So I have a nice watch face and for all my complications I use the Icon + Text variant. Sadly some of those complications have no icon. Steps for example.
So for the steps:
-Make a complication(Let’s say Next Event)
-Change complication layout to Icon + Text
-It now showes me the date of my next event & a little calendar icon.
-I now change the complication to steps
-Steps has no icon, so I now only see a text field displaying my steps
Any fix for this?
Create your own steps Icon image.
Expand the Short Text complication
right click the “Icon”
at the bottom is swap Image, select your Steps icon image and it will now be used.
Ron
Samsung Developer Relations
Having said this I noticed it is not changed in the preview window but it is changed in the settings. I don’t have a watch to try it on. If it works on the Watch let me know.
Note the preview window does show the changed Icon when it is a Battery complication
Ron
It doesn’t work… Otherwise you would have to set an icon for each complication. I don’t get it. Why dont they just support icons for all the chooseable complications.
You can read about wearable complications in in this reference. Basically a complication is something in the OS that is available to every developer.
It is a template that the developer fills out with their data and that is then provided through the OS in something called a service provider.
One of the things that needs to be filled out is Icon, however it says…
Returns the icon field for this complication, or null if no value was provided for the field.
I assume that since Steps does not provide an Icon image that there can be no image swap.
Ron
Samsung Developer Relations
S Health app problem. Hopefully will be solved in the future. You can still use layout with text + title so you will get something like [7500 STEPS].
Yea, you get 7500 STEPS. But that means I cannot get images for the complication at all, even when the user swaps it. It’s a limitation of this already quite limited software.
Just include both layouts text + icon & text + title. If an app provides icon it will be used. Also set text + title + icon and hide title element.
Hello, I included both, but still, icon does not appear… what could I be doing wrong?
Icon appears on watch studio screen, but not ton watch
Thanks!!
The Text, Title and Icons for complications in WFS are exemplary… that is they are just serving as a pattern for the designer for layout purposes. Complications are for the end user to personalize their watch and are standardized for a standard user experience. The creator of the complication determines what is shown but the designer can determine the size and Fonts.
Having said that as I wrote it I realized I need to try a fixed complication and see if that makes a difference.
Ron
Samsung Developer Relation
sorry, I did not understand you. sorry again.
Complications in a watch is something happens on a watch face. It is derived from original watch makers for something to show the hour that was one gear complication the minute another complication, minute, day, date and so on. Each one make the gears more complicated.
For Tizen based watch facesthe designer used tags (based on the watch data) to create their complication.
For Wear OS the philosophy is for a Developer to create complications for their app based on a template and for the end user to customize their watch faces.
If you have no default provider then nothing shows up on the watch but there is a complication where a user can select it in the customizations.
Does that make sense?
Ron
Samsung Developer Relations
Thanks, it makes sene, but still, why the icon I upload to be as a default icon on the complication is not shown on the watch?.. seems there that if the complication has no icon, or at least WFS is not reading it, should display the one that is loaded on the properties tab.
I dont seems to me that WFS still has a lot of holes to cover…
G.
You have to understand programming. When an app or a wgt starts a set amount of memory is allocated to it. That can be larger than the app dynamically allocated or it can be have a pre-allocated buffer. If the complication creator does not allocate memory for the icon then there is no memory for your default Icon to be created.
You can probably create an Image over the complication for say Calories Burnt and make the complication fixed so it can not be customized.
Ron
exactly with the amount of memroy… so when there is no icon, why not to take the one we add to the complication property?
G.
Complications are just like templates. You have just “dynamic” Placeholders.
The WFS Team have no idea what kind off Data Provider are be available on WearOS especially in upcoming updates. Some Data Provider send just some text, some have an Icon some not. Some have secondary Text some not. Dynamic stuff comes always with some disadvantages.
You want to have an option to place an alternative symbol in case one is missing from the data set.
But the main problem with dynamic content is, that each kind of “custom” input destroy the flexibility of dynamics.
The WFS Team can not implement ALL possible Data providers. I think it is hard to maintain to be always up to date and also they don’t have access to all.
I also think that every watch manufacturer who will use WearOS has the possibility to create their own data providers. You would need to build alternate icons for them too. Whats about 3rd Party Widgets? For all of them you should build alternative Icons when you not want run into an missing Icon issue.
To be fair, i understand your frustration. The complication stuff in its current state is not very flexible to be creative with (if data provider is not fixed) and the data providers are somehow inconsistent. But thats not the fault by the WFS Team. … in my opinion.
Thanks for the input. I created my own “complication” by using the progress bars, text and images. I get the point about different providers having different values or none at all. However, it is my understanding that Watch Face Studio is from Samsung for Galaxy watches with WearOS. So they know what the basic functions/providers are. Things like #steps, heartrate, battery, time, etc should have predefined complications. Other programs do have that, too. Just my two cents.
Things like #steps, heartrate,
Those are Sensors and you need an app that changes sensor data into readable data. With GWS the Samsung Health App did that but that isn’t possible at this time.
I think the WFS team is trying to add more default providers. In theory if you specify an app and it isn’t installed Android is to ask you if you wish to install it I don’t know if that works that way now.
Ron
Samsung Developer Relations
I have a similar problem where if I select any of the complication and if I try to select any image for it, it shows in the editor but neither in “RUN” window nor on the watch and it continues with selection of an an image exclusively, so here’s a workaround I thought of and is working for me, you can select any of the “Analog Hands”, resize it to the size you want and unselect “Apply Rotation Properties” from the properties panel under “ROTATION”, I don’t think this should be a permanent fix as that component is not meant to be image or a placeholder but until it is fixed, you guys can try this.
I have a similar problem where if I select any of the complication and if I try to select any image for it, it shows in the editor but neither in “RUN” window nor on the watch and it continues with selection of an an image exclusively
Complication Text and Icon images are included in WFS for design use only and not installed on the watch.
I mentioned this may be confusing and WFS team fixed the wording for the properties to test text and test icon so designers would not think they would be changing any complication.
so here’s a workaround I thought of and is working for me, you can select any of the “Analog Hands”, resize it to the size you want and unselect “Apply Rotation Properties” from the properties panel under “ROTATION”, I don’t think this should be a permanent fix as that component is not meant to be image or a placeholder but until it is fixed, you guys can try this.
I don’t follow this at all.
Ron
Samsung Developer Relations
