I went through several PDFs and video tutorials, some of them look to be old because they link to things on Google that are not there and when I find them the procedure has changed. I signed up for a Google developer account installed a keytool, etc. I don't know if I did any of this correctly and still the maps don't show up, only the pins show. Any ideas?

Hi @techdesigner, I'll assume that you have your Google Maps API Key for Android, and that you've put those keys into the Strings.xml file as required. My experience has been that the map tiles generally only show when you have created a release apk file and installed that in your emulator or device. I have only gotten the actual map tiles to show once while running from Eclipse! Not sure why, but it's the same with TONS of other people. Trying giving the release apk version a shot, and see what happens. Android is super tricky in this regard. Hang in there..it does indeed work. Mark

Thanks @GoNorthWest, not sure if I got the keys installed correctly and I am not sure how to put them into the Strings.xml. Do you have a tutorial or PDF that explains how? I haven't gotten it to work on my phone yet only in the emulator. The pins show up on a white background with grid lines. Here is the info from LogCat if it helps: 12-05 12:43:08.791: V/MapActivity(348): Recycling map object. 12-05 12:43:08.791: W/ZZ(348): BT_screen_map:onCreate 12-05 12:43:08.821: W/ZZ(348): BT_viewUtilities:updateBackgroundColorsForScreen with nickname: "Australia/New Zealand Locations" 12-05 12:43:08.821: W/ZZ(348): BT_viewUtilities:updateBackgroundColorsForScreen: setting background color to: "stripes" 12-05 12:43:08.821: W/ZZ(348): BT_viewUtilities:getNavBarForScreen building nav. bar for screen with nickname: "Australia/New Zealand Locations" 12-05 12:43:08.911: W/ZZ(348): BT_screen_map:onStart using data from app's configuration file 12-05 12:43:08.911: W/ZZ(348): BT_screen_map:parseScreenData 12-05 12:43:08.962: W/ZZ(348): BT_screen_map:showMapPins 12-05 12:43:08.962: W/ZZ(348): BT_screen_map:showMapPins 12-05 12:43:09.121: I/MapActivity(348): Handling network change notification:CONNECTED 12-05 12:43:09.131: E/MapActivity(348): Couldn't get connection factory client 12-05 12:43:09.691: W/ZZ(348): BT_screen_menuListSimple:onStop (BASE CLASS) Thanks, Greg

Here is a link to how how install the Google Maps API. It was actually made by GoNorthWest himself! http://youtu.be/SFGF3_r9YIA

And here's a doc on doing the Google Maps thing. It's slightly dated...using the Keytool Plugin (for which I have a video) gets you the MD5 hash much easier. But most of this is still relevant. https://www.buzztouch.com/files/howtos/Obtaining_a_Google_Maps_API_Key_v1.0.pdf Mark

Okay - I tried to follow Mark's guide to add a Google Maps API Key to one of my apps today, and was surprised to find out I can no longer get a Google Maps API Key for v1.0. Google has now updated their API to 2.0, and the use of keys has completely changed. Just when I thought I had it figured out, they go and change everything. Thanks Google! Anyone have an updated guide? ;)

Looks like you can still get 1.0 keys for now...: "Note: Version 1 of the Google Maps Android API as been officially deprecated as of December 3rd, 2012. This means that from March 3rd, 2013 you will no longer be able to request an API key for this version. No new features will be added to Google Maps Android API v1. However, apps using v1 will continue to work on devices. Existing and new developers are encouraged to use Google Maps Android API v2." Here's the new link for the old 1.0 key requests: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android/v1/maps-api-signup

Thanks @Chris1, no wonder I am confused. I tried to install using @GoNorthwest's video tutorial originally and kind of pieced it together with what I could figure out with Google, that's what messed me up. I am going to try installing 1.0 if it will work now that I tried installing using Google's new instructions and new software. It was a great tutorial just different now that Google changed it. Did you get it to work? Did you have to change the Strings.xml file? I wasn't able to find it.

