Digital Workshop

I was wondering how do we work with traditional Windows PCs and (toward the future / mobile), develop any code that could handle gestures.

I did some searching, and came across this... thinking an external (or internal to laptop touchpad) USB device might work for gestures on an HID.
Is anybody pursuing something along these lines?


http://www.uscrybe.com/


My thinking is even if opusscript does not have these for triggers, there could be something in the mobile device event tracking where a variable could be changed ( by javascript?? ) and picked up by Opus app on a variable changed trigger. Sloppy? Yes, but what do we do?

Woke up. Saw this and thought I could add extra gestures to my bamboo. No such luck . Worked on the laptop tracker pad though.

As for gesture triggers in Opus. +1 from me. I can see these being helpful. You could probably code some easily enough but with Flex on Android even being able to catch flicks would be good. Perhaps we could start a list of useful gesture triggers and how they might be used.

IE flick left / right trigger attached to a next / previous page action.

Mack

You guys have my attention on this. We have big plans for Android and Opus. One thing that comes to mind is extended screens, which are handled very poorly on Windows. Being able to swipe across a wider than the screen control panel would be very useful.

Dave

Mack, I was not so much asking DW to add gestures to Opus development -- rather let me say it this way... I'm not there yet. But it seems we (content creators, graphics/interaction designers, and developers-using-Opus) have a void, empty area where our Pubs will end up on a Tablet or other device where left and right mouse clicks are awkward. e.g., my LG phone (non-android) has buttons to left and right of keyboard but they don't always do the same function (I have to pay attention to the labels on-screen), so these would make for odd use as L/R mouseclicks.

But I do want to work in a direction where I can in the future build-in User Interactions that are accessed in ways common to a Tablet, an Android phone, or whatever. If these User-events are not in Opus, can they be added with some external libraries perhaps? I would assume in such case, testing in Opus environment would be difficult.

The other part of it, I would be interested in 'enhancing' my development hardware -- maybe by adding an external peripheral, USB trackpad, or better yet something more up-to-date that mirrors Android phone interface. I have a Synaptics trackpad on my laptop, but I hardly use it (favoring my wireless mo/keybd). Will have to try that 'Scrybe' though.
Now having searched a little more:
-- this is interesting: http://www.gadgetsdna.com/how-to-use-ht ... kpad/4569/ (but I don't own one)
-- this is very interesting: http://gizmodo.com/5782668/evomouse-any ... h-trackpad (but I don't own one (yet?))

[Lar EDIT:] Found another one, if you have an Android device handy: https://market.android.com/details?id=c ... rch_result
Free dowload allows device to be a multitouch trackpad. Does not detail all supported gestures.

So what do you guys use?

[Lar EDIT:] Here are a couple links to a Do-It-Yourself multitouch touchpad. There is the original post I found, an Open-Source how-to including source-code for the micro-controller. And the other link is a newly offered KIT to build it. These are Arduino-based, so if you find a nerdy teenager you can farm-out the work.
http://www.touchuserinterface.com/2011/ ... ement.html OpenMT
http://www.touchuserinterface.com/2011/ ... e-pad.html YouTube video: OpenMT Arduino multitouch pressure pad test
http://www.sensibleui.com/ardumt KIT version of same OpenMT $400 plus supply your own uC Arduino (~$30 ??)

Thanks, Mack. At first I missed the point of "Bamboo". I should have known Wacom was a place to look for input devices. And Bamboo is not super-expensive.

Let me raise another question: can you create events in Opus and use the Bamboo gestures during Preview and/or Published testing? Then later, the same triggers and actions are valid over on an Android? ( Go ahead, have a good laugh on me and my naivete !! )

While I'm here, another find for input device:
Touch Mouse ready for Windows 7: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-mou ... years.html
I wonder how long I could work with this "flick mouse" before having screwed-up hands? Gestures on done on a buttonless mound.

Cheers.


ps. Then there's also 'DiamondTouch' tables.

The touch bit doesn't like Opus. With the pen, it works fine, but just like a mouse - so no gestures.


As for MS Touch Mouse. Yes, it looks interesting. I nearly brought one a while back when I replaced an ageing keyboard, but opted for their standard bluetrack. They have some excellent hardware that tends to get forgotten about.

Mack

@MackaviIt seems that with the last generation of Bamboo/Bamboo_Fun tablets... there was pen, touch, and "pen & touch".
I've just started experimenting some... I think the touch features will not be of much use in current Opus (either Editor working, or in published pubs). But it's a nice tool for sketching.

FYI... I came across this info as I was searching/learning about tablet input:
"Fix My Pen Makes your Wacom Tablet JUST WORK on Windows 7"
I have no idea what the issues are, but thought I'd just pass this along.
http://viziblr.com/news/2011/8/13/fix-m ... ows-7.html

Cheers for the Lar,

The application basically disables a load of notifications / pop-ups designed to make using the tablet more practical in a range of different circumstances. Kind of like the office clippy character but a bit more helpful - though I can see why these extras would annoy some.

Regards,

Mack