Android and Honeycomb - how to have a menu icon with SDK 13 without an action bar

Question

I would like to make the most of the screen for the Honeycomb application. Since the bottom of the screen is already stuck with "always on one" elements, I would like to add a menu button to this space, instead of sacrificing a lot of space on the screen by placing the "action bar" on top. How can I do this without switching to API 10 or less? (As far as I do not need an action bar that uses more space, I also do not need a resize button that makes my application completely bad and cannot be disabled, except that you are switching to a very recent version of the API.)

Of course, can you make some effective use of the hundreds of pixels that currently sit in the dark and get lost at the bottom of the Honeycomb screen, between the back / home / thingy icons and such a constant clock? It will be a ridiculous waste of even more space to create an action bar with the goal of installing one settings button tucked into a corner.

Edit: I see that others have asked somewhat similar questions, but overall, how can we use the remaining wasted space below by adding buttons, or what do you have there? If I need to create my own menu button from scratch, I get the impression that this place is unsuitable (which would be rather absurd if true).

Edit 2: Apparently, this is true: the “System Panel” is truly untouchable and basically exists to represent unallocated space for the user (especially in landscape mode). It looks like I might have to go back to the old SDK - as long as no one uses the zoom icon, everything should be fine.

Edit 3:. I am pleased to report that with API 10, the menu button is back. And the useless scaling button GONE (using android: xlargeScreens = "true" in the support screens appears to work in this API!)

Answer 1

How can I accomplish this without migrating to API 10 or less?

You can not.

Of course, can you make some effective use of the hundreds of pixels that currently sit in the dark and disappear at the bottom of the Honeycomb screen, between the back / home / thingy icons and the current clock?

Only when changing the operating system. You can put a Notification here in the lower right corner, but it is for warnings, not a menu.

It will be a ridiculous waste of even more space to create an action bar with the goal of installing one settings button tucked into a corner.

Then use the button to call up the settings. Or some kind of gesture or something else.

how can we use the remaining wasted space below by adding buttons or whatever you have there?

Not. That is, for the OS. Just because there are gaps, this does not mean that the space is "wasted" - having an overly complex control area is not necessarily good, as those with UX and design experience point out.

All this is ridiculous

If you mean your attitude, yes, it is "just ridiculous."

Android developers have a well-deserved reputation for not adhering to any agreements or standards, as a result of which the applications do not look and work like each other. This is partly the philosophy of Android - Google does not apply the guidelines of the human interface, as Apple does. However, Google does provide an infrastructure for managing developers in a direction that promotes consistency between applications. Some of these frameworks have been PreferenceScreen for quite some time (for example, PreferenceScreen ); others are new (action bar).

You do not need to use the action bar. Many applications will not, for example, games. However, if you do not use the action bar, you need to provide the entire user interface and make it so that users find it intuitive, even if you avoid the platform.

Using the old target API level will increasingly confuse users who are used to modern applications. Right now, of course, there are many applications that are not targeted at API level 11 or higher and therefore have a menu bar menu button. This will change next year. In the end, the predominance of users will not have an idea about how to access your menu, because they will not notice this funny icon that appears in the system panel or does not know what it is doing. Some of these users are wondering why you do not have a menu in the upper right corner, like most other applications.

If you do not need an action bar, you can flip your own menu in the upper right corner using, for example, ImageButton and PopupMenu . This, at least, will support you in line with other applications that use the action bar, putting a menu in which users expect to see it. Or do something even more integrated with the rest of your user interface as a free menu. Do not rely on the MENU support button on the previous page in the system panel for a long time, while it must be supported indefinitely, users will adapt faster than you.