> You could argue
> that a shortcut key like '7' or '3' could be used but that will make
> every application impossible to remember how to use, and different
> apps will use different shortcuts for delete.
As opposed to every application choosing different soft keys to use for
delete? After all, I've never seen a phone with a dedicated guaranteed
always-to-be-delete delete soft key except on QWERTY keyboards. So, what
is to prevent some developers from using soft key #1 as delete, and others
using soft key #3? You're pretty much right back where you started.
I'm not arguing against soft keys in general, but this specific argument
doesn't do much for me.
Should developers provide hot-key/soft key support? If they wish. Should
they have some sort of on-screen indicators for what keys do what?
Ideally, yes, or at least as a user option. Should the Android docs or the
community espouse some standards in this area? You betcha. Would it be
nice if the SDK or an open source widget offered assistance in this area?
Sure.
> What I think Android should do is when you construct a context
> sensitive menu, you should be able to tag the most important items
> with some kind of shortcut precedence which helps map the function
> onto a softkey or shortcut key if available on the device. Then
> devices without any soft keys will still have access to everything,
> but devices with soft keys will be able to have users fly through
> apps. Some phones could have 3 softkeys, others could have 2. If the
> developer leaves out the flag, then the top X menu items are used for
> the X soft keys.
Soft key sensitivity varies by activity. Some might be tied to a list.
Some might not vary by context within the activity. Some might be tied to
a selected point on a map. And an activity might have multiple
context-sensitive menus (different widgets can have different menus,
IIRC).
Having your suggestion as an option is a fine idea, but mandating that
soft keys are only populated this way ("then the top X menu items are used
for
the X soft keys") seems too limiting.
This could be wrapped up in a custom widget representing the soft key hint
area, that also is responsible for building the context menu and such.
--
Mark Murphy (a Commons Guy)
http://commonsware.com
The Busy Coder's Guide to Android Development -- coming in June 2008!
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