behaviour. Will be fixed.
• I am not a designer nor artist, so UI is ugly. If you have any ideas on UI improvements, feel free to share them here.
• If your tasks contain non-Latin characters, these characters will not show on stock Pebble firmware. You may fix it by using custom firmware from PebbleBits, which also includes non-latin characters in notifications.
  

Upcoming features:

• Handling of nested tasks (in Gmail's interface they are created using Tab key)
• Offline mode, to allow browsing tasklists when there is no internet or even bluetooth connection; also allow you to mark tasks as done during offline and later sync them with Google.
  
• Displaying task details, including its description (thus this program was named "PebbleNotes"!) - Done!
  
• More clean UI (e.g. move status messages to top line of screen)
• Ability to clean finished tasks from list
• Stability improvements

Please feel free to report bugs or suggest new features. This is an early beta now, but must already be useable.

If you would like to support development of this program, feel free to donate.

-- Last updated: 2014-04-16: New version 0.4, added task details displaying support

JustinBean

This is a great idea but when I install it, the web view is blank in the pebble app. Any ideas?

Semen Maryasin

Justin Bean, try opening http://pebble-notes.appspot.com/v1/notes-config.html from any browser on your phone. Will it show?
Also, which PebbleApp version do you use? There were some problems in Beta2 and maybe Beta3 on android, which were fixed in Beta4.

JustinBean

Yeah it shows in safari, still not in the pebble app though. I am on beta 4, iOS 7 jailbroken.

Semen Maryasin

Sorry for delay.
Could you please try this version? It uses simplified config page, in case problems were caused by jquery-mobile.

JustinBean

Still showing up blank in pebble app. Is the latest code up on your github? Would you mind if maybe I poked around in it?

Semen Maryasin

JustinBean, yes, of course - it is under open license. Github contains latest code excluding test version (which differs only in config page url).
BTW, how about other JS configurable apps (like Morpheuz) - are they working on your device?

JustinBean

Yeah morpheuz, spoon and pebblecards' js dashboards display fine.

JustinBean

The problem appears to be in the pebble-app-js.js file where you open the url for dashboard in the app.

Line 389 changed to gets a functioning app dashboard with seemingly working authentication:

Pebble.openURL("http://pebble-notes.appspot.com/v1/notes-config.html#access_token="+g_access_token);

Now when I successfully authenticate the watch app w/ Google, I see my tasks list on my watch but after pushing a button to go down a level deeper, the watch app crashes. After the first time I launch the app and it crashes, the watch app gets stuck on 'Starting...' 

I'll check some logs and see if I can't figure out the issue.

JustinBean

I private messaged you the logs from my runs of the app - hopefully, it's helpful.

Semen Maryasin

Thanks, I can now see the reason of problem. Will try to fix it later today.
As about openUrl bug, could you please also send logs for opening config page from original app version? Looks like problem with Pebble JS json api which only occurs on iOS.

JustinBean

Sure - I'll PM it to you now.

Semen Maryasin

Please test this version: 0.3.1. It must fix at least some of iOS issues (particularly message queueing related, and maybe fix or at least diagnose config window problem).

JustinBean

Definitely working a ton better - sometimes it fails when loading lists and I have to exit and reopen the app and I got one crash earlier but can't recreate it. I'll pull some more app logs later to help see what the issue might be.

What's interesting though is the config screen still doesn't show but the app is already authenticated (I've deleted the app since authenticating with my modded version and not updated so I would think app data would be wiped per the js sdk docs).

NicholasTsiotinos

Fantastic effort for an alpha version! It works fine for me. Thank You.

Semen Maryasin

JustinBean, according to latest doc, JS storage is "persisted when the user uninstalls and then reinstalls an app". So if you want it to forget your credentials, you need to use logout buttons in config (if config would show...).
For white screen problem, could you please send me logs for latest version? I added some more logging to try figure out the reason of problem.
Also, for your patch at line 389, unfortunately it would break some html-side logic (config page expects to receive parameters as JSON object, not as url-encoded data; that was suggested by JS guide, which may really be the wrong way though, so I'll work on that).

