Dev Chat Summary for Dec 9, 2013

Chat log

Agenda

  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. Status
  • Android Status
  • Dev Blog and Forum merger
  • This Week

iOS Status

The bug fix update was in testing last week and just entered review with Apple. It looks like it’ll be out shortly. Over the past week 3.9 progressed further and the issue count is going down. The new tab bar navigation is semi-final and we’re putting in the final touches there.

We’ve also assigned most open issues to the next few milestones, 3.9.1, 4.0, and 4.0.1. We’ll make another pass at it this week to make sure we can get each release out in a timely fashion (~3 weeks on average).

Android Status

2.6 is almost BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. ready — should happen tomorrow, Dec 10! QA & code freeze by end of week. Big merges came in last week for the Reader, improved “NUX” (log in/set up), and Posting improvements.

Dev Blog and Forum merger

We talked about the need to keep the ball moving for the forums migrationMigration Moving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies.. Looks like MetaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. will only be able to tackle it sometime in the first half of 2014, so we’re now thinking to instead start fresh and carrying all important topics over by hand. It would be relatively easy to do and we could close posting in the individual forums and direct people over.

We did a quick show of hands and it seemed everybody like this option, so @isaackeyet will keep going with it.

@mrroundhill brought up the need to close down the dev blogs for real as some people have still been posting there. We’ll check and make sure that posting is disabled on the dev blogs and see what comes of that.

This Week

  • iOS: Work continues on 3.9 this week, we’re hoping to wrap up dev work towards the end of the week but it might slip a few days. The plan is to have it all tested and good to go for right after New Years (Jan 2nd).
  • Android: A few more issues to knock out for 2.6, then Beta, then QA.

Next Dev Chat

The next dev chat will be held at 17:00 UTC on Dec 16 in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#android, #dev-chat, #forums, #ios

Dev Chat summary Oct 28, 2013

Chat log.

Agenda

  • About UXUX UX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think ‘what they are doing’ and less about how they do it. Subgroups
  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. Status
  • Android Status
  • Handbook
  • This Week

About UX Subgroups

Automattic is a big contributor to the apps, internally we’ve now divided ourselves into 3 key areas in the apps: NUX, Consume & ReactReact React is a JavaScript library that makes it easy to reason about, construct, and maintain stateless and stateful user interfaces. https://reactjs.org/., and Posting. Each group will go at the priorities of both the iOS and Android platforms as well as taking a deeper look at each experience. The hope is that this will bring the app experiences closer together, get a better sense of ownership, and promote innovation.

In reality this doesn’t mean all that much for the iOS and Android projects, the releases currently being tested will still make it out pending the QA cycle, we’re still focusing on stability/bug fixes/crash fixes/code clean up. We’ll of course continue hanging out in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode and if someone wants to pick up a ticket and contribute we’ll help you get set up but be sure to check out the Mobile Handbook first!

iOS Status

3.8.4 was still being fixed up, so testing will happen this week. There are a lot of changes so help is needed. Look out for a post from @koke later today!

Android Status

All of last week went to fixing some serious bugs in v. 2.5 of the app that came up in QA testing round 2, so this week we’ll move into round 3. Hopefully this will be the final one and we’ll be able to submit towards the end of the week.

Handbook

We were going to talk about the status of the Handbook but decided to loopLoop The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop. back on it next week. In the meantime @isaackeyet will look over the Design section one last time and given time @koke or @sendhil can look over the iOS section. We’ll also make sure full Testing instructions for both our main apps are in the Handbook as well.

This Week

  • TESTING!

(top priority for both apps is to test the respective upcoming releases, feel free to help out!)

Next Week

The next dev chat will be on Nov 4 at 16:00 in #wordpress-mobile. Mark your calendar and join us!

#dev-chat

Weekly dev chat summary for Oct 14, 2013

Chat log.

