App-switching issue and a bug in ND on consecutive words

[marcosilva85]

NotificationDictionary (ND) is quite nice, but I experience often a bug and a UI issue (Google Pixel, stock android):

• UI issue: In my book-reading app (and others), if I request to see the meaning of a word with ND, just before the notification shows I see an app-switching animation, as if its opening ND to the foreground for a second. This is a bit distracting, as I'm expecting only to trigger a notification. Perhaps this could be fixed? (I know an app that seamlessly does its logic in the background, "ScrambledExif", perhaps you can take a look at it if it helps)

• Bug: If I consequently check another word and open the notification of the ND app, it lands instead on the word that I've previously requested. If I try once again, the same old word is there, as if stuck, it keeps happening until I force-stop ND and start it again.

[tirkarthi]

Thanks for the report. Please find my replies inline.

UI issue: In my book-reading app (and others), if I request to see the meaning of a word with ND, just before the notification shows I see an app-switching animation, as if its opening ND to the foreground for a second. This is a bit distracting, as I'm expecting only to trigger a notification. Perhaps this could be fixed? (I know an app that seamlessly does its logic in the background, "ScrambledExif", perhaps you can take a look at it if it helps)

I use room to attach to the db to fetch meanings. I see this transition for a second on fresh start of the app like first time of the day and after that I don't see it. I am using Samsung A54 4G model. There was a report of this but I am not sure if this is something known or some optimisation I am missing on launch.

Bug: If I consequently check another word and open the notification of the ND app, it lands instead on the word that I've previously requested. If I try once again, the same old word is there, as if stuck, it keeps happening until I force-stop ND and start it again.

If available can you please share a screen capture of this hiding personal details if any. I just tried "another" opened the app which showed meaning for "another". I kept the app open. I searched for "bug" and opening the app from notification showed meaning for "bug" . On each notification the app is opened with the word from notification so I am not sure if I am missing some race condition or edge case.

[marcosilva85]

I understood how to reproduce the "search" bug now @tirkarthi . I can trigger it consistently from "Librera FD" app and it's by using it's "quick share in ND" & "manually searching in ND" together that triggers the bug for the next word.

Example steps:

• quick share word "hello" to ND: ND gets "hello" meaning, OK
• now inside ND, search "friend": ND gets "friend" meaning, OK
• quick share word "sad" to ND, bug: ND actually opens directly (the notification doesn't even pop-up) with previous word "friend".

In Librera app, quick share is an icon present in it's pop-up for a word where you directly share to a dictionary app (skipping the android "share" prompt asking to choose), I don't know if functionally it's any different from the usual "share" prompt.

I don't get the bug if I do it via the normal "sharing" prompt.

Regarding the other bug I've mentioned in my previous first point about the small annoyance in the short black transition window between sharing a word and ND opening - sadly it always occurs to me, not only on fresh start. We're you able to find a way around it?

I have tested on a Google Pixel which has the most android stock (I am on 14. Can try later updating to 15 and letting you know as well).

[tirkarthi]

Thanks for the detailed steps. I can understand the issue. Using share would not update the UI, once you click the meaning from the notification the app will take that as a receiver and update the UI with word and all its meanings.

This is how it works with just selecting meaning too. Searching on UI and using context menu/share are two different functions. I am not sure it will be possible to update the UI from the process text receiver though we update the entry in history table. It also depends on whether the app is open. It could also set the expectation over word from notification to be filled on opening the app directly when a notification is active. This might be a good to have UX and will see if this is possible.

Thanks