Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

Is there any easy way to remove one or more of the default launch buttons on OS2008? The launch and home are useful, but I can get the web or contact apps from the launcher and would prefer to have the launched apps be able to use the two slots.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

This is a question I would like answered as I don't use the contacts button at all.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

I think the best answer is "sorta" and "yes/no"
I believe the three buttons - web/contacts/applications have to stay.
However, you can change the order of how they appear. Also, you can really play around with the applications button and what shows up. Although it can be a pain in the butt to get it to work.
Go to control panel -> then "panels" at the very bottom. From there, you can change the order of web/contacts/applications.

Then click on "organize" next to "applications" From here, you can 1. create a new folder; 2. change the order 3. add/delete applications within the existing folders: my selection/internet/utilities/settings/extras/communications.

For example, I created a new folder and moved it to the very top. I then put my most-used apps within that folder. So, by being at the top, every time I hit the application button my most-used/favorite apps show up first.

One kicker. Trying to move apps around in the folders is a friggin nightmare on OS2008. You'd think you could just highlight an app and use your stylus to move it to another folder. It rarely works and there have been some other threads on this problem. I finally got it to work by actually using my finger to move the app to another folder, but again, it took like four or five tries to get the app to really move.

hope that helps

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

I think it's the same as the file manager: click-drag the filename, and it selects multiple files. Click-drag an icon, and the files drag-n-drop.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

I don't launch the web directly very often, so don't need that, nor do I use contacts, so I would like to delete them. I already know how to rearrange my apps in the launcher menu.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

TZ1 just wants to know how to delete the top two icons.

I don't know the answer but perhaps someone else does?

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

It's certainly possible. There's an API for creating new ones, the chinook SDK contains a "Hello world" task navigator button.

The UI for changing the slots based on the installed task navigator plugins can already be seen in Control Panel. It's just we've only got two by default.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

I think TZ1 wants an end user method rather than a developer method.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

So do I :-)

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

If developers can't do it, end-users can't. If developers can do it, it's just a matter of a GUI.

There's already part of the GUI there: there just aren't any developers who have provided alternate plugins.

Similarly, hildon-desktop in Moblin is very different: Hildon's completely open source so *anything*'s possible.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

so, you're saying if we want to get rid of the more or less
pointless contact button we have to either become a
developer or find one (hire one) who knows hildon ...

I'm with TZ1 - I just want to know what file to edit
or erase to get rid of the contact button!

(I think we all knew that if you got deeply into the
system it would be possible to reprogram it to change
the GUI ...)

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

And I'm saying it's probably possible.

It's hardly my fault that you think the contact button is useless or that there's nothing with which you can replace it. I've explained the situation as it is. If you "just" want to know what to do, raise a bug in Bugzilla.

Sitting back and complaining about explanations being too complex and you "just want to know what file to edit or erase" isn't particularly helpful. Do you really want to erase things without understanding the impact? If so, I'd suggest as root:

I guarantee that will result in the "useless" contacts button being got rid of. Personally, it's what I usually use to open the IM client. YMMV.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

I think the complaint was that the reply was obvious.
Of course, if the software is re-engineered then the
contact button can be got rid of. Everyone on this
forum knows this already.

If you are saying that, the *only* way to get rid
of the contact button is to rewrite some core software
on the table, then that's OK.

Too bad though.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

You're still missing my point: the task navigator is designed to have that removed/replaced. As you say, if you rewrote everything from scratch, you could have it any way you wanted.

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

I don't use the bookmarks or contacts much either.

I did some experiments and got the entries to delete but the task switcher doesn't expand and gets confused.

If you look in .osso/hildon-desktop/tasknavigator.conf it lists the items. If you edit the file to set for the relavent button nothing seems to happen.

It looks like there is a sanity check which stops changes and resorts to a hard coded default. If you look in desktop.conf and comment out the line: (you may have to reboot afterwards) you can then disable the buttons.

Then changing tasknavigator.conf has an immediate (or almost immediate) effect but with the side effect that the task swicther doesn't like it.

Anyone know how to get task switcher to behave after the change e.g. tell it the new height in a config entry?

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

More info on the Task Navigator plugins:

http://maemo.org/development/documen...igator-plugins

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

Thanks for the link... I have already (temporarily) deleted both the bookmarks and contact buttons. Just to see what would happen. Still exploring, but that's definitely documentation I had been (passively) wanting to see.

The rather interesting result is that I now have 1 blank button and two instances of the main menu...

Re: Changing (delete) launcher / web / contacts buttons?
 

I'm also curious how to remove an unneeded icon from the Task Navigator (leaving only 2 icons). Anyone been able to do this?