Version 1.2.2 on 1 February 2010

Added three new builtin commands ("edla," "dela," "rnla") to simplify the editing, deletion, and renaming of launchers. (more...)

"edla," "dela," and "rnla" must be entered on the command line and require you to specify a launcher name. You can create launchers for these builtins (like any other builtin). If you do not provide a launcher name at the command line or when starting the command as a launcher from the "grid" builtin, KeyDirector prompts you for the launcher name. The Transcript records successful outcomes for each of these commands. NOTE: At this time, "rnla" and "dela" do not support shutdown options at the command line or as launchers. But shutdown support could be added later based on user request.

• "edla" -- Edits a launcher. Enter "edla <name>" at the command line. To abort the editing activity, press the BACK button.
• "dela" -- Deletes a launcher. Enter "dela <name>" at the command line. KeyDirector displays information about the launcher and asks you to confirm deletion. Touch "OK" to delete, or the "Cancel" or BACK button to abort the command.
• "rnla" -- Renames a launcher. Enter "rnla <name>" at the command line. KeyDirector displays a screen with a text-input field for entering the new launcher name. The new name must be non-blank, cannot be a builtin name, and cannot be the name of an existing launcher. To abort the command, touch the "Cancel" or BACK buttons.


• Added a quick-scroll thumb slider for Contact-list scrolling.
• Updated prompts and strings for readability changes.
• Added validation to reject the "restor" of launcher names that conflict with builtin names (such naming conflicts are not allowed).
• Fixed a problem in the initialization of the FAQ, How-Do-I, and HELP indexes during updates.
• Added a broadcast messsage notification capability to deliver important messages from JBH Engineering to users. (more...)

A notification is delivered to KeyDirector users whenever a new message is created on the JBH Engineering web site http://jbhengineering.com/. KeyDirector checks for a new notification whenever it restarts. If a new message exists, the device shakes and the notification appears in the status bar. You can pull down the status bar to see the notification. When you select it, the browser displays the web page on the JBH Engineering site. The web page shows all the messages by date with the most recent first. NOTE: Broadcast messages are enabled using the KeyDirector Upgrade setting. No broadcast messages are received when the Upgrade setting is disabled or there is no network network connection. The Upgrade setting has been renamed to "Upgrades and Messages."

Added a Settings preference (checkbox) to enable or disable visibility of the KeyDirector restart icon in the status bar. (more...)

The KeyDirector restart icon is is implemented as an ongoing notification in the status bar. Users have requested the option to hide the restart icon because it provides no change in status information. A new checkbox is added to the KeyDirector settings (default is ON - restart icon visible) to allow you to show or hide the restart icon. When the restart icon is hidden, it still takes up space at the end of the icon list in the status bar and in the pulldown notification item. KeyDirector attempts to position the hidden icon last (far right) in the ongoing notifications. However, some apps or notifications (for example, Bar-Control) can prevent this ordering. Even when the restart icon is hidden, the pulldown notification item still exists and is selectable.

• Changed Browser calls to launch generic intents so that KeyDirector brings up your preferred browser (e.g. Dolphin) instead of the default Android Browser, which some users are not using.

Version 1.2.1 on 15 January 2010

• Added support for the Android 2.1 SDK for Nexus One users.
• Fixed a problem where startup launchers with a shutdown mode set to CLOSE or KILL locked users out of KeyDirector with no way to get back in except by uninstalling and reinstalling.
• Updated the KeyDirector notification so that it appears in the "Ongoing" section of the pulldown notifications.
• Updated the KeyDirector activity title so that it appears correctly in the list of recently used apps when you long-press HOME.
• Added a message to the upgrade screen warning users to uninstall if they see the Certificate install problem.
• Added an automatic backup before upgrade to remove the possibility of data loss.

Version 1.2 on 11 January 2010

Eliminated all "Build App List" calls except for a one-time build on install. (more...)

App installs and removals are updated silently in the background to improve KeyDirector responsiveness. Using "exit" no longer forces an app list rebuild on the next invocation of KeyDirector.

Moved "app" icon loading into the background. (more...)

KeyDirector now uses a generic icon in the "app" list when icons are turned off or building in the background. When "app" icon display is enabled, you can see the icons on subsequent scrolls of the app list.

Added automatic launcher-name entry after app installs. (more...)

