WatchMaker - unpacking the .watch file - updated!

WatchMaker has been enhanced since I wrote this post originally, so I thought I'd post an updated version.

When you export a watch from WatchMaker, the app creates a ".watch" file.  This can then be imported by someone else, or uploaded to a face sharing website (such as FaceRepo) for others to enjoy.  

If you're like me though, you might be interested in how this ".watch" file is made up though, what it contains.  So let's take one of my first watch faces for example...

Teal Hands - 339 downloads

The file itself is a ZIP archive, so the first step is to extract the files.  Personally I prefer 7-Zip, but you can use the tool of your choice for this.

After you've unpacked the files, you should see a structure something like this...

The files included in this example are...

• fonts
• Roboto-Regular.ttf
• images
• .img25.jpg
• .img60.png
• .img61.png
• .img62.png
• .img63.png
• preview.jpg
• preview_dim.jpg
• watch.xml

So any fonts and images that are used in the watch face are included in their respective folders.  For example, the ".img60.png" and ".img61.png" are Sprites that hold multiple images in one, for the battery levels.  There is also the background (".img25.jpg") and both watch hands (".img62.png" and ".img63.png").

There are also two preview images, for both the normal/bright preview ("preview.jpg") and the dimmed preview ("preview_dim.jpg").

The final file (watch.xml) is probably the most interesting, as this contains all of the settings and configuration of the watch face and the layers that make it up.  You can open this file to view in a web browser, or you can edit it in any text editor (I prefer Notepad++)...

This ".xml" file has a root <Watch> tag, with attributes that contain the settings for the watch face, and then a number of <Layer> tags, with attributes that contain the configuration for each layer.  Whilst you may or may not be familiar with XML, it should be easy enough to tell from the attributes and their values how these match up with the different properties in the WatchMaker app.  

The main addition in recent months is the "features" attribute of the <Watch> tag - this is automatically updated as you edit the watch face and add/remove tags.  It is then used by sites (such as FaceRepo) to list the features that your watch face has.

This includes the layers of type "image" which have a "path" and those of type "text" which have a "font", both of which link to the included files above.  Also there's the "display" attribute, which is "b" for bright only, "d" for dimmed only and "bd" for always.

Next time I'm working on a complicated LUA script, I may well export it to Dropbox so I can write it on my laptop, then import it back into the WatchMaker app - much easier than typing curly braces on my phone keyboard!

There is also the option now to export a watch face in "protected" mode.  This creates a slightly different set of files...

Now there is an extra file called "watch.pxml", and the contents of the "watch.xml" file are quite different...

Now "watch.xml" only contains the <Watch> tag, with the "protection" attribute set.  

All of the layers are in "watch.pxml"...

...but they're encrypted!  This is great for when you've created a watch that you want to sell on the Play store, or upload without the risk of someone copying and modifying your watch face.

Hopefully you've found this update useful.

New watch face - Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go is probably the biggest craze right now, enticing adults and children alike into running around catching and hatching Pokemon.  

The game divides people into 3 teams...

1. Team Instinct, Colour - Yellow, Leader - Spark, Mascot - Zapdos
2. Team Mystic, Colour - Blue, Leader - Blanche, Mascot - Articuno
3. Team Valor, Colour - Red, Leader - Candela, Mascot - Moltres

To celebrate the fun I'm having playing this game, I decided to create a watch using WatchMaker which, just like the game, allows you to choose a team (by tapping the center of the watch face)...

You can download the watch face from FaceRepo.

I hope you enjoy!

International Watch Co

I've recently received the following email from FaceRepo...


Sadly, we've had to remove a face you uploaded to FaceRepo.

Face name: International Watch Co 
Face URL: https://facerepo.com/app/faces/details/international-watch-co-14c4db00cdb 

This face was removed for the following reason: 

Removal was requested by the copyright and/or trademark holder of elements used in the face. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please feel free to reply to this email with any specific questions you may have. 

- FaceRepo.com



Exciting - not had one of those before!

The watch face in question looks like this...

It's certainly not one of my better watches, as none of the cogs move, which was my original intention.  I planned to come back and do a better job of it, but apparently it's not allowed!

If you're interested in downloading this watch face, it may or may not appear on a popular file hosting site... Don't click here to download!

New watch faces - Divergent and Total Annihilation

It's been ages since I spent time working on new watch faces, so I thought I'd get back into the swing by creating a couple of simple watches I'd been thinking about, and here they are.


