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VideoWall for App Inventor 2

What you're building

The VideoWall app tutorial demonstrates how you can control the size of a video playing in an app by using the Video Player component's
Width, Height, and FullScreen features. The VideoWall uses media assets (videos stored in the app itself), but you can use the app to display
videos from the internet as well.

This tutorial assumes you are familiar with the basics of App Inventor-- using the Component Designer to build a user interface, and using the
Blocks Editor to specify the app's behavior. If you are not familiar with the basics, try stepping through some of the basic tutorials
(http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/ai2/tutorials.html) before continuing.

Getting Started

Connect to the App Inventor web site and start a new project. Name the new project VideoWall and set the screen's Orientation to Landscape.

Download the following video files* for use later on (right click and choose "Save Link As..."):

BigBuckBunny (bigbuckbunny.3gp)

NASA (nasa.3gp)

Sintel (sintel.3gp)

*Attributions for these videos are included at the end of this tutorial.

Introduction

The finished VideoWall app will display a wall of three videos that can be expanded to their true size and then shrunk back down again. The app
will also allow you to display the videos in fullscreen. This tutorial assumes you have followed earlier tutorials to learn how the following blocks
work:

Variables

Procedures

Button.Click blocks

Control (if-else) blocks

This tutorial introduces the following:

Resizing the VideoPlayer

Showing the VideoPlayer video in fullscreen mode

Set up the Components

Use the component designer to create the interface for the VideoWall. When completed, the designer should look similar to the snapshot below.

First, you need to upload the video files. Click on the Upload File... button and select a video file downloaded earlier. Repeat this step to add the
other two video files.

In the properties of Screen1, set the BackgroundColor to Black, the ScreenOrientation to Landscape, and the Title to VideoWall. Now create the
interface by dragging and dropping the components from the Palette to the Viewer.

Component Type Palette What you'll name it Purpose of Component Action

Group

HorizontalArrangement Layout HorizontalArrangement1 Holds all other components: makes the Set Width to Fill parent...
three vertical arrangements line up side
by side

VerticalArrangement Layout VerticalArrangement1 Holds the left-most VideoPlayer and Set Width to Fill parent...
controls (VideoPlayer1, ResizeButton1,
and FullScreenButton1)

VerticalArrangement Layout VerticalArrangement2 Holds the middle VideoPlayer and controls Set Width to Fill parent...
(VideoPlayer2, ResizeButton2, and
FullScreenButton2)

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VerticalArrangement Layout VerticalArrangement3 Holds the right-most VideoPlayer and Set Width to Fill parent...
controls (VideoPlayer3, ResizeButton3,
and FullScreenButton3)

VideoPlayer Media VideoPlayer1 Displays the BigBuckBunny video Set Source to bigbuckbunny.3gp , set
Width to Fill parent... , and set Height
to 36 pixels

VideoPlayer Media VideoPlayer2 Displays the NASA video Set Source to nasa.3gp , set Width
to Fill parent... , and set Height to 36
pixels

VideoPlayer Media VideoPlayer3 Displays the Sintel video Set Source to sintel.3gp , set Width
to Fill parent... , and set Height to 36
pixels

Button User ResizeButton1 Resizes VideoPlayer1 Set Text to "Grow" and set Width to
Interface Fill parent...

Button User ResizeButton2 Resizes VideoPlayer2 Set Text to "Grow" and set Width to
Interface Fill parent...

Button User ResizeButton3 Resizes VideoPlayer3 Set Text to "Grow" and set Width to
Interface Fill parent...

Button User FullScreenButton1 Shows the VideoPlayer1 video in Set Text to "Show Full Screen" and
Interface fullscreen set Width to Fill parent...

Button User FullScreenButton2 Shows the VideoPlayer2 video in Set Text to "Show Full Screen" and
Interface fullscreen set Width to Fill parent...

Button User FullScreenButton3 Shows the VideoPlayer3 video in Set Text to "Show Full Screen" and
Interface fullscreen set Width to Fill parent...

