Possible to create button from hardware to app

Dear friends,
I’m wondering if it is possible to create a new button ( or other components ) from hardware ( ex ESP8266 ) to Android Blynk App ???
I guess that this is not possible for a number of reasons, ex where this new created button will be located at the Application canvas and so on… In this case I just propose this creation to Blynk makers as an idea…

Thanks and Best Regards,
Mike Kranidis

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I had to read this a few times :stuck_out_tongue: but I think you are requesting a way of picking and placing a widget into a (running) project in the App, based on a sketch command??

Yes sure that’s what I asked…

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Presumably, the results you get when you paste http://blynk-cloud.com/YOUR_TOKEN/project into a browser contain all of the data necessary to recreate a project.
If an API was available to programmatically create/edit/delete projects and controls within projects then I guess it would be possible. I think the project would need to be stopped and restarted in the app to see the changes.

The desirability of doing this is a whole other issue!

Trying to ensure the integrity of projects created and edited this way would be difficult, and debugging on-the-fly changes to the project would be a nightmare.

In the past, I’ve done quite a bit of development in VB and although that didn’t allow the creation of controls, it did allow them to be hidden and shown, and to be activated and deactivated. By stacking controls on top of each other, screens could be changed dynamically from a user perspective.
The problem is that it’s very easy to get yourself lost in a labarynth of stacked buttons and controls and is very difficult to debug.

Having watched this community forum for almost a year, it’s clear that the Blynk product attracts a lot of new users who know nothing about programming and who struggle to articulate their problems or understand the solutions that are suggested. Add language issues I to this and it becomes more difficult.
If the product was changed to allow dynamic app changes, either by creating controls or by hiding and showing controls then it would be significantly harder to work with and support.
I guess that making this a ‘premium feature’ would put newcomers off the idea of dabbling with these advanced controls, but if people are then paying extra for these features the support expectations increase as well.

Personally, if I was deciding the future direction of the product, this isn’t a direction that I’d go for the publically available app.

Pete.

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Well documented your reply @PeteKnight
Without having much knowledge on the subject, I still thinking that this feature is a very useful although is more advanced feature… Thanks

@PeteKnight I’m not a programmer but a product architect. I understand coding have not done much myself. I spent more time debugging programs than writing them. I’ve learnt C now and have coded a project in Blynk. While I will not fall in the bracket of an experienced coder, I’m also not a “green behind the ears” new user.

I’ll welcome this as a premium feature. I’ll pay for this. I’m trying to create an app that will discover devices and provide the controls appropriate to each device. I’m good with defining the UI on the device. I know a neutral format for such a definition exists, else one cannot clone the project across handheld phones of differing screen sizes. I was asking the Blynk Team if I could programmatically create tabs and position controls in the tabs. This may seem esoteric to some.

When I add a device, I can capture a tab name and position the controls in that tab. Would it be more complex to support Blynk as a dynamic UI app? Sure, will be.

@mohan_sundaram I think you should probably discuss your requirements with the Blynk team. If you’re willing to pay then I’m sure something could be done.

Pete.

@mohan_sundaram

Email your requirements to iot@blynk.cc. We will get back with the quote.

Also, this feature is covered by Device Tiles widget, which is a dynamic list of devices, where click on device opens new page with controls for this type of device.