Agenda

  • New release cycles/testing processes
  • Android Status
  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. Status
  • This Week
  • Handbook

New release cycles/testing processes

When we started talking about the status of the Android project, the new release cycle with a more rigid testing process came up. This is what we’ll be doing for all releases across platforms moving forward:

  • Group decides on dev time needed for a project.
  • Towards the end of the dev cycle the update goes through automatic and manual testing.
  • All developers in the Mobile Group will have to test the app and give their thumbs up.
  • Once approved by the Mobile Group, a RCRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. is put out which marks the start of the Code Freeze. This is the build that will be submitted unless a super critical bug is found. Code Freeze is 1 week minimum.
  • If there’s a critical bug that has to be fixed before submit, the whole testing process is restarted.

Android Status

Version 2.5 (Themes, Media, Stats, Pin Lock, etc) is in QA testing this week. This is happening in Master but in the future it’ll be Develop all the way. Reader/NUX is next up but we want to make sure we put aside enough time to have a stable release.

iOS Status

To make sure we have stable releases (including bug fix releases) version 3.8.3 of the app is currently in testing. If nothing critical comes up we’ll be able to release the update as-is. This should fix even more issues introduced in version 3.8. Next up is 3.8.4 which goes even further.

This Week

  • Android: testing v. 2.5
  • iOS: testing v. 3.8.3, planning next releases
  • Update iOS section of Handbook

Handbook

There are still some gaps in the handbook that we’re hoping to fill.

@sendhil promised to take a look at the remaining bits in the iOS section this week, and @isaackeyet will summarize the new release/testing cycle, so let’s follow up on it in the next dev chat.

Next Dev Chat

Join us next week on Monday Oct 21 at 16:00 UTC in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#android, #dev-chat, #handbook, #ios

Dev chat summary for Sept 9, 2013

Chat Log

A more informal meeting was held with the absence of @isaackeyet and @aerych.

Agenda

  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. Status
  • Android Status
  • Windows Phone Status
  • Other Updates

iOS Status

Work continues on iOS 7 and it’s the primary focus of the team. @astralbodies discovered the cause of the login issues some users are reporting and is working on a fix soon. An escalated review request is expected to submitted with the 3.7.2 fix binary.

Android Status

This week we’re wrapping up themes, stats, and media release with a betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. expected next week Monday (16-SEP-2013). The pin code lock feature is already available for testing and still has to be merged into the develop branch. Beta will be public, most likely, and posted via Hockey App.

Windows Phone Status

A number of patches were submitted by anirudh24seven and will be reviewed and applied to trunk soon. There are other issues that have to be resolved first before a release is made. No ETA on the fixes or the release.

Other Updates

No other updates brought up!

Next Chat

Join us for the next dev chat on Sept 16, 2013 at 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#android, #dev-chat, #handbook, #ios, #windows-phone

Dev chat summary for Aug 19, 2013

Delayed summary of what went down yesterday for the record. Chat log.

Agenda

  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. Status
  • Android Status
  • Handbook Update
  • Team Reps
  • What’s Next

iOS Status

3.7 with the new WordPress.comWordPress.com An online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/ Reader and a new account system launched (woo!) but had some serious bugs, including a launch on startup for some due to migrationMigration Moving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies. issues (boo!) so we’ve been hard at work trying to fix the issues. A .1 will be pushed asap. Next up is a .2 with some minor enhancements.

Android Status

2.4.4 was just pushed to Google Play and includes some enhancements like Picasa/Google+ image uploading/adding and post excerpts — props @aagam94!

Later this week we’ll launch a betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. with theme selection and media library enhancements. We’re also starting the new user experience iteration back up (better log in/sign up and welcome guide).

Handbook Update

@sendhil has worked on the iOS section and @hugobaeta has taken a look at the design parts of the handbook. Everyone was urged to mark things as done in the todo.