Add Behaviors to the Components

The interface is complete, but the buttons don't resize the videos yet. Open the Blocks Editor to add the behavior to the buttons. First, you'll
define three variable blocks to keep track of the size of the VideoPlayers:

Block Type Drawer Purpose

initialize global name to Variables Defines the vid1_zoomed variable (rename it)

initialize global name to Variables Defines the vid2_zoomed variable (rename it)

initialize global name to Variables Defines the vid3_zoomed variable (rename it)
The three variables should like this:

Create the resizeVideoPlayer Procedure block. There are three VideoPlayers in the app, but
you'll use one Procedure block to resize all three. To accomplish this simplicity, you will use the
Any Component blocks component Any VideoPlayer blocks. To find the Any VideoPlayer
drawer, scroll to the bottom of the block drawers on the left of your screen. Next to Any
Component, click on the + sign and scroll down further to find the Any VideoPlayer drawer.
Create the resizeVideoPlayer Procedure block using the following blocks:

Block Type Drawer Purpose

Procedure Procedures Defines the resizeVideoPlayer procedure. Use the mutator ability of the procedure to add three
arguments: x, x2, x3. (Change the names of these arguments to VideoPlayer, zoomed, and button.)

if then Control Defines the block that chooses whether the VideoPlayer is shrunk or expanded. Use the mutator to
add in an else statement.

= block Logic Defines the equals block for testing if the zoomed block is true

true Logic Defines the block that zoomed is compared to

set VideoPlayer.Width (x2) Any Sets the VideoPlayer Width to a number

VideoPlayer

0 (x2), change to -1 Math Width to set VideoPlayer to

set VideoPlayer.Height Any Sets the VideoPlayer Height to a number

(x2) VideoPlayer

0 (x2), change to 36 Math Height to set VideoPlayer to

and 144

set Button.text Any Button Changes the button text

" " (x2) Text Text to set button to. Make one text block text's Shrink and the other's Grow.
The resizeVideoPlayer block should look like the following:

The resizeVideoPlayer block will be explained later after you create the
blocks for responding to button clicks.

Create the Click Blocks

The blocks you will create respond to clicks on the ResizeButton buttons. To
build the three blocks, you will need the following blocks:

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Block Type Drawer Purpose

ResizeButton1.Click ResizeButton1 Defines the block for responding to clicks on ResizeButton1

ResizeButton2.Click ResizeButton2 Defines the block for responding to clicks on ResizeButton2

ResizeButton3.Click ResizeButton3 Defines the block for responding to clicks on ResizeButton3

resizeVideoPlayer (x3) Procedures Starts the resizeVideoPlayer block for resizing a VideoPlayer

not (x3) Logic Defines the block for switching the various zoomed block values

set global vid1_zoomed Variables Sets the vid1_zoomed block to a different value

set global vid2_zoomed Variables Sets the vid2_zoomed block to a different value

set global vid3_zoomed Variables Sets the vid3_zoomed block to a different value

get global vid1_zoomed (x2) Variables Used to change the vid1_zoomed value.

get global vid2_zoomed (x2) Variables Used to change the vid2_zoomed value.

get global vid3_zoomed (x2) Variables Used to change the vid3_zoomed value.

ResizeButton1 ResizeButton1 Passed to the resizeVideoPlayer procedure

ResizeButton2 ResizeButton2 Passed to the resizeVideoPlayer procedure

ResizeButton3 ResizeButton3 Passed to the resizeVideoPlayer procedure

VideoPlayer1 VideoPlayer1 Passed to the resizeVideoPlayer procedure

VideoPlayer2 VideoPlayer2 Passed to the resizeVideoPlayer procedure

VideoPlayer3 VideoPlayer3 Passed to the resizeVideoPlayer procedure

The blocks should look like the following:

Most blocks in App Inventor require you to know exactly what

component your app will manipulate when you design the app.
For some apps, you will have several of the same type of
component and you want to program the same behavior for all
of the similar components (like the VideoPlayer blocks in this
app). The blocks in the Any component section allow you to
build some general manipulation on some type of component.
When you built the resizeVideoPlayer procedure block, you didn't
know specifically which VideoPlayer would be used in the
procedure. The resizeVideoPlayer works on VideoPlayers; but
not until the resizeVideoPlayer block is used in the
ResizeButton1.Click block (for example) is the specific
VideoPlayer known.

Note: The VideoWall app could have been designed with a

specific resizing procedure for each VideoPlayer. By using the
Advanced blocks in a single resizing procedure, the app is much
simpler.

How the Blocks Work

Setting the Width and Height property for a VideoPlayer works

exactly the same way as setting the Width and Height of a
Button. For whatever positive number is set, the video playing
will resize its appearance to fit that value. There are two values
that are exceptions to the using positive values rule: -1 and -2.
Setting VideoPlayer.Width or VideoPlayer.Height to -1 is like
setting the Width or Height to Fill parent in the designer. Setting VideoPlayer.Width or VideoPlayer.Height to -2 is like setting the Width or Height
to Automatic in the designer.

