Many downloaded watches allow the user to customize the hands by picking among several designs. In WFS I can see how a user can pick among images, or colors, or complications, but I do not see how to specify hands so that they can be customized (hour, min, sec all at once). Likely I am missing something obvious. What?
The same way you do for the users to “pick among images”;
- You add the hand as usual;
- Select it;
- [1] Go on “Style” tab (where you add color palette and so on);
- [2] Click on the “+” on the “Style” category;
- Then you add the extra hands style you want.
Doing that this way will allow the user to select the desired style for each hand. Now lets say you want to change all hands togheter (hour and minute for example), instead of letting the user pick one style for each hand:
- Then you click on “Customization Editor”;
- Select the sets you want to group:
- Click on “Merge set”:
- Then change the set name to whatever you’d like
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Thanks. Not so obvious after all (to me, anyway), grouping after the fact. Now, if I can only remember it . . . .
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That works. And now a follow-up. If all you want to do is change the color of hands (or of indexes), I assume you implement this by supplying images in each color for each element of the merged group. I assume, that is, that you can not use a mechanism like the theme color to affect just the hands, offering a choice of colors, as these are images not drawn shapes. Or is there a way to supply a single image for each, and then customize just the color (without using one of the three theme colors and including the hands in one of three overall theme colors)?
You can use Theme colors with watch hand styles
Ron
Samsung Developer Relations
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That’s interesting and surprising, and very useful. For white (0xFFFFFF) areas of the image the theme color applies nicely. I’ll have to experiment with blending in shade. Thanks for the tip (and all the others all over this forum).
But how do we make different hand styles and make them use different colors. Do I need to use masks or make is sets and than per hand set add the different colors as images. The documentation does not support such info as far as I could tell
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Sadly you may not get a Reply from Ron . He has been retired a while . You can change the colour of something thst is by Default Neutral or white with the one of the three Theme colour options ( see little paint pot Icon ) . You can change the Shape with Style options . We should deal with one question at a time . I guess yiu have just started in WFS . Sometimes it is worth doing searches across previous Topics .
Hi Russell, thanks for the reply. I will try and do better searches related to my questions. I’m indeed new to wfsz just got a watch this past week. I’ve looked at some videos of watchface designer. That had more template files to start of. I’ll check some of the templates then, see if one of them has something I’m looking for
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At this stage we have to talk about 2D design of hands . 3D rendered are beyond the scope of this question . I will try make a test you may understand . Peter has covered it in Description in the other Topic running on this topic . I respect your attempts to cover this work so early but you really need to spend more time with he basics before getting into advanced stuff .
See a quick tes . Not you can not make a style with the preset Analogue clock Preset layer . We have to use Image Layers thus we can only have dead beat seconds . Smooth does not work well it is glitchy . See the hands are animated with Formulas in the Angle Tag Boxes .
I do not guess you will understand how it works but it is all I could do in the spare time I had today , it is a good talking point . To open the file just delete the .ZIP bit .
HANDS_STYLE_COLOUR_TEST.wfs.ZIP (512.7 KB)
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As far as what I’ve have found so far. Is that we can use all kinds of metrics or propertiesz they use these “tags". I’ve have some coding knowledge and do scripts for Adobe software. I understand it’s basic. They are basically sorry of variables connected to properties, with them, we can drive our design. Like make elements rotate and move.
I think for me the hard part is figuring out this GUI and how to connect all the dots, so I understand the basics better.
Like for instance one of the template files. It has this battery complications but the level meter has been taken out of the group and is moved power in the layer panel. But still it responds to the battery level. I could not really find out how that thing still responded.
I have been opening and check some of the template files. Trying to dissect themz show and hide stuff and see what it all does.
Only downside I found thus far. Is the method we need to send it to a watch. This new watchface studio also uses 2 ports. It’s kind of tedious to put in all the time. Wish it would simply save that data. There is really no need to connect it each time we send something for testing to a watch
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Yes there are Topics about sending Faces to your watch without using the port and Pairing numbers . The complications are a group of layers that can be moved about . I think they have to be within the Bounding Box to be Visible . Did you have a look at the File I made for you .
