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Logging

The Companion is mostly for putting things in. Every way of logging ends in the same tracker on the main site.

One tap​

On the Log tab, a tile does the thing. Change logs a change. Drink logs a drink through your own unit. There is no timer to start and stop on a change. If a wear timer was running, logging the change finishes it.

Every log sheet ends in a receipt. One line saying what was written, a buzz through the hand, and Done closes it. A key that writes is pressed and out of reach until the write settles, and one write is never on the wire twice.

There is a quiet prediction on the Change sheet that only speaks when it has something true to say.

Typed in plain words​

Under the six tiles is a line for typing. "changed, wet, BetterDry". "drank 8oz water". It is read on the phone with no server call, so it is instant and works offline. If it cannot read a phrase it says so and offers the ordinary keys rather than guessing.

NFC tags​

A cheap NFC sticker on the changing mat, by the door or on the fridge. Tap the phone to it and the thing is logged.

Writing a tag​

More, then This phone, then NFC. On an Android phone in Chrome, choose what the tag should do, tap Write a tag, and hold a blank tag against the back of the phone. The tag holds one web address and nothing else. No credential is on it. A tag found on the floor by a stranger opens a page that asks them to sign in.

Tapping a tag​

The tag fires its default the instant it lands. A tag on a changing mat must never make you choose before it logs. The screen then says what happened, in words you can read at arm's length while putting the phone back in a pocket. A tag fires once per tap. A refresh or a back button does not log it twice.

The "or was it" keys​

Under the receipt, for twenty seconds, are the nearest other answers. Tapped the "wet" tag but it was messy too. Meant to log a check rather than a change. Each key corrects the entry the tap wrote. None of them writes a second entry. The keys leave on their own after the window.

On the native Android app the tags work from the lock screen as well. See The Android app.

Shortcuts and keys​

More, then This phone, then Keys, voice and shortcuts. Two kinds of key:

  • A shortcut key for "Hey Siri, log a drink" and the like. On an iPhone the Shortcuts app does this properly. On Android any app that can send a web request can, and Tasker is the usual one. The recipe is on the screen.
  • A phone key for the native Android app, shown as a QR code you scan in the app to sign in.

A key can be revoked. Anything using it stops working at once.

When you are offline​

Nothing hangs on the network. If a log cannot be sent it is kept on the phone, and a strip above the day says so. "Drink is saved on this phone. It sends by itself when you are back online."

A log older than four hours is not sent on its own, because the server would stamp it with the time it arrives. The strip says "from earlier is waiting" and you decide. Sending it stamps it with the time it sends. You can also forget the logs from earlier.

Leaving and arriving​

More, then This phone, then Leaving and arriving. You can set your home point on this phone only. It is never sent anywhere. With it set, the web app can notice when you are home while it is open. The native Android app can do this properly in the background. See the home fence.

Lights and plugs​

Send a signal to your own smart home when something happens. Give it a web address, a name and a signing secret if you want one. Home Assistant and IFTTT can take it from there.