Running into issues with mobile version of apps

[Shawn Smalley]

I've started testing a valence app on mobile that already works correctly on the computer. I have already run into a couple issues just regarding the clock in screen of the app:

for one, if a user puts in their clock number and already has an active login, it should skip the rest of the clock-in process and bring them to the main menu. I do this with a helper program that checks to see if they already have an entry in a backend table, and if they do, i set some app variables and fire an event to change the displayed section of the app. For some reason it seems like this event is not getting fired, or there is some kind of issue with helper programs on mobile.

secondly, if the user does not have an active log in already, it will display the rest of the fields on the clock-in form for them to use. after all fields are filled out, it should enable the clock-in button that they can press to move on to the next section of the app. All the logic here is also contained in the same helper program, and the clock-in button is simply tied to an app variable that is set in the helper program if the conditions are met.

Like i said, everything has been working perfectly on desktop, so is there some issue with helper programs on mobile?

[Johnny Major]

We did a quick test. We created an app with two sections and a form in the second section. The second section form helper fires a local event, and that event shows the main section. This worked as expected on mobile, so we will need more specific information to attempt to replicate your scenario. Also, are you on the latest 6.2 or 6.3?

[Shawn Smalley]

I tried it initially on 6.2 and then updated to 6.3 and had the same results. The weird part is that its definitely calling the helper program (it wouldn't show the remaining fields if it wasnt) but its failing to either fire an event or change an app variable. for the app variable, its stuck in an if statement that is doing some input validation including making sure if the timestamp is within a logical range. The timestamp has the time set in increments of 30 minutes (which i know is only a desktop thing at the moment) but when i tested the code to show me the value, it looks like it is still grabbing it correctly. The only other thing of note is that the helper program is set to be called on creation and on form change after 1000 milliseconds of inactivity. It looks like it might be failing to call the program after a field change, as I'm not getting any feedback on the backend.

[Johnny Major]

Please provide a screenshot of your form when the app is running. This could be a screenshot from the desktop version, and please point out the field in question that you think is not calling the backend when changed while running on a mobile device

[sean.lanktree]

So it sounds like you seeing evidence that the helper program is not being called after a field is changed. What type of field is it?
Can you start logging in Portal Admin > Logs and verify if the helper program calls are being made? Below is a link to a blog post to explain how to do this if you are not already familiar.

https://cnxcorp.com/tip-month/investigate-behind-the-scenes-activities-with-valence-logs/

[Shawn Smalley]

It does look like the calls are being made, here is what the form looks like on startup:

form1.png

and then after they put in a valid clock number it looks like this:
form2.png

with my current predicament, im only interacting with the clock number (character field length 8) and the time part of the timestamp field

[Johnny Major]

Looks like this is an issue with the timestamp, aka Date/Time, not notifying the backend that it has been changed when running on mobile. This will be fixed in the next 6.3 update.

If you're still on the latest 6.2, please reach out to support, and we can supply you with a patch.

Thanks

[Shawn Smalley]

I'm currently on the latest 6.3 release. Is there a way to downgrade back to 6.2? or did you mean to type 6.3?

[Johnny Major]

It will be in the next 6.3 update

[Shawn Smalley]

oh sorry, i meant for getting the patch

[Johnny Major]

Please email support

[Shawn Smalley]

So the patch has fixed the issue for the initial clock in, but I'm still having the issue with clocking in when already having an active log in. I confirmed that my back-end program is successfully getting into the call to fire the event. This is the remaining code that happens before ending the program:

program.png
I can't imagine that any of the variable alteration code would be messing with it, especially since it works on desktop. Here is what the event looks like in valence:

behavior.png

[sean.lanktree]

Can you add an additional action to the "loginExists" event listener? Maybe something like Set Appbar Title....just want to see if there is any evidence that it is making it to that point or not.

[Shawn Smalley]

I added an event to close the app, but it still didn't work on mobile. I also double checked in the code by putting a dsply call before and after the fireEvent call, and i did see both of those displays show up on the backend

[sean.lanktree]

Can you try one other thing....Set App Variables > nabMsg to "testing" or similar. Not sure what device you are running this on and if close app is the best test.