IssueTracker

First of all, thank you for putting in the effort to create the Wear Tiles API. However, as an avid Kotlin developer, I do feel like I need to express my concerns regarding the usability of the API.

Jetpack in combination with Kotlin is supposed to be an easy-to-read and Kotlinesque set of libraries that makes working with Android a breeze. This is the case, mostly, with useful extension functions all over and not to mention Jetpack Compose! That's where my concern comes into play regarding the relatively new Tiles API. The API can only be described by me and my fellow developers as a "Builder hell". Just look at any of your own examples:

private fun tappableElement(): LayoutElement =
    Text.Builder()
        .setText("Tap me!")
        .setModifiers(Modifiers.Builder()
            .setClickable(Clickable.Builder()
                .setId("foo")
                .setOnClick(LaunchAction.Builder()
                    .setAndroidActivity(AndroidActivity.Builder()
                        .setClassName(MyActivity::class.java.getName())
                        .setPackageName(this.packageName)
                        .build()
                    ).build()
                ).build()
            ).build()
        ).build()

There are no Kotlin features used and even for folks using Java it can only be described as "unpleasant to work with". There is boilerplate code everywhere, making the result messy and difficult to read.

Now maybe these builders are a form of preparation to be able to use Compose to create Tiles in the future. In that case, I'll take back my concerns. A Compose approach would convert the sample above to something like:

private fun tappableElement(): LayoutElement =
    Text(
        text = "",
        onClick = LaunchAction(
            androidActivity = AndroidActivity(
                className = MyActivity::class.java.name,
                packageName = this.packageName,
            )
        )
    )

Which is clearer, more concise, and way easier to read. I'm curious to see whether this API is moving towards a ktx approach like this. I think it would invite developers more easily to create their own tiles for Wear compared to the current state of the API, which ultimately is better for the platform.