Database Users

[Q] homekey setup on D2?

OK so I just got my D2 last week, and I have to admit its kind of a grows on ya thing. I also have an hd2 as my personal phone so im spoiled with the giant screen. D2 is much more responsive then my hd2 and dont get me started windows lame OS.
BUT....
Why is there no built in "home" key? when Im browsing there doesn't seem to be any way to get back to the desktop of my phone with out hitting the return button and exiting all applications.
Very annoying. And the whole bajillion apps running that can't be shut off. I bought an app that "freezes" them, so far so good. Why do I have to buy an app to open the cmd prompt?
and the searchsoft key. wtf nothing happens.
IS there any way I can hack and re-assign my keys to different functions?
I would like the search key (magnifying glass) to bring up google search any time i hit it, and my home key to always go back to the homescreen.
is this just me being a noob and cant git' r' done or is this a D2/android thing? THis is only my first week with the android operating system, I realy love it, really makes WM look like a pos. yeah and windows 7? it just ads more ghey to the old wm. stil sucks.
Any help would be nice thanks!

Are you using the stock ROM and launcher? or do you use launcher pro or ADW?
the home key should already be assigned to go back to the desktop as far as I know.

Hi yes I still have stock rom. Also my lockscreen doesn't work and when I push the keylock\power button it doesn't fully lock the screen as if I push the volume button the screen turns on. So im not sure what's up. Homekey as I said doesn't work anymore as well.isn't there someway to hack the phone to re assign keypad softkey function? Also none of these keys work on th KB as well. I still havnt upgraded to 2.3 yet. Seems like a hassle to unroot delete every thing and start over. Yes I have clockwork also TI backup pro
Any suggestions would be great
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App

freakboy13 said:
Hi yes I still have stock rom. Also my lockscreen doesn't work and when I push the keylock\power button it doesn't fully lock the screen as if I push the volume button the screen turns on. So im not sure what's up. Homekey as I said doesn't work anymore as well.isn't there someway to hack the phone to re assign keypad softkey function? Also none of these keys work on th KB as well. I still havnt upgraded to 2.3 yet. Seems like a hassle to unroot delete every thing and start over. Yes I have clockwork also TI backup pro
Any suggestions would be great
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Click to collapse
I don't use the stock launcher anymore. ADW and from what I hear LauncherPro both have preferences that change the home key assignment. I would upgrade to 2.3.20 though it's not a big of a hassle as you would think. I've sbf'd my phone twice and factory reseted everytime I upgrade a ROM. It doesn't take that long as long as you know what you are doing and you have backed up what you need. Google will remember your contacts and apps and settings if you tell it to. The only thing I have to setup are my non gmail email and a few apps that I have login info for. You don't have to unroot. You can just flash the new sbf and then re-root and you'll be updated (always flash with a full or near full battery) and I wouldn't be surprised if it fixed the problem. I've never heard of the soft key's not working on the stock ROM. They worked when I used it before we even had root.
The only way I can get my phone to wake with the volume button is to use "no lock" to turn of the lock screen. But if the lock screen is in place the only way to wake the phone is to press power and then use the sliders.

Take Screenshots the hidden way

I found a way to take sreenshots with the built in method.
You have to press home button and then quickly hit the back button.
And voila you have your Screenshot. They are stored in /sdcard/sreencapture.

Don't you mean hold the back key then quickly press the home button?
Been using that since last year on the leaked froyo roms.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

Yea you are right its easier. I just didnt knew it before. Its easier than using shoot me.

