Release v1.8.198 — inline offline 'What's new' excerpt in Settings -> About (F14)

Source the current release's notes at compile time: a whatsNewExcerpt() Gradle
helper reads the matching ## vX.Y.Z section from CHANGELOG.md, de-markdowns +
truncates it, and emits BuildConfig.WHATS_NEW (mirrors BUILD_COMMIT_HASH). About
screen shows a 'What's new' preference opening a scrollable dialog with that text
+ a 'Full changelog' link; hidden when the field is blank. No network, no runtime
file IO. assembleDebug + lintDebug green.

Author: SysAdminDoc

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,37 @@
 
 All SwiftFloris release history is consolidated here. This replaces the former root-level `RELEASE_NOTES_v*.md` file-per-release pattern.
 
+<a id="v1.8.198"></a>
+## v1.8.198
+
+Released: 2026-05-28
+
+### Settings → About → inline "What's new" excerpt, fully offline (RESEARCH_FEATURE_PLAN.md F14)
+
+After updating, users had no in-app way to see what changed — the About screen's "Changelog" row only opens an external URL (a browser hop; the keyboard itself has no INTERNET). This adds an inline "What's new" entry that shows the current release's notes right inside Settings, with no network and no runtime file IO.
+
+The excerpt is sourced at compile time: a new `whatsNewExcerpt(versionName)` Gradle helper reads the matching `## vX.Y.Z` section from the repo-root `CHANGELOG.md`, lightly de-markdowns it (strips heading hashes, bold, inline-code ticks), truncates to ~900 chars, and emits it as `BuildConfig.WHATS_NEW` — mirroring the existing `BUILD_COMMIT_HASH` build-config pattern. Settings → About shows a "What's new" preference that opens a scrollable dialog with that text plus a "Full changelog" button (the existing online link) and "Close". The preference hides itself when no section matched at build time (e.g. a dev build between releases), so it never shows an empty dialog.
+
+### Changes
+
+- **`app/build.gradle.kts`** — `whatsNewExcerpt()` + `String.escapeForBuildConfig()` helpers; new `BuildConfig.WHATS_NEW` field.
+- **`app/settings/about/AboutScreen.kt`** — "What's new" `Preference` + Material3 `AlertDialog` (scrollable), shown only when `BuildConfig.WHATS_NEW` is non-blank; reuses `action__close`.
+- **`res/values/strings.xml`** — `about__whats_new__{title,summary,dialog_title,full_changelog}` (en-US; `{version}` placeholder).
+
+### Verification
+
+- `./gradlew :app:assembleDebug :app:lintDebug` green; `BuildConfig.WHATS_NEW` populated from this section. `:app:verifyNoInternetPermission` unaffected (no manifest/permission change; the inline view replaces a browser hop with on-device text).
+
+### Files Touched
+
+- `app/build.gradle.kts`
+- `app/src/main/kotlin/dev/patrickgold/florisboard/app/settings/about/AboutScreen.kt`
+- `app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml`
+- `fastlane/metadata/android/en-US/changelogs/1998.txt` (new)
+- `gradle.properties` (versionCode 1997→1998, versionName 1.8.197→1.8.198)
+- `README.md` (version badge)
+- `TODO.md` (F14 ticked)
+
 <a id="v1.8.197"></a>
 ## v1.8.197
 

README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # SwiftFloris
 
-![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-v1.8.197-blue) ![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202.0-green) ![Platform](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Android%208.0+-orange) ![Network](https://img.shields.io/badge/network-none-lightgrey) ![SwiftKey migration](https://img.shields.io/badge/SwiftKey%20migration-window%20closes%202026--05--31-red)
+![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-v1.8.198-blue) ![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202.0-green) ![Platform](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Android%208.0+-orange) ![Network](https://img.shields.io/badge/network-none-lightgrey) ![SwiftKey migration](https://img.shields.io/badge/SwiftKey%20migration-window%20closes%202026--05--31-red)
 
 **SwiftFloris** is a privacy-first Android keyboard, forked from FlorisBoard and pushed toward SwiftKey-class multilingual typing without the cloud. It ships under Apache-2.0, holds no `INTERNET` permission, and binds zero accounts.
 

