path: root/Documentation/mobile-manual.txt

// Subsurface-mobile User Manual
// =============================
// :author: Manual authors: Willem Ferguson, Dirk Hohndel
// :revnumber: 2.0.2
// :revdate: December 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, December 2017_#

Welcome as a user of _Subsurface_ and _Subsurface-mobile_, advanced dive logging
software with extensive infrastructure to describe, organize, and interpret scuba
and free dives. _Subsurface_ offers many advantages over other similar
software solutions, including compatibility with Windows, macOS, Linux (many
distributions), Android and iOS. In addition, _Subsurface_ is
open-source software that allows downloading dive
information from many dive computers.

Introducing Subsurface-mobile
-----------------------------

_Subsurface-mobile_ is a more limited mobile version of _Subsurface_
aimed at Android and iOS smartphone and tablet devices, allowing viewing, entering, sharing, and storage of dive information at dive sites where a larger
computer is not useful. 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_ also allows
the gathering of GPS locations where dives are performed.

Users of _Subsurface-mobile_ typically use the
mobile app as a companion to the laptop/desktop version of _Subsurface_,  sharing dive information
between the mobile and the desktop versions. However _Subsurface-mobile_ can
also be used independently of the desktop version and does not require the use of
cloud storage.

_Subsurface-mobile_ allows:

- Download and storage of dive log information using the _Subsurface_ cloud.
- Viewing this information on a mobile device.
- Manually creating and adding new dive records to your dive log.
- Download dive data directly from many dive computers.
- Editing many of the dive log data fields, e.g. divemaster, buddy,
  equipment or notes relating to a dive.
- Recording, storing and applying GPS positions of dives.
- Viewing 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 support download of dive data from all the
dive computers that the desktop/laptop version can. This limitation is
mainly caused by the ability to access different type of devices on the
two mobile platforms. On Android, a subset of
dive computers that use a FTDI USB interface or a Bluetooth / Bluetooth LE interface
are accessible by _Subsurface-mobile_. On iOS, only Bluetooth LE based
dive computers are supported.

== Installing _Subsurface-mobile_ on your mobile device

Find _Subsurface-mobile_ in the _Google Play Store_ or the _iTunes Store_
and install it. Please note that both stores also contain the older _Subsurface_ companion app (used only for tracking GPS positions) - make sure you actually install _Subsurface-mobile_.

== Using _Subsurface-mobile_ for the first time

When you start _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).

image::mobile-images/Credentials.jpg["FIGURE: Mobile credentials screen",align="center"]

=== When NOT Using Cloud Storage
Tap the "No cloud mode" button. 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. If no dives have been entered into the dive log
yet (the usual case), an empty dive log is created.

=== Using Cloud Storage
The _Subsurface_ developers provide a custom
free Internet cloud storage account that can be used for
storing dive log information. This cloud storage account can be created either from _Subsurface_ on the desktop or _Subsurface-mobile_
using a mobile device; you can
do full maintenance of a dive log from _Subsurface-mobile_ alone. By using the same
credentials wirh _Subsurface-mobile_ and _Subsurface_ for desktop, the _Subsurface_ cloud storage allows you to share your dive
log between both (or even more than two) devices.

The dive data are cached both on the mobile device as well as on the desktop - it is easy to create backups of the data (for example in XML format) on the desktop, and both mobile device and desktop keep a local copy of the data so that the dive log is always accessible, even without Internet connection. The Subsurface team never accesses a user's dive data without explicit permission to do so, the data are not used for any purpose other than providing them to the user who created them. There are no ads and no harvesting / analysis of the data stored in the Subsurface cloud storage.

1) Enter an e-mail address and a password in the fields indicated on the screen.
The e-mail address should be in lower case and the password should contain a combination of
letters from the alphabet (upper and lower case) and/or numbers.
Tap the "Sign-in or Register" button. If you have already set
up an account from the _Subsurface_ desktop application, enter the same credentials here.
Once the dive
list has been downloaded from the cloud, _Subsurface-mobile_ usually works only with the the local
copy on the mobile device. This avoids long delays or even failure of operations if there is a bad (or no) internet connection, a situation fairly common at many dive sites.

3) If this is a new account, a PIN screen will open (see image on right, above). A PIN is e-mailed
to the email address entered in the previous step. Enter this PIN into the field indicated
and tap the _Register_ button. The user
information is stored on the cloud server and access to the cloud is enabled. In this case
the dive list is initially empty. Start entering dives in the dive
log or download dive information from a supported dive computer.

