The Android device sticky thread...

[nickb]

Sadly, the email fix was temporary. I went back to messed up in no time. I deleted all accounts and have moved to using the gmail client.

[Steve A.]

Sadly, the email fix was temporary. I went back to messed up in no time. I deleted all accounts and have moved to using the gmail client.

I was able to send email using the Sansung email client for awhile but Google messed it up again so I use Gmail to send messages and Email to read them.

Awhile back my Tab 4 7.0 #2 was acting "wonky" so I did a factory restore which freed up a lot of disk space and RAM. Since I have all of my apps backed up in the cloud it was easy enough to restore what I wanted.

Steve A.

[Steve A.]

Creating PDF files from web pages: Web Page Capture

As a digital hoarder I have been obsessed with the creation of PDF files to capture the current state of web pages (merely saving the link as a Bookmark will not reflect future changes like edits or deletions.)

I purchased the retail version of Adobe Acrobat in 1998 to convert the HTML files on my Blue Guitar website into downloadable PDF format and purchased upgrades eventually to version 7.0 in 2006 which unfortunately would not run on Windows 7 (at least the Home Premium version that came with my 2009 HP desktop computer.) Besides my Acrobat 7 upgrade disc will not work unless it finds a prior version installed and my original install disc for version 3.1 will not run on Win 7 Home Premium.

Acrobat 7 was pretty slick as it could convert entire websites into PDF format or you could specify how many levels you wanted it to dig down from the initial webpage. And it offered extensive edit functions like combining PDF files, deleting entire PDF pages and - my favorite trick - cropping your selection of PDF pages. So much for PDF Paradise Lost...

Since 2009 I have been using workarounds like other programs or print drivers to create PDF files but none of them had the flexibility of Acrobat Pro 7.0.

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On my Android tablets I guess the most professional option is to pay Adobe $11.95 a month to be able to create PDF files using their web interface but I really don't like the subscription model for apps and programs, especially at that price point.

(I have purchased many apps from the Google Play Store but rarely more than a one-time payment under $6 which covers installation on any Android device registered to my Gmail account and usually includes all future upgrades. One exception: I do pay an annual subscription for Evernote Premium which is like $3/month as I recall.)

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Earlier this week I found the Web Page Capture app on one of my tablets which I do not remember installing so I thought I better try it out before uninstalling it. Hot damn, it is amazing!

You can either use its embedded browser to navigate to a webpage or paste in its URL. Once it goes to a webpage there is an icon to select "Capture Image" or "Save as PDF". The first choice will capture a single scrolling image in PNG format which is really slick. The second choice first gives you options for the PDF to be created: color/bw, paper size and orientation. It then shows you the PDF pages it created, allowing you to exclude the ones you do not want. The final option allows you to select where to save the PDF file and to replace the default filename "default.pdf" so be sure to copy the name you want to use from the webpage for a quick paste.

I have attached a zipfile of two versions of the APK installation files for Web Page Capture, 1.0.6 and 1.0.8, as one might work better than the other depending on your device and Android version:

WebPageCapture_APK.zip

Reminder: on an unrooted Android device you can upgrade an app but not downgrade it unless you uninstall it first. So to save time I usually start with the oldest version and try out newer versions until I find the one that works best for me and my particular device.

With my Samsung and ASUS tablets version 1.0.8 goes into a loop where you cannot successfully close the ad that pops up right after you click on "Capture Image" or "Save as PDF" — you return to the previous screen with absolutely nothing accomplished. I wish that there was a premium version without the ads but the developer probably makes a lot more money from the ads than a one time payment of, say, $2.99.)

Here is a link to the listing in the Google Play which will give you the current version followed by the search phrase I used to find the listing. Below that I have posted the search code to use to find any app in the Play Store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ecapture&hl=en

web page capture site:play.google.com

[APPNAME]site:play.google.com

Steve A.

P.S. MEF supports only certain file formats, many (like PDF) with a fairly low limit on filesize. However, you can upload other formats or larger files by first compressing them as ZIP files. (That capability is built in to the Android OS but for Windows 7 I have been using 7Z which kicks butt compared to older versions of WinZip I used to use.)

EDIT: I decided to compare PDF files created internally by wikipedia vs one created by Web Page Capture with page size set to ISO A0. The files were remarkably similar but there were some superimposed letters in the one created by wikipedia. The first WPC file I created used the "Letter" page size which split the webpage into 34 pages! (The two attached below have 3 pages.)

