Working with Nokia Series 40 Flash Lite content – Part 1: Capabilities overview

Disabled player functionality

In addition to API limitations, it's important to talk about disabled functionality when developing within the wallpapers, screen savers, and sub-LCD frameworks.

This is functionality that is explicitly disabled and not permissible due to the way in which the content runs on the device (inline), as opposed to standalone content you may already be familiar with under the Series 60 Platform.

The following functionality is not supported for wallpapers and screen saver content running under the Nokia Series 40 Platform:

• Sound
• Network connectivity
• User input events

Sound

When working with wallpapers, screen savers, and the sub-LCD mode, sound cannot be utilized inside of Flash Lite content. For instance, with the devices I have mentioned, you cannot have an audio track associated with a screen saver, or play a notification sound for wallpaper. This is explicitly disabled.

Think about the user experience confusion it would cause. Wallpaper with constant ambient background music, for example, could be construed as annoying by users—not to mention a potential battery resource drain.

Sound is not an option when Flash Lite content is used as wallpaper or a screen saver (even in sub-LCD mode). The content is not running standalone but inline with the device. It could therefore impede or lead to a confusing user experience when coupled with the device user interface. Therefore, wallpapers and screen savers act as silent entities under the Series 40 devices I have mentioned in this article.

Network connectivity

The following commands are disabled when running content within the confines of wallpaper, screen saver, and sub-LCD modes:

• getURL(): All commands are disabled, such as HTTP requests
• loadVariables(), loadVariablesNum(): It is not possible to load data
• loadMovie(), loadMovieNum(): Attempting to grab an external asset via HTTP

In addition, network status commands via FSCommand2 functions are not supported. The following commands will not work on Nokia Series 40 devices: getSignalLevel, getMaxSignalLevel, getNetworkConnectStatus, getNetworkRequestStatus, getNetworkStatus, and getNetworkName.

Why disable network connectivity? Two reasons come to mind. Because Flash Lite 1.1 prompts a request dialog box, it would first disrupt the user experience while running a wallpaper or screen saver. Second, a user may be charged a fee unnecessarily for data being transmitted while a wallpaper, screen saver, or sub-LCD content is running. Both of these reasons may also combine to form a potential security risk as well (i.e., unauthorized data connections that may be unsecured and cost money to users unknowingly). At this time, network connectivity is not possible with Flash Lite 1.1 content deployed for screen saver, wallpaper, or sub-LCD modes under Nokia Series 40 devices.

User input events

Capturing user input events is not allowed for wallpaper, screen saver, and sub-LCD content. In fact, keyPress events will be ignored by the Flash Lite player while running in these specific modes.

//-- This will not work on Series 40 for wallpaper, screen saver, or sub-LCD modes
on( keyPress "<ENTER>" ) { trace( "foobar" ); }

It is not possible to capture softkeys either:

//-- This will not work. Softkeys are also inaccessible within wallpaper, screen saver, and sub-LCD modes
retval = FSCommand2( "setSoftKeys", "left", "right" );
on( keyPress "<PAGEUP>") { trace( "foobar" ); } //-- attached to a button instance on the Stage

You can catch key events only when dealing with standalone or browser modes on Series 40 devices. Neither wallpapers nor screen savers are true standalone applications (they run inline with the phone user interface on top of the operating system), so they do not support this functionality. To prevent keys from overriding the events of the phone's user interface and/or the underlying operating system, they are completely disabled with Flash Lite wallpapers, screen savers, and sub-LCD content.

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