6 COMMANDS

In UIQ 3 the whole idea behind where menu items are placed as been changed to meet the challenge of supporting different UI styles from one codeline. Different UI styles use the screen and keys in different ways. Menu items can not simply be grouped under different menus once and for all. In UIQ 3 there is really just a set of context sensitive commands. Depending on the number of commands in the set, the commands will be displayed in different ways, for example as softkey labels or menu items.

We use the term command list to refer to a simple list of commands the user can choose to execute in a given situation.

The most important commands are displayed in the softkey label area and are thereby activated by the softkeys. If there are more than three commands in the set, the two most important ones are mapped to the Action key and the left softkey. A pop-out menu containing the remaining commands is displayed by selecting the More command which is mapped to the right softkey. In Pen style, the application menu is activated by tapping the Title area of the Title bar. An icon in the Title area indicates that the application menu is available. The menu is closed by tapping outside it with the pen. Pen style does not have a softkey bar; the most important commands are represented as buttons in the button bar.

• An application can define one list of commands for each UI configuration. This enables an application to have different sets of functionality for each UI configuration.

• The menu pane does not cover the title area or the softkey bar, which typically gives a menu with seven rows in Softkey style. If more menu commands are available than can fit on the screen, a scroll bar will appear. Scroll bars in menus should be avoided if possible by reducing the number of commands in the menu or group related commands in a cascading menu.

• Do not use ellipses (...) to indicate commands that lead to dialogs. A menu command is a menu command, whether it leads to instant action or a dialog.

• Use option buttons to avoid flip-flop command names such as Sort by xx and Sort by yy, because users often are not sure whether Sort by xx means “sort by xx is currently selected” or “if you choose this command, it will sort by xx”.

• Two labels must be supplied for commands that are candidates for appearing on a softkey or a button. One is a short label for the softkey or button and the other is a longer label intended for menu options.

• The length of labels for commands in menus should be limited to approximately 15 characters.

• The length of labels for commands on softkeys should be limited to approximately 7 characters.

• Dimmed menu commands can gain focus.

• Dividers

  • There are two kinds of dividers. A divider can be placed under a menu label, or it can contain a label and will then occupy one full row.

  • Use dividers to group similar menu commands together, and to separate them from commands that are unrelated but appear on the same menu. Do not overuse them.

  • If the application or dialog contains both control specific and application or dialog specific commands, a divider will be displayed between the last control command and the first application or dialog command.

  • Very short menus do not benefit from the use of dividers.

• Cascading menus

  • A cascading menu can, like a divider, be used to group similar menu commands together. The benefit of using a cascading menu is that the number of commands is reduced in the main menu. It is important to find a suitable label that reflects the commands found in the cascading menu.

  • Cascaded menu panes are indicated by an arrow.

  • A cascaded pane is displayed even when the cascade command is dimmed.

  • The use of multiple levels of cascading menus is discouraged.

  • Commands currently not available in a cascading menu should normally be dimmed. This is true also in Softkey style where commands located in the main menu usually are removed when they are unavailable. This makes it’s easier for the user to learn the location of the commands.

• The menu in Softkey style is context sensitive. This means that the menu changes depending on the position of the highlight. Unavailable commands in relation to the control having focus are normally removed; commands placed in a cascading menu are an exception. In some cases, a command can be dimmed to prevent the user from looking for a command that currently is unavailable. When acted upon, a dimmed command displays an Infoprint to inform the user why the command is not available. However, this rule does not always apply. On some occasions an Infoprint is unnecessary and does not have to be launched when a dimmed command is acted upon.

• Commands that cannot be used within a specific tab are not available. An exception is commands located in a cascading menu. When one or more commands are available in several tabs all commands be should displayed but the unavailable commands should be dimmed.

• Commands that are not expected to be used within a view in a specific state must not be available. For example, commands that cannot be used on multiple items are removed when the user has selected one or several items.

• The menu in Pen style is view-tab sensitive. This means that the menu normally is static within a view tab, independent of which item has highlight. Commands that currently are unavailable are dimmed.

• Commands that are not expected to be used within a view in a specific state must be unavailable and no Infoprint should be displayed when tapping them. However, this rule does not always apply. Sometimes an Infoprint can be useful if it informs the user of why the menu option is dimmed. Do not use an expression like "Not available"; this does not inform the user of reason.

• Commands that cannot be used within a specific tab must be removed. An exception is commands located in a cascading menu. When one or more commands are available in several tabs should all commands be displayed but the unavailable commands should be dimmed.

Some commands frequently recur in many applications. They should be made available in the same way each time.

The following table illustrates the order and grouping of commands. Not all applications contain this set of commands. When the commands are present, they should follow the suggested order.

The order is appropriate for both Softkey style and Pen style.

Softkey style - View

New is normally placed on the left softkey if no other important command is available for the item, and moved to the Action key when the Action key does not have any command, for example, before any items have been created.

Some applications have the New command displayed at the top of the list, for example, the Messaging and Voice applications. The reason for this is that those applications frequently create new entries and there must be a fast way of creating a new entry in the process flow from the application launcher to the new item. For the Voice application, it is important to create a new item via a hardware key, even in Pen style.

Softkey style - Dialog

The New command is placed at the top of the More menu when the list contains entries. When the list is empty, the New command is moved to the Action key (instead of having it empty).

Pen style - View/ Dialog

The New command is a button. The command is even duplicated in the menu.