This will only work if you have ScreenCaptureService.apk in system/app
A lot of custom roms do not have it.
/qsec

Hold Back key Then Press Home key

Isn't it the opposite?
Holding the Back Button, then pressing the Home button?
At least that's how it works on my SGS...
Edit: I was replying to OP

I have also been using this feature since JPY (or maybe earlier) but has anyone noticed some applications action the "back" while holding the back button, so you get a screenshot of the wrong screen! Pretty irritating.... for an example, try to take a screenshot while viewing an image in gallery application - you'll get a capture of the folder you came from and not the image you're looking at. Anyone know how to get around this? *shrugs*

Im using jvk and.. hold back button plus hit home button works great.. makes a cool camera noise and everything... thanks guys...

surrealjam said:
I have also been using this feature since JPY (or maybe earlier) but has anyone noticed some applications action the "back" while holding the back button, so you get a screenshot of the wrong screen! Pretty irritating.... for an example, try to take a screenshot while viewing an image in gallery application - you'll get a capture of the folder you came from and not the image you're looking at. Anyone know how to get around this? *shrugs*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i also got same problem with some apps when i press and hold back button they go on back screen
i am using screen shot it it works well and i can take sceenshot of almost any page

Holding back button and pressing home works like a charm thnx!
edit: exept when i try to take screenshot of a screen other then my homescreen. (it jumps back to home screen when i push the button)
How do i prevent going back to the homescreen?

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! No, seriously, WOW! Best built-in feature. Babai Shootme. You were great! :$

It is old thing...Was somebody put thread in our forum about it, some months ago...
Regards

^^Yep. Quite old.
For the people facing problems with the screens changing, try opening a menu in the screen you want a screenshot of. The menu will go back to the original screen and a screen shot will be taken.

varunrai said:
^^Yep. Quite old.
For the people facing problems with the screens changing, try opening a menu in the screen you want a screenshot of. The menu will go back to the original screen and a screen shot will be taken.
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Click to collapse
That is a great tip!

hey, another bruneian on xda!

flash news: It's something known since froyo appeared

Sadly still doesn't work for me... when I'm in the app list an try to take scrrenshot it goes back to homescreen and takes screenshot of that. When I open a menu in the app list it stays there when I take screenshot... think I'll have to go and get an app for this..

BACK-Button to kill a task *searching*

Hi there,
wondering if there is a way to get the back-button finishing the app.
When i'm at contacts or writing an sms or surfing, i want to go back to desktop as fast as possible...but when i'm at contact/details, i have to press the back button 5-6 times to go back trough all the previous screen.
Is there a way/hack/app telling the back-button (have to be a hardware button) to end the tasks completly when holding it, for example?
THX THX

Press the home button? That will take you back to the desktop.
If you need to you can then use task manager to end the task.
Would be nice to see a hack/fix to add the back button to kill functionality though

IakobosJ said:
Press the home button? That will take you back to the desktop.
If you need to you can then use task manager to end the task.
Would be nice to see a hack/fix to add the back button to kill functionality though
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Click to collapse
I miss this from my oxygen rom'd desire

Pkplonker said:
I miss this from my oxygen rom'd desire
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Click to collapse
It's already in in MIUI and most probably will be also in CM7.

well the back button does kill apps.
if you start, say, the browser and press the home button, then enter task manager, the browser will still run. if you start the browser and press the back button and open the task manager, it will show that the browser is not running anymore (actually, the browser was a bad example, since after a little bit of browsing you'd have to push the back button quite a lot since its primary function is to go back). the same goes for many more apps, whatsapp, facebook, twitter, angry birds...

Pkplonker said:
I miss this from my oxygen rom'd desire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me too. adamG has apparently got a SGS2 though

Thinking about it, I would also like this functionality although it isn't so urgent for me. If more people show interest maybe I'll attempt it as my first android app For such a simple app my opinion is that it should be free and not packed with admob spam, but if another dev wants to attempt it that's their choice I guess.
My thoughts:
It should be quick to develop a simple app providing this functionality. Just have it bind to an event which fires when the back button is pressed long, and have it kill the app whichever is first in the foreground window Z-order (I'm fairly new to the Android API, so I use Win32 API terminology here for example only). The only complexity may be to make the event bound globally (in all apps), as opposed to only bound in the app itself - hopefully that doesn't require root! I guess it should be a background service which runs on boot, and perhaps a very simple gui app to control that service (in fact would there be anything to configure at all? What do you think?).