Team Reps

We talked about electing new team reps. Since our group is very small we decided to keep it simple and elect new reps in the chat itself. @irbrad was up for a term but not this time around, so for now @aerych and @isaackeyet will continue being team reps without specific primary/secondary roles (we’ve switched from week to week up until now and it has worked well). Worth noting is that the new cycle is 3 months for a handoff between primary/secondary team reps but since it’s worked so well I think we can continue on as we have and fill in for each other when necessary.

What’s Next

iOS: fix the bug in 3.7 asap and issue 3.7.1, then start working on 3.7.2. iOS7-ification is also under way, as is the code clean up and partial refactor, both in separate branches for now.

Android: Media/Themes beta and NUX (welcome guide, improved log in/sign up) is next, along with the Android WordPress.com Native Reader project.

Other

We discussed bug tracking briefly and decided to track issues with the iOS app directly on GithubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ using Issues — this will be adopted by the Android app shortly as well.

We also talked about using Hockey app for Android beta distribution. We concluded that we should explore more to see how feasible it would be and maybe start a post on this p2 about it.

Next Chat

Join us for the next dev chat on Aug 26, 2013 at 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#android, #dev-chat, #handbook, #ios, #team-reps

Updated Mobile Handbook Todos

Here is an updated todo list for the Mobile Handbook. I’ve put names next to some items as a suggestion of who might be a good fit for a topic and in most cases I’ve doubled up our developers since they have big demands on their time. Its not complete so please feel free to grab an item that interested you or take your name off a topic to let someone else have a go.

I’ve also consolidated some items into General Guides to avoid having some single page sections. Some of the pages don’t have stubs and need to be created. The contents list on the handbook front page is a little out of date at this point and we might just remove it and go off what is in the sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme. TOC. Its going away at some point anyway.

iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads.

I moved the UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing. Guidelines stub to the Contribute Style section since it seems a better fit there. The “Enabling Safari’s Web Inspector on iOS” topic from Tips and Tricks might be a good fit under Tutorials and Guides.

Other Apps

  • Other apps – blank. Should be the introduction. @aerych
  • webOS – blank. @beaucollins
  • Nokia – blank.

I think it makes sense to devote a short page to each of the other platforms so I’ve added those items. I think the content can be an abbreviated version of what we’re doing for the other platforms. Push back if I’m off in left field here.
Also, we have some great documentation that Sayak wrote for the webOS app that could probably have a home here.

Contribute Design

I’m not sure we need to include styles for the legacy BlackBerry app, mostly because there is more demand for native BB10 and we’re not actively involved in legacy BlackBerry dev. @daniloercoli do you have an opinion about this?

Support Help

XML-RPC & APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. Contributions

I’m not sure what this section was supposed to be about. Maybe we’re talking about native libs that interface with XML-RPC and other APIs? If we’re talking about XML-RPC itself it would belong to the coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. handbook.

General Guides

  • General Guides – blank. Should be a short intro.
  • Using GithubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ & TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/. – blank.
  • Changing Hosts on Mobile Devices using Charles – blank. @beaucollins
  • Testing with the pre-flight checklist – blank. @aerych

Credits

There has been some conversation about the best way to denote a page’s status: drafting, draft, editing. The handbook pages don’t seem to support tags, so I wonder if it would work to just append the status to the title. This way it would at least be easy to see a page’s status at a glance from the admin. Thoughts? If we like this idea I’ll go through and update the page titles for Rachel.

#mobile-handbook

@nacin has asked in IRC if it makes…

@nacin has asked in IRC if it makes sense to move the official githubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ home of the WordPress mobile apps from WordPress-Mobile to WordPress.

Thoughts about this? I’m not sure there is any reason to not make the switch.

#github

Dev chat summary for May 8, 2013

Chat log.

Agenda

  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. projects update
  • Android projects update
  • Moving dev blog discussions to make/mobile (this blog)
  • Handbook reminder

iOS projects update

NUX (new welcome guide, improved WordPress.comWordPress.com An online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/ sign up) is almost complete, need to look over copy and polish a few things, then should be ready to get it translated and tested.