A new screen appears automatically after a new application is installed. The screen prompts you to enter a launcher name for the new application. If you enter a launcher name followed by DONE or ENTER, a new launcher is created with that name. You can cancel or exit by pressing the BACK button. If a launcher already exists and is assigned to the app, you are notified, and the activity ends. If you enter a launcher name that is already used, a dialog asks if you want to reassign the launcher name to the installed app, change the name, or cancel and do nothing. The launcher name screen can be enabled or disabled based on a setting available in the prompt screen and MENU > Settings. The default setting is ON (prompt for launcher names on new app installs). The setting is backed up and restored, as are all other settings.

Added two new settings in the Settings menu to implement a Startup Launcher (a launcher that is launched immediately upon starting KeyDirector). (more...)

The new settings are 1. "Use Startup Launcher" - a boolean toggle flag and 2. "Startup Launcher" - for selecting a launcher name. One sample usage for a Startup Launcher is to automatically enter the "grid" builtin screen when starting KeyDirector (MENU > View Launchers). Another example is to display the Help screen on startup. All launcher data types are supported (Apps, Contact Names, Phones, Emails, Builtins and URLs). The Startup Launcher setting is disabled by default but can be enabled by toggling the "Use Startup Launcher" checkbox in KeyDirector Settings (MENU > Settings). The launcher name can be set by pressing the "Startup Launcher" setting and then picking a launcher name from the list (similar to the "keyl" builtin). If the "Use Startup Launcher" toggle box is not enabled, a Startup Launcher cannot be selected. The selected Startup Launcher can become stale or invalid in some situations. Running invalid or stale launchers is harmless, but you are warned if a launcher is stale when the "Use Startup Launcher" setting is toggled on. The "Use Startup Launcher" and "Startup Launcher" settings are backed up and restored by the "bak" and "restor" builtins, like all other settings.

The Transcript item format is changed so that the item count is shown only when the Transcript is sorted based on Frequency. (more...)

The Transcript item count represents the number of times a unique command has been launched since the Transcript was last cleared. The Transcript sorting is set using (MENU > Settings > Transcript Sorting Style > Frequency [Descending or Ascending]). Previously, the Transcript item count was represented as an integer number prefix enclosed in parentheses. The number in parentheses preceded the command name of each Transcript item. The count is now shown as a right-justified integer on the first line of each Transcript item. The goal of this change is to minimize confusion regarding the count numbers when the Transcript is not being sorted by Frequency (but rather by History - when the counts are not meaningful).

Modified the startup (post install) sequence slightly to support Notification Tray launching. (more...)

The sequence is now as follows: 1. End-User Licensing Agreement Prompt, 2. Build Application List, 3. Welcome Screen Prompt, 4. OPTIONAL: Restore Last Backup Prompt, 5. Enter KeyDirector Main Screen. The only change from the previous release is to reverse the order of the Welcome screen and the Restore Last Backup screen.

Fixed a problem where the hardware search button (magnifying glass - on G1 and Droid keyboards) in the KeyDirector main screen was not invoking Google's device search. (more...)

Now, when you are in the KeyDirector main screen and you press the hardware search button, a Google device-search input field is launched so you can type search terms. Results from a Google device search can include installed application names, Browser bookmarks, Contacts, and more general information. NOTE: KeyDirector still provides a builtin command called "srch," which launches a browser Google search (www.google.com) on the term following "srch" in the text input field. The advantage of the "srch" builtin is that it does not require a special hardware key to invoke search, and the command is recorded in the Transcript for subsequent re-launch.

Added a new feature that provides a handy KeyDirector icon in the Notification Tray whenever KeyDirector is running or in memory. (more...)

You can use this notification icon to restart or return to the KeyDirector main screen quickly by just pulling down the Notification Tray and selecting the KeyDirector item. When the icon is selected, the KeyDirector main screen is brought to the foreground. If you previously started a KeyDirector builtin (for example, "app", "help", "faq", "howdoi" or another builtin), the notification pulldown returns to that builtin activity. Android considers builtin functions to be part of the KeyDirector task. The notification is particularly helpful when you have launched the browser or a 3rd party app, and using the BACK button to return to the KeyDirector main screen takes too much time. The KeyDirector notification icon appears whenever KeyDirector is running or in memory but is removed when you use the "exit" builtin command to terminate KeyDirector.

• Added code to support both portrait and landscape orientations for Build App List to reduce jerky screen re-orientation.
• Added FAQ, HowDoI, and Help items to the Transcript after install so first-time users can try them out easily.
• Added categories to the FAQ to make it easier to navigate (similar to the HowDoI).
• Added the MENU > Delete Launcher option when editing launchers in the "keyl" and "grid" screens.