sl9 said:
Thinking about it, I would also like this functionality although it isn't so urgent for me. If more people show interest maybe I'll attempt it as my first android app For such a simple app my opinion is that it should be free and not packed with admob spam, but if another dev wants to attempt it that's their choice I guess.
My thoughts:
It should be quick to develop a simple app providing this functionality. Just have it bind to an event which fires when the back button is pressed long, and have it kill the app whichever is first in the foreground window Z-order (I'm fairly new to the Android API, so I use Win32 API terminology here for example only). The only complexity may be to make the event bound globally (in all apps), as opposed to only bound in the app itself - hopefully that doesn't require root! I guess it should be a background service which runs on boot, and perhaps a very simple gui app to control that service (in fact would there be anything to configure at all? What do you think?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would need to be in the framework of the rom, I think

Chef_Tony said:
well the back button does kill apps.
if you start, say, the browser and press the home button, then enter task manager, the browser will still run. if you start the browser and press the back button and open the task manager, it will show that the browser is not running anymore (actually, the browser was a bad example, since after a little bit of browsing you'd have to push the back button quite a lot since its primary function is to go back). the same goes for many more apps, whatsapp, facebook, twitter, angry birds...
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Click to collapse
Yeah it does, but you have to press and press and press...would be cool, if you can "hold down" the button for a sec and it will end the task.
Example...when i'm at handsentSMS > SMS > keyboard open...
Pressing BACK > close keyboard
Pressing BACK > closing SMS windows
Pressing BACK > closing handsentSMS
3 times pressing this button after every SMS suxx...sorry
Yeah i can press the HomeButton, but then its in my mind, that the app is running in background...isnt that bad at android-OS-structure, but its a bad feeling to me...

yes that's true. i was reading over your original post again and the first time through i must have overread the part where you named sms and the browser as examples. you are right, in that case, it does not work very well. an alternative way is to hold the home button, then press task manager and kill the app instantly. but that takes even longer. i guess your best option is to actually let it run in the background, if you want to get out of it fast.

pulser_g2 said:
It would need to be in the framework of the rom, I think
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Click to collapse
I suspected this may be the case, really hope it isn't but I understand the Android security model needs to enforce a certain level of isolation for each app in the VM I'll do some further reading of the documentation to find out for sure, since a simple non-root APK providing this functionality for users would be very welcome.
I'm too used to other less-secure API's (Win32) in which any app could basically do whatever it wanted to other apps and the OS; I guess thats why virus authors love Windows so much

yeah just for anyone not totally in the know, there is a difference in android between pressing the BACK button and HOME button to leave an app. using the back button to leave an app and go back to the home screen basically "kills" the app. it puts it in a state where it can readily be killed by the OS in an instant.
when just pressing HOME to leave an app, the app is technically backgrounded. the OS will keep it around longer or in a different fashion.
so backing out of apps with the back button is always the way to "exit" any app.

Re-program Recent Apps Key?

Devoting a soft key exclusively to recent apps seems ridiculous to me. Is it a Motoblur thing or stock ICS?
Is there an app that will allow an unrooted user to program a shortcut to the key that is of some use? Maybe on long press?
I installed Google Launcher and noticed that accidentally hitting that key shows recent apps but then takes you out of Go Launcher and back to Motoblur. Any way to avoid that?

That's pure ICS, not Moto. Actually was there in honeycomb too. I never understood removing the search key and menu key to put in the far less used recent apps. If there is a mod out there to convert it's function to a menu button I'd be on it too.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app

Any shortcut would be preferable. I thought it would be a nice button to open phone dialer or dolphin browser.

I'm really surprised you guys don't find it useful. There's plenty of times where I'd rather have that button than hit the home button and go back to the home screen or hold the home button for a second or more to get that popup on my Nexus S.
I find that I'm swapping back between texting, web browsing, the music player / pandora and facebook quite often

snowmanwithahat said:
I'm really surprised you guys don't find it useful. There's plenty of times where I'd rather have that button than hit the home button and go back to the home screen or hold the home button for a second or more to get that popup on my Nexus S.
I find that I'm swapping back between texting, web browsing, the music player / pandora and facebook quite often
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I agree as well. Not to mention, the menu and search are legacy buttons. People need to let them die and embrace the design direction Android is moving forward in...but I guess old habits die hard (and painfully). Why so much resistance towards the death of the menu button?