The dive log can be updated automatically. If there is Internet connectivity, _Subsurface-mobile_ accesses
the cloud-based dive log to verify that the local copy of the dive log is still the
same as the log in the cloud server. If not, the local copy and the copy on
the server are synchronized.

=== Changing the existing login credentials on the _Subsurface_ cloud

The login credentials can be changed, for an example in order to work with
multiple accounts. See the section on xref:S_ChangeCloudAccount[Changing to a different _Subsurface_ cloud account].

== Menu Structure and User Interface

At the bottom of many Subsurface-mobile screens is a round button that provides for
several actions (see image below). The most common choice is indicated in a round colored _action button_ (in the case below, edit a dive). Alternative actions are indicated in a white _action bar_.
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/Menusystem.jpg["FIGURE: Dive management sub-panel",align="center"]

The image above indicates some of the important features of the menu system.
On the left is the main menu, activated as described above. On the right of the image
are the items of all the submenus accessible.

All screenshots in this user manual are currently from the Android
version. The iOS screens look fairly similar.

== 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, after which the dive list is shown. Once the list is loaded you can scroll up and down
through your dive history.
To upload dives from a dive computer, tap the blue action button. If you wish
to add a dive manually, tap the + button in the action bar (described below).
Tapping an existing 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/Divelist2.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 is a pencil (image on right, above).
Tapping the pencil button changes the page and enables edit boxes that allow
modifying 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, after which the dive list screen is
updated and shown. To cancel any edits, tap the Android _Back_ Button or
the application back button at the top left of the screen on iOS.

When the virtual keyboard is shown, to avoid screen clutter, the action button is hidden.
Once you close the keyboard it is drawn again.

image::mobile-images/Editdive.jpg["FIGURE: Dive edit screen",align="center"]

[[S_Add_Dive]]
== Manually adding a new dive to the dive list

One can manually add a dive to the existing dive list. On the dive list
tap the "plus" sign in the action bar, 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/Manualdive.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 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"]

[[S_Download]]
== Download dives from a dive computer

The download deature supports only a limited number of dive computers. On
Android devices these are typically dive computers using an FTDI interface
using a USB OTG cable (but this is blocked on some Android devices by OS
settings). Android devices also support all Bluetooth dive computers that
are supported in Subsurface. And both Android and iOS devices allow direct
download of dive data from a hand full of Bluetooth LE enabled dive
computers.

The process for download is slightly different between the two OSs.
In our testing we got the best results on iOS when the dive computer was
in Bluetooth mode before _Subsurface-mobile_ is started. On most dive
computers this is done through a menu entry, others (like the Suunto
models) always respond to BLE requests.

On Android devices, you should first establish a link between the
Bluetooth or Bluetooth LE dive computer and the mobile device using
Android utilities. See below for more details.

For USB dive computers, USB cables "normally" used
for uploading dives to a desktop/laptop computer do NOT work: these cables usually have a full-sized ("Type A") 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 (or sometimes a USB "Type C")
receptacle of the mobile device. The
OTG cable usually has a full-size ("Type A") 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.

Please note that not all Android devices support OTG cables. And even on some devices that do support those cables in general, _Subsurface-mobile_ still in some cases cannot access a dive computer through a serial port.

image::mobile-images/USB-OTG.jpg["FIGURE: USB-OTG cable",align="center"]

For Bluetooth-equipped dive computers and Android devices, establish a Bluetooth connection between the dive computer and the
mobile device. Use the tools on the mobile device to achieve pairing between the Bluetooth dice computer
and the mobile device. For of Android 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 pairing 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).

Now tap the button labeled _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 take a few minutes.
As a matter of fact, a complete first download from some dive computers has been shown to take 45 minutes and longer.

After the download, each dive has a check-box on the left hand side, used for selecting which dives you want 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 labeled _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

In 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
or tapping on the _Subsurface-mobile_ link in the top left corner on iOS.

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 below).

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 in a local copy
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
by tapping the "Hamburger" icon at the bottom left of the screen).
Tap the option _Dive management_, enabling a number of options:

=== Add new dive manually

This is described above under the section dealing with xref:S_Add_Dive[Manually adding a new dive to the dive list].

=== Download from DC

This is described above under the section dealing with xref:S_Download[Download dives from a dive computer].

=== Apply GPS fixes

This is described in the following main section, below.

=== Manually 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 shared cloud storage.

