ekkes Express Charts is an application to create charts on-the-fly and can be integrated into BlackBerry EXPRESS.
Here’s an Overview about the APP and HowTo download und use.
I really like the power of Cascades Invokation Framework and always use it heavily in my apps. In this article I will tell you where I’m using the Invokation Framework.
I already wrote about
Export/Import Charts with a little help of Cascades Invokation Framework
here’s a summary:
Export / Import Charts
Invoke Application from Mail Attachment
Images of your charts are stored in /shared area – this can be on your Device, SD card or Cloud (Dropbox, Box) – if working from BES10 inside your work perimeter you also can store in BlackBerry Work Drives:
The chart data itself is stored secure inside the sandbox in JSON fomat. You can export and send the data to another user of ‘ekkes Express Charts’ – in this case the exported data will be scrambled to secure it and attached to the mail. Composing the mail is done by Invokation Framework !
The receiver simply taps on the attachment and from a special file suffix ‘ekkes Express Charts’ is opened and the user can import the chart data.
<invoke-target id="org.ekkescorner.YOUR_UNIQUE_ID_HERE"> <invoke-target-type>application</invoke-target-type> <invoke-target-name>ekkes Express Charts Import Data</invoke-target-name> <icon> <image>icon.png</image> </icon> <filter> <action>bb.action.OPEN</action> <mime-type>*</mime-type> <property var="exts" value="eecimp"/> <property var="uris" value="file://,data://"/> </filter> </invoke-target>
(read in detail here)
Include Charts as Image into your Presentation
Invoke ‘ekkes express Charts’ as CARD from BlackBerry EXPRESS
You like to create presentations on-the-fly from your BlackBerry 10 device using BlackBerry EXPRESS ?
You missed integrating charts into your presentations ? BlackBerry EXPRESS and ‘ekkes Express Charts’ are working hand-in-hand.
From BlackBerry EXPRESS you can insert chart images from ‘ekkes Express Charts’ on-the-fly. For the user it looks like all is done from one application. Here’s the Workflow HowTo get the charts into your presentation.
1. From BlackBerry EXPRESS tap on the Image Icon to insert an Image into your presentation:
Without ‘ekkes Express Charts’ installed you can select from your files.
If ‘ekkes Express Charts’ is installed the Invokation Framework knows that there are two providers of Images and you get a list to select from.
2. Select ‘ekkes Express Charts’
3. Select an existing or Create a new Chart
You’re now inside the charts app and can select from a list or create a new one on-the-fly. Easiest and fastest way to create a new one is to use the ‘Easy Data Entry‘ – I wrote about it here.
4. Capture the Image
‘ekkes Express Charts’ knows that the app was invoked from BlackBerry EXPRESS and shows you the EXPRESS application icon. Tap on the Action and you’re back in your presentation.
5. Enter the title of your slide
You’re done !
Playing your presentation from BlackBerry EXPRESS you’ll see the Chart and the Slide Title as overlay:
Hint: ‘ekkes express Chart’ has a special EXPRESS – switch leaving exactly 119 px free at the bottom, so there’s no collision with the Title Overlay.
Include Images from the Cloud into your Presentation
Invoke Image Search
‘ekkes express Charts’ is not the only APP you can invoke from BlackBerry EXPRESS:
Image Search by Alexander Björck enables you to insert Images from the Cloud, per ex. Flickr.
Download Image Search from BlackBerry World here:
Include Charts as Image from anywhere
Invoke ‘ekkes express Charts’ as CARD from 3rd Party Apps
‘ekkes express Charts is open to all developers. If you need charts in your application you can integrate them seamless using Invokation Framework.
Here are the Invokation Parameters to invoke ‘ekkes Express Charts’ frm 3d Party apps:
void ApplicationUI::chartImage() {
InvokeRequest request;
request.setAction("bb.action.SHARE");
request.setTarget("org.ekkescorner.charts.chartimages");
request.setMimeType("image/jpeg");
mInvokeManager->invoke(request);
}
Then a CARD will be invoked same way as invoking from BlackBerry EXPRESS and as soon as the chart was captured you’ll get a CardDoneMessage with the filename:
void ApplicationUI::childCardDone(
const bb::system::CardDoneMessage &doneMessage) {
if(doneMessage.reason() == "Done"){
QString filename = doneMessage.data();
} else {
// User canceled
}
}
To make it easy for developers to integrate there’s an Open Source Project at Github with a sample app invoking ‘ekkes Express Charts’ 🙂
Here’s the link to the Github project: https://github.com/ekke/ekkesChartInvoker
There’s much more use of the Invokation Framework in ‘ekkes Express Charts’: from Application menu, Home Page, social Integration and more.
Stay tuned for more articles on this
For now have FUN to insert charts into your BlackBerry EXPRESS presentations.