1_Discharge_petition-created_by_wikipedia.pdf

2_Discharge_petition-WPC-ISO A0.pdf

BTW at least with my tablets when you click the icon for "Capture Image" or "Save as PDF" you are sent to an ad page which you must close successfully to proceed to the chosen command. Once the single page PNG image of the webpage is created it is placed in the 0/pictures/webpagecapture folder and you are given the option to view it; I usually just hit the Back soft button to reject that option. (That image can be used independently.)

[Steve A.]

Maximizing limited resourses on Samsung Tab 4 7.0

As a hardcore archivist I create all sorts of files (downloads like PDF files of the newspapers I subscribe to digitally , screenshots, PDF files from webpages, and other documents) on my Samsung tablet which can rapidly consume the limited resources (1.5GB RAM/8GB internal storage space.) For one thing Android 4.4.2 KitKat prevents most programs from writing to an external SD card. Samsung includes a My Files file manager app which can write to the ext SD card but it is very clumsy for handling multiple files, especially compared to my all-time favorite ES File Explorer ver. 3.2.5.5 (avoid the later versions as they initially included bloated features and eventually so many ads as to be considered by many to be malware.)

The solution is simple... compress archives of your created files with ES File Explorer in sorted or unsorted folders as a single ZIP file and it can be copied or moved very quickly with My Files (which incidentally seems to choke on large numbers of individual files.) By default ESFX will use the folder name for the name of ZIP and 7z files it creates. I might title the folder something like PDF.SM.08.06.2018 to indicate type of file, which tablet was used and the date when the archive was created and then move it to a _TO SD folder in the /storage/sdcard0 (AKA 0) initial folder on my Samsung tablet to be copied/moved to the ext card without having to clumsily navigate folders using My Files.

BTW I use ESFX to share archived files with Dropbox initially to the cloud which is then copied to the PC which automatically mirrors the Dropbox contents on the C drive. For a permanent archive I copy the C drive folder to my D drive using the outstanding Microsoft utility Rich Copy which was written for their developers to quickly and accurately copy or move their source files. (By all means do NOT use the internal Copy command which does not confirm CRC values and often chokes when processing large numbers of files with no mechanism to quickly resume where it left off. Bad news!) BTW I use the utility app Teracopy instead of the internal Copy command for copying a more limited number of files.)

Clearing the Samsung cache under Settings | Storage (along with the Dropbox* cache) can free up much storage space. To free up RAM clicking on the Recent Windows permanent soft button brings up the option to run Task Manager with RAM Manager on the left pane menu.

Steve A.

EDIT 08/06 10:00PM: Another way to extend resources on any older tablet is to turn off Automatic Updates under Settings in the Google Play Store. (Note: you might think it is already turned off because there is no checked checkbox... unlike many of the other menu items there is no check box; you must click on it for the option to turn it off. It took me awhile to figure that out!) So once you are running a version of an app that runs well on your device it isn't automatically upgraded to a bloated version by the Play Store that takes advantage of new features not even available for your hardware and/or Android version.

I use 3C Toolbox to back up the app versions I like to use so that I can reinstall them later if necessary. (You will need to check the box to allow for installation from Unknown Sources under Settings | General | Security on the Samsung Tab 4 7.0.) At some point the older versions of browsers in particular might lose some or all functionality at certain websites so you might check out the websites with an assortment of older versions to find an intermediate version that does work.

Also by backing up an app you can uninstall it to free up RAM and storage space and reinstall it when you do need to run it.

[big_teee]

Any Andriod device users out there?
Looking for someone to keep this Android sticky updated for Steve A.
It was something he dearly liked!
Thanks,
T

[nickb]

I do!

[big_teee]

I do!

Good deal, please keep it stocked for us, if you can?
Anything you can stick in here will be great!
Thanks,
T

[nickb]

I wish I could. Steve was quite a guru on the subject of quirks, features and usability and I learned much from him. I did work as a developer on an Android based tablet back in the early days of Android Froyo but that's so ancient now as to be irrelevant.

[big_teee]

5 ways the Snapdragon 855 will change Android phones in 2019
I found this in PCworld.
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3325...id-phones.html