=== Enable cloud auto sync

By default _Subsurface-mobile_ runs offline and only syncs the dive list
with cloud storage when explicitly 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. Selecting _Enable cloud auto sync_ causes
the local dive log to be synchronized with the copy in the cloud every time that
_Subsurface-mobile_ is closed. This option is a switch that allows auto
sync to be either activated or to be switched off.

== Recording dive locations using GPS

The fact that most smartphones have GPS facilities allows
_Subsurface-mobile_ to record
the locations of dives. If the smartphone is taken on the dive boat
during a dive, 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:

[[S_ConfigureGPS]]
=== Configuring the GPS service

From the Main menu, select _Settings_. The Settings screen has a section for
configuring the GPS service (image below). GPS location 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 _Back_ button. The program is now ready to collect GPS positions.

image::mobile-images/GPS-config.jpg["FIGURE: GPS configure",align="center"]

=== Collecting GPS positions

Ensure that the GPS on the mobile device has been activated and that you
have given the app permission to access your location data.
Open the Main Menu and select _GPS -> Run location service_. This activates the
recording of GPS locations.

image::mobile-images/GPSstart.jpg["FIGURE: GPS start",align="center"]

_Subsurface-mobile_ starts to collect GPS locations automatically,
following the preferences specified as described above. While the GPS
location service is running, all menus have a GPS symbol at the bottom
of the menu, indicating that the service is active. After return from
the dive trip, deactivate the collection of GPS data by tapping
the option _Disable location service_. The GPS symbol at the bottom
of all manus disappears.

=== 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 sub-panel.

=== Viewing GPS data

From the GPS submenu select _Show GPS fixes_. This brings
up a list of GPS positions obtained by the location service (image
below). Two actions are possible for each of the locations, enabled by
dragging the handle (the dotted matrix on the right below) to the left. 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, apply the GPS positions to
these dives. GPS positions can therefore only be applied to dives in the dive list.
From the _Dive management_ sub-panel, tap _Apply GPS fixes_. 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.

== Using the settings for _Subsurface-mobile_.

The Settings screen allows the customization of _Subsurface-mobile_. Many of the settings involve dragging a slider switch to activate or deactivate a particular setting.

[[S_ChangeCloudAccount]]
=== Changing to a different _Subsurface_ cloud account

Some users have more than one _Subsurface_ cloud account and with a need to switch between accounts. Tap _Settings_ on the Main menu and scroll to the section titled _Cloud status_ (see image below).
Tap the _Change_ button. This opens the _Cloud credentials_ screen.
change the credential information, then tap the button _Sign-in or register_. The appropriate dive list is shown.

image::mobile-images/SettingsCloudTheme.jpg["FIGURE: Settings: Cloud & Theme",align="center"]

=== Changing the color theme of _Subsurface-mobile_

_Subsurface-mobile_ has three color schemes to please users with different
tastes. This user manual shows the default color scheme, comprising blue
colors. Change to a pink or a dark color scheme by opening the main menu,
tap _Settings_, and scroll to the section with heading _Theme_ (see image above).
Select the appropriate color theme by dragging the appropriate slider on the righthand.

=== Configuring the GPS webservice

The Settings screen allows one to set up the way in which GPS positions are collected during dives. See the section on xref:S_ConfigureGPS[Configuring the GPS service].

=== Saving a detailed dive computer dive log

Under the heading _Dive computer_, you will find a switch to save a detailed log each time dives are downloaded from a dive computer. This is important for solving problems in downloading dives from the dive computer. When contacting the developers with download problems, you will usually be asked to provide the information in this log, which can be found in the root folder of your local storage device as +libdivecomputer.log+. In the same location you can also find a +subsurfacel.log+ which is always created and which include more information which can be helpful when debugging problems with Subsurface-mobile.

=== Activating the Developer submenu

The information in subsurface.log plus some additional information for understanding the screen rendering of dive information as well as the way in which _Subsurface-mobile_ processed information during a specific occasion while running the app (see section below) is available through a _Developer_ menu at run time. Activate (or deactivate) this menu item on the Main Menu by dragging the slider switch in the Settings screen.

== Developer submenu

If the Developer submenu has been activated in the Settings screen, the Main menu has a _Developer_ item. By tapping this one has two options that are relevant within
the context of program development and debugging.

=== App log

This option shows the messages that _Subsurface-mobile_ generates while running. While
most users are not aware of these messages, they are often crucial in detecting any
abnormal behavior of the app. The App log can be found in the root directory of the local storage of the mobile device.

=== Theme information

This option provides a wealth of information about the screen characteristics of the mobile
device and the font characteristics used by _Subsurface-mobile_.