WordPress.com native reader project: picking up momentum again, currently working on threaded comments which is complicated.

Accounts migrationMigration Moving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies.: need to write the actual coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. data migration but very close to completion. Should simplify the way WordPress.com accounts act under the hood in the iOS app.

Android projects update

A bug fix update is going out today that fixes a bug with featured images.

The WordPress.com Notifications project is very close to betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process., no word on when just yet but should be very soon.

Moving dev blog discussions to make/mobile (this blog)

We decided to close the dev blogs and (if possible) migrate their data to this blog instead and keep all discussions/announcements/etc in one place. The filtering on this p2 should make it easy to only see discussions about specific platforms if you only contribute to one. @mrroundhill took it on himself to investigate what’s needed for migrating the data. @isaackeyet (me) will look into a way to display sticky messages on the dev blogs once migrations are complete. The platform leads for each platform will also post a last post on each one of the dev blogs letting subscribed readers know that the blog has been merged with make/mobile (this would be @mrroundhill, @koke, and @daniloercoli for BlackBerry and Windows Phone).

After the chat @nacin jumped in and let us know he will assist with the migrations as well.

Handbook reminder

@aerych reminded himself and all others that the Handbook is still in need of looking over and updating – please refer to the separate todo post for details on what’s left and who’s responsible for what.

Other

@daniloercoli let everybody know that there’s a new bug fix update live for Windows Phone. It has bug fixes as well as a small new feature that lets users share permalinks to other apps on the device (such as Email, Facebook, Twitter, etc).

Next week

The next dev chat will be on May 15, 2013 at 15:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#android, #dev-blogs, #dev-chat, #handbook, #ios

We’re coming up on the end of the…

We’re coming up on the end of the contributor handbook schedule. May 17th is the last date for all handbook components, after that there’s only editing left. We’ve not followed the exact structure as suggested by Docs, but we’re not far from having all parts ready either. So as we’re approaching the home stretch, I thought it best to create a check list of remaning items so we make sure everything gets done in time.

I’ll assign people to complete the pages to the best of my knowledge.

Introduction

  • Introduction https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/introduction/ @aerych, @isaackeyet
  • Dev chats info https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/introduction/dev-chats/ @isaackeyet
  • Communication (could maybe be a part of Dev Chats?) https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/introduction/communication/ @isaackeyet
  • Contributor list – we may want to have a direct way to see all current and past contributors (TBD)

iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads.

The state of the iOS and Graphics sections are far behind the rest, so these two only have general todos.

  • Create individual pages (all in https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/ios/ currently) @koke
  • Update menu https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/ @koke

Android

  • Combine Android menu item and Introduction? @mrroundhill
  • Update screenshots throughout @mrroundhill
  • As discussed, update Getting started guide to better guide new users, also some feedback here @mrroundhill
  • Add testing instructions https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/android/testing-instructions/ @mrroundhill
  • PingPing The act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” Rachel about a review after above items are complete

BlackBerry

  • Update/make intro to app development, at least to me it’s not entirely clear how to get started currently https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/blackberry/ @daniloercoli (@daniloercoli)
  • Make sure all sections are covered and up to date (compare with other platforms’ handbooks for completeness) @daniloercoli (@daniloercoli)
  • Ping Rachel about a review after above items are complete

Windows Phone

Can’t find the reference right now, but if I remember correctly @daniloercoli, @aerych, and @sendhilp all wanted to take another look at the Windows Phone section. Please divide any items here in between you!

