[Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Simple application fo MeeGo Harmattan to get balance of the mobile account over the USSD requests (often used on prepaid tariffs).
Program queries the balance when user clicks program’s icon, gets the reply, cuts digits and shows them to the user in different ways.

Lite and Pro versions available at Nokia Store.

Screenshots;
http://imageplay.net/tya22282050/screen_combo_thumb.jpghttp://imageplay.net/tya22282049/scr...fig2_thumb.jpg

Features:
– USSD sending/recieving
– updating balance after Calls/SMS (daemon catching D-BUS messages, can be switched on/off)
– updating balance on time (time can be set in format HH:MM or hh:mm AM/PM etc..) (new in version 0.0.5)
– calculated difference since last update (shown in Notificaton) (new in version 0.0.5)
– calculated call length (shown in Notificaton) (new in version 0.0.6)
– optional delay of auto-update (new in version 0.0.6)
– display balance on standby screen (new in version 0.0.7)
– pop-up window catching and dismissing (in two ways: click emulation or force window closing – see option ”hard-kill”)
– showing balance over the program’s icon
– showing balance through the Notifications (optional)
– native configuration through the control panel (Settings->Applications->USSD balance)
– multilanguage (english, russian)

Pro-version additional features
– user-friendly configuration
– sequence of USSD-queries can be used (example: *100# 1 2 - will query *100#, then will be sent "1", and after that - "2")
– icon's text margins
– up to 3 USSD numbers can be defined and used
– up to 3 values can be sxtracted from each USSD-reply
– different configuration for each SIM-card used (configuration switched on-the-fly every time you change the SIM-card)
up to 4 icons can be configured, enabled or disabled (removed from menu)
– more auto-update options (incoming SMS or calls monitoring, updates by interval)
– up to 3 lines can be drawn at LPM screen
– flexible composition of displayed strings

Download Lite: Nokia Store
Buy Pro: Nokia Store

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Can you disable USSD messages with your app? Maybe intercept the DBus messages so that USSD messages are not displayed?

That way only when a user wants he can use your app or dial manually to check balances etc...

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

I haven't found the right way to disable system's catch-and-show of USSD messages. But, there is interesting effect in my app's work: if option "hard-kill" is enabled - the system's pop-up window if forced to close after first USSD-request procesed by app. And after this operation system's USSD window will not be shown at all (from any application) - until reboot.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Version updated.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Great! One of the features I missed most, finally coming to the N9. Thank you. :)

My operator replies to *101# as follows:
I am only interested in the first and third values, so I tried using this as my regex:
...and this as my template:
...but it didn't work. Any suggestions, please?

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Multiple values not supported... yet

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

"dear cutomer, your balance id x.xxx, valid upto dd/mm/yyyy". this is my operator message, please help me setting regex and template

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

never mind.... ".*?(\d+\.\d+)" worked !

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

New version.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Great & Thanks!

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

I need a help. I uninstalled app, but notification on my standby screen is left. Any suggestions how to deal with this problem?

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

delete all files from /home/user/.config/ussdbalance

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

There is no ussdbalance directory after app is uninstalled.

I installed it again, then set notifications in app settings, after that I unset them and run app, but it didn't clear standby screen. Any other suggestions?

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

and now delete this /home/user/.config/ussdbalance/stanby.png, then run in terminal from user -> killall sysuid, then remove app
that's all (=

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Nothing changed. I'm wondering is this "Balance rub" text or image and where is written or stored? For sure it's not in ussdbalaced dir.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

I think that is the default template:
Balance %1 rub

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

You can view where the picture is with command:
or simply disable displaying that picture with:

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Avis, I found it, it's /home/user/.cache/com.meecast.omweather/nologo.png. Isn't it strange to be in meecast dir? I never had meecast icon on standby screen.

p.s. Maybe once I set meecast widget on standby screen just shortly, to see how it's look like.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

In this case there was just simple black rectangle :)
Anyway, I'll think about restoring of status quo on program's removing...

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

I made a little test. After I deleted nologo.png, I enabled meecast widget on standby screen and then I disabled. This didn't create a new black nologo.png.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Just tried same steps: when meecast widget is ON - then logo.png created and used, when OFF - path changed to nologo.png, but png really didn't created. Really this doesn't matter if black image be used or link will lead to no file (result will be the same - nothing is displaying on standby screen)

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Great idea for an app!

