Phonebook plug-in
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When user navigates to standard phonebook application, and selects a contact, it is possible to call/send sms/mms.
I would like to add new entry like "Perform New Action" in the phonebook, that would trigger my application to handle it.
The new action could be the sending of special messages ( user-defined MTM - see "http://developer.qt.nokia.com/forums/viewthread/1151/":http://developer.qt.nokia.com/forums/viewthread/1151/ ) , or a special type of call (skype, voip, etc.)
This feature would be greatly appreciated.
[edit: fixed link / chetankjain]
Cheers.
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What is the context of your posting? Which phonebook are you actually talking about?
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I think there is some type of extension mechanism for the standard phonebook applications, but it's not related to Qt Mobility at all. Qt Mobility 1.1 does offer an extension mechanism for defining actions like the above but it would require the phonebook application itself to use it, and obviously previously shipping phones don't use Qt or Qt Mobility.
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do you mean that "new" phones shipped with Qt (E7,N8) have a phonebook that will "use" user-defined plug-in or services ?
if so, is there any documentation about how to do this ?
From Contact API doc (http://doc.qt.nokia.com/qtmobility-1.1.0-beta/contacts.html), it is clearly stated that "Clients can perform actions on contacts which support them. Actions are things like "Send Email" or "Dial", and can be provided from various sources including Qt Plugins or the Qt Mobility Service Framework".
Regarding the Qt Plug-in, they are described at http://doc.trolltech.com/4.6/plugins.html or http://doc.trolltech.com/4.6/plugins-howto.html, but there is nothing like a Contact plug-in or Phonebook plug-in.
Regarding the Qt services, how can the default phonebook application from phone "use" my service ? I have to define the service as being a "phonebook service" ? Is there any doc available ?
Thanks in advance.
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Hi,
By definition, a Qt plugin can provide any functionality it likes to clients, since the exposed type is QObject*. So, if your particular client new that your plugin provided a QContactAction*, it could instantiate your action in this manner. However, this is not the preferred way of providing actions; the preferred way is via the Qt Mobility ServiceFramework. If you have a look at http://doc.qt.nokia.com/qtmobility-1.1.0-beta/contactsactions.html you will see more information for clients and implementers of actions, about how a Qt Mobility Service Framework-registered service can provide a QContactAction to clients.
Again, this doesn't guarantee that any particular application will enumerate all possible QContactActions (e.g., the system phonebook may only show those which it knows are provided by a certain list of vendors), but it does mean that all applications will be able to see your action if they care to look (assuming you registered it with the correct scope via the service framework when you deployed your action-providing service library).
However, none of this answers your question (regarding whether the N8/E7 etc will have a phonebook which is extensible with plugins); the answer is: I don't know. I don't think so. It's not extensible with Qt Mobility as far as I know.
Cheers,
Chris. -
Thanks.
Your explanation pretty much confirms what I understood. Services are enumerated by third-party app, but certainly not by the default phonebook app on the phone.
Will this become possible in the future ? Are there plans from Qt Mobility developers to allow this ?
Cheers.
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The Qt Mobility developers don't develop the system phonebook application on Symbian or any other platform; so the question you ask would have to be answered by the team(s) responsible for that.
From the Qt Mobility point of view: yes, Qt Mobility 1.1.0 has enablers (QContactActions, out-of-process service framework support) which applications could use to allow third parties to extend their functionality, but I don't personally know whether the system phonebook application on any platform would make use of that (aside from anything else, there are concerns like: branding, security, providing a consistent UI no matter what else is installed on the device, etc etc).
Cheers,
Chris. -
Hi,
I think it should be possible to write a plugin for Phonebook in symbian cplusplus I have to double check this, I remember there was phonebook plugin extension possibility but not with the Qtplugin add-ins as per now. In Symbian v 4 if i have understood it right the complete Avkon component (Current Symbian UI framework) is being re written in Orbit UI (Qt based Ui framework). May be it might be possible then.