Dev chat summary for Sep 2, 2013

Chat log

Agenda

  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. Status
  • Android Status
  • Handbook Update
  • This Week

iOS Status

The 3.7.1 bug fix went out and fixed the crash issues for most people, but some are still experiencing it — we’re investigating.

We’ve wrapped up the major work needed for the iOS7/MP6-ification release, now doing some polishing and fixing and hoping to submit by early next week.

Progress has been made towards a visual editor but we’ll wait to put it in until an upcoming release.

The theme switching release for 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/ blogs is pretty much done as well, we’re looking to do some testing but if it all goes well it may make it into the next major releaseMajor Release A set of releases or versions having the same major version number may be collectively referred to as “X.Y” -- for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, and all other versions in the 5.2. (five dot two dot) branch of that software. Major Releases often are the introduction of new major features and functionality. of WordPress for iOS.

Android Status

Themes + Media should be feature complete by the end of this week, should hit 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. beginning of next week. NUX (welcome guide, better log in/sign up) is now 75% complete.

Post searching and a pull to refresh (a la the new Gmail client) was added by @aagam94. Woot!

Handbook Status

We had a goal to wrap up the Mobile Handbook by the end of August. Unfortunately this didn’t happen, there are still 13 pages marked as drafts, but we got very close. We’ll now wrap up the remaining bits this week. We’re almost 3/4 of the way there — if you have a page that’s still a draft, please get it done ASAP.

This Week

  • Android Themes + Media: some fixes and testing, beta next week
  • iOS 7/MP6-ification: do final polish, submit beginning of next week
  • Wrap up remaining pages in the Handbook
  • TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/. purge: we’re going through and removing/cleaning up old Trac tickets across the iOS and Android projects and moving over what we can to 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/ Issues

Next Chat

Join us for the next dev chat on Sept 9, 2013 at 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

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

Dev chat summary for Aug 26, 2013

Chat log.

Agenda

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

iOS Status

Version 3.7.1 has been submitted to Apple. This is a bug fix release to address a crash some users are experiencing when upgrading to version 3.7.

iOS 7: Progress continues on updating the app for iOS 7. This is a three step process: Step 1 is to do the minimum needed to have the app working well on iOS 7. This should be ready by September 1st. Step 2 will be adding some of the nicer iOS 7 bells and whistles. Step 3 is a more radical rethinking of some of the app features.

Refactor: The Xtreme Labs refactor is on hold temporarily while we wrap up Step 1 of the iOS 7 changes. We’ll merge branches once this is complete and the refactor will resume.

Themes: Xtreme Labs has started working on incorporating the themes feature they are building for WPAndroid into the iOS app.

Rich Text Editor: @astralbodies has begun laying the foundation for a new rich text editor.

Native Reader: Reader improvements are waiting on some 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. improvements to finish.

Android Status

Themes and Media: We’re wrapping up the themes and media features. Themes is mostly ready but the media feature still needs a some work before its ready for release. We’re looking to have this ready in a couple of weeks.

NUX: Progress continues on the NUX improvements and we’re looking at having this ready by the end of next week.

Native Stats: Xtreme labs has started work on a native version of the stats feature.

Native Reader: Progress continues on the Android native reader.

Handbook Update

Its crunch time. This is our last week before we hit our self appointed deadline. There’s still lots to do. BlockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. of time this week to focus on the handbook and let’s get it done.

What’s Next

iOS: Release 3.7.1 and continue with iOS 7 improvements, rich text editor and prep for native reader improvements.

Android: Continue to work on NUX and the media feature.

Next Chat

Join us for the next dev chat on Sept 2, 2013 at 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

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

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

Dev chat summary for Aug 12, 2013

Chat log

Agenda

  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. Status
  • Android Status
  • Handbook Update
  • Next Week

iOS Status

  • Version 3.7 has been submitted to apple. If Apple approves the app this week we’ll most likely release Monday or Tuesday.
  • This week we’ll begin work on 3.7.1 and nail down a roadmap for the next few months.
  • Work continues to update the app to support iOS 7.
  • Xtreme Labs continues to work on a code refactor with target completion of the end of the month.

