Windows Mobile 2003 Software for Smartphone Second Edition: Modifying the Right Soft Key

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MDD — Mobile Operator Program Management
Microsoft Corporation, August 2004

Summary

This document provides how-to information that an operator or OEM can use to change the functionality of the right soft key on the Home screen to launch an alternative application, rather than the default Contacts application. Following the instructions in this document, you also can localize the wording on the soft key.

Audience

  • OEMs/ODMs configuring devices for mobile operators.
  • Mobile operators who want to conduct usability research on the soft key functionality.

Introduction

By following these instructions, you can create a file that will change the behavior of the right soft key for multiple languages; this key is sometimes known as SK2.

The ability to change the functionality of the right soft key is a new feature in Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Smartphones. When a higher priority action occurs, such as the user receiving a voicemail or when a new message arrives on the phone, a notification automatically displays on the right soft key. At other times, based on your display preferences, your newly configured action can be displayed on the right soft key.

Requirements

  • The rapiconfig application for sending the settings to the phone, which is included in the Windows Mobile 2003 SDK for Smartphones.
  • Notepad or other editor for editing the setup files.
  • A Smartphone with appropriate security settings to allow XML provisioning.

Localizing the Build

When you have decided which application ought to launch when using the right soft key, you can refer to the table at the end of this document to match the appropriate languages that will be shipped in the build and then create the appropriate sections in the XML file below.

XML Example for Customizing the Right Soft Key

In the following example, the right soft key will launch camera.exe from the Windows folder. Enter the following XML code into Notepad, and save it as a file named sk2_camera.xml. In the example provided, it is saved in c:\provisioning, which you would need to create on your development workstation.

<Start of file – Copy everything below this point to Notepad.>
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<wap-provisioningdoc> 
   <characteristic type="Registry">
      <characteristic type="HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Home\Keys">
         <characteristic type="113">
            <parm name="Open" value="\Windows\camera.exe" datatype="string"/>
         </characteristic>
      </characteristic>
      
      <characteristic type="HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Home\Keys\113\041D">
            <parm name="Default" value="Swedish" datatype="string"/>
      </characteristic>

      <characteristic type="HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Home\Keys\113\040C">
            <parm name="Default" value="French" datatype="string"/>
      </characteristic>

      <characteristic type="HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Home\Keys\113\0410">
            <parm name="Default" value="Italian" datatype="string"/>
      </characteristic>

      <characteristic type="HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Home\Keys\113\0413">
            <parm name="Default" value="Dutch" datatype="string"/>
      </characteristic>
            
      <characteristic type="HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Home\Keys\113\0407">
            <parm name="Default" value="German" datatype="string"/>
      </characteristic>

      <characteristic type="HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Home\Keys\113\0409">
            <parm name="Default" value="US English" datatype="string"/>
      </characteristic>

      <characteristic type="HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Home\Keys\113\0809">
            <parm name="Default" value="UK English" datatype="string"/>
      </characteristic>
   </characteristic>   
</wap-provisioningdoc>
<End of file – Copy all above this line.>

How to Send Soft Key Changes to the Phone

To send the right soft key changes to the device, do the following:

  1. Connect your Windows Mobile-based device to your development workstation using ActiveSync.

  2. On your development workstation running Microsoft Windows XP, click Start and select Run.

  3. Enter cmd and click OK.

  4. Navigate to the folder where you saved the XML file (c:\provisioning in this example).

    Tip   If you will be doing a lot of cmd work, you may want to install the Microsoft cmdhere PowerToy application available at https://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp. This tool enables you to right-click the icon at the top left of a folder and select Open Command Window Here, saving you the navigation steps.

  5. Type in the following command:

    C:\provisioning\> rapiconfig /p sk2_camera.xml

If you would like to link to an online Web site from the right soft key instead of launching a local application, you will need to perform the following extra steps:

  1. Create a file in Notepad, and name it (for example, portal.lnk).

  2. Enter the following text in that file:

    27#"\Windows\iexplore.exe" https://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile

  3. Set the "Open" value of the tag in the XML file as a link to the location of the .lnk file, as follows:

    <parm name="Open" value="\storage\program files\portal\portal.lnk" datatype="string"/>
<parm name="Default" value="Portal"/>

  4. Copy the .lnk file to your device (\storage\program files\portal\ in our example).

Next Steps

Check that the functionality is correct in all languages on the phone by performing the following steps:

  1. Change the locale and regional settings as appropriate.
  2. Restart the phone.
  3. Observe the wording on the right soft key.
  4. Press the right soft key, and verify that the chosen application is launched.
  5. In the ROM build, for further verification and testing, include the registry keys designated in the XML file you created earlier in the "Soft Key XML 2" example.

Last updated on Friday, April 22, 2005

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