Well, you got one thing right: you do not understand. You have been too close to Android for too long, you simply do not understand how the documentation is read by people who are not so close (or even by those as close who are more careful readers). That is why you underestimate how bad this one spot in the documentation is. For the section I quoted, when read alone, really does read as if the issue of those values is settled by those few lines. This is, after all, all on the topic at that 'node' in the Javadoc, the node on <supports- screens>.
So it is a surprise to the reader to find out that no, it is not settled: the values are set by minSDKversion as well (in the default case). By no means is the latter section "clearly there to expand upon that material" as you say, since it is so far away, being a separate and apparently unrelated node. Nor is this the only spot in the documentation with such unexpected expansion in an even more unexpected place. Why, the former is under <supports-screens> and the latter is under <uses-sdk>. These are effectively two different documents, since each gets its own distinct node in Javadoc. Nor is there even a cross-reference suggesting to the reader of the one that he needs to see the other for the 'expansion'. Now I will admit there are bigger problems in the documentation. But I haven't seen those get fixed in between 1.5 and 2.2 either. It seems everyone at Google is as cavalier about it as you are. This does not bode well for the future of Android. On Sep 4, 5:56 pm, Dianne Hackborn <[email protected]> wrote: > Okay, look at it another way: the documentation you are quoting says that > those control the different screen sizes you support. And let's say it > states: "these attributes, and nothing else, determine the screen sizes you > support." It doesn't say anything about what the values are if you don't > specify them. That is covered *in the same document* only a couple > paragraphs down (in the sections that are clearly there to expand upon that > material) in the text I pointed to. > > I mean... there are a lot of places I could point to in the documentation > that are not so good or outright bad. To have a problem with this > particular part... I don't understand. > > On Sat, Sep 4, 2010 at 4:11 PM, Indicator Veritatis <[email protected]>wrote: > > > It is not "being uber-pedantic". And your example of guns killing > > bunnies is irrelevant. It would have been relevant if you had followed > > the wording of the citation a little more closely, and said, > > "this gun lets me specify whether the bunny will live or die". But of > > course, you did not say that, since that does not support your > > position. > > > The truth is that as happens all too often, the online documentation > > says one thing in one place, and contradicts that one thing in another > > place. > > > On Sep 4, 12:36 am, Dianne Hackborn <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Also on that page: > > > > Default values for attributes > > > > The default values for the <supports-screens> attributes differs, > > depending > > > on the value of > > > theandroid:minSdkVersion< > >http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html> > > > attribute > > > in the application's manifest, as well as on the value of > > > android:targetSdkVersion, if declared: > > > > - If android:minSdkVersion or android:targetSdkVersion is "3" (Android > > > 1.5) or lower, the default value for everything except > > android:normalScreens > > > is false. If you are primarily targeting pre-Android 1.6 platforms but > > > also want to support other densities/screen sizes, you need to set the > > > appropriate attributes to true. > > > - If android:minSdkVersion or android:targetSdkVersion is "4" (Android > > > 1.6) or higher, the default value for everything is true. If your > > > application requires Android 1.6 features, but does not support these > > > densities and/or screen sizes, you need to set the appropriate > > attributes > > > to false. > > > - Note that android:normalScreens always defaults to true. > > > > But um yeah if you want to be uber-pedantic... wait, no, not even in > > that > > > case. "This gun lets me kill the bunny." That doesn't imply to me that > > the > > > gun is the only way I have to kill the bunny. :) > > > > On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 11:57 PM, Indicator Veritatis <[email protected] > > >wrote: > > > > > I take your word for this, that it really is true. But I must point > > > > out: strictly speaking that contradicts > > > >http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html > > > > which reads in part: > > > > > "The platform also provides a <supports-screens> manifest element, > > > > whose attributes android:largeScreens, android:normalScreens, and > > > > android:smallScreens let you specify what generalized screen sizes > > > > your application supports. " > > > > > By the rules of English grammar, this means that this manifest element > > > > ALONE lets you specify it, minSdkVersion has NO part in it. > > > > > On Sep 3, 5:14 pm, Dianne Hackborn <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 1:31 PM, Gustavo <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > <supports-screens android:largeScreens="true" > > > > > > android:normalScreens="true" android:smallScreens="true" > > > > > > android:anyDensity="true" /> > > > > > > > <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="4" /> > > > > > > Note that these two lines are redundant. Making the minSdkVersion 4 > > > > implies > > > > > you support different screens. > > > > > > -- > > > > > Dianne Hackborn > > > > > Android framework engineer > > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > Note: please don't send private questions to me, as I don't have time > > to > > > > > provide private support, and so won't reply to such e-mails. All > > such > > > > > questions should be posted on public forums, where I and others can > > see > > > > and > > > > > answer them. > > > > > -- > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > > > Groups "Android Developers" group. > > > > To post to this group, send email to > > [email protected] > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > [email protected]<android-developers%[email protected]> > > <android-developers%[email protected]<android-developers%[email protected]> > > > > > For more options, visit this group at > > > >http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en > > > > -- > > > Dianne Hackborn > > > Android framework engineer > > > [email protected] > > > > Note: please don't send private questions to me, as I don't have time to > > > provide private support, and so won't reply to such e-mails. All such > > > questions should be posted on public forums, where I and others can see > > and > > > answer them. > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > Groups "Android Developers" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > [email protected]<android-developers%[email protected]> > > For more options, visit this group at > >http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en > > -- > Dianne Hackborn > Android framework engineer > [email protected] > > Note: please don't send private questions to me, as I don't have time to > provide private support, and so won't reply to such e-mails. All such > questions should be posted on public forums, where I and others can see and > answer them. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. 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