Version 1.1.3 on 11 December 2009

• Added support for Android 2.0.1 SDK
• Made internal changes to Build App List to improve robustness and avoid runaway cycling.
• Added MENU > Help to Settings Activity (Settings are accessible using "kdset" builtin command or MENU > Settings).
• Added new Logging preference (checkbox) for 'Send Debug Data' in MENU > Settings. This preference enables or disables email to the developer for debug when specific internal errors have occurred. The application is limited at this time to a few activities and will be used for targeted debug efforts. It works as follows: some (but not all) KeyDirector activities have special code to capture error information. If an internal error occurs and the setting is enabled, the user is then prompted to send an Email dump to the developer. No email is sent unless the user presses the SEND button. The default value for the setting is checked (enabled). If the setting is unchecked (disabled), internal errors will be flagged with a short message (same as before). No personal information is sent in the debug emails. The new setting is also supported in Backup and Restore operations.

Version 1.1.2 on 6 December 2009

• Fixed Bugs in recently added code (1.1 and 1.1.1 releases) that caused backward compatibility failures (Force Close) in phones running Android 1.5 and 1.6 firmware. As a result, 'sysdump' debug command will no longer give SDK versions in Android 1.5. No other de-featuring was necessary.
• Added code to "MENU > View Launchers" and "grid" builtins to call the "add" builtin in cases where no launchers exist.
• Tested KeyDirector 1.1 and 1.1.1 features on Motorola Droid (2.0), T-Mobile G1 (1.6) Google Ion Dev Phone (1.6) and Android Emulator Virtual Device (1.5) to make sure backward compatibility is still working.

Version 1.1.1 on 29 November 2009

• Fixed a defect in KeyDirector that caused Build App List cycling and "App Insertion Errors."

  • USER IMPACT: This problem affected only users who had two different apps with identical class names. This issue is expected to be rare, but two example apps that caused the issue are cited below.
  • DESCRIPTION: One KeyDirector user reported multiple "App Insertion Errors," uncontrolled vibration, and a failure to build the application list. The user eventually had to uninstall KeyDirector. With the user's help, JBH Engineering narrowed the root cause to duplicate class names for the following installed apps:
  • PixelPipe Lite 1.9.9
  • Google OCR 1.0
  • There is nothing wrong with these apps, but because they used the same class names, KeyDirector did not build the app list correctly and returned app insertion errors. The mobile device also vibrated uncontrollably until the user pressed the HOME button.
  • The problem is fixed in this release.

• Updated the "togrm" builtin for setting ringer modes (ringer and vibrate) to use a dialog box with radio buttons and added CANCEL for Undo.

  • "togrm" in KeyDirector 1.1 used toggling to change states and required multiple presses to set the right state. "togrm" now brings up a dialog box with three radio buttons:
  • Normal - Vibrate per Setting
  • Silent - Vibrate Off
  • Silent - Vibrate On
  • "togrm" in KeyDirector 1.1.1 enables users to select the preferred ringer and vibrate mode directly without having to toggle repeatedly.
  • Users can change the ringer mode by selecting different radio buttons and then selecting OK to preserve the change and dismiss the dialog.
  • Pressing CANCEL or the BACK button reverts back to the mode before any changes were made and dismisses the dialog. CANCEL or BACK effectively UNDO any changes.
  • KeyDirector communicates the Ringer and Vibrate state changes in two ways:
  1. The Android Notification area displays icons for the current state. For example, a speaker with an X icon indicates Silent mode. A "shaking" device icon indicates Vibrate mode. If neither of those icons are present, the device is in Normal mode.
  2. The radio button for the current choice is highlighted in green in the dialog box.
  • The "Vibrate per Setting" is based on Android Settings -> Phone Vibrate.
  • The "togrm" builtin also supports terminal characters for the close (.) and exit (!) functions.

• Added support for telephone dialing from the KeyDirector command line (text input field).

  • If you enter seven digits or more (including embedded spaces and/or dashes) in the text input field, KeyDirector interprets the input as a telephone number and launches the Phone Dialer to dial the number.
  • KeyDirector also looks up the Contact name for the entered telephone number (if one exists). If the number is found in the Contacts list, KeyDirector shows the name and type of number (in addition to the number itself) in the Transcript entry. If the entered number doesn't have a corresponding Contacts item, only the number is displayed in the Transcript.
  • The Transcript entry for the phone number can be selected (like any other KeyDirector Transcript item) to re-launch that item (re-dial the telephone number).
  • Terminal characters for the close (.) and exit (!) functions also work with telephone number input.
  • KeyDirector does not support creating launchers for a telephone number entered in the text input field, but the KeyDirector "add" builtin has always supported launcher creation for telephone numbers that exist in the Contacts list.