TODO.md

@@ -96,8 +96,10 @@ the maintainer's other VM). Auto-commit-and-push per logical change.
 
 ### A3. Settings / UX surfaces
 
-- [ ] **F14** (P2) — Settings → About → "What's new" excerpt (compile-time
-  `CHANGELOG.md` extractor) + privacy-posture cross-link card.
+- [x] **F14** (P2) — Settings → About → inline "What's new" excerpt
+  (`BuildConfig.WHATS_NEW` from the matching `CHANGELOG.md` section at build time;
+  scrollable dialog + "Full changelog" link). **Shipped v1.8.198 (2026-05-28).**
+  (Privacy-posture comparison table deferred — separate doc, lower value.)
 - [ ] **EI12** (P2) — Settings → Privacy → "Erase all on-device learning" combined
   confirmed action wiping `PersonalBigramStore` + `PersonalTrigramStore` +
   `AdaptiveTouchModel` + `CorrectionOutcomePriors` + personal dictionary in one motion.

app/build.gradle.kts

@@ -106,6 +106,14 @@ configure<ApplicationExtension> {
         buildConfigField("String", "BUILD_COMMIT_HASH", "\"${getGitCommitHash().get()}\"")
         buildConfigField("String", "FLADDONS_API_VERSION", "\"v~draft2\"")
         buildConfigField("String", "FLADDONS_STORE_URL", "\"beta.addons.florisboard.org\"")
+        // RESEARCH_FEATURE_PLAN.md F14 — compile-time "What's new" excerpt sourced
+        // from the matching CHANGELOG.md section so Settings → About can show it
+        // offline (no INTERNET, no runtime file IO). Empty when no section matches.
+        buildConfigField(
+            "String",
+            "WHATS_NEW",
+            "\"${whatsNewExcerpt(projectVersionName.substringBefore("-")).escapeForBuildConfig()}\"",
+        )
 
         sourceSets {
             maybeCreate("main").apply {
@@ -517,3 +525,34 @@ fun getGitCommitHash(short: Boolean = false): Provider<String> {
     }
     return execProvider.standardOutput.asText.map { it.trim() }
 }
+
+// RESEARCH_FEATURE_PLAN.md F14 — extract the body of the `## v<versionName>`
+// section from the repo-root CHANGELOG.md, lightly de-markdown it, and truncate
+// to [maxChars] so it can ship as a BuildConfig string for the offline
+// "What's new" surface. Returns "" when the section is absent (e.g. a dev build
+// between releases), in which case the Settings entry hides itself.
+fun whatsNewExcerpt(versionName: String, maxChars: Int = 900): String {
+    val changelog = rootProject.file("CHANGELOG.md")
+    if (!changelog.exists()) return ""
+    val text = changelog.readText()
+    val startMarker = "## v$versionName"
+    val startIdx = text.indexOf(startMarker)
+    if (startIdx < 0) return ""
+    val bodyStart = text.indexOf('\n', startIdx).let { if (it < 0) return "" else it + 1 }
+    val nextAnchor = text.indexOf("\n<a id=\"v", bodyStart)
+    val nextHeader = text.indexOf("\n## v", bodyStart)
+    val end = listOf(nextAnchor, nextHeader).filter { it >= 0 }.minOrNull() ?: text.length
+    var body = text.substring(bodyStart, end).trim()
+        .replace(Regex("(?m)^#{1,6}\\s*"), "") // strip heading hashes
+        .replace(Regex("\\*\\*([^*]+)\\*\\*"), "$1") // unbold
+        .replace("`", "") // drop inline-code ticks
+        .replace(Regex("\n{3,}"), "\n\n") // collapse blank runs
+        .trim()
+    if (body.length > maxChars) {
+        body = body.substring(0, maxChars).substringBeforeLast('\n').trimEnd() + "\n…"
+    }
+    return body
+}
+
+fun String.escapeForBuildConfig(): String =
+    replace("\\", "\\\\").replace("\"", "\\\"").replace("\n", "\\n").replace("\r", "")

app/src/main/kotlin/dev/patrickgold/florisboard/app/settings/about/AboutScreen.kt

