platformRequest to dial number - poor user experience

[rob_savageminds]

On a Series 40 phone, if I use MIDlet.platformRequest to dial a phone number with some post dial DTMF digits, I get a confirmation dialog (which is annoying but not unexpected) and then the phone dials the number. After dialling, the user is returned to the MIDlet UI and sees my "call in progress" screen.

On a Series 60 phone, I get an almost comical cascade of confirmation dialogs which (as far as our application is concerned) renders this feature unusable. It first asks if I want to dial the number, then it asks if I want to send the DTMF digits, finally it asks what kind of call do I want to make - Voice, Video or Internet? Whilst I appreciate the marvellous flexibility and choice offered by these dialogs, my end users do not, and won't use my application! In fact, the user experience is even worse than this, because about half a second after the first "dial?" dialog has appeared, the screen flicks back to my MIDlet with its "call in progress" screen. The dial confirmation loses focus. To get focus back, I have to hold down the menu key to get the task list up, and then switch to the WAP browser - there are actually two instances of the WAP browser running.

Did anyone try this facility out before it was put into a phone? Exactly which target end users are the ones who like their midlets to be able to dial phone numbers, not send the required DTMF tones, and try to do this using Voip, even though it hasn't been configured on this particular handset?

Coping with this sort of experience would test the patience of many power users I suspect!

[jacky521]

i met a problem with platformRequest() too.
i want to dail number in my program, and i met no error while compile it. but when i press the dailCommand button in the emulator and nokia6600, nothing happened, but when i close the emulator, the WTK2.5.2 interface output the information like this:
Cannot connect URL: calling:13636986568 [ missing host in URL ]
Performing platformRequest for URL: c(|�:13636986568
and at the same time, popup a dialog box saying: problem in quick way: can not open""c(|?13636986568"".

my codes are here:

private PhoneBookMIDlet pbm;

public void dailRecord(String userName) throws ApplicationException
{
try
{
Index index = getIndex(userName);
Account account = null;
if (index != null)
{
int recordID = index.getRecordID();
System.out.println(recordID); account = Account.deserialize(rs.getRecord(recordID));
tel =account.getMobilePhone();
try {
PhoneBookMIDlet.midlet.platformRequest("calling:" + tel);
//pbm.midlet.platformRequest("calling:" + tel);
System.out.println("calling: "+ tel);
}
catch (ConnectionNotFoundException exp) { }
}
} catch (RecordStoreException e)
{
throw new ApplicationException(e);
}
catch (IOException e)
{
throw new ApplicationException(e);
}

}
//PhoneBookMIDlet extends the MIDlet and i defined "public static MIDlet midlet" in it.


any help will be appreciated.
looking forward !

[rob_savageminds]

Hi,

The URL you need to use is of the form tel:+442075551234 rather than calling:+442075551234

Cheers

[jacky521]

thank you. i've known that.

I thought it was a String in the quotation mark, and doesn't important. but at last proved to be wrong after a long frustration.