• Added an undocumented command ("sysdump") to build an email message containing a list of applications and Android versions. With user permission, the email can be sent to JBH Engineering for debugging.

  • "sysdump" is not included in the builtin commands and is used only for debug efforts.
  • "sysdump" builds an email message containing debugging information and displays a chooser for email client selection.
  • No information is sent to JBH Engineering unless the user pushes SEND in the email client.

Version 1.1 on 26 November 2009

• Added Android 2.0 compatibility.
• Added support for different screen sizes:
• HVGA - 320 x 480, medium density (160 dpi)
• WVGA800 - 480 x 800, high density (240 dpi)
• WVGA854 - 480 x 854, high density (240 dpi)
• Added a settings button in the MENU to consolidate the growing list of preferences and toggle buttons in a dedicated screen. A new builtin command, "kdset," also displays the settings screen.
• Added a "Kill After Launch" toggle for launchers. This feature allows you to program KeyDirector to close or exit after a launch, freeing up resources.
• Added support for trailing shutdown characters. When added after a command, a trailing shutdown character instructs KeyDirector to close (.) or exit (!) after the command is entered. For example, "app." launches the "app" builtin and closes KeyDirector in the background. "app!" exits KeyDirector while "app" is launching.
• Added logic to check for backup data on the SD card during startup. After a software upgrade or new installation, KeyDirector now checks to see if backup data is present. If data is present, KeyDirector prompts you to retore the last backup. Or, you can can cancel and "restor" backup data at your own convenience.
• Added new builtin commands to display the FAQ and How Do I. To enable searching the FAQ and How Do I content, the .html questions have been converted to list activities with individual question items. Selecting a question still displays its answer in .html. FAQ and How Do I links are still accessible in the online help table of contents page. FAQ and How Do I builtins also have MENU items for search and help.
• Added local search capability for the FAQ and How Do I content to make online help more effective and easier to use. You can start a search in help by pressing the dedicated search key or selecting MENU > Search. In the FAQ and How Do I builtins, you can also invoke search by typing a few characters, which displays the search pop-up. You can enter up to a full word for searching. The search pop-up displays suggestions while you are typing; select a suggestion if you wish. Complete the search by pressing DONE or the Magnifying glass icon/key to display a list of selectable results. You can also search on the FAQ or How Do I question index number (a unique integer that appears at the end of each FAQ or How Do I question). Enter an index number in the Search pop-up, and search finds the corresponding FAQ or How Do I question. All searches include content from both FAQs and How Do I questions. You can also zoom in or out when viewing FAQ or How Do I answer screens. This feature is enabled by Web View. Swipe the screen to bring up the zoom control. NOTE: The first time you start a search in the FAQ, How Do I, or help, KeyDirector initializes the search index database. This operation can take 20-30 seconds but only needs to be done once.
• Edited and expanded the FAQ and How Do I content for improved readability and usability.
• Added support for web-based search on KeyDirector help, FAQ, and How Do I topics at http://jbhengineering.com/phpmyfaq/
• Added upgrade prompting. KeyDirector now checks its version on startup and prompts you to upgrade if a newer version is available in Android Market. A settings toggle allows you to turn off upgrade prompting.
• Added backup and restore capability for settings. The "bak" and "restor" builtin commands now protect preference data from being lost between sessions or upgrades.
• Replaced MENU > CLEAR Transcript with MENU > VIEW Applications, which is used more frequently.
• Fixed a URL launcher-editing issue. The issue prevented the correct display of a URL after a long-press > EDIT of launcher data from the "grid" or "keyl" builtins.
• Fixed a defect in the launcher ADD or EDIT screen that caused a loss of data between screen rotations and button toggles.
• Installed the Flurry Analytics agent for mobile statistics. No personal user data is transmitted by this agent.
• Improved the performance for building the application list by using an indeterminate progress indicator. The new progress indicator is more efficient than the previous linear progress meter. In preliminary testing, the new progress meter cut average build times in half, but your mileage may vary
• Added a new builtin, "togrm," to cycle the ringer mode from Normal to Silent-Vibrate Off to Silent-Vibrate On, and back to Normal.
• Fixed an obscure defect in which launcher data went stale across application upgrades or installs. The launcher activity was still valid (but the launcher did not launch). In Version 1.1, the launcher is deleted, and you are prompted to redefine it.
• Restored functionality to the "book," "hist," and "clbh" builtin commands. These commands were disabled in a previous release because of an Android 1.6 SDK permission problem). Due to restrictions in the Android 2.0 API, "book" and "hist" are now combined. Both commands call the same activity and display a list of bookmarks and other visited URLs. "book" and "hist" can still be entered as builtin commands and still show up in the builtins list for selection. When "book" or "hist" commands are executed, only the "hist" command appears in the Transcript, but it is still selectable. The "clbh" command can again be used to clear the other "visited" or History URLs, but bookmarks are not cleared from the combined list. The "url" builtin screen now has a single button that you can use to select a "Bookmark or History" for starting up a Browser page. Launchers can still be created for "book" and "hist" builtins and URLs can be created from them. Also added a MENU item for "clbh" (Clear Browser History URLs) in the "book" and "hist" builtins to enable clearing the history without returning to the main screen.
• Fixed a problem in the KeyDirector main screen to preserve command entries across screen orientations.
• Implemented a new backup file format using the .json extension. The new file format supports additional backup data types (for example, settings). Older backup files are preserved until you manually delete them from the SD card.
• NOTE: ANDROID 2.0 DEFECT: An intermittent problem was found with Android 2.0 Auto-Completion. This defect was observed on a Motorola Droid phone. The problem disables Auto-Completion suggestions for some but not all commands by displaying them underneath the soft keyboard or off the screen where they are not visible. The problem has been reported to Google as Issue #4987.