Wa rn in g: You can set the VideoPlayer Width and Height to any positive number you want. The VideoPlayer will change its size
to match the values you set; but on some devices, the VideoPlayer does not change its size correctly. The behavior on such
devices is usually unpredictable.

Tes t th is beh a vior. Click on the Grow button below the BigBuckBunny video. The video's size should expand, and the text of
the button should change to "Shrink". Click on the Shrink button below the BigBuckBunny video. The video's size should shrink
back to its original size and the text should change back to "Grow".

Create the blocks for showing fullscreen video

You will now add the blocks for showing the videos in fullscreen mode. Use the following blocks:

Block Type Drawer Purpose

true (x3) Logic Value to set FullScreen as

FullScreenButton1.Click FullScreenButton1 Responds to clicks on FullScreenButton1

set VideoPlayer1.FullScreen VideoPlayer1 Used to show fullscreen video

FullScreenButton2.Click FullScreenButton2 Responds to clicks on FullScreenButton2

set VideoPlayer2.FullScreen VideoPlayer2 Used to show fullscreen video

FullScreenButton3.Click FullScreenButton3 Responds to clicks on FullScreenButton3

set VideoPlayer3.FullScreen VideoPlayer3 Used to show fullscreen video

The blocks should look like the following:

How the Blocks Work

The VideoPlayer.FullScreen block takes a true/false value (also called a boolean)

to tell it whether to go full screen or not. Setting a VideoPlayer.FullScreen block
to true causes that VideoPlayer to be displayed in fullscreen mode. If there is
another VideoPlayer in fullscreen mode, that VideoPlayer's .FullScreen value is
set to false and it is replaced with the current VideoPlayer. If a
VideoPlayer.FullScreen is true, setting a VideoPlayer.FullScreen block to false
causes the fullscreen mode to be exited and the app's interface to display. Test
this behavior. Start playing the BigBuckVideo, and click on the Show FullScreen
button below the BigBuckBunny video. The app's interface should disappear and
some media controls with the BigBuckBunny video should appear. Use the Back
button on your device or the emulator to exit fullscreen. The app's interface should appear.

Final Program

VideoWall Final Version

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Package the final version of

the app by choosing Build |
App (provide QR code for
.apk) from the Component
Designer menu. When the
barcode appears, use the
barcode scanner on your
phone to download and
install the app. For more
information on sharing and
packaging apps, click here
(http://appinventor.mit.edu
/explore/ai2/share.html) .

Variations

Now that you have finished

the first VideoWall app, you
might want to build some
variations. For example:

Get more video files and

add a second row to create
a real VideoWall

Use videos from an online

server.

Expand the
resizeVideoPlayer procedure
to resize VideoPlayers by small increments to create an animation effect. You could use multiple Clocks to start the resizeVideoPlayer procedure
and animate multiple VideoPlayers at once.

If you distribute your app to others, make sure you respect any license requirements for the videos you use.

Below are the attributions to the video files included in this demo app. The creators of the source videos that these clips are from do not endorse
App Inventor.

Video File Information Attribution

bigbuckbunny.3gp A clip from the full length film (c) copyright 2008, Blender Foundation / http://www.bigbuckbunny.org
(http://www.bigbuckbunny.org)

nasa.3gp A formatted version of the Mars' Whirling Here is the original video.
Dust Devil clip.

sintel.3gp A clip from the full length film (c) copyright Blender Foundation | http://durian.blender.org
(http://durian.blender.org)

Scan the Sample App to your Phone

Scan the following barcode onto your phone to install and run the sample app.

Or download the apk (http://explore.appinventor.mit.edu/sites/all/files/ai2tutorials/videoWall/VideoWall.apk)

Download Source Code

If you'd like to work with this sample in App Inventor, download the source code to your computer, then open App
Inventor, click Projects, choose Import project (.aia) from my computer..., and select the source code you just
downloaded.

MIT is grateful to V a nce Tu rn e wit sch ( http ://exp lore.app i nventor.m it.ed u/p eop l e/vance-
turnewitsch) for developing this tutorial.

Done with VideoWall? Return to the other App Inventor 2 tutorials h e re (http ://exp l ore.ap pi nventor.m i t.ed u/ai 2 /tutorials ) .

Tutorial Version: App Inventor 2

Tutorial Difficulty: Intermediate
Tutorial Type: Video

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