Divergent - download from FaceRepo

Anyone loving the Divergent film series (based on the novel by Veronica Roth)? Well I am! Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Amity or Candor - click the center to choose your faction.

Total Annihilation - download from FaceRepo

Anyone remember the old Cavedog game Total Annihilation? Well I do! Core vs. Arm - click at the top to choose your side.

I hope you like the new watch faces - hopefully there will be more coming soon- watch this space!

Changing the watch straps

I've been using the black leather straps that came with my Moto 360 for almost a year now, since I first unboxed it back in January.  Considering I wear it every day, that's probably not too bad, but they were starting to look a little worn.

Luckily, the same lovely person who bought me the watch, also bought me some new straps recently, so I thought I'd try and get them switched over.  And here's how I did it.

Firstly, the box...

Pretty unassuming, from a company call Rerii.  And inside there were the new straps, along with a number of spare pins, and a little tool...

In order to first take of the existing straps, you need to use the two-pronged end of the tool, and try to squeeze it up inside the watch, beside the current strap.  This can be quite fiddly, but what you're trying to do is first place the prongs against the edge of the pin, and then pull it in towards the centre of the strap.  

On the image below, I've circled the edge of the pin that you're aiming for, which has a couple of little ridges on which you can gain purchase.

Both ends of the pin push inwards, to allow the pin to slide out from the watch, which means you can come at this from either side.  

Once you've down this with both straps, you can either reuse the old pins, or use the new ones that come with your new straps - they should be exactly the same.  You can then push the pins back in, and in just a couple of minutes, your new straps should be securely fastened...

The metal ones are a bit heavier than the leather ones, but I really like it.  It's almost like having a branch new watch (if you ignore the slight surfaces scratches which are appearing on mine!).

This week's watchface - Metallic-4

Whilst I'm not a big fan of the name, I'm really enjoying this watchface at the moment, and have been for a couple of weeks now.  It's called the Metallic 4 (4 Colors- And 4 Dials) by bmg1001, and it looks like this...

As you can see from the preview, this is primarily an analogue watch, but with many additional features, including the digital time and the date displayed neatly at the top.  I've never seen a design quite like this, but I really like the symmetry of it.

The watchface has a number of different tap actions as well.  If you tap the digital date then it switches between 12 hour and 24 hour clocks - personally I prefer the 12 hour clock.

The top dial displays the weather, based on your WatchMaker settings (°C or °F, for example) and tapping the dial will refresh manually.

The right dial displays your watch's battery level as a percentage.  If you tap this dial it will toggle to the phone's battery level (which shows a "P" in the dial) and then tap again to get back to the watch's battery level.

The bottom dial displays the current day of the week.  If you tap this dial, it will toggle through the different colour options.  There's black, silver, red and blue - personally I prefer the silver one at the moment, also I've also been using black.

The left dial displays your current step count, as a percentage of your daily target.  If you tap this dial it will take you into the step count app, which for me is Google Fit, with a chart of recent days.

Overall I think this is a very stylish design, with plenty of functionality, but without overcrowding the screen with a complicated array of numbers.  I can see myself settling on this one for a while.

This week's watchface - Devon Tread

I've been a fan of the Devon Tread watches for a while now, but they don't even have a retailer in my country, let alone being able to afford one!  Luckily I own a Moto 360, so I can have any watch I want though, thanks to WatchMaker. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a look at these...

As you can see, they are made up of belt which move to change the time display.  I think this is ingenious, and the website describes them as "The reinvention of the watch. The Devon Tread 1 features a system of interwoven Time Belts™" - so good they trademarked and patented it - "the Tread 1 is the must-have timepiece for the watch enthusiast with a passion for innovation and ingenuity".

There are a number of different versions of the Tread 1 and the Tread 2, and for me it's hard to choose a favourite, I just love the idea of this kind of mechanical watch.  

So it's been on my mind to create one (at least!) in WatchMaker for some time.  But I've definitely been beaten to it!  There are a number of them on FaceRepo already, which is a good thing.

My favourite at the moment is definitely the Devon Steampunk Tribute (Round) by eXntrc...

One of the things I really love about this version is that the numbers actually slide along the belt in a very realistic way, unlike some of the other watches where the number just change, but without any movement.  I'd definitely recommend downloading it!

And maybe I'll get round to creating a variant of my own some day soon...