Yep - it worked fine for me. Go to res-->values-->strings.xml in the package explorer in Eclipse. When you open it up, you should see 'googleMapsAPIKeyRelease' as the 3rd key or so. As an FYI, on my computer Eclipse doesn't like it when I command-V the API key into the strings file. I've found the best way to do it is to right-click on the Value box and select paste. It's weird, I know, but that's how it's working for me right now.

Thanks @Chris1 will try it when I get back home later. I will try editing the strings first and see if that is all it takes. I just hope I haven't screwed it up already ;)

well, you can always recompile from the BT control panel and start fresh.

Gonna whip up a new tutorial tomorrow!

@GoNorthWest I did try figuring out where I went wrong with mixing new Google and your excellent video tutorial. Sorry, still lost in the woods :( I hate that you have to redo the tutorial but I am really looking forward to it! Sorry to be so clueless - I guess I hate coading so much I can't even spell it ;) Thanks, Greg

Hi Greg, The tutorial won't include the new Google Map API v2, as that requires some coding integration on the buzztouch side. The tutorial will focus on the API v1 method, which is still valid. Hope that helps! Mark

Mark, I used BT 2.0 but I am not smart enough to know if I used Google Map API v2 but I will give the tutorial a shot unless it won't help. Appreciate all your help! Greg

It'll help. I'll show you how to get it going using a BT v2.0 app! Mark

Excellent!!

Hopefully @David is working on updating the plugin, since the old method will be obsolete in less than 3 months.

He's aware of the change. But not to fear...if you get your API key before the March deadline, you'll be in good shape for some time? "No new features will be added to Google Maps Android API v1. However, apps using v1 will continue to work on devices." This means the won't make updates, but the keys will still work. The same thing happened with the web based maps, and those keys still work years later. Mark

Yeah - I'm just wanting to make sure Buzztouch stays relevant in the G.M.A. A.P.I. V.2.0 era (wow that's quite the abbreviation!)

It will...I can assure you of that!

@GoNorthWest and @Chris1 I appreciate all of the suggestions and I hope I can figure this out. I am having a lot more problems with the Android side than the xcode side. I am wanting to learn this so I can make apps for clients. Is there a lot more that I have to do to get the app to market? I would rather do it myself but are there options if I can't figure it out? If it is really this complex do you or any other Buzztouch members hire out to upload to the Android market or better yet can I pay as a tutor (ya know teach a man to fish)? Thanks, Greg

Once you've finished your app, it's pretty easy to submit it to the Google Play store. The hardest part to figure out is the code-signing process. But Eclipse makes that pretty easy as well - just make sure you keep your passwords in a safe place, because if you ever lose those, you won't be able to update the app through the store. Take a look at the how-to docs and see how far you can get. If you get stuck or have questions, feel free to send me a PM.

This document has a chapter on submitting to Google Play. Hopefully it helps! It's much easier than submitting to iTunes. https://www.buzztouch.com/files/howtos/buzztouch_For_Android-A_Users_Guide.pdf Mark

@GoNorthWest and @Chris1 I couldn't get Eclipse set up correctly on the Mac (won't use the emulator or android device) [2012-12-06 15:04:20 - BT_activity_root] ------------------------------ [2012-12-06 15:04:20 - BT_activity_root] Android Launch! [2012-12-06 15:04:20 - BT_activity_root] adb is running normally. [2012-12-06 15:04:20 - BT_activity_root] Performing com.transmissions.BT_activity_root activity launch [2012-12-06 15:04:20 - BT_activity_root] Automatic Target Mode: Unable to detect device compatibility. Please select a target device. [2012-12-06 15:06:06 - BT_activity_root] Launch canceled! [2012-12-06 15:22:23 - BT_activity_root] ------------------------------ [2012-12-06 15:22:23 - BT_activity_root] Android Launch! [2012-12-06 15:22:23 - BT_activity_root] adb is running normally. [2012-12-06 15:22:23 - BT_activity_root] Performing com.transmissions.BT_activity_root activity launch [2012-12-06 15:22:23 - BT_activity_root] Automatic Target Mode: Unable to detect device compatibility. Please select a target device. [2012-12-06 15:22:38 - BT_activity_root] Uploading BT_activity_root.apk onto device '04036CA00200300F' [2012-12-06 15:22:38 - BT_activity_root] Installing BT_activity_root.apk... [2012-12-06 15:22:41 - BT_activity_root] Re-installation failed due to different application signatures. [2012-12-06 15:22:41 - BT_activity_root] You must perform a full uninstall of the application. WARNING: This will remove the application data! [2012-12-06 15:22:41 - BT_activity_root] Please execute 'adb uninstall com.transmissions' in a shell. [2012-12-06 15:22:41 - BT_activity_root] Launch canceled! --- so I switched to the PC and got the app working except for maps (pins show but no map) and I just can't find what is wrong. So I guess I am going to pull the maps from the Android side so that I can get it in the market. Is there a way to make changes to only the Android side without messing up the iOS side? Can the app be duplicated so I can change one separately? I give up :(