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Sorry did not had the chance last night to look at it on Windows. Now im on OSX at work, and the zip also unzips the .wfs format
The WFS is probably a sort of zip format using a custom extension. Ill try to get it to work on osx.
EDIT
okay, i did simple test. simply change .zip to .wfs and it worked 
Always funny how easily
PS i did get a warning in v1.7.13 did you make this in the new beta version?
I tried that app, but my galaxy watch 7 doesnt take those sdk files
EDIT 2
Okay had a look, i managed last night to make something. One thing i had some hard time was, is connecting IDtext to inputs values so we see custom name vs 1st option etc etc. After some fiddling i got that working, a bit tedious, but once you get the hang of it, its not that hard.
Only thing i cant do is, i wanted to added a compass, but WF Studio doesnt have that complication. I saw one of the stock watchfaces had this, thats problably made window Android Studio or something.
Another i noticed after working a bit with the app. Sometimes the app is buggy. For instance one time i got this handtool to move the convas around, but i would go back to the arrow so i could select, move and change items. Had to do a restart.
Another issue i see in the app. If we click the dashboard icon, small WFS icon in top left. I dont get a warning about the project not being saved. Thats kind of a dangerous approach. On OSX i do see a “save warning” dialog.
But this is what i got so far. In my current design, the background is driven by gyro, i want to break it down in separate layers. However, i than loose the color control. Because each layer would then get a input change option. Perhaps i can merge those items, so they are 1 style per color? I need to learn more about merge of styles
I can change some colors using themes, the digital clock and battery have separate color options. Plus, each item opens an app now. I even got it to open the steps app directly, by looking at this forum or the app id
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You are doing well . As I sail . That file I posted is not a zipped file . We just use the extra extension .ZIP to allow the files to be posted here easily . Si to repeat just delete the .ZIO then you have a standard .wfs file . You are already using stuff I don’t touch . It takes a while messing about before you can make something that works properly . Yes no compass sadly .
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Yeah sorry… I was to impatient and did read the last part… my bad Bit I figured it outz lots of times you can trick an is system of thinking a file is different. Basically this was is a custom zip file.
Because with a decompress app, I can look inside the WFS file and see basically what android studio perhaps created. It’s an XML file with some other files.
I like to tinker with apps. Since my background is graphic designer and I do 3d stuff, I like to think I can pick up apps “fast".
Just today I learned how to merge different watch styles. So now I’m also able to make an analog version and a digital version and then use merged styles to make that an option. That’s super nice!
It was in this threa, use a transparent image, so that each style is hidden with option 1 or option 2.
Only thing is, i dont think we than also can color them indepent from each other
Plus I noticed the beta version 1.9.3 also has a feature were we can make pre made designs and offer those as well. That’s really cool!
Tonight I’m going to figure out how I can make each contour lines for that landscape height map act indepently on the gyroscope, that way it will get some kind of 3d effect or parallax effect
Thanks for the help and suggestions
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Yeah I made an Infiity Mirror thing on Facer . Lots of Layers . Well worth the effort . Once you have aformulas that work you just duplicate the layer and tweak the variables and change the image . Sounds to me you will make some headway on Android Studio . I am too old to do the whole thing with typed Code . I am just a Meddeling Hobbyist .
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Well perhaps making a watchface is to tedious, but I was wondering if we can make complications and somehow import them into watchface studio. I have not found something related. I believe the closest I’ did found. Was a reply by someone from Samsung which states to make some code it in android studio. But they didn’t mentions how to add it
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You can do two things in Android Studio . Make complete watchfaces to WFF or Make complication Apps tha can be run in the Cpmplication slots , There is no help for that in this Forum . You will have to find the Communiyies that deal with Android Studio and WFF . They have been mentioned here .
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I think I need to put that on the side for the moment. The coding language is a bit more advanced than what I’m used to. I’ll keep your mention as a note.
I did read somewhere just now that we can make custom complications and then some how save them within watchface studio. But we are still limited to the tags they have exposed, not all data is reachable (yet)
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Depends what u mean by color them individually if masking works for the hands you could have multiple different mask for each hand then last one transparent to off it..then u select a cordingly
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