Android Status

  • We’ve released a beta that adds support for Picasa/g+ images and post excerpts. If all goes well we’ll release an update later this week.
  • The theme selection feature is almost ready.
  • Progress on media updates continues. The feature should be ready in a few more weeks.
  • We’ll be working on a NUX for the next few weeks.

Handbook Update

Reminder to everyone to focus on the handbook content. We have a goal to complete the handbook by the end of the month.

Next Week

For next week the plan is to…

  • Release WPiOS 3.7 to the world as soon as its approved. Start work on 3.7.1 and plan for the near future.
  • Android will focus on NUX, wrapping up the themes, and media features.

Join us for the next dev chat on Aug 19, 2013 at 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

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

Dev chat summary for Aug 5, 2013

Chat log

Agenda

  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. Status
  • Android Status
  • Handbook Update
  • Next Week

iOS Status

Version 3.7 is still not submitted and the team is working hard on getting it ready. There are still some minor issues but most can probably be in a subsequent bug fix release. Issues are being tracked here. Patches welcome!

Android Status

We pushed out 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. of the Categories but it’s been buggy. Plan right now is to submit on Wednesday. We got a patch for adding excerpts to the app so we’ll be looking into that as well this week. Media and Theme selection is coming along nicely.

For the new native 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, it was a bit of a slow week. Commenting is working now and performance is improved. For now it’s kept as a separate app to speed up development, but eventually it’ll be merged into the main app.

Handbook Update

There’s a new handbook todo list in town, check it out and tick off items with your name on it! @sendhil is going to take a look at the iOS side this week. @aerych noted that it’d be great to wrap up the handbook by the end of the month and that we should make that the goal.

Next Week

For next week the plan is to…

  • Submit v. 3.7 of the iOS app, adding the new and improved native WordPress.com Reader and fixes,
  • release the Android categories update,
  • continue working on iOS7-ifying the iOS app.

Join us for the next dev chat on Aug 12, 2013 at 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

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

Dev chat summary for July 29, 2013

Chat log

Agenda

  • Project Status (iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. and Android)
  • Handbook Update
  • GSoC Update
  • REST APIREST API The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/. GSoC Project
  • Next week

Project Status (iOS and Android)

iOS

Version 3.6.4 was approved by Apple Friday, Jul 26, and we released it today, Monday, Jul 29th to make sure we had folks around for the release. . This version includes crash/bugfixes and g+ integration.

Version 3.7 will be submitted to Apple Tuesday, Jul 30th. This version includes the new native reader and a new account storage system.

Android

Lots happening on the Android front. Active projects include:

  • categoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. management overhaul
  • media library access
  • theme switching
  • native reader

We’ll announce 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. this week that includes the new category management feature and we’ll plan for a new release next week. The rest we’ll target a date around the 1st of September.

Other platforms

No updates for other platforms.

Handbook discussion

Last week we had a few todos for the mobile handbook. @sendhilp has jumped in and started writing some of the iOS content. @mrroundhil swept the Android section and confirmed its up to date. @aerych spent some time on the “intro” section.

Work will continue this week. @aerych will put together a new todo list of the things remaining for the team. We’ll also figure out a good way to identify which pages are ready for review and which pages are still being worked on.

GSoC Update

We’ve reached the GSoC midterms. @aerych and @daniloercoli will be summating their midterm evaluations this week.

Both GSoC students hit some unexpected snags early on but have worked to overcome them and to get their projects back on schedule.

REST API GSoC Project

@mrroundhill gave the team a heads up about the ongoing REST API GSoC project https://make.wordpress.org/core/2013/07/24/json-rest-api-testing-updates and thought it would be cool if we could jump in and help test.

Next Week

iOS

Release 3.7. Continue work on 3.7.1 which includes some improvements to the native reader that won’t make it into 3.7 and some other bug fixes.

