Notifications and queries
It is extremely important to keep users well informed. Using clearly designed notifications ensures that users are aware of the different statuses of the application. The S60 platform offers a wide variety of notification component types that can be freely utilised in an application. All notification components are displayed on the screen for a short period of time, after which they are dismissed automatically. Notifications (aka Notes) do not require any input from the user.
Queries offer a way to conduct a precise dialogue between the application and the end user. In order to maintain a feeling of end-user control, it is crucial to use queries that are clear, concise, and user-friendly. The query components offered by the S60 platform are appropriate for most common situations where an application needs information from the end user.
Figure: Use Confirmation Notes to inform the user about successful actions that are important to the user. Avoid using Confirmation Notes in obvious situations where the user can see that the action was successful.
Figure: Information Notes are a way to inform the user about an unexpected event that has occurred.
Figure: Warning Notes are an appropriate way to notify the user that action is required.
Figure: Error Notes should only be used for serious situations that may cause problems for the user.
Figure: Wait Notes inform the user that the device is working on a task for an unknown period of time.
Figure: Progress Notes provide an indication of the time needed to complete the task.
Figure: Soft Notifications are basically reminders that inform users of situations that they should act upon.
Figure: An Information Pop-Up note is a good way to explain UI components or display additional information.
Figure: A Confirmation Query asks the user a simple question.
Figure: List Queries offer a quick and easy way to choose from multiple available items.
Note: Using a grid allows a large number of items to be included in a list query. The appearance of the list query can be changed by changing the list type that is used.
Figure: Multiselection List Queries have a layout that invites the user to select more than one item.
Figure: Data Queries allow the user to input data with all the S60 editing functions.
Figure: The Password Query allows the user to input information in a discreet way.
Figure: A Data Query with multiple fields is a way to combine related types of information into a single query.
Figure: A Message Query enables the use of links in addition to showing information on the screen.
For more information on Notes C++ APIs see Notes API documentation in the S60 C++ Developer's Library.
For more information on the C++ APIs for soft notifications, see Notifiers API documentation in the S60 C++ Developer's Library.
For more information on C++ APIs for queries, see Queries API, Dialogs API, and Popups API documentation in the S60 C++ Developer's Library.