myBrickset Android App

RikTheVeggie

I'm overhauling the Internet links on the set page atm - several links will always show, but others may involve scrolling down.  Are there any other sites people would to see here?  It must be possible to link to them using only the set number & variant - eg https://brickset.com/sets/10181-1/.

benbacardi

I don't know about any other links, but for correctness it should be "Brick Owl" not "Brickowl" 🦉 (seeing as you're in that part of the code already…!)

NickF22

I'd love to have the brick icon at the top, click through to the Bricklink inventory.

^ Also is Bricklink still "unofficial" ?

RikTheVeggie

@benbacardi - thanks, fixed!

@NickF22 - I'm thinking about removing "unofficial" from all the links, it doesn't really add anything.  
Could make the brick icon link through to the Bricklink inventory, and/or I could add a "parts" section that links to Brickset's parts page and the Bricklink inventory.

NickF22

@RikTheVeggie Thanks - yes a "parts" section makes sense. Then I guess you could link to minifigure pages etc...

RikTheVeggie

Too busy?  Or OK? 

I feel like I want to put them in collapsible sections but then it requires clicks to get the relevant links - scrolling doesn't look as pretty, but is more accessible (unless it grows too large)

@NickF22 the brick & minifig icons also link to the relevant Brickset pages for quick access without scrolling.

  

RikTheVeggie

Google have unlisted myBrickset again: "We don’t allow apps that use another app or entity’s brand, title, logo, or name in a manner that may result in misleading users."

Please bear with me as I try to fight this again.  In the meantime the app will be unavailable in the Play Store.

sid3windr

Sigh! Not as bad as Apple but getting close :/

RikTheVeggie

It seems that someone reported the app for trying to impersonate Brickset (even though it says "unofficial, not affiliated with, etc") then took the app down without asking either me or Huw about it!

I'm going through the process to try and get relisted, but to avoid this happening again I'm thinking of a name and possibly even icon change.

This is where you come in!  All suggestions welcome (other than Bricky McBrickface!)

Some name ideas off the top of my head with absolutely no thought behind them or checking to see if they're available:

• Pocket Bricks
• Bricks & Bits (too close to TLG's "Bricks & Pieces"?)
• Bricks, Bricks, Bricks
• Bricks, Sets, Figs
• Bricks & Sets
• Brick House

Logo would likely come after the name, but I have zero artistic skills as I think I've proven a few times so hopefully nothing too complex.

RikTheVeggie

Some more..

• Brick Horse (like a Gift Horse)
• Brick Mule (it does the hard work so you don't have to)
• Brick by Brick
  
• One Brick Beyond (sponsored by Suggs!)
• House of Bricks (just realised there's a Madness link with this one too)
• Brick Catalogue (boring..)
• myBricks (close to the old name)
• Brick Guru (knows everything)
• Brick Mage (it's magic!)

Feel free to vote for any of these or add your own.

If you'd rather reply or vote online, I've created a Google Form: https://forms.gle/Wm7FDGtAquyx1bRVA

deusxanime

I like myBricks or maybe myBrickCollection. Something close to what it was before.

Russell844

How about Set of Bricks lol!

omnium

Keep it simple: BrickApp

RikTheVeggie

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
Still fighting with Google to get reinstated.
They're unwilling to share the original complaint, I don't know why someone would do this after almost 10 years!

JudgeChuck

Jealous competition, perhaps? I'm only half-joking.

One solution would be to become officially affiliated with Brickset, but that's obviously between you and Huw.

Good luck either way and keep up the good work. It's a great app to have when out and about. :-)

Huw

I certainly have no problem with that but I don't know how we would prove affiliation to Google's satisfaction. We certainly don't want the expense of lawyers and contracts etc.

RikTheVeggie

Or maybe an official app can be started as a crowd-sourced project, written in a technology that allows easy compilation to a variety of platforms (eg ReactNative)?  I don't mind essentially obsoleting myBrickset if a better alternative is available!

