Questions: Scouting App or Other Scouting System

[logank013]

So a constant I am seeing is that pretty much any team uses an android app.. Is there any reason to not consider a windows based program? All the programming I've done is for Windows so that is why I am wondering.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by logank013

So a constant I am seeing is that pretty much any team uses an android app.. Is there any reason to not consider a windows based program? All the programming I've done is for Windows so that is why I am wondering.

I think the motivation comes from wanting to use the computers people already have and are willing to upgrade/maintain on their own (their phones), instead of computers the team would need to supply and maintain (non-phone Windows computers).

Plus, phones/tablets (mobile devices) are fashionable.

[Ben Martin]

Originally Posted by logank013

So a constant I am seeing is that pretty much any team uses an android app.. Is there any reason to not consider a windows based program? All the programming I've done is for Windows so that is why I am wondering.

Doesn't have to be that way. We have a mentor who has experience in Java/Node.js and we received a tablet donation from a sponsor, so it made the decision easy for us. As long as you troubleshoot the interactions between all points in the system and have the required equipment, you can use whatever platform you want. I used Excel macros from 2007-2012 for scouting systems, because that's what I knew.

[Doug Frisk]

Originally Posted by logank013

So a constant I am seeing is that pretty much any team uses an android app.. Is there any reason to not consider a windows based program? All the programming I've done is for Windows so that is why I am wondering.

The app I've developed over 3 seasons that 2512 uses is written as a Windows 8 App in C#. This was partially because the team got a six-pack of Surface RT tablets for $600 3 years ago.

It's actually evolved into a front end for a pseudo state machine defined in a JSON file. What you can enter varies based on what state the robot is in, then it outputs a detailed log of all interactions and a summary file that can be loaded into Excel or Tableau. That way I can just update the JSON on a per season basis. I'm hoping to have the 8.1 app itself up on the store by Jan 1 and a Win 10 Universal app ready by week zero. But of course it's an as available project.

It's been much improved since I last published it https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9wzdncrdlvx7