Android Question Strange Behaviour with LoadLayout

[Harris]

Note: This seems to be more of a problem with the hardware (mobile device) than B4A (I suspect).
Hardware: Samsung Active 8 Tablet, RAM vehicle powered cradle.

This device maintains battery charge thru the "pogo" pins of the device and cradle.
The problem is: When the device is removed from the cradle (loses power), it causes the activity to Pause and Create...
** Activity (act_drvscreen) Pause, UserClosed = false **
** Activity (act_drvscreen) Create, isFirst = false **

When this happens, the activity form goes completely black (it's default background color) and then shows the elements on the form again.
This is quite annoying for the users when the device is constantly making and breaking the power connection while driving down the road (vibration), particularly at night when it acts as a strobe light distraction...

In the sample below, one will note a view that is added in code (compass). This view WILL NOT disappear during the make / break power cycle - where ANY and ALL that were added with the designer will. Hence the strange behaviour with Activity.LoadLayout.... (where all views are re-initialized upon load).

The weird thing is, if one uses the mini-USB cable to power the device, pulling in and out of the port (make / break charge) does not cause the same action (NO pause / create).
Everything is stable as expected - since charging a device should have nothing to do with a foreground running app (one would assume).

I guess, my only resolve it to create all of this forms views in code - and hope for the best... Defeats the purpose of the designer however.

Thanks

Sub Activity_Create(FirstTime As Boolean)

    Main.MyMainName = "MainForm"
    
    camready = False
    gracecnt = 0
    bu.Initialize

    Log(" First time drvscrn: "&FirstTime)

    Activity.LoadLayout( "drvscrn")   ' all elements disappear - then reappear with make / break power from cradle...

    spdcolor = lblspd.TextColor
    cornerclr = lbldate.TextColor
    distclr = lblodom.TextColor
    bv1.Visible = False
    
'If FirstTime Then
    ispd = 0
    tick.Initialize("tic",1000)
    DefCM.CurrOdom = DefCM.GetLastOdom
    lastloc = DefCM.CurrLoc
    StartDriveRecord
'End If

    Compass1.Initialize( "lbltouch_Click")   ' this view will not disappear - always shows on the form....  (manually added here)
    Activity.AddView(Compass1,     30%x,   2.4%y,   40%x,   13.1%y)

    Compass1.CompassLineColor = Colors.DarkGray 'Green
    Compass1.CompassBackgroundColor = Colors.Black 'DarkGray
    Compass1.CompassMarkerColor = Colors.Cyan
    Compass1.CompassRangeDegrees = 360
    Compass1.CompassShowMarker = True
    Compass1.CompassTextColor = Colors.Yellow
    Compass1.CompassTextSize = 38

'  Log(" Recreated Activity Drive Screen: "&FirstTime)
  lblspd.TextSize = BDmod.SetTextSize( lblspd,lblspd.Text,99.0)  

   If CMT.IsInitialized = False Then
        CMT.Initialize(Activity, Me, Activity.Height,Activity.Width)
   End If
  
End Sub

 

[kisoft]

It looks like the system is blocking your application when you disconnect it from the docking station. Look for some power options in your tablet's settings, maybe there is a problem.

 

[Harris]

It looks like the system is blocking your application when you disconnect it from the docking station. Look for some power options in your tablet's settings, maybe there is a problem.

No such settings available...

Update:

I took the time to create all views in code and added them (Activity.AddView()), and commented out the LoadLayout.
Even with this approach, the activity behaves EXACTLY as before - black screen then views appear with charge loss (compass view stays on form). Seems it has nothing to do with LoadLayout after all but rather the hardware, as suspected.

It's time to grow (and move on to more pressing concerns)....

 

[Erel]

All kinds of things can cause the activity to be recreated. A "well built" app should handle such cases.
The less logic implemented in the activity code the better. This is especially true for the program state. It should be managed in the starter service.