UserDemos said:
Thank you, I agree as well. Not to mention, the menu and search are legacy buttons. People need to let them die and embrace the design direction Android is moving forward in...but I guess old habits die hard (and painfully). Why so much resistance towards the death of the menu button?
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I can definitely do without the menu button since every new app has been building it into the application. It's a button that I'd hardly hit while interacting with most applications.
I do miss the contextual search though. I got used to tapping the search button in Contacts or Chrome and searching within that context. Only searching globally when I was at the home screen. Well now with the changes (at least to the Nexus S) the search button brings up Google Now and there's no in-app search unless they specifically build in a button. Most have done that now, so it's not really a problem, just a habit that I got into.

I understand it's benefits but those apps I use quite often you speak of are already shortcuts on my home page. Using the recent apps button adds another key press to open it. I've only used it when I can't remember the name of an app I recently installed.
For me personally, useable? Yes. Useful? Not really. Especially when it gets bogged down with tons of recent apps and my finger already knows where the shortcuts are.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app

Hey look I'm the OP and said nothing about making it a menu button. What I want is a programmable button to do what I want and you could have one to do what YOU want. Now you tell me NOOOO.., I should embrace the direction of Android. That sounds suspiciously like Apple philosophy.
I never have had any use for a recent apps button and still don't. I don't care what apps I have used recently. Since there is a key there I would like it to be useful. Personally, I would like short press to be Opera and long press to be Dolphin. Now shall I look forward to be scolded for not embracing Chrome? I thought the whole point of Android was personal choice. Android users don't have to be sheeple imo.

Zodwraith said:
I understand it's benefits but those apps I use quite often you speak of are already shortcuts on my home page. Using the recent apps button adds another key press to open it. I've only used it when I can't remember the name of an app I recently installed.
For me personally, useable? Yes. Useful? Not really. Especially when it gets bogged down with tons of recent apps and my finger already knows where the shortcuts are.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app
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You've got to admit though that closing applications by swiping them "off" at that quick switch menu is kind of nice. I like that a little bit better for closing off high RAM applications quickly compared to the CM method of holding "back". Then again, I'll admit it's a very rare thing where I want to kill more than one application at once haha

Sorry, no I don't admit it. (not for me anyway) Never have done it. Never will. I prefer not to force close apps. I let Android handle it.
Dolphin and Opera are in a folder on my desktop so it takes two keypresses to access them while that utterly useless recent apps key sits there doing nothing. In fact it does harm if I am using another launcher and hit it by accident.
There was an app I used to use that allowed you to program the search key (which I also never used) and double tap of home key (which normally produced something else I never used). I think it is called Home to Shortcut. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated to use the recent apps key.
I also think Moto should have made the navigation bar transparent so we could see the entire screen like Nexus. I hope somebody figures out a way to do that too.

Give it time for custom roms and you will be able to do loads of stuff with that bar, including changing the icons and uses. Aokp is great for that.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

I don't think swiping from the recent apps menu is an FC function. Just a history. To check it I FC'd a bunch of stuff from the proper menu and opened the recent apps. Sure enough everything is still there. Clicked on one of the apps and sure enough it had to start up.
I generally don't use app killers but there are always rogue apps that will give you problems. Netflix is a bad one for me where I'll watch an episode and when it's over Netflix develops Alzheimer's whether there are more episodes. Does the same on the Roku and tablet so I'm sure it's a Netflix thing. The only way to slap sense into their servers is an FC and restart.
Sent from my Droid RAZR HD MAXX using the XDA Developer App

robstunner said:
Give it time for custom roms and you will be able to do loads of stuff with that bar, including changing the icons and uses. Aokp is great for that.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
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I can't wait. I was spoiled by the super developers for Tbolt.

App idea: Alt+Tab style, single click switch to previous app. Exist already?