  • Complete Tutorials & Guides https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/windows-phone/tutorials-and-guides/
  • Update Testing instructions? Looks like it’s not complete/formatted correctly yet https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/windows-phone/testing-instructions/ (@aerych)
  • BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. distribution is currently 404. Is this page still planned? (@daniloercoli)
  • Tips & Tricks could use some clean up https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/windows-phone/tips-and-tricks/ (@aerych)
  • Ping Rachel about a review after above items are complete

Other Apps

  • Write intro to the other Apps and give information on their current state.
  • Link up to existing tracs, websites, dev blogs, forums, etc
  • Let contributors know how they can contribute should they want to

Contribute with Design

All items assigned to @isaackeyet

  • Clean up intro https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/design/
  • Create General UI Guidelines https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/design/guidelines/
  • Create Color Palette https://make.wordpress.org/mobile/handbook/pathways/design/colors/ (@isaackeyet)
  • Write about Fonts
  • Write about screen densities and what this means in reality, best practices
  • Write documents on platform-specific guidelines
    • iOS
    • Android
    • BlackBerry
    • Windows Phone
    • Other platforms
  • Denote best ways to get set up with a dev environment for each platform for designers (referencing platform specific set up guides)

Assist with Testing

  • Write intro on testing and how testing helps the apps
  • Write about how to get started with testing each version of the WordPress apps (maybe linking off to the Testing sections of each platform)
  • Using Dev Tools to Stress-Test Apps
  • Intro to the pre-flight check list (should probably be a part of the Intro)

XML-RPC & APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. Contributions

  • Write page on how to contribute to the API side of WordPress and where to go for that @koke

General Guides

Any takers here? @beaucollins comes to mind, let me know if you’re up for taking these on.

  • Intro to using TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/. for the mobile projects (link off to specific sections for more info)
  • Intro to GitGit Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Git is easy to learn and has a tiny footprint with lightning fast performance. Most modern plugin and theme development is being done with this version control system. https://git-scm.com/. and how it’s used within the Mobile Group

Tips & Tricks

Credits

  • Add list of all contributions to the Mobile Handbook @isaackeyet

Other todos

  • Ping Rachel about looking over all the contents of the handbook mid-May at latest @isaackeyet
  • Add Handbook to make/mobile navigation @isaackeyet
  • Better navigation structure for Handbook? Would be good to have links to parent posts/sections for easy navigation. Investigate. @isaackeyet
  • Inline content navigation with anchors (so you can link to specific headers within posts, see Support for example). Investigate. @isaackeyet

#handbook, #mobile-handbook, #todos

Weekly dev chat summary for April 17, 2013

Chat log.

Agenda

  • Android
  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads.
  • Mobile Handbook
  • Gnome Outreach
  • GSoC Communications

Android

Android 2.3, the awesome UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing. refresh version, will launch today! Great job team!

Push notifications for WP.com and Jetpack are currently in the works.

iOS

We submitted version 3.5.3. This updated fixes a few bugs and crashes, including an annoying orientation bug affecting folks using iOS5 and some better error management.

Current

  • NUX : Work continues.
  • Reader: First iteration of working views this week so we can start iterating.
  • Maintenance: We’re looking at improving notifications. Also looking at handling login limiting from the WordPressApi classes.

On the horizon

Looking at improved media or working on the iOS SDK for the next “feature”.

Mobile Handbook

We’re coming up to a hard deadline. We acknowledge there are still some parts of the handbook that need our attention, either to refine or to complete.

A community member (irc: radchadd) volunteered to create some screenshots and instructions for setting up WPAndroid for the first time. This will be nice to include in the Android handbook.

Action Item: Get a post up with todos for the handbook to which @isaackeyet has volunteered.

Gnome Outreach

@JenMylo mentioned it a few weeks back around when GSoC was announced. We don’t have a lot of details about this yet but it sounds similar to the proposals and mentoring process of GSoC.  Something for us to keep an eye on.

GSoC communications.

Several applicants have been using the wp-hacker’s mailing list for feedback.  Those of us who are mentoring should make sure we’re subscribed so we can comment on projects that are posted there. We should also talk about how we an better support the folks in timezones we don’t normally cover.

Next week

The next dev chat will be on April 24, 2013 at 1500 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#android, #dev-chat, #gnome-outreach, #gsoc, #handbook, #ios