Please don't give up! Hang in there...there is a bit of a learning curve with Android. If you are using the same control panel for your Android app as you do for your iOS app, any changes you make to one will show up in the other. So, tread carefully! Most people have found the best thing to do is create two different projects, one for iOS, one for Android. There are just two many gotchas that make a single project difficult. At the moment, the only real way to duplicate a project is to recreate it screen by screen. With respect to the emulator...it look like it can't find an AVD to use. Do you have an Android Virtual Device configured, and is it configured using the Google API? Finally...map tiles won't work in debug mode (in most cases). Try creating the apk with a release key, and then install it on a device (or emulator). Bet it works. Hang in there...you have a huge community here to help! Mark

Working on this tutorial today! Hope to have it out later this evening. Mark

Hey Mark, I worked on it last night on the PC and exported a signed apk and installed the final app on the Droid. The maps still only show pins on a white background and no map. The HTML5 pages say they haven't downloaded check internet connection (but they do work after enough time and clicking back and forth). There are a couple missing images but there is a copy in the assets/BT_Docs and a copy in the res/drawable for good measure. The type is all HUGE. The PDF tries to open QuickPDF but says it is not a valid PDF file. The Mac was set not set to the Google APIs as you suspected, fixed that but now get this error: [2012-12-07 14:53:45 - BT_activity_root] Installation error: INSTALL_FAILED_MISSING_SHARED_LIBRARY [2012-12-07 14:53:45 - BT_activity_root] Please check logcat output for more details. [2012-12-07 14:53:45 - BT_activity_root] Launch canceled! I appreciate you taking time to work on the tutorial but unless it turns water into wine I'm not sure it will help :( Thanks again, Greg

Here's the video tutorial on the maps stuff. I got it working twice in a row, so I know the steps are sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGC9IuEMwBE Mark

@GoNorthWest - THANKS!!! Great tutorial Mark! I have MAPS ;) I followed exactly and figured out what I was doing wrong, of course it crashed on the PC the first time but I tried again this morning on the Mac and it worked perfectly. Will try again on the PC when I get a chance. Thanks again, Greg

@GoNorthWest I thought I had everything figured out thanks to your tutorial! Maps were working so I uploaded to Google Play, now maps don't show. I moved the key in the publish line in code and disabled debug. Not sure what happened? Thanks, Greg

Hi Greg, In order to get them working for Google Play, you need to get a Google Maps API Key based on your release keystore, put that information into your strings.xml file like you did for the debug version, and then sign your apk with the same release keystore. Exact same steps as for debug version, but use your release keystore instead. Also make sure you set debuggable=false in your AndroidManifest.xml file. Let me know if this doesn't make sense. Mark

Is there a good reason to use a debug keystore that's different from the release? I usually just create a new release keystore and use it during debug phase.

Hi Chris, One reason I can think of is that Eclipse automatically uses the debug keystore when you run your app in debug mode in either the emulator or a real device. Since it does this automatically, and already knows the password and alias of the default debug keystore, it doesn't need to ask you for it. That makes development and debug much easier. But, if you're finding your method to work easily for you as well, it's certainly legitimate, and results in one less step for the final product! Mark

Ah-makes sense. I have the keystore thing down, though, so I'll probably just keep doing what I'm doing.