Nicholas Tsiotinos, thanks for your feedback! Are you on iOS or Android? World be nice to determine which iOS versions are affected by "white config screen" problem.

UPD. White config screen problem is fixed in 0.3.2. Thanks to JustinBean for help in debugging!

AdamStarbuck

Could this work for Google Keep as well?

Semen Maryasin

AdamStarbuck, unfortunately, no. Google Keep is completely different service, even more - it has no publically available API.

Daniel07

Great idea, this app will be very useful in a grocery store where you don't have to pull your phone out to check the groceries list, but then put it back to have your hands free, then pull the phone out again ...

I have installed it on my phone, I got it to work, I have two observations/feedback:

1) if you get to the Google authentication screen but then, for some reason, switch to another app, the login screen cannot be reached anymore. Trying to get back to it via the Settings (wheel) button in the Pebble/Watch App, won't bring the login window back, would just show a message saying "Launching app on watch to complete configuration ... (PebbleNotes)"

I tried to uninstall the PebbleNotes and kill all the phone apps I thought were involved (Pebble, Chrome), but only a reboot of the phone allowed me to be able to get back the login screen.

2) I have indented tasks in my Google Tasks (eg: small trees). It seems that the PebbleNotes shows all the leafs first, then the major branches. 

It would be nice if it would obey the structure as it is.

Thank you for your work!

Semen Maryasin

Daniel20, thank you for your feedback.

1) Which firmware/Pebble-app version do you use? Also, android or iOS? Unfortunately, problems of this kind are based in depth of Pebble app itself and almost impossible to deal with from my side; but if it is on Android, I'll try to reproduce it and report to Pebble devs.
Also, there were many webview-related bugfixes in Beta 3-5, so if you use an older FW&app this might be one of these.

2) Task indentation is currently not yet supported. Altough I thought alk tasks would display in their order regardless of indentation.. I'll look at this issue, and hopefully fix it in next version. Full indentation support is also planned.

And thank you again for bug teport!

Daniel07

Semen,

1) I use Android 4.4.2 on a Nexus 4. Pebble firmware is 2-beta6.

2) Ok, sounds good, I am looking forward for everything new

Thanks,

Daniel

Semen Maryasin

Daniel20, I managed to reproduce this bug with my Sony Acro S / Anrdoid 4.4.2, so I'll report it to Pebble guys. BTW, it is not unique for my app, but can be reproduced with any other configurable watchapp.

spud

I get "Serving Limit Exceeded"

spud

And now it works from time to time, but mostly doesn't. Continues to say connecting, or updating, or something similar.

Semen Maryasin

spud, thanks for bugreport.
"Serving Limit Exceeded" seems to be some Google-side problem specific for GoogleTasks API; it might be fixed by trying again or relogin.
When app stucks at "Starging", it means problems with Pebble app which may sometimes not launch JS part of program.
Stucking at "Connecting" or "Updating" might mean either bad internet connection or some bugs in app. I'll try to take a look and reproduce these problems.

WilhelmFitzpatrick

I'm really interested in this app, but I've been unable to get it to work with my setup. Currently I'm using the BETA9 app on Android, and the watch app always tells me I need to sign in to Google Tasks on the phone. I can get the setting screen to come up and it seems to sign in successfully, but the watch app never seems to notice.

WilhelmFitzpatrick

Woah, tried it again, and this time it worked. Not sure what if anything was different this time. Has the app updated recently?

Semen Maryasin

Nope. Maybe when you tried first time, you didn't press "Ok" button after "You are now logged in" message?

Semen Maryasin

Just renamed that button to "Save" to avoid such errors.

BradleySullivan

On iOS using version 0.3.3 – I can't get past the authorization screen. It just says "Wait.. Checking authorization token..." but never goes beyond that. Is there a way around this?

Semen Maryasin

@BradleySullivan, well, you may just press "Close" button, it will save token anyway and hopefully it will help. But this is strange. I'll try to prepare test page for that issue.