App to flash the keypad lights when you receive a text.

[Guest Timmmm]

Hello! As some people on here have noticed, the Pulse has no kind of notification LED. I have instead written an app to use the keypad backlight as a notification light.

Caveats:

* Requires root.

* Will not cure AIDs.

Possible in future:

* Detect missed calls

* Configurable flash patterns for different events?

* Better control over the flasher service, if I can be bothered.

* Instead of executing a su command, it would be better if everyone (Paul?) modified their custom ROMs to include the command

chmod 0666 /sys/class/leds/keyboard-backlight/brightness

in init.rc.

* Could someone make me a better icon? :-)

Enjoy!

Version 1.4 attached (it's inside the zip) I forgot to change the version number in the manifest I think so you may have to uninstall the old version first.

PulseLights1.4.apk.zip

Edited January 9, 2010 by Timmmm

[Guest rjm2k]

Hello! As some people on here have noticed, the Pulse has no kind of notification LED. I have instead written an app to use the keypad backlight as a notification light.

Caveats:

* Requires root.

* Currently doesn't auto-start on boot - you need to run the app once each time you turn the phone on and then exit it.

* May be buggy. One time I used it the flashing was very erratic.

* Will not cure AIDs.

Possible in future:

* Autostart on boot (this is next on the list)

* Detect missed calls

* Configurable flash patterns for different events?

* Better control over the flasher service, if I can be bothered.

* Instead of executing a su command, it would be better if everyone (Paul?) modified their custom ROMs to include the command

chmod 0666 /sys/class/leds/keyboard-backlight/brightness

in init.rc.

* Could someone make me a better icon? :-)

Enjoy!

That's great Timmmm, any chance of a non-root version? Do you know if the lights can be controlled through the android api and therefore thru a java app rather than native?

[Guest Shuflie]

That's great Timmmm, any chance of a non-root version? Do you know if the lights can be controlled through the android api and therefore thru a java app rather than native?

Can you try using adb to see if you can issue the command that Timmm want in init.rc? On a more practical note is this program installed as a flash update through fastboot? I unpacked the zip and there is no .apk inside to install it with.

[Guest Paul]

Rename the zip to APK and install?

P

[Guest xangma]

I just opened the zip I downloaded and it has an apk in it =/

[Guest Paul]

If you're on a Mac it sees the APK inside and unzips that too! ;)

P

[Guest rjm2k]

Can you try using adb to see if you can issue the command that Timmm want in init.rc? On a more practical note is this program installed as a flash update through fastboot? I unpacked the zip and there is no .apk inside to install it with.

I can try, however with the dec update I believe it's not possible to get root anymore and this app needs root.

[Guest Shuflie]

If you're on a Mac it sees the APK inside and unzips that too! ;)

P

That would explain it then ;)

[Guest Timmmm]

That's great Timmmm, any chance of a non-root version? Do you know if the lights can be controlled through the android api and therefore thru a java app rather than native?

Unfortunately not. I did find some hidden Java methods:

PowerManager.isScreenOn() is useful.

and

PowerManager.setScreenBrightness(int) (or something like that).

however the latter sets both the screen and key backlights.

It seems that Android does support notification lights. I don't have time at the moment, but could someone see if creating the following symlink results in the desired behaviour:?

/sys/class/leds/button-backlight/brightness -> /sys/class/leds/keyboard-backlight/brightness

Also might be worth trying

/sys/class/leds/green/brightness -> /sys/class/leds/keyboard-backlight/brightness

This is the actual code that sets the light values: http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=platform/...c6e58251521997f

[Guest Shuflie]

Doesn't seem to do anything on my pulse, I use HandcentSMS as my messaging app, but even when I enable notifications in the default messaging app nothing lights up when I receive an SMS.

[Guest Timmmm]

Doesn't seem to do anything on my pulse, I use HandcentSMS as my messaging app, but even when I enable notifications in the default messaging app nothing lights up when I receive an SMS.

Erm, it seems I accidentally removed the critical line the starts the actual service! D'oh! Fixed version attached to the original post.

[Guest Shuflie]

That seems to work, and I don't even need to the default notifications turned on ;) The flashing is a bit erratic, and seems to turn off and then back on again after a while, is that intentional?

[Guest bas-r]

That seems to work, and I don't even need to the default notifications turned on ;) The flashing is a bit erratic, and seems to turn off and then back on again after a while, is that intentional?

It's not a bug, it's a feature ;)

[Guest stupidm4n]

love it, is it possible to just have the green and red flash, say green for sms and red for missed call

[Guest xangma]

love it, is it possible to just have the green and red flash, say green for sms and red for missed call

You're in it now Timmmm haha

[Guest Bigsy]

Great little app, I look forward to improved versions ;)

Maybe get this pushed in to the custom rom, I mean who wouldn't want the option of doing this?

[Guest bounty123]

love it, is it possible to just have the green and red flash, say green for sms and red for missed call

I love this idea!

[Guest Timmmm]

love it, is it possible to just have the green and red flash, say green for sms and red for missed call

Sadly not. There's only one logical light, even if it is made of multiple LEDs.

[Guest Timmmm]

The version attached to this post might fix the erratic lights, and should autostart on boot.

Unfortunately I haven't tested it, because when I restarted my phone to test it, android (or huawei) crapped out *again* and it wouldn't boot. I have to say the reliability of this phone (or maybe android itself) leaves something to be desired.

Anyway, feel free to test it. Please let me know if it works properly now!

PulseLights1.2.zip

[Guest Bendolfc]

Hi,

Useful little app, can't believe something similar isn't built in. 1.2 doesn't seem to work for me, installs and starts ok but no flashing. The one in the first post works though.

[Guest Timmmm]

Hi,

Useful little app, can't believe something similar isn't built in. 1.2 doesn't seem to work for me, installs and starts ok but no flashing. The one in the first post works though.

Yeah, doesn't work for me either. Not sure why. Can't fix it until after the new year unfortunately.

[Guest rjm2k]

Yeah, doesn't work for me either. Not sure why. Can't fix it until after the new year unfortunately.

Which device are you actually setting to do this?

/sys/class/leds/button-backlight

/sys/class/leds/keyboard-backlight

/sys/class/leds/jogball-backlight

/sys/class/leds/red/

/sys/class/leds/green

/sys/class/leds/blue

LIGHT_ID_NOTIFICATIONS

LIGHT_ID_ATTENTION

?

[Guest David Horvath]

Which device are you actually setting to do this?

/sys/class/leds/button-backlight

/sys/class/leds/keyboard-backlight

/sys/class/leds/jogball-backlight

/sys/class/leds/red/

/sys/class/leds/green

/sys/class/leds/blue

LIGHT_ID_NOTIFICATIONS

LIGHT_ID_ATTENTION

?

WE WANT THE SOURCE CODE ;) LOL Shared code development? :)

[Guest Daniel Williamson]

Hi,

So does the 1.2 update work ? a few people have said that it dosent so i might just stick with the current one.

Great job anyway :)

Dan

[Guest Timmmm]

1.2 doesn't work. I'll try to fix it and post the source code tonight, or tomorrow. I'm using keyboard-backlight. Android actually supports notification lights but it uses the red, green and blue devices. Sadly you can't symlink these to the keyboard-backlight. It might be possible to patch the kernel to make it work without modification though.