Yep, would totally agree with that method! Another use I can see for the debug key is if a developer is doing work for somebody other than themselves, who might hold their own release key, and who doesn't want to give that up until the end. I guess the developer could also use their own release key in the interim, but that's just another possible scenario.

Thanks Chris and Mark! I went to Google and got a release map release key but I think I copied the key from the debug spot. Will check when I get into work this morning. Can you leave a debug and release key In strings at the same time?

@GoNorthWest your tutorial was great and I had no problem getting the maps working in debug mode with it. Thanks! I assumed I only had to replace "yourGoogleMaps...Release" with the maps API I got from the developer site. Change the Debug to false and in screen_map set to Release. I have now tried it several on two different computers but still no maps in background. What am I missing? I found several tutorials on how to export APK for release but they are either years old, don't deal with maps API or they say it is the same as for debug but don't elaborate. I read the developer.android section for release but it looks complex and doesn't include anything about maps. Thanks, Greg

Hi Greg, You actually need two Google Maps API keys - one for debug, and one for release. You can generate the debug one using the default debug key, and you create the release one using your release keystore. Both of those values, which should be different, need to go into the strings.xml file. Then, you need to make sure you sign your app with the appropriate keystore - whatever you specify in the screen_map file. Mark

@GoNorthWest the debug tutorial you did worked great to get the map background tiles to show in the emulator, thanks! I found many different tutorials on getting a release key and exporting a release apk and thought I followed them correctly. 1)In the strings.xml I entered the release key in the spot for my key. 2)I pasted yourGoogleMapsKeyForDebug back the way it was 3)In the screen_map.xml I have @string/googleMapsAPIKeyRelease 4)In AndroidManifest.xml I have Debugable set to false 5)I exported the way the tutorial explained 6)No map background tiles :( Also the app works well but it looks like after I click on three or four tabs or links it crashes. It doesn't matter which of the five bottom tabs or simple menu tabs the fourth one usually quits the app. Are there errors on pages that accumulate after a few pages and make it crash? Thanks for any help.

What kind of menu are you using? There are some issues with the Menu with Image plugin that Susan is working on. Also the button menu may have similar issues.

@chris1 I have five tabs across the bottom that bring up the default plugin simple menu pages. I use the default arrow, a background color and image, nothing special.

Hmm-I'm still learning Android so I don't really know. But I wonder if there's not a memory leak going on across all menu plugins? Maybe non-menu plugins too? I suggest creating a new thread about this issue.

Hi @techdesigner. When the app crashes, there should be some output in LogCat that would indicate why. If you can paste that info here (or maybe a new thread as Chris suggests), we can start checking it out. Mark

Thanks @chris1 and @GoNorthWest I read through the logcat and figured out from the errors that it was a memory issue. The background image was a larger file size than before so after loading a few times it ran out of memory. The only thing now is getting the release key and installing it correctly. I read several posts and watched several tutorials and still am missing something. Do you have one post, tut or instruction pdf to use. Thanks, Greg

Hi Greg, This should hopefully help with the release key thing: https://www.buzztouch.com/files/howtos/buzztouch_For_Android-A_Users_Guide.pdf Mark

Thanks Mark, will read it over to find out what I am missing!

I went through your PDF, the only thing I came up with is to have both debug and release keys, I tried adding the debug back in but that didn't help. Everything else was the same.

