subsurface/Documentation/mobile-manual.txt
Willem Ferguson a5bb8ae2b7 Update Subsurface-mobile user manual
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Signed-off-by: Willem Ferguson <willemferguson@zoology.up.ac.za>
Signed-off-by: Dirk Hohndel <dirk@hohndel.org>
2017-07-08 14:38:29 -07:00

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// Subsurface-mobile User Manual
// =============================
// :author: Manual authors: Willem Ferguson, Dirk Hohndel
// :revnumber: 2.0
// :revdate: July 2017
:icons:
:toc:
:toc-placement: manual
:numbered:
// :website: http://subsurface-divelog.org
image::mobile-images/banner.jpg["Banner",align="center"]
[big]#Subsurface-mobile USER MANUAL#
*Manual authors*: Willem Ferguson, Dirk Hohndel
toc::[]
[blue]#_Version 2, July 2017_#
Welcome as a user of _Subsurface_, advanced dive logging software with
extensive infrastructure to describe, organize, interpret and print scuba
and free dives. _Subsurface_ offers many advantages over other similar
software solutions, including compatibility with Windows, Mac-OS/X, Linux (many
distributions), Android and iOS. In addition, _Subsurface_ is
open-source software that allows downloading dive
information from most dive computers.
Introducing Subsurface-mobile
-----------------------------
_Subsurface-mobile_ is an extension of _Subsurface_ which
runs on Android and iOS smartphone and tablet devices and is a
tool for viewing or sharing dive information at dive sites where a larger
computer is not useful. _Subsurface-mobile_ for Android also allows
the gathering of GPS locations where dives are performed
(Subsurface-mobile for iOS currently does not have full functionality).
_Subsurface-mobile_ allows you to enter and save dive information
using a mobile device. Users of _Subsurface-mobile_ typically use the
mobile app as an extension to the laptop/desktop version of _Subsurface_ that
allows the storage of dive logs on the Internet and sharing them
between the mobile and the desktop versions. But _Subsurface-mobile_ can
also be used independently of _Subsurface_ and does not require the use of
cloud storage.
While the desktop version of _Subsurface_ shows much more detailed information
for each dive, the mobile version allows a more accessible dive log
on a dive trip, useful for proving dive experience to dive shops or to review
previous dives.
_Subsurface-mobile_ allows you to:
- Download existing dive log information from the Internet.
- View this information on a mobile device.
- Edit many of the dive log data fields, e.g. divemaster, buddy,
equipment or notes about a dive.
- Manually create and add new dive records to your dive log.
- Download dive data directly from many dive computers.
- Store the updated dive log in the _Subsurface_ cloud storage.
- Record, store and apply GPS positions of dives (Android only).
- View the localities of recorded GPS positions and of dives
on a map.
These items are discussed in greater detail in the following text.
_Subsurface-mobile_ does not yet support download of dive data from all the
dive computers that the desktop/laptop version can: that still needs to be done using _Subsurface_ on a desktop or laptop computer. Only a subset of
dive computers that use a FTDI USB interface or a Bluetooth/BTLE interface
are accessible by _Subsurface-mobile_.
== Installing _Subsurface-mobile_ on your mobile device
Find _Subsurface-mobile_ in the _Google Play Store_ or the _iTunes Store_
and install it.
== Using _Subsurface-mobile_ for the first time
Upon starting _Subsurface-mobile_ for the first time, a Subsurface
splash screen is shown while the program loads. On some devices this
may take several seconds. After loading, the _Cloud Credentials screen_ appears
(see image below on left).
Select whether _Subsurface-mobile_ should access the Internet for dive log information as follows:
=== When NOT Using Cloud Storage
Tap the striked-out cloud icon. The app will not access the _Subsurface_
cloud storage server
to obtain dive log information. This means that dive log information is
stored on the mobile device only.
=== Using Cloud Storage
In order to use the _Subsurface_ cloud storage, an account on the cloud
server is required. If you have already set up an account from the
_Subsurface_ desktop application, enter the credentials here.
You can also create a new cloud storage account from your mobile device.
==== Using the desktop version of _Subsurface_:
Open the desktop version of _Subsurface_ and
click _File -> Preferences -> Network_, explained in detail in the
https://subsurface-divelog.org/documentation/subsurface-4-user-manual/#\_create_a_cloud_storage_account[user
manual for the _Subsurface_ desktop version]. Once the account has
been created and verified using the desktop version,
_Subsurface_ desktop alows you to download dive information from dive computers and store this
on the cloud which can, in turn, be downloaded to _Subsurface-mobile_. _Subsurface-mobile_
attempts to download the existing dive log from the _Subsurface_ cloud
server. Appropriate messages are shown onscreen. Finally a list of dives is shown.