I I have looked all over for an app to do this but have found nothing. I am ready to start writing my own, but want to make sure it doesn't exist already? Seems hard to believe no one has done this yet!?
say i need to copy/paste listing descriptions from evernote into ebay... I want a QUICK trigger, maybe double tapping home or something that shows a simple app list in a transparent overlay.
Pick the ebay app and it loads. After pasting the title there, double tap home again and instantly, it flips back to Evernote where I can repeat this process with the description and other fields. Maybe the volume key could flip between the two apps, or better yet, a swipe.
Seeing how I use that technique a million times a day, it would save countless hours over all the other task manager types that always load a display of all (or none) of the recent apps when triggered. I don't know about everybody else, but there's a 90% chance that if I want to quickly flip to another app, it's because I intend to quickly flip right back in a few seconds.
This is such a vital function for me on computers that I dedicate a whole button on my mouse to pressing Alt+Tab so I can flip back and forth very fast. I have become very spoiled by that technique and can't stand doing work on Android just because of its annoyingly slow and painful "task manager" if you can even call it that. TIA!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

toothpick5 said:
I I have looked all over for an app to do this but have found nothing. I am ready to start writing my own, but want to make sure it doesn't exist already? Seems hard to believe no one has done this yet!?
say i need to copy/paste listing descriptions from evernote into ebay... I want a QUICK trigger, like double tap home (or whatever) that shows a simple app list in a transparent overlay.
Pick the ebay app and it loads. After pasting the title there, double tap home again and instantly, it flips back to Evernote where I can repeat this process with the description and other fields. Maybe the volume key could flip between the two apps, or better yet, a swipe.
Seeing how I use that technique a million times a day, it would save countless hours over all the other task manager types that always load a display of all (or none) of the recent apps when triggered. I don't know about everybody else, but there's a 90% chance that if I want to quickly flip to another app, it's because I intend to quickly flip right back in a few seconds.
This is such a vital function for me on computers that I dedicate a whole button on my mouse to pressing Alt+Tab so I can flip back and forth very fast. I have become very spoiled by that technique and can't stand doing work on Android just because of its annoyingly slow and painful "task manager" if you can even call it that. TIA!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
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I am sorry, but you cannot override the home button.
You could try one of the various side bar apps though.

It could be a swipe gesture or anything that requires only ONE step. I don't want to bring up an app selection list on every switch, but just the first time. Maybe a notification bar button could bring up the selector, then a side swipe gesture could flip back and forth between the two apps? It should be simple to write this. I just cant believe that it hasn't already been done? Surely someone knows of an existing app?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

toothpick5 said:
It could be a swipe gesture or anything that requires only ONE step. I don't want to bring up an app selection list on every switch, but just the first time. Maybe a notification bar button could bring up the selector, then a side swipe gesture could flip back and forth between the two apps? It should be simple to write this. I just cant believe that it hasn't already been done? Surely someone knows of an existing app?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
The problem is that the part of the screen which will be "swipeable" will not react to touch events anymore.

nikwen said:
The problem is that the part of the screen which will be "swipeable" will not react to touch events anymore.
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Yeah. But it could be a small invisible hotzone like many of the task managers do. Swiping is just for the cool factor really. Using the volume button should work just fine for my needs. Would that work? The volume button can still listen to an app thats not in focus because music players do it right? But i guess that would be a problem if one of the switched apps overrides the volume control...? Any suggestions? If nobody has pointed out an existing app with this capability I will start on it tonight. I'm still a newb to Android but, I am majoring in programming so I gotta jump in on something!

toothpick5 said:
Yeah. But it could be a small invisible hotzone like many of the task managers do. Swiping is just for the cool factor really. Using the volume button should work just fine for my needs. Would that work? The volume button can still listen to an app thats not in focus because music players do it right? But i guess that would be a problem if one of the switched apps overrides the volume control...? Any suggestions? If nobody has pointed out an existing app with this capability I will start on it tonight. I'm still a newb to Android but, I am majoring in programming so I gotta jump in on something!
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Click to collapse
if I understand correctly you just want to have multitasking without having to hit the multitask button and then choose the app; you just want to be able to choose the app. I would say something like floating folders would work for you.