Howdy, Have you viewed this video tutorial yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGC9IuEMwBE Is this issue that you're still not seeing the map tiles, or that the app is crashing? Mark

Everything works as good as it can on my tablet but the map backgrounds. You're kidding right? I have most of your videos stored on my computer. No kittens, porn or funny compilations just all Mark all the time :-D I was watching them every time I exported anything from BT. Took a couple of hours. Finally took notes with my specific data to save time. I watched it again now just for kicks ;) Questions: Do both key need to be or can they be in strings.XML? Went to Google several times and that key was the same does that ever change? Does the debug key change every time I download a package from BT? You mention something has to match. Debug and Release keys linked together? You mentioned a commented out line, do I ever have to change it? Thanks, Greg

Hey Greg, You wouldn't believe how many hours I've spent trying to get the map stuff working! The video was the culmination of coming up with a reproducible process that seems to work. Not sure why it's not in your case. Let me answer some of your questions: * You don't NEED to have both the debug and release keys in your strings.xml file, but it doesn't hurt. That way they're both there in case you compile one way or another. * The API key never changes because you create it off your release and debug keystores. As long as you use the same keystores to create the key, they'll be the same. Change the keystore, and the keys will change as well. * The debug key comes with Eclipse, and it's the same for every installation. It's not associated with buzztouch at all. * What needs to match is related to my second bullet. When you sign your app, using either the debug or release keystores, the map keys specified in the string.xml file have to be generated from the keystore you're signing your app with. Hopefully that makes sense. I can't remember my exact comment out line statement. It may have been related to commenting out the maps section in the AndroidManifest.xml file if you're not using maps? One thing for you to check. In your res > layout folder, there is a file called screen_map.xml. In it, you'll see this line: android:apiKey="@string/googleMapsAPIKeyRelease" This is exactly what you want if you're signing your app with the release keystore. However, if you're signing your app with the debug keystore, then you need to change it to this: android:apiKey="@string/googleMapsAPIKeyDebug" This line pulls in the values you have specified in the strings.xml file. Another good reason to have both of them in there! I'm thinking the point above might be where you are going astray. Check it out, and let me know what happens. Mark

Mark, I'm pretty sure everything is correct, I have checked it all several times. I think I just have a problem getting the Release key from Google. I am watching a couple of videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYhJp-jqJyM to export signed and get a release key (video 145 and 146). I am not sure I typed the correct stuff in the Mac Terminal. I think the Release key doesn't match the app now, that is why there are no map tiles. I do appreciate all of your help, your tutorials are specific to BT so I don't have to guess. Greg

Hi Greg, I'd highly encourage you to to use the Eclipse Keytool Plugin. In easily allows you to get the MD5 fingerprint from any keystore you choose, and then you use that fingerprint to generate the Maps API key from Google. If you are running your app in an emulator, you'll want to use the default debug keystore to generate the MD5 fingerprint and get your maps key. Then make sure that's in strings.xml, and you've changed the line in the layout file to debug. If you want to run your app on a device, you could use the release keystore to generate your MD5 fingerprint and get your maps key. Ensure the key is in your strings.xml file, and ensure it says release in the layout file. Then generate an apk using your release keystore, send the apk in an email to your device (or use DropBox or something), and then install the app that way. Let me know how I can help. I'll do a TeamViewer session with you if you think it'll help. Mark

Hey Mark, I thought the only MD5 fingerprint that keystore will generate is based on the debug.keystore. I got that from your Enabling Google Maps tutorial. I was trying to follow his tutorial to get a Release key. Am I confused? or I should say I AM confused :-|' Greg

Hi Greg, You can get an MD5 fingerprint from any keystore you want...release or debug. Each one will be different (which makes sense), but each keystore has one. As long as the Maps API you get from the MD5 fingerprint matches with the keystore you got the fingerprint from, you should be good. The tutorial focused on the debug keystore because that's what you generally test with. Same process holds for release keystore. You can use the Eclipse Keytool Plugin to easily create a release keystore, and to get the MD5 fingerprint for that keystore. Does that make sense? Mark

Sort of, will try it again and see if it works -Thanks

Yep. Hang in there...we'll get it worked out! The great thing is that it DOES work, so we just have to figure out what's missing on your system!

Sort of, will try it again and see if it works -Thanks

Mark, I went back to your tutorials and tried creating the release key and exported the apk, still doesn't work. I sent you a DM. Thanks, Greg

Hey Greg, Feel free to contact me at MrkFleming at gmail dot com. We'll get it worked out! Mark