Remote triggering of iOS app

1

I’m trying to get a basic cinder animation onto an iOS app. At a later stage I wish to switch a boolean in the code based on input from a wired ipad remote. As a first step, I was trying to switch this boolean with a bluetooth keyboard. The keyDown function works as long as I create an OSX app but fails to switch the boolean in the iOS app. How can I do this?

In case it helps, here’s the code (I’m trying to use a keyDown event to change the boolean trigger to true):

class LoomStimulusApp : public AppNative {
public:
void setup();
void keyDown( KeyEvent event );
void update();
void draw();

Vec2f centre;
float r_h;
float r_v;
float ar;
float size;
float dist;
float speed;
float transparency;
float timestep;

bool  trigger;

};

void LoomStimulusApp::setup()
{
gl::disableVerticalSync();
gl::enableAlphaBlending();

centre = Vec2f(getWindowCenter().x, getWindowCenter().y);
ar = 1.0f;
size = 10000.0f;
dist = 10000.0f;
speed = 80.0f;
transparency = 1.0f;
timestep = 0.0f;
trigger = true;

}

void LoomStimulusApp::keyDown( KeyEvent event )
{
if ( event.getChar() == ‘w’ ) trigger = true;
std::cout << event.getCode() << " ";
}

void LoomStimulusApp::update()
{
if (trigger)
{
if (dist > FLT_EPSILON)
{
dist -= speed;
if (dist <= FLT_EPSILON) dist = FLT_EPSILON;
}

    if (dist <= FLT_EPSILON)
    {
        dist = 10000.0f;
        trigger = false;
    }
    
    if (ar <= 1.0f)
    {
        r_h = size / dist;
        r_v = r_h * ar;
    }
    else
    {
        r_v = size / dist;
        r_h = r_v / ar;
    }
    
    ++timestep;
}

}

void LoomStimulusApp::draw()
{
// clear out the window with black
gl::clear( Color( 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f ) );

// draw circle in centre of screen
gl::color( ColorA( 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, transparency ) );

if (trigger)
{
    if (ar != 1.0f) gl::drawSolidEllipse(centre, r_h, r_v);
    else gl::drawSolidCircle(centre, r_h);
}

}

Thanks a lot for your help.

Vivek

2

I don’t understand the part about the hardware. What do you mean with a “wired iPad remote” and a “BlueTooth keyboard”? I can’t recall seeing an iPad with a USB connector or Ethernet connection.

For what it’s worth: the keyDown() method just works if you use the built-in on-screen iPad keyboard.

3

Hey Paul,

I was off the app building and doing other things for a while. But here’s my problem explained in a bit more detail.

I’m a biologist and am trying to build an app to scare fish with. What I’d like is to have a white screen and trigger the stimulus whenever I choose to. However, I myself do not want to be part of the experimental setup and would like to be able to trigger the stimulus remotely. One solution I thought could work is using an external trigger. I was thinking of something like this:


where I could stand several meters away from the experimental setup and still be able to trigger the stimulus. I’ve seen such external remotes mostly used to trigger the photo app. I was wondering if there’s a way for me to be able to trigger events in my app using cinder with an external remote like this.

Thanks for your help again.

Cheers!
Vivek

4

Hi Vivek,

As you can see from the video the remote uses the headphone jack. I think it is sending some audio signal that you can detect by analysing the audio input from your cinder application.

-Gabor

5

@vivekhsridhar Depending on the stimulus, you could just use my Augmented Theatre App. It is controlled by osc. The description will point you to the set up instructions.

–8

6

You are right @gabor_papp. So I have the wired remote and I know it functions as the volume up button on the ipad. I just need to figure out how to use that button to switch a boolean in my app.

@eight_io, I’m nearly done with building the app. I’d like to try and finish it myself. I’ll still take a look at your app incase I don’t manage that though. Thanks.

Cheers!
Vivek

7

It’d be great to know if someone already has that part figured out… How I can use the ‘volume up’ button on the ipad to switch a boolean

Thanks again for the help.

Cheers!
Vivek

8

I have no experience with this, but this might help:
https://github.com/blladnar/RBVolumeButtons

9

Thanks everyone for the help. For your amusement, here’s a video of the fish freaking out at the sight of my app.

Cheers!
Vivek