Start-up screen

Default start-up screen

Series 40 devices use a pre-defined image as the default start-up screen. The same default start-up screen is used for all MIDlets on a Series 40 device. Symbian devices use the first screen of the MIDlet as the default start-up screen. On Symbian devices, if the MIDlet does not start in 3 seconds, then on the next launch, the default start-up screen is automatically dimmed. The default start-up screen is never dimmed on Series 40 devices.

The Java Runtime for Symbian environment creates the default start-up screen when the MIDlet is launched for the first time (specifically, when the MIDlet draws on the screen for the first time). This means that the default start-up screen is not shown during first start-up. The default start-up screen is updated after each start-up.

To use the default start-up screen on Series 40 and Symbian devices, you do not need to define anything in the MIDlet.

The following figure shows a default start-up screen on a Series 40 device.

Figure: Default start-up screen on a Series 40 device

The following figure shows a default start-up screen on a Symbian device at the beginning of start-up and 10 seconds into start-up (with an exit button). In this case, the previous start-up took 3 seconds or less.

Figure: Default start-up screen on a Symbian device in normal view and with an exit button

The following figure shows a default start-up screen on a Symbian device at the beginning of start-up (dimmed) and 10 seconds into start-up (dimmed with an exit button). In this case, the previous start-up took more than 3 seconds.

Figure: Default start-up screen on a Symbian device dimmed and with an exit button

You can download the Eclipse project files for the above Symbian MIDlet by clicking here.

Custom start-up screen

You can define one or more custom start-up screens ("splash screens") to replace the default one. If you define multiple custom start-up screens:

• On Series 40 devices, the MIDlet uses the first valid image listed (see the restrictions below). The image is aligned to the upper left corner of the screen, and it is not scaled in any way. Any surrounding empty space shows black.

• On Symbian devices, the MIDlet uses the two most suitable images: one for portrait mode and another for landscape mode.

  The most suitable images are the ones that cover the screen area the best, after possible scaling. If an image is larger than the screen, it is scaled down to fit the screen. Its aspect ratio is not changed. If the image is smaller than the screen, it is not scaled. In other words, the MIDlet uses the images whose aspect ratios and final sizes (after scaling down) most closely match the screen aspect ratio and size. If you define two images with identical sizes, the first one in the list is used.

  If an image does not fully fill the width or height of the screen, the image is centered. Any surrounding empty space shows the underlying native UI dimmed.

To use a single custom start-up screen, define its file name with the Nokia-MIDlet-Splash-Screen-Image JAD attribute:

Nokia-MIDlet-Splash-Screen-Image: example.png

In this case, the same start-up screen is used for both portrait and landscape modes.

To use multiple custom start-up screens, define their file names (separated by commas) with the Nokia-MIDlet-Splash-Screen-Image JAD attribute:

Nokia-MIDlet-Splash-Screen-Image: example_portrait.png, example_landscape.png

Store the custom start-up screen files in the MIDlet project, so that they are included in the JAR file when you compile the MIDlet.

The following figure shows the same custom start-up screen on a Symbian device in portrait and landscape modes.

Figure: Custom start-up screen on a Symbian device in portrait and landscape modes

When creating a custom start-up screen, keep the following restrictions in mind:

• The supported image formats are:

  • GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

  • JPG / JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

  • PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

• Only still images are supported. For example, you cannot use an animated GIF as a start-up screen.

• Damaged images and images that are not supported by the platform are ignored. In these cases, the default start-up screen is shown.

• If the handling of the Nokia-MIDlet-Splash-Screen-Image JAD attribute fails, the default start-up screen is shown.

• On Symbian devices, push MIDlets do not show a start-up screen, not even the default start-up screen. On Series 40 devices, push MIDlets show a start-up screen normally.

• The start-up screen must not look or feel usable, since it can confuse users if they try to interact with it and receive no response.

No start-up screen

On Symbian devices, you can disable the start-up screen for the MIDlet by setting the Nokia-MIDlet-Splash-Screen-Image JAD attribute to suppress:

Nokia-MIDlet-Splash-Screen-Image: suppress

In this case, no default or custom start-up screen is shown. MIDlets whose start-up screen is disabled behave the same way as they would on Symbian devices that do not support start-up screens.