One thing would make things even better for me - being able to enable/disable using a button similar to Billboard. I use a pay-as-you-go SIM when travelling abroad but post-paid at home. I assume deleting the USSD number would achieve the same thing but I'm lazy! :-)

Now I need to swap SIMs to have a play!

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

What this button should disable? Watching for calls/sms? It's already there... Disabling balance showing? This too can already be done except of showing on a standby screen (just because this function is not fully polished yet...)

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

OK got a chance to swap my SIM and try this

Some comments - in North America the carriers charge for incoming calls and texts so currently the call/SMS monitoring is insufficient for PAYG in North America.

In swapping SIMs from PAYG to contract, being able to hide the icon completely while the contract SIM is in place is preferable. Yes, I can disable the updating but I still have the icon showing my UK PAYG balance showing even though all the monitoring is disabled.
Additionally the only way to disable the icon action itself is to delete the 'balance' code. If this isn't done and the icon is accidentally pressed you get an 'unknown application' error. Although I never had the standby screen notification enabled, activating the icon while on the contract SIM seems to screw up my Billboard/Meecast on the standby screen.
I use Billboard and Meecast alot more than USSDbalance, and as it can't be properly disabled I'll be uninstalling until I need it...

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

WhitP, thanks for the detailed report!
I'm adding all of your observations to my TODO list :)

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Avis - it would be great if these things could be fixed as the concept is extremely useful. I have a trip to Europe coming up and I'll definitely be using it then.

Rather than uninstalling I've removed the balance code for the time being - less hassle than reinstalling in a few weeks. It fixes the Billboard/Meecast issue, so it seems to be related to getting either no reply or an error message from my contract carrier.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Awesome piece of innovation. Thought I cud solve my ussd pop up problems finally. I hate those unwanted ussd msgs.

First tym I installed the app and enabled hard-kill, evrythng was working fine. It disabled ussd pop ups. But after a reboot, hard kill isnt working at all. All ussd msgs are bothering me again. Any fix?

Cheers :)

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

This feature is simple - program is looking for USSD window and closes it. And after that this window not appear until reboot... So after reboot the program have to do it's job again to "kill" this window :) Also there is a chance that program will not be able to find USSD window...
Do You need just a simple thing that can only disable those USSD windows without any other functionality?

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

I figured it out I guess. I had to kill the first pop up ftom the app, then it'd block all other ussd pop ups.
I hated those cause it slowed down my phone while popping, and I recvd two of them for every call/msg/internet usage. You cud guess how pathetic my life was :p
Now I'm on cloud 9 (read N9) :D

Cheers :)

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

you cud make a standalone ussd killer if you can, wud be useful for people like me.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

I have an icon on the low power screen. After I ran the command with USSD balance, the operator's message was added to the image file of the icon. After I changed the Y value, another line of message was added to the image file. Can you implement a method for displaying the account balance without altering the image file? Alternatively, can you make displaying on the low power screen optional? I noticed there is a switch to disable that option, but it did not work.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Yes. It will be fixed. For now You can disable StandBy option in my program and manually replace Your icon with the clean one - this should work.
Anyway now I'm searching another ways of displaying the Info on LPM screen.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

New version - some bugs fixed.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Where can I find the background icon?
I'd like to replace it with the invisible.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Here it is:

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Avis
The Billboard integration is a nice touch. 2 more weeks until my trip and then I'll give it a good workout.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

New version is Published at Nokia Store.

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Avis,
Any idea when multiple values will be supported?

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Will be supported in a Pro-version.
Hope to publish it in a few weeks...

Re: [Announce] USSD Balance for Harmattan
 

Installed the Ovi store version for a quick play and everything seems to work OK.

Had a bit of a strange issue on first reboot when the program wasn't set up with the standby display coexisting/merging with the Meecast icon even though I hadn't enabled it. Same went for the notification option - I had to enable and disable it to stop it popping up.

The Billboard integration works perfectly :-)

One suggestion while thinking about my upcoming trip. I'll probably use some PAYG data which I don't think will trigger any updates in USSDBalance if my understanding is correct.
Would it be possible to add an option for an interval for automatic updates, say every 30 mins or 1hr to avoid burning through too much data without realizing it?