Toolbars and Menus - UI Question
 

So I was reading the UI guidelines here on maemo.org and it says you shouldnt use a GTK toolbar unless only one content item is visible (such as an edit screen).

If an app has multiple windows, as most do, where are we supposed to put our window icons/buttons?

For example - let's take the ipod music app on the iphone/touch. Along the bottom it has 5 icons, Playlists, Artists, Songs, Albums and [... More], with each bringing up a slightly different interface for different things - but the toolbar stays.

If you were to require a similar window changing functionality, what are the UI guidelines that apply?

How does one allow the user to always be able to select from a set of windows (a maemo example would be when you wish to provide the user with a view windows, categories, tags, search, settings, etc).

Re: Toolbars and Menus - UI Question
 

Surely that should be "...shouldn't use a gtk toolbar if only one content item is visible" ?

ie. the doc you're reading is wrong...typo....

Re: Toolbars and Menus - UI Question
 

For reference, here's what it says

Re: Toolbars and Menus - UI Question
 

The key point here is you should not be using a *Gtk*Toolbar. HildonToolbars, on the other hand, are nice and finger friendly, appear on the bottom, and are used by some stock applications (in Maemo 5 as well as 4).

Eurgh, I'm high, sorry. There is no such thing as a HildonToolbar, but you add a GtkToolbar to the window. Sorry. But my point still stands: Some stock applications still use them. :)

Although, on the other hand, HildonAppMenus can also be a good substitute if you need space (and are seperate to each window, even StackableWindows [but you can make them all have the same menu...]):
http://qwerty12.qole.org/tmission/screenshot02.png

The HildonButton widget used for the first two buttons supports (as you can see) two labels, but you are also free to add an image onto it as well, a little like a toolbar.

(I was using an older firmware there, but newer ones place a little blue arrow going down in the titlebar to tell you that there is a menu)

Re: Toolbars and Menus - UI Question
 

Ah! Yes. This is exactly what I needed to know - thank you! I totally forgot about that menu area..

What I haven't figured out how to do yet is to make this style of clickable list.. What hildon/gtk widget is this? Anyone know?

http://www.mobile-review.com/review/.../scr/scr33.jpg

Thanks!

Re: Toolbars and Menus - UI Question
 

I'd say it's a GtkTreeview with two columns: one with pixbufs and the other with text.

Re: Toolbars and Menus - UI Question
 

I will test this tonight. It would be really great if we had a resource somewhere which identified what each of these interface elements are, for those like me who are just getting started.

If there is interest in a wiki document I don't mind heading that up, but I don't have the knowledge to make it useful..