Discussion Forums  >  Plugins, Customizing, Source Code

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Don
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09/13/12 07:35 AM (13 years ago)

Best approach: launch native app or html button

Hey all, In my free Android app, I would like to have a screen to promote my premium paid app. This screen must have a few key arguments to convince the users the premium app is a must have :) And of course it must have a link or button leading to the playstore app page. I don't know what's the best approach in BT v2: I could use a "launch native app" action with the app url, but where can I put my key selling points? Or I could use a custom HTML page, where it's the most easy to customize my key selling points, but then I don't know how to create a html link to launch the device's browser and then go to the app url. Does anyone know: - If there is a smart combination of screens to have my selling points, then launch the "launch native app" action - Or how to add a link/button in custom html screen to link to a playstore app page Thanks for your time
 
GoNorthWest
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09/13/12 12:54 PM (13 years ago)
I like the HTML page and button approach. Seems like you could just put the URL to the app in the store for the button like any other link. Since Google Play is web based, and not application based like iTunes, it should be pretty straightforward. Easiest thing is to try and see how it works out! Mark
 
Don
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09/14/12 04:08 AM (13 years ago)
Hi Mark, thanks for your reply. I have already tried and the result is not good: takes ages to load, and actually never finishes to load (loading wheel doesn't stop). Also kinda freezes my app, have to go in the apps manager, kill and restart. Would look so much cleaner if I could open the link in native browser...
 
Don
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09/16/12 03:09 AM (13 years ago)
Hey all, I'm answering to my initial question here. hope it can help BT users. So in a nutshell: it is not possible with the console do do that properly. As a reminder my goal was to customize menus so that I can have text AND buttons linking to other screens, or both a listview AND buttons, or any combination of content on the same screen that is not possible yet with the current plugins. So I added changes directly in Eclipse: Basically I had to create kind of a new screen type for my single screen. Not ideal but it works. - Create both java and xml version of my screen in the corresponding locations in eclipse. Names should be different from any already existing screen type name - For both files content, start from the code of the blank screen type and add/customize your code from there - add a new activity in the manifest file. Same line structure as all the other screen types. To keep it simple your activity name should be the same as the file names you just created, as all the other screen types. - Clean your project and you should have a new entry in your R.java file, automatically added so don't touch anything there. - Then the tricky part is to properly call and reference your screen in the config file from your menus and navigation. It is ok to create your own IDs (I suggest you create a excel file referencing each new screen/id to keep track). Start by creating/editing the navigation/menu in the console as usual, then go in the config file and change an existing screen ID with your own new screen ID. It is not visible in the console, but it will be properly linked in the app. The thing I don't like about this method is that it is not editable and not visible from the console. This means it is gonna be JSON lines to add to my config files each time it needs to be refreshed... The thing I like about it is that it allows endless customization, you can now have screens that mix any kind of content As I am not an advanced BT user, please let me know if there is a better method to achieve the same result. Hope it helps
 

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