Version 1.0.5 on 12 October 2009

• USER ALERT - DISABLED COMMANDS: Changes in Android 1.6 (Donut) made the "book," "hist," and "clbh" builtin commands temporarily unusable. This problem has been reported to Google. The commands are disabled while we wait for resolution. If the disabled commands are invoked, a prompt informs you that they are disabled. Any launchers that launch the disabled commands also display the prompt. Thanks for your patience while we work to resolve the problem with Google.
• Added support for Android 1.6 (Donut) with backward compatibility for Android 1.5 (Cupcake).
• Added the "mstat" builtin command to provide available and total internal memory and the SD card storage status.
• Added a prompt during startup after a KeyDirector upgrade to restore the last backup, if one exists.
• Improved error handling for dirty transcript data in the "restor" builtin command.
• Added a MENU option to make text LARGER or SMALLER when using the "grid" builtin command. The default is SMALLER text.
• Added links to the KeyDirector web site at the top of the FAQ, HOW DO I document, and this release document.
• Fixed problems in the "brow" and "search" commands (including launchers for those commands) to support transcript-item selection with and without links. The "brow" and "srch" builtins now accept a URL as an argument when entered manually and when selected from the transcript. They also function properly when no URL is provided.
• Added a MENU option ("ADD Contact") to the contact list/selection screens used by the "add" and "export" builtin commands.
• Added context menu (long-press) items for editing contacts and inserting new contacts in the "add" and "export" builtin commands. Now, when users don't find a contact name, phone, or email, they can long-press to edit or add the missing data and then return to the updated list.
• Added a "cont" builtin to support adding contacts.
• Added an automatic backup before KeyDirector is uninstalled using the context menu (long-press) selection in the "app" builtin.
• Added MENU > Enable and Disable icons to the "app" builtin to show or hide application icons. WARNING: When enabled, this feature consumes more memory.

Version 1.0.4 on 22 September 2009

• Added a new builtin command ("grid") for viewing, selecting, and editing launchers. "grid" replaces the "keyl" builtin for MENU > Show Launchers.
• Added MENU > Enable/Disable icons to allow the "app" builtin to display application icons. WARNING: When enabled, this feature consumes more memory. This menu option appears in the KeyDirector main screen.
• Fixed a defect in which "brow (URL)" wouldn't launch the URL in the Browser or allow a transcript item to be relaunched.
• Added a context (long-press) menu item to the "app" builtin list to support uninstalling applications. You can now long-press an application item to uninstall it.
• Added a link for "www.jbhengineering.com/keydirector" to the "About" page (MENU > Help > About).
• Added code to the contact list queries to filter out empty contact names (dirty data).
• Updated the FAQ and HOWDOI.
NOTE: The HOW DO I document has been revised to eliminate excessive hypertexting and make each answer more clear and self-contained.
• Updated this file in Help > Versions and Release Notes.

Version 1.0.3 on 4 August 2009

• Added an automatic application-list update for installed or removed apps (the user no longer needs to use the "refapp" builtin command).
• Added the release date to Help > About.
• Updated this file in Help > Versions and Release Notes.

Version 1.0.2 on 30 July 2009

• Fixed a defect with the "br" command that caused an internal system error.

Version 1.0.1 on 27 July 2009

• Created a patch release to test Android Market updates.

Version 1.0 on 22 July 2009

• Initial release.