Softkey usage

[Cover] [Previous Section] [Next Section] [Index]

Current chapter: User Interface Guidelines for HDML Services
Section 57 out of 67 total sections , Section 6 out of 12 sections in this chapter

Softkey usage

The following sections provide guidelines for using softkeys.

Assigning actions to softkeys

GUIDELINE: Try to assign the most common or frequently performed action to the ACCEPT softkey.

In general, the ACCEPT soft key should execute the most common action. Use SOFT1 for less common actions, or providing a menu of actions (for more information on providing a menu of actions, see Providing action menus).

Labelling softkeys

GUIDELINE: Use recommended standard softkey labels.

The following sections list recommended softkey labels. If there is no recommended label for an action that you want to provide, create your own label, subject to the following guidelines:

Capitalize the first letter of the label; make the subsequent letters lowercase
Use five characters or fewer

Note that some phone models, such as the PCSI PAL, display labels in all-uppercase, regardless of the case you specify. Other phone models such as the Qualcomm "Q" do not display some characters in labels. See the HDML Language Reference for a list of these restrictions.

Recommended labels

The following table indicates the recommended labels for common actions.

Action	Key label	Recommended softkey assignment
Display the next card of extended display text (see Handling lengthy display text)	`More`	`ACCEPT`
Proceed to the next item (for example, the next news item in a list of news items)	`Next`	`ACCEPT`
Complete an activity	`Done`	`ACCEPT`
Edit a specified value	`Edit`	`ACCEPT`
Execute a search	`Find`	`ACCEPT`
Answer a prompt positively	`Yes`	`ACCEPT`
Answer a prompt negatively	`No`	`SOFT1`
Create an item, record, entry, etc.	`New`	`ACCEPT` or `SOFT1`
Initiate a voice phone call	`Call`	`ACCEPT`
Initiate a fax	`Fax`	`ACCEPT` or `SOFT1`
Originate an email message	`Email`	`ACCEPT` or `SOFT1`
Provide a menu of actions the user can execute	`Menu`	`SOFT1`
Save a set of preferences	`Save`	`SOFT1`

Labels with restricted use

The following labels should be used only in the specified circumstances.

Key label	Description
`OK`	Although this is the default label, attempt to use something more specific if possible.

Labels to avoid

The following labels should be avoided.

Key label	Description
`Back`	Do not use this label. HDML provides a key (PREV) that implements this action.
`Prev`	Do not use this label. HDML provides a key (PREV) that implements this action.
`HELP`	Do not use this label. Instead, define a HELP action. Any context-sensitive help your application provides should be accessible through the HELP action. For more information, see Providing help.
`Add`	Use New instead.
`Sel`	Do not use this label.
`Linkto`	Do not use this label.
`Goto`	Do not use this label.