Once the dive
list has been downloaded from the Internet, _Subsurface-mobile_ keeps a local
copy on the mobile device. This means that even if there is no Internet connection
at a dive site, you can still access the local copy and view and manipulate
dive information. If there is Internet connectivity, _Subsurface-mobile_ accesses
the cloud-based dive log to verify that the local copy is still the
same as the Internet-stored copy. If not, the local copy and the copy on
the server are synchronised.
image::mobile-images/Credentials.jpg["FIGURE: Mobile landing screen",align="center"]
==== Using _Subsurface-mobile_:
1) Enter an e-mail address and a password in the fields indicated on the screen.
The e-mail should be in lower case and the password should contain a combination of
letters from the alphabet (upper and lower case) and/or numbers. When entering a
password, it is possible to check a checkbox that enables the text of the password to be shown
(image on left, above). At this stage, the red message "Cannot connect to cloud storage" appears on the screen.
This is normal because a valid PIN has not yet been provided (image on left, above).
2) Tap the Disk (Save) icon at the bottom of the screen. A PIN is sent to the
e-mail address provided.
3) Enter the PIN into the field indicated and tap the _Save_ icon again. The user
information is stored on the cloud server and access to the cloud is enabled.
4) The dive list is initially empty. Start entering dives in the dive
log or download dive information from either a _Subsurface_ cloud
storage account or from a dive computer.
== Menu Structure and User Interface
At the bottom of many Subsurface-mobile screens is a round button that provides for
several actions and which allows the selection of the main affirmative action
(see image above and image below).
On Android devices, use the Android Back
button for "cancel", "discard" or "back" actions. For example, when
editing dive information, tapping the action button saves the changes while the
Android back button can be used to cancel the edit without saving changes.
On iOS devices, on screens where a "back" action is enabled, a back arrow
is shown in the top left corner of the screen.
image::mobile-images/actionbutton.jpg["FIGURE: Action Button",align="center"]
In order to have a consistent experience between iOS and Android,
_Subsurface-mobile_ on Android does not use the traditional "hamburger"
menu button in the top left or right corner of the screen to open menus.
Instead, _Subsurface-mobile_ uses a
different user interaction philosophy based on the Kirigami framework
developed by the Plasma developers. There are three ways to open the main menu:
- Tap the "hamburger" symbol in the lower left corner of the screen
(easy to reach for hand held devices)
- Swipe towards the right across the left edge of the screen
- Drag the action button visible on most screens to
the right
image::mobile-images/MainMenu2.jpg["FIGURE: Dive management subpanel",align="center"]
The images above indicate some of the important features of the menu system.
On the left is the main menu, activated as described above. On the right, above,
is a representation of the menu items of all the submenus accessible
from the main menu: the main menu items are shown on the left while the submenu contents
are shown on a blue background on the right.
All screenshots in this user manual are currently from the Android
version. As indicated earlier, the iOS version currently doesn't support
_GPS_ features.
== Viewing the Dive List
Most of the actions of _Subsurface-mobile_ center around the dives on the
dive list. While the dive list is loading from the cloud,
a message appears at the bottom of the screen, indicating that the cloud is
being accessed. Once the list is loaded you can scroll up and down.
Tapping a dive on the list brings up a display of _Details View_ for that dive
(see image on right below). This includes the dive profile as well as
additional information and notes.
image::mobile-images/DiveList.jpg["FIGURE: Dive list screen",align="center"]
You can view other dives by swiping the _Details view_ to the right (for the
previous dive) or to the left (following dive).
Using the Action Bar, it is also possible to delete the dive (tap the dustbin
on the Action Bar) or to view the dive
location on a map viewer (Google Maps on Android, the Google Maps web site
on iOS; tap the GPS icon on the Action Bar.).
[[S_Edit_Dive]]
== Editing dive details
At the bottom of the dive details screen the _Action Button_ contains a pencil (image on right, above).
Tapping the pencil button brings up a panel with edit boxes that allows you to
change the existing dive information, e.g. adding text to the dive notes
or changing the names or values of some of the information (see image below).
It may be necessary to scroll the window to access all the information.
At the bottom of the edit screen is a _Save_ action button. Tap this to save
the new information. Having saved the data, the dive list screen is
updated and shown. To cancel any edits, tap the Android Back Button or
swipe the edit screen up (fling it away).
image::mobile-images/EditDive.jpg["FIGURE: Dive edit screen",align="center"]
[[S_Add_Dive]]
== Adding a new dive to the dive list
You can manually add a dive to the existing dive list. On the dive list
tap the "plus" sign in the _Action Button_, or use the
main menu and tap _Manage dives -> Add dive manually_. This opens a screen that is
identical to the editing screen discussed above. When a dive is added manually, you
cannot directly add a dive profile from a dive computer. However, if you do not use a
dive computer, the duration, depth and several other bits of information about
the new dive can be entered. The _Action button_ at the bottom of the screen
contains a disk symbol. Tap this to save the new dive. To cancel any edits, tap the Android Back Button.
