S60 UI panes and changes introduced in S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2
The normal S60 view is divided into three areas:
Status pane (top): used for displaying different status information, such as device battery strength and application title.
Main pane (middle): used for displaying the content of the application.
Control pane (bottom): used for displaying the softkey labels.
S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 introduces some changes to the use of the status pane. The following figure illustrates the S60 panes and subpanes, with the Feature Pack 2 version presented on the right-hand side.
Figure: S60 panes
The Feature Pack 2 changes to the status pane are:
By default, there is no application or view icon in front of the application title.
If an application icon is used, it can no longer occupy two rows.
The application title must fit to one row.
The digital clock is always visible.
An analogue clock can be displayed only in the Active Idle state in portrait mode.
The status indicators in the Active Idle mode are shown in the same location as the universal indicators, not in the main pane area.
The control pane displays the softkey labels. Feature Pack 2 introduces the use of a third, middle softkey label. The middle softkey label is used to indicate the functionality of the Selection key for the currently focused item. In most cases, the label on the middle softkey is the first item in the Options menu (such as Open, Select, Play). The middle softkey label can also be an icon, indicating either a context-sensitive menu or a function that is the same as the left softkey action.
Figure: Middle softkey with a text label, context menu icon, and selection icon
The different panes and subpanes should be designed according to the recommendations in the S60 UI Style Guide. Always check how the different panes are positioned in the alternative orientation. See also S60 display orientation modes.
For more information on the use of different panes, refer to the S60 UI Style Guide available at Forum Nokia.