Android

Release the updated categories feature as version 2.4.3.

The next dev chat will be on Aug 5, 2013 at 9:00AM PST / 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#dev-chat

Dev chat summary for July 22, 2013

Please note: we’re now having our dev chats on Mondays @ 9:00AM PST/16:00 UTC (ref).

Chat log

Agenda

  • Current projects (iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads., Android, Other platforms)
  • Mobile handbook review
  • What’s Next

Current projects (iOS, Android, Other platforms)

iOS

Bug fix update v. 3.6.4 was submitted this morning, slightly delayed but with some additional bug fixes.

More testing and polishing on v. 3.7 (native 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). Strings are ready to be translated (help out here!) The limited 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. bore fruit and a few issues were found that will be fixed shortly.

We’ve discussed adding a built-in feedback system to the iOS app but need to flesh this out more before we go at it.

Android

Development continues on media library and themes features, you can now browse your media and edit media 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. data (title, caption, etc), and you can browse for themes on WordPress.com and activate them if you like. We’ve also added some good image resizing settings (kudos @daniloercoli).

There’s been some push back on removing “View Admin” from the menu drawer so we’re considering making it an option to have it re-appear 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. for power users.

Other platforms

No updates for other platforms.

Mobile handbook review

We’ve stressed the importance of the Handbook being wrapped up, and have proceeded to work on the parts that need the most work – Windows Phone, iOS (limited), Intro sections, and Design. Android needs to be looked over as well.

The Handbook todo list is looking a whole lot better but there’s still work left to do.

Rachel has started look into the edits made in the BlackBerry section but will be on vacation for a few weeks so will have to take a look when she gets back. We’ll update this section in regards to Rachel’s recommendations.

Handbook discussion

Intro pages change
Instead of having intros for each platform or each way to contribute, we’ve merged it into one main intro to contributing to mobile altogether.

Sort order
We’ve changed the sort order of the pages to what we originally scoped out.

Disabling comments
We discussed disabling comments on all pages in the handbook by default so as to not have them be too distracting (we have the forums and this blog after all).

What’s Next

  • Mobile Handbook!

iOS

  • Refactoring project continues
  • Updating the style of the app for next-gen iOS
  • Submit 3.7 (WordPress.com Native Reader)

Android

  • Feature complete media library and (WordPress.com) theme switching
  • (NUX as time permits)

Next Week

The next dev chat will be on July 29, 2013 at 9:00AM PST / 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

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

Dev chat summary for July 17, 2013

Chat log.

Agenda

  • Current projects (iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads., Android, Other platforms)
  • Move dev chat time
  • Mobile handbook review
  • What’s Next

Current projects (iOS, Android, Other platforms)

WPiOS: We’re preparing to submit version 3.6.4 to Apple. This version adds G+ integration and fixes a few errors. We’re announcing the native reader 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. today. Depending on the feedback we get and plan to submit 3.7 next week.

WPAndroid: Currently focused on a maintenance release to address some of the outstanding issues on tracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/.. We’ll plan to submit an update with the improvements next week.

WPWinPhone & WPBB: No new news.

Move dev chat time

We’ve talked a bit offline about moving the dev chat time to either the end or beginning of the week. The reason being it’s hard to plan ahead in 1 week increments when the dev chat is right in the middle of the week. We chatted about it, and decided to try moving the weekly dev chat to Mondays at 9AM PST, 16:00 UTC, 18:00 CEST/17:00 CET. We’ll also look to move the weekly update to Mondays to correspond with the dev chat.

Mobile handbook review

We reviewed the status of the mobile handbook and our checklist.

  • @daniloercoli will follow up on the Windows Phone section before the weeks ends.
  • @aerych will pitch in on Windows Phone and the intro sections, with the goal of having them both ready for review this week.
  • When @mrroundhill is back we’ll ask him to update the Android section to account for any recent changes/additions to the app (e.g. menu drawer, actionbar sherlock, volley).
  • @hugobaeta has been working on the design section and we’ll try to have that ready for review soon as well.

