Button Savior: onscreen softkeys replacement for android keys

[Guest Rotmann]

@lazyliam - why don't you download it from the market?

@jason - try Soft Keys, it replaced button savior on my Blade. Read the instructions in the app and go through every setting as it is a little fiddly to set up, but once you have set it up it's perfect. Tip: when opening it in the app drawer, an odd button bar at the bottom appears and the display gets a little dark, press menu and go in the settings to activate the floating buttons and adjust size, what buttons and in what order do you want them.

[Guest ZTE]

@lazyliam - why don't you download it from the market?

@jason - try Soft Keys, it replaced button savior on my Blade. Read the instructions in the app and go through every setting as it is a little fiddly to set up, but once you have set it up it's perfect. Tip: when opening it in the app drawer, an odd button bar at the bottom appears and the display gets a little dark, press menu and go in the settings to activate the floating buttons and adjust size, what buttons and in what order do you want them.

Hi Rotmann, any chance you could write a short 'idiots guide' for setting up Soft Keys, please?

I just can't seem to get it working properly. ;) For a start, where is the 'floating buttons' option in the settings?

Cheers... ;)

[Guest Rotmann]

Idiot's guide on how to set up SoftKeys:

1. install from market

2. click on it in the app drawer

3. a taskbar appears at the bottom of the screen, it gets dimmed - press Menu button and click settings

4. press SoftKeys Service, enable Run Service, set Size to Large, set Button Bar Transparency to 35, set D-Pad Transparency to 35, set Popper Transparency to 75, disable Auto Hide, disable Auto Hide After Back, enable Transparent Background, set orientation to Vertical, Locked.

5. press Back button, select the Virtual Home Button category and set up how you want it to react.

6. press back button, select the Physical Home Button category and set up how you want it to react.

7. press back button, select Visuals and Layout category, untick hide exit button, untick hide prefs button, untick hide vol up and down button, tick sleep button, untick blur behind, tick dim blackdround, tick recent apps, click change button order and put them the way you want (I have them Back 3, Home 1, Menu 2, search 4).

8. press back to get out of the settings and there you go.

Instructions: you can move the popper where you want by dragging it (i put it at the upper right side). Press it once so that the floating buttons appear. To move the floating buttons drag and drop them with the x in a circle symbol (close). To make them disappear press the close symbol once. To open the floating buttons again press the popper once (a little fiddly, sometimes you have to press it 2-3 times, you'll get used to it). To make the D-Pad appear or disappear hold the popper pressed. I leave the floating buttons always on, only when playing / watching movies I hide them.

Some examples:

[Guest sumdumguy]

confirming.. nothing but crazy with softkeys on de-crossed r.02

shame

[Guest Phoenix Silver]

good tutorial ;)

ty

i'm trying it

seems i'll keep it

[Guest ZTE]

Thanks very much Rotmann for taking the time to do the idiots guide. ;)

Still can't get it work very well though. The popper is very difficult to hit consistently.

I'm running the FLB Froyo ROM with LauncherPro. Maybe it doesn't like LauncherPro or something.

Going back to Button Saviour for now.

Thanks again...

[Guest English Haze]

I can't get SoftKeys to work on my Blade either. It hangs, force closes and I can never press the floating button. I also use Launcher Pro so maybe it's incompatible with that launcher.

[Guest Phoenix Silver]

no works fine here with launcher pro

[Guest richardtkemp]

Allright, my code is all set, I have a no-nonsense super simple back button in lower right corner.

Just need the script for back button emulation... Can anyone help me?

In a terminal, requires su permissions, emulates back key:

su

input keyevent 4[/codebox]

For a full list of numbers to use for various keys look here: http://developer.android.com/reference/and...tml#ACTION_DOWN

Use the "constant number" found on that page in place of 4 in the above command.

Interestingly that page shows that android has defined gamepad style A,B,C ; X,Y,Z ; L1,L2,R1,R2 ; Start,Menu etc

[Guest Rotmann]

confirming.. nothing but crazy with softkeys on de-crossed r.02

shame

Did you follow my guide? I have LauncherPro plus too and it works ok, the only problem for me is the fiddly popper, you have to hit it fast and steady or else it moves and have to touch it again. I'll write to the developer to make something with the popper so that it moves only if you hold it for one second and not immediately (I wrote him to implement the power button and the fixed horizontal position and he did that ;) ) I also find SoftKeys to be more responsive than button savior which "thinks" a little before executing the command.

Edited February 1, 2011 by Rotmann

[Guest Yo ME]

excellent apps!!

[Guest emotty]

Thanks for the app ideas n tute and thanks to Liesse for pointing me in the right direction :)

[Guest dibbles]

Holy necrosis Batman - you get the medal of the year for thread resurrection :D

[Guest emotty]

Holy necrosis Batman - you get the medal of the year for thread resurrection :D

Pmsl @ "Holy necrosis Batman" :lol:

OoooooOOOoooo !!! nice medal,be careful pinning it on :lol: but you aint seen nothing yet i`m just warming up ;)