Request information on: APK Expansion Files

[Kyo]

I read in a forum the Max Size for APK file is 50MB.

and i found this: http://developer.android.com/google/play/expansion-files.html

this procedure is fine in gl_b ??
or should I do otherwise?

My APK far exceeds the 50MB! 

[spacefractal]

sadly, its will NOT happens very soon. Glbasic does not support it at all, and that way its works now, im cannot just support it to AndroidExtras as well. Its can been a very compliced thing to do.

Before im will try to support that, Gernot need do a way to checkout a folder and DONT copy to the Media folder, but instead zip it down instead by using the guideline. Im thins any folder which contain the empty file, android.xclz could do that.

Also Its need a way to installing the files locally to, which seen pretty much complex.

When that happens, then im will look for the Java part of both the internal copy assest metod using ... screen, or doing that trought Check_Asset() in AndroidExtras (which will try copy media from zip, if not found from the apk).

So by now its wont happens support it very soon.

[Kyo]

mmm so I was stationary! ....
This is not good! 

[spacefractal]

The main reason is.... glbasic is not designed to use those files in mind.

Howover its mightbeen possible to support it throught AndroidExtras, but its can been quite complex, due its need to support the obb by creating them directly, or you cannot test under compiling.

Howover not sure how its should detect and how. But sadly its wont been done very soon by trying support it.

[Kyo]

I understand!

GLB is a great engine, but it still has too many limitations for larger projects!

Instead of continuing to create exporter to other platforms, it is more important to stabilize and add more functions to platforms  that already exist!

Now I have a project stopped and this is a big problem for me!

[spacefractal]

(im have edited the previous post), but tis does not inteferere the next post. sorry about it.

You can do larger Projects using Ios, but Google Play have still its limits and complexlity (as typical Android is).

Alternative you can host the file your self in sandbox file format by using NETWEBGET. Howover the main issue is its dont support threading.

[fuzzy70]

To be fair it sounds like you have only just discovered the 50MB max APK file size from seeing it on a forum & I bet there is a lot more people that don't know about it then those that do. If you had known about that limit before starting your project would have created it still.

Thanks to you more people will be aware that such a limit exists & there is such a thing as APK expansion files which while not currently supported may be added so GLB can handle them.

I know that doesn't help your current situation but am surprised Google hasn't changed the limit rather than offering "Expansion files". I haven't had a read of the forum post you mentioned but is it an Android issue or just the Playstore?

Lee

[spacefractal]

Its a Playstore issue, which is still limit to 50mb, even this day.....

If you want to upload bigger project, you need to use Expansion files, which seen too been a quite very tricky to been supported for glbasic, due glbasic not have programmed with this in mind.

Absolutte its can been possible for using OBB if the Media folder is over a contian size, example 40mb, then its could copy the Media folder from main project to Android\MediaExpansion Folder instead of Android\assets\Media and then invoke the JOBB command (http://developer.android.com/tools/help/jobb.html).

Im need the above to been doen first by glbasic, before im will implement the rest in the Java code part of it. If the above is not done, its would simply to been too complex and hence im wont try doing anything until the above happens.

Also this would property only Works with sdk 4.0 (due a least sdk 2.3 is required as im have seen).

[Kyo]

Ok, the only solution at the moment is download the external resource with NETWEBGET!

But it's possible
- Download a file from a website with  progress bar (or the calculation of MB downloaded)
- Resume a partially downloaded file

Example in the forum?

[spacefractal]

im never used Network commands really, so here im can ask. Howover im do look on a downloader with procent in one of the next AndroidExtras one of the follow weeks. That is the only comprimise by now.

[Kyo]

Ok, I will wait your news! 

[spacefractal]

One thing im have never every have understand Android that is how the XML ressource Works when putting in res/layout and in res/values when working with external text strings. Each time im try to those resouce handled by various project (often when R Strings is invoked), then im simply get a build.xml error.

But since its never have tell WHY the error is, then its just impossible to fix that and do anything else.

The main issue is The downloader_library uses a lots of those XML ressource and for some reason the build fails, without having a clue why it happens.

Due im sometimes im just hate Android when doing like that, im wont try to implement downloader_library due those silly errors.

Im which build.xml told why the error accours rather just return a 1..... But its dont do that with glbasic. So by now im simply cant do anything with it.

Howover im do look for a simple url downloader with Progress bar instead, which is a only work around.

[Kyo]

OK!
If I knew there were all these problems, I would have followed a different route!

[spacefractal]

That limit is property Down for the some devices cannot do more than this and many devices also have low internal memory, where glbasic copy external data to (which can been limit throught AndroidExtras). So this is more a Android / Google Play limit, not Glbasic itsself.

Howover exists other Android shop, example Samsung Apps. That shop should not have that limit at all, while Amazon AppStore just point to a external FTP after a contain limit (which is 125mb):
https://developer.amazon.com/help/faq.html

Amazon also point size over 100mb can been problematic too generally and advise to uses a external download source for resources, also bandwidth issues when updating.

With the above in mind...

Property if im would add something to Glbasic v13, then could been nice to haveing some DOWNLOAD commands (using FTP as well HTTP), something like those:

id=DOWNLOADINIT(fileurl$, fileto$, protocol$, username$, password$)
filesize=DOWNLOADFILESIZE(id)
progress=DOWNLOADPROGRESS(id)
status$=DOWNLOADSTATUS$(id)
DOWNLOADCLOSE(id)

That would help very much for workaround those various limits (regaardless of platform) and would been much easier to download the expansion (as well ads) files too (since im would only need to deliver the url and support it throught check_assest()). With those new commands would then not breaks compatible.

Im thinks that could go for the next version of glbasic....

[Kyo]

I hope you're right or is a big trouble for me!