Created a new project tonight after updating to la...

# compose

[codeslubber]

Created a new project tonight after updating to latest of everything (requisite half hour of looking at console updates that look like circa 1960) and it doesn’t run (asked for empty Compose Activity). The template still references dev03 and it still has that stuff in it where kotlin version is a string in the base gradle file and you have to change that according to the app build file but then it is unhappy back in the other file. Seriously build is such a grease fire, it’s never going to be better. Probably one of the reasons Rust is gaining so much popularity… anyway time left for compose? 0

[codeslubber]

ERROR: APK path is not specified for module

[codeslubber]

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/56440572/how-to-fix-unable-to-determine-application-id-com-android-tools-idea-run-apkpr

[codeslubber]

this is running a program, just generated in the IDE, having changed no code..

[Klaas Kabini]

What Android Studio version are you using?

[codeslubber]

The latest, 4.1 Preview Canary 9

[kenkyee]

Templates aren't getting updated for a while. Best thing to do is look at the sample app they keep updating...

[kenkyee]

And it's pre alpha... Not sure why you don't expect pain 😂

[codeslubber]

dude I am not complaining about Compose?? you somehow missed that, as to the argument the template’s not being updated, I would be ok with that if I could have say spent 5-10 minutes and got it to work. If you just leave broken shit lying around, makes the whole thing a clown show, sorry.

[codeslubber]

Fine with early access, not falling into open sinkholes that people were too lazy to put cones around.

[Ash]

@kenkyee Yes ... we understand it's pre alph ... but there are some of us trying to build real world products with these dev releases and it is painful !!! we are just asking for a little more support. And we are very thankful to be a part of the dev process, getting access to these pre alph releases is exteamly important to my group, but with less headaches would be much appicatied ... it's growing pains for everyone envolved. 😀

[kenkyee]

" trying to build real world products with these dev releases and it is painful !"

Uhh... You're building real world products with pre alpha stuff and you expect no pain 😂😂😂
We're planning to integrate it as well but fully expect the prototype experiment stuff to be throwaway... we'll start using it in earnest when the APIs are frozen...

And I'm not sure why broken templates are being shipped TBH... They should just be disabled IMHO...

[Ash]

@kenkyee I never said we don't expect pain ... said "*it is growing pains for everyone"* !!! We were first with Swift, SwiftUI, Swift for TensorFlow --and-- Kotlin, AAC and now Compose. The more stable Compose, the faster we can go ... it's how we roll ... Also, we expect the API to change. We think each dev release is much better and the Compose team should keep making huge fundamental changes for the long term benefits of the platform.🤯

[codeslubber]

Wait and let me throw a few more arguments in here: I would use Compose now, on things I was going to release in the store, in very limited ways, or at least in betas. Do you really want users?? if you make it a diet of nothing but broken glass you are not going to get any real feedback. Apple achieved this. People are already releasing apps made with SwiftUI and it’s easy to redo just part of an app with it.

[codeslubber]

I agree on the templates, either fix them or get rid of them, I do think OOBE is important so being able to just make a quick project and try something out is a great way to get more people to take a look at Compose!

[kenkyee]

SwiftUI is about a year ahead of Compose IMHO.
I think they released in a beta state (i.e. frozen APIs). Or iOS team is using it already and from what they showed me, it is indeed shippable.
No frozen APIs means a lot of pain between versions...sort of like swift 1.0 which was a mess before they stabilized their APIs....

[romainguy]

@codeslubber @Ash We definitely want as much feedback as possible but at this stage of the development we are also trying to find the right balance between making it accessible while not slowing down development. There will be several stages for feedback, I fully expect that once we reach the alpha stage, tutorials, templates, etc. will be updated with every change that requires to do so

[romainguy]

Please also note that we’ve never released binaries this early during development before. I appreciate your patience, especially considering how much better Compose got once we started incorporating public feedback (the last 6 months of changes are a great indicator of that I believe 🙂

[Ash]

@romainguy The better the tooling / documentation / tutorials (fewer potholes) ... the faster we can build and the more/better feedback we can provide ... that's all 😀 Keep up the amazing job the team is doing!!! LOVE COMPOSE!

[romainguy]

I completely agree and the team is working hard on tooling in particular, but before polish must come the foundations 😅

[codeslubber]

one of the things I want, when I play around with new things, is the ability to try a gazillion things, last night I did a search about doing a simple dial-based progress indicator in Compose and found an SO question where they said sure it’s simple, an hour later I gave up cause the template and gradle piddled my time away….