It may even be possible to convert brickset.com into a PWA, possibly with local db storage for offline collection changes.  Or a more mobile friendly interface may be enough to satisfy most users, now that public WiFi is so prevalent and most people seem to have a data plan.

I've pushed out a name change to "myBricks" (so just dropped the "et") to try and ease the process of getting re-listed, I'm still open to a longer term name change after additional input from the community.

RikTheVeggie

We're back!

Sporting a new name "myBricks" but the same logo and same URL (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.otissoft.mybrickset).

For people that use Amazon (I think there's about 2 of you in total!) the name hasn't changed yet but will be updated shortly (https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Lockwood-OTIS-Soft-myBrickset/dp/B00BDUFKVK/)

Happy building everyone :D

RikTheVeggie

Who feels like a game of spot the difference?  :D

RikTheVeggie

I've had a request to restore the owned & wanted quantity for each set on the search results, so am currently looking at the best way to do this.

What do you think of the following proposal (see screenshots)?  I'm not a huge fan, but it works.  I'm thinking of making the display optional, but on by default.  Could also make it choice between owned & wanted, owned, wanted, none.  Nothing will display if a set isn't owned or wanted.

In a similar vein, what's everyone thoughts about adding the ability to customise the colours for owned, wanted, etc?

   

RikTheVeggie

Now that the days of 100MB apps being considered large seem to be a few years behind us, I've done some scripting magic with image tools and have managed to squeeze thumbnails for every single set into the app (14415 images atm).  This should greatly enhance the offline functionality whilst not being too burdensome in terms of app sizes.

As I'm not relying on expansion files like I used to, and Google can now intelligently ship deltas instead of entire apps for each update, I'm hoping this should result in a smooth initial download and relatively quick updates.

I'll push out the change to the beta track shortly, please let me know if you experience any issues or think that the images look too low quality.  HQ images will still download when viewing an image full screen (if enabled in settings) but I can also look at doing this (or downloading a better quality thumbnail) when viewing the standard Set Details screen.

juno_2023

RikTheVeggie said:

I've had a request to restore the owned & wanted quantity for each set on the search results, so am currently looking at the best way to do this.

What do you think of the following proposal (see screenshots)?  I'm not a huge fan, but it works.  I'm thinking of making the display optional, but on by default.  Could also make it choice between owned & wanted, owned, wanted, none.  Nothing will display if a set isn't owned or wanted.

In a similar vein, what's everyone thoughts about adding the ability to customise the colours for owned, wanted, etc?

   

I like the layouts- and the customization options sound cool! Thanks for all you do! 

RikTheVeggie

You may have noticed that the Brickset API is down atm, which is stopping you from signing in with myBricks.  If you have "log in automatically" enabled and no WiFi connection you'll still be able to get in, otherwise you're out of luck.

I've done some emergency changes and have an unofficial beta version which should allow you to log in and view your collection.  You should still be able to make changes and it will sync these with brickset when it's next online.

This hasn't undergone thorough testing, but works for me.  The only changes are to the login functionality so it should be safe to apply.

http://otissoft.co.uk/mybrickset/bin/myBricks-402-3.1.44.apk [15.5MB]

JudgeChuck

@RikTheVeggie I haven't used myBricks for a while, but that is simply because of the long time that we've spent in lockdown and the lack of recent access to Lego Stores. Just a quick "high five" though on what is an essential app for me, when I am out and about looking for, and at, Lego. Really appreciated.

RikTheVeggie

Thanks @JudgeChuck :)  

SteveG

Add me to the list of quiet people that love the app. Reorganizing my phone and realized that the new phone didn't have the app on it. Really like the new interface but the most important feature for me right now? Sort by theme. Makes life so much easier to see what I have while standing in Walmart instead of scanning everything. 

3 most important apps on my phone right now? Discogs, Funko, and MyBricks. Now I'm ready to go out and hit the flea markets again.