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Button Press System

The button press system in ASG Client handles physical button interactions on the smart glasses and determines what actions to take.

How It Works​

Button Press Flow​

  1. Physical Press: User presses the camera button on the glasses
  2. MCU Detection: The glasses' microcontroller detects the press
  3. Command Generation: MCU sends a command to ASG Client:
    • cs_pho - Short press (photo)
    • cs_vdo - Long press (video)
  4. ASG Client Processing: The service receives and processes the command
  5. Action Execution: Based on configuration, takes appropriate action

Button Press Modes​

The ASG Client supports three configurable modes for handling button presses:

PHOTO Mode (Default)​

  • Button press triggers local photo/video capture only
  • Photos are taken immediately on the device
  • No communication with phone/cloud for the button press
// Short press behavior in PHOTO mode
case "cs_pho":
    mMediaCaptureService.takePhotoLocally();
    break;

APPS Mode​

  • Button press events are sent to the phone/apps only
  • No local photo capture
  • Apps can decide what to do with the button press
// Button press sent to phone in APPS mode
sendButtonPressToPhone(isLongPress);

BOTH Mode​

  • Combines PHOTO and APPS modes
  • Takes photo locally AND sends event to apps
  • Maximum flexibility for developers

Implementation Details​

The button handling is implemented in AsgClientService.java:

private void handleConfigurableButtonPress(boolean isLongPress) {
    AsgSettings.ButtonPressMode mode = asgSettings.getButtonPressMode();
    String pressType = isLongPress ? "long" : "short";

    switch (mode) {
        case PHOTO:
            if (isLongPress) {
                // Video recording (TODO)
            } else {
                mMediaCaptureService.takePhotoLocally();
            }
            break;

        case APPS:
            sendButtonPressToPhone(isLongPress);
            break;

        case BOTH:
            // Do both actions
            break;
    }
}

Button Press Message Format​

When sending button press to phone (APPS or BOTH mode):

{
  "type": "button_press",
  "buttonId": "camera",
  "pressType": "short", // or "long"
  "timestamp": 1234567890
}

Other Button Commands​

Besides camera button, the system also handles:

  • Swipe gestures: cs_swst commands from arm swipes
  • Battery status: hm_batv with battery percentage and voltage
  • Hotspot control: hm_htsp/mh_htsp for WiFi hotspot

Configuration​

Setting Button Mode​

The button mode can be configured via:

  1. Settings in the MentraOS app
  2. Direct configuration through AsgSettings
  3. Debug commands during development

Mode Selection Guidelines​

  • Use PHOTO mode for simple camera glasses functionality
  • Use APPS mode when apps need full control over button behavior
  • Use BOTH mode for advanced scenarios where both local and remote actions are needed

Photo Capture Process​

When a photo is triggered (PHOTO or BOTH mode):

  1. Capture: CameraNeo takes the photo
  2. Save: Photo saved to device storage
  3. Queue: Added to upload queue if online
  4. Upload: Sent to cloud when connection available
  5. Cleanup: Local copy managed based on settings

Video Recording​

Video recording on long press is currently in development. The infrastructure is in place but the full implementation is pending.

Troubleshooting​

Button Press Not Working​

  1. Check logs: Look for cs_pho or cs_vdo in logcat
  2. Verify mode: Ensure correct button mode is set
  3. Service status: Confirm AsgClientService is running
  4. Permissions: Check camera and storage permissions

Common Issues​

  • No MCU commands: Check hardware connection to microcontroller
  • Service not responding: May need to restart AsgClientService
  • Wrong mode active: Verify configuration in settings

Future Enhancements​

  • Full video recording implementation
  • Custom button mappings
  • Gesture combinations
  • Multi-button support