The left-hand image below shows a screenshot of a dive being created and the right-hand image shows
the same dive in _Details View_.
image::mobile-images/ManuallyEnterDive.jpg["FIGURE: Manual dive entry screen",align="center"]
== Deleting a dive
The _Details View_ of a dive has an Action Bar, including a dustbin. If this is tapped,
the dive shown in the _Details View_ is deleted. You have a brief opportunity to undo
the delete by tapping the grey _Undo_ button in the message that appears at the bottom of
the screen (see image below).
image::mobile-images/Delete_undo.jpg["FIGURE: Undo delete dive",align="center"]
You can also delete a dive from the dive list by long-pressing a specific dive
until a red dustbin appears on the right-hand side (see image below). Tap the dustbin. The dive is
deleted without asking any confirmation because _Subsurface-mobile_ assumes that the
combination of a long tap on the dive with another tap on the red dustbin is an unambiguous
instruction to delete the dive.
image::mobile-images/RedDustbin.jpg["FIGURE: delete dive from list",align="center"]
== Download dives from a dive computer
Download of dives is possible from dive computers with a FTDI USB interface, or with a Bluetooth interface.
First, establish a link between the dive computer and the mobile device.
For USB dive computers, USB cables "normally" used
for uploading dives to a desktop/laptop computer do NOT work: these cables often have a full-sized male USB plug
on one end which plugs into the USB port of a desktop/laptop computer. For downloads to a mobile device
one needs a USB OTG (USB On-The-Go) cable. In most cases it is required to plug the USB
cable "normally" used with the dive computer into a USB OTG cable which, in turn, plugs into the mini-USB
receptacle of the mobile device. The
OTG cable often has a full-size female receptacle at one end which accommodates the full-sized male plug
of the USB cable "normally" used (see image below). This means that two cables are used to connect the dive computer to the mobile device.
image::mobile-images/USB-OTG.jpg["FIGURE: USB-OTG cable",align="center"]
For Bluetooth-equipped dive computers, establish a Bluetooth connection between the dive computer and the
mobile device. Use the tools on the mobile device to achieve this. For of Android mobile devices,
the Settings -> Bluetooth tool is probably appropriate. Ensure pairing of the dive computer and mobile device.
_Subsurface-mobile_ performs communication using both Bluetooth and Bluetooth-low-energy (BTLE).
The appropriate choice of Bluetooth communication is made by the software and the user need not be concerned with this.
With propper communication between dive computer and _Subsurface-mobile_ having been set up, dive download is simple.
From the main menu, tap _Manage dives -> Download from DC_. A screen is shown requiring that the user specify
the names of the vendor and model of the dive computer. For instance, when using a Shearwater Petrel 2 dive
computer, the vendor is _Shearwater_ and the Dive computer name is _Petrel 2_. From the two dropdown lists
at the top of the screen, select the correct vendor and dive computer names (see image on the left, below). If
using a dive computer using a Bluetooth connection, then tap the check box labelled _Bluetooth download_.
Now tap the button labled _DOWNLOAD_. The downloaded dives appear in the bottom part of the screen, the
most recent dive at the top (see image on right, below). Be patient because the download can sometimes take a few mimnutes.
Each dive has a check-box on the left hand side, used for selecting which dives need to be added to the
_Subsurface-mobile_ dive list: dives that are not checked are ignored. With the appropriate downloaded dives
having been checked, tap the button at the bottom left labled _ACCEPT_. All the selected dives appear on
the _Subsurface-mobile_ dive list. The downloaded dive information can now be edited as described in the section
above xref:S_Edit_Dive[Edit a dive].
image::mobile-images/DC-Download.jpg["FIGURE: DC download screen",align="center"]
== Viewing the dive location on Google Maps
The site of a specific dive can be viewed in two ways using the _Details View_.
The Action Bar at the bottom has a GPS pin on the
left hand side. Tap that pin and the dive site is shown in Google Maps. Close Google Maps by using the Android _Back_ button.
Alternatively, the _Details View_ has a button at the top right hand marked
_Map it_. Tap this button to open Google Maps showing the dive site.
image::mobile-images/Map.jpg["FIGURE: Map of dive site",align="center"]
== Dive log management
A central part of _Subsurface-mobile_ is the ability to store the dive
log using the _Subsurface_ cloud storage.