@@ -20,16 +20,22 @@ import android.widget.Toast
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.heightIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.requiredSize
+import androidx.compose.foundation.rememberScrollState
+import androidx.compose.foundation.verticalScroll
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.Icons
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.filled.Code
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.filled.History
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.outlined.Description
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.outlined.Info
+import androidx.compose.material.icons.outlined.NewReleases
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.outlined.Policy
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.outlined.VerifiedUser
+import androidx.compose.material3.AlertDialog
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
+import androidx.compose.material3.TextButton
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.LaunchedEffect
 import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
@@ -132,6 +138,45 @@ fun AboutScreen() = FlorisScreen {
                 }
             },
         )
+        // RESEARCH_FEATURE_PLAN.md F14 — inline, offline "What's new" excerpt sourced
+        // at compile time from the matching CHANGELOG.md section (BuildConfig.WHATS_NEW).
+        // Hidden when no section matched at build time (e.g. a dev build between releases).
+        val whatsNew = BuildConfig.WHATS_NEW
+        if (whatsNew.isNotBlank()) {
+            var showWhatsNew by remember { mutableStateOf(false) }
+            Preference(
+                icon = Icons.Outlined.NewReleases,
+                title = stringRes(R.string.about__whats_new__title),
+                summary = stringRes(R.string.about__whats_new__summary, "version" to BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME),
+                onClick = { showWhatsNew = true },
+            )
+            if (showWhatsNew) {
+                AlertDialog(
+                    onDismissRequest = { showWhatsNew = false },
+                    title = {
+                        Text(stringRes(R.string.about__whats_new__dialog_title, "version" to BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME))
+                    },
+                    text = {
+                        Column(modifier = Modifier.verticalScroll(rememberScrollState()).heightIn(max = 420.dp)) {
+                            Text(whatsNew)
+                        }
+                    },
+                    confirmButton = {
+                        TextButton(onClick = {
+                            showWhatsNew = false
+                            context.launchUrl(R.string.florisboard__changelog_url, "version" to BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME)
+                        }) {
+                            Text(stringRes(R.string.about__whats_new__full_changelog))
+                        }
+                    },
+                    dismissButton = {
+                        TextButton(onClick = { showWhatsNew = false }) {
+                            Text(stringRes(R.string.action__close))
+                        }
+                    },
+                )
+            }
+        }
         Preference(
             icon = Icons.Default.History,
             title = stringRes(R.string.about__changelog__title),

app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml

@@ -1029,6 +1029,10 @@
     <string name="about__signing_fingerprint__summary_loading" comment="Preference summary while computing the fingerprint">Computing SHA-256…</string>
     <string name="about__signing_fingerprint__summary_unavailable" comment="Preference summary when fingerprint cannot be obtained">Fingerprint unavailable on this build</string>
     <string name="about__signing_fingerprint__copied" comment="Toast confirming fingerprint was copied">Fingerprint copied to clipboard</string>
+    <string name="about__whats_new__title" comment="Preference title">What\'s new</string>
+    <string name="about__whats_new__summary" comment="Preference summary, {version} is the app version like 1.8.198">v{version} — see what changed in this release</string>
+    <string name="about__whats_new__dialog_title" comment="Dialog title, {version} is the app version like 1.8.198">What\'s new in v{version}</string>
+    <string name="about__whats_new__full_changelog" comment="Dialog button that opens the full online changelog">Full changelog</string>
     <string name="about__changelog__title" comment="Preference title">Changelog</string>
     <string name="about__changelog__summary" comment="Preference summary">What\'s new</string>
     <string name="about__repository__title" comment="Preference title">Repository (GitHub)</string>

fastlane/metadata/android/en-US/changelogs/1998.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+v1.8.198 — "What's new", in the app and offline.
+
+Settings → About now has a "What's new" entry that shows this release's notes inline, in a scrollable dialog, with no network — the text is baked in at build time from the changelog. A "Full changelog" button still opens the complete online history. It hides itself if there are no notes for the build.

gradle.properties

@@ -15,5 +15,5 @@ projectMinSdk=26
 projectTargetSdk=36
 projectCompileSdk=36
 
-projectVersionCode=1997
-projectVersionName=1.8.197
+projectVersionCode=1998
+projectVersionName=1.8.198