The rest of us should review anything that is attached to our name and remember to check off tasks as they are finished.

What’s Next

  • WPiOS Native Reader: Beta through next week. Submit 3.7 to Apple at the end of next week depending on feedback.
  • WPAndroid Native Reader: Progress continues, focusing on 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. work, likes and comments. Next week will focus on topics.
  • WPiOS: There is some work to adapt WPiOS for iOS 7 underway. We’ll share more details once Apple lifts its NDA on iOS 7.

Xtreme Labs (XL) is pitching in to help with some new features and other improvements with WPiOS and WPAndroid.

  • A WPiOS refactor is underway, the goal being an improved architecture and increased stability. A few more weeks of effort is expected but the foundation code should be viewable next week.
  • A new media gallery feature for WPAndroid is cooking as well as a support for choosing/switching themes from the app.

Next week

The next dev chat will be on July 22, 2013 at 16:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#dev-chat, #wpandroid, #wpios

Dev chat summary for July 10, 2013

Agenda

  • Android – latest update
  • Android – NUX
  • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. status
  • Mobile Handbook status
  • 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/ migrationMigration Moving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies.

Android – latest update

A smaller Android update is almost ready. There are a few changes in this release: the menu drawer now overlays the top, ‘View Admin’ was removed from 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. and moved to Settings, there are new graphics for xhdpi devices (like the Galaxy S4), and the post editor now saves local drafts a little differently by pressing the back button and then prompting the user (before you had to change the status yourself).

Android – NUX

Mostly on hold since we’re discussing ways we can make the NUX better by showing real user posts as a part of the onboarding flow. Need to figure out what’s happening here, post coming so we can discuss.

iOS status

Some bugs were fixed based on user feedback in the forums. The 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/ Native Reader iteration is still ongoing, there’s been a lot of testing/fixing. Optimistically we should be able to open it up before the end of this week.

We briefly talked about what should come next for the iOS app, some ideas thrown out were:

  • Reader
  • Notifications
  • Visual Editor
  • iOS 7 preparation

Mobile Handbook status

The Mobile Handbook is in need of some serious work, especially in some areas. Rachel has started to look into the state of it and everyone is urged to take a look ASAP. We’ve all been busy but it’s time to make progress on the todo list and also make sure that the content that is already there is current.

GitHub migration

Last week we talked about moving the WP app’s 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/. repos from WordPress-Mobile to the Foundation’s GitHub account (discussion here). So far everyone seems favorable of the idea, but please share any thoughts. We’re also hoping to get a new, more stable subgit version and some git.wp.org changes (may be as early as by the end of this month).

Next week

The next dev chat will be on July 17, 2013 at 15:00 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

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

Dev Chat Summary for July 3, 2013

We had a brief dev chat this week as many team members are vacationing, and the Automattic folks are returning from their meet-up last week. WPAndroid was not on the agenda this week as most of the Android contributors are taking time off.

Chat log

Agenda

  • WPiOS
  • WPWinPhone
  • WPBlackBerry (legacy)

WPiOS

Last week version 3.6.2 was released to fix a crash that affected the iPhone version of the app. We quickly discovered that 3.6.2 unfortunately included a problem using 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. on the iPad so we quickly submitted and released an expedited patch in version 3.6.3.

WPWinPhone

@daniloercoli has created an alpha version of the REST client that the app will use when support for notifications is added to the app. Currently no ETA on the notifications feature and it is not being actively developed.

WPBlackBerry (legacy)

The current version of the app included some extra error logging and reporting in an effort to resolve some troublesome log in errors experienced by some users. At this point we’ve collected enough data to fix the major issues, and plan to release an update this week.

The next dev chat will be on July 10, 2013 at 1500 UTC. Mark your calendar and join us in #wordpress-mobile on Freenode.

#blackberry, #dev-chat, #ios, #mobile, #windows-phone