This provides security against loss or damage to the dive information contained in a local copy of
the dive log and allows the desktop version of _Subsurface_ to
access changes made using the mobile device. This ability is accessed
through the main menu (by dragging the Action Button to the right, or
alternatively tapping the "Hamburger" icon at the bottom left of the screen).
Tap the option _Manage dives_, enabling a number of options:
=== Add new dive manually
This is described above under the section dealing with xref:S_Add_Dive[Adding a new dive to the dive list].
=== Sync the dive log with the _Subsurface_ cloud storage
Upload the dives contained on the mobile device
to the _Subsurface_ cloud storage by tapping the option _Manual sync with cloud_.
This synchronizes the local changes to
the dive log with the cloud storage. It also downloads changes made to
the dive log using another device or computer and stored in cloud storage.
=== Working offline or online
By default _Subsurface-mobile_ runs offline and only syncs the dive list
with cloud storage when explicily told to do so (see above).
You can choose to always sync with the cloud servers after every
modification of the dive list. This is not recommended unless you are in
an area with fast and reliable internet connection, as otherwise
_Subsurface-mobile_ might appear to hang between operations as it tries to
connect to the cloud server.
=== Changing the login credentials on the _Subsurface_ cloud
The login credentials (for example to work with
multiple accounts) can be changed by opening
the main menu and by tapping _Settings -> Cloud credentials_. This opens
the screen for specifying new credentials.
=== Changing the colour scheme of _Subsurface-mobile_
_Subsurface-mobile_ has three colour schemes to please users with different
tastes. This user manual shows the default colour scheme, comprising blue
colours. Change to a pink or a dark colour scheme by opening the main menu and
tap Settings -> Preferences. This opens the Preferences screen that includes
the three colour schemes (see image below).
image::mobile-images/ColourSchemes.jpg["FIGURE: Colour scheme setup screen",align="center"]
== Recording dive locations using GPS (Android only).
The fact that most smartphones have GPS facilities allows
_Subsurface-mobile_ on Android to record
the locations of dives. You can take the smartphone on the dive boat
during a dive and locations will be automatically recorded at regular intervals.
These locations can then be applied to dives in the dive list. Here is how it's done:
=== Setting up the GPS
Open the main menu and tap _GPS -> Preferences_. Now specify the way
in which GPS data need to be automatically collected (image above). Data
are collected at regular intervals, e.g. every 5 minutes, or at regular
distances, e.g. after the boat has moved more than 200m, or a combination of
both of these approaches. Provide the appropriate information and
tap the _Save_ action button. The program is now ready to collect GPS positions.
=== Collecting GPS positions
image::mobile-images/Mainmenu.jpg["FIGURE: Main menu",align="center"]
Ensure that the GPS on the Android device has been activated. At the bottom
of the GPS submenu is a check box _Run location service_ (image above).
Check this box
and _Subsurface-mobile_ starts to collect GPS locations automatically,
following the preferences specified as described above. After return from
the dive trip you can deactivate the collection of GPS data by de-activating
the same check box at the bottom of the main menu.
=== Storing the GPS data on the _Subsurface_ cloud
Activate the main menu and select the _GPS_ option that brings up the submenu
of GPS-related actions. Tap _Upload GPS data_ that saves the GPS data
on the _Subsurface_ cloud server. These GPS data are saved *separately*
from the other dive log data. All collected GPS data are kept on the
Android device, independent of whether they have been uploaded or not.
=== Downloading GPS data from the _Subsurface_ cloud
Download the GPS data that have been saved on the cloud (possibly by a
different device) by
selecting _Download GPS Data_ from the GPS subpanel.
=== Viewing GPS data
From the GPS submenu select _Show GPS fixes_. This brings
up a list of GPS positions obtained using the location service (image
on left, below). Two actions are possible for each of the locations, enabled if
you tap the handle (the three horisontal stripes on the right, see image on left, below) and
then drags the specific item to the left (image on right, below). This exposes two
options. Tapping the dustbin deletes this particular GPS location. Tapping the
teardrop-shaped icon (actually a Google Maps pin) opens up Google Maps with a pin
indicating the exact map position of the GPS record being viewed. The two above
options can be hidden by drawing the GPS record to the right, again using the handle.
image::mobile-images/gpsmanagement.jpg["FIGURE: GPS management",align="center"]
=== Applying GPS data to dives in the dive log
Assuming that all the dives have been entered into the dive log or have
been downloaded from the _Subsurface_ cloud, you can apply the GPS positions to
these dives. GPS positions can therefore only be applied to dives in the dive list.
From the GPS subpanel, tap _GPS-tag dives_. The dive list contains the start
and end times of each dive. Now, _Subsurface-mobile_ applies the first
GPS position that falls within the dive period of each dive. This results
in a GPS position for each dive that is saved as part of the dive log.