User Interface: Multitasking
Functional Description

Multitasking is fully supported by the underlying Linux system, the support in Qt Extended is primarily user interface aspects.

Features

• Switching between Applications

Switching between Applications

Support via Special Key

Where a device has a special "Home" or "Multitasking" key, the user is able to:

• Launch another application by pressing the Special key to return to home screen without terminating current application.
• Switch between previously launched applications by multi-pressing the Special key to cycle between all applications and the home screen.
• Terminate current application by the normal use of the Back button.

Support Without Special Key

Devices which do not have any dedicated "multitasking" or "Home" key can provide access to multitasking by binding some other key. To be useful, this key must not be otherwise used. One possible binding is press-and-hold of the Menu key to bring up the Running applications list:

[Button<i>N</i>]
Name[]=Left Soft Key
Key=Context1
HeldActionService=TaskManager
HeldActionMessage=showRunningTasks()
HeldActionMappable=0
PressActionMappable=0

Application Response

When applications are switched from, whether by the user directly switching to another application, or by a window spontaneously obscuring them (for example, incoming call), they receive a window deactivation event. Applications are written to respond accordingly. Static applications do nothing special in response. Dynamic applications such as media players and games will generally pause their activity, possibly expecting the user to manually unpause when they return. Applications are free to act as they choose, for example an audio playback might not pause at all, except when a call comes in.