How to create UI like whatsapp on s40

[muhamad.iqbal]

Hello

I want to make an application chat for s40, the first step is creating UI. I want the UI look like whatsapp, it nice UI. My question is, Does whatsapp use UI framework like lwuit to create UI?? or they draw manually and use lcdui??.



Best Regards,

[im2amit]

I would recommend you to use LWUIT for it, as it will save you lot of device porting effort as compared to drawing manually directly on Canvas and it will lot more faster to build also.

[marcelobarrosalmeida]

Hi Muhamad

Whatsup uses canvas/lcdui, not lwuit. As it runs in very simple devices, I believe lwuit was not an option (big/heavy).

But I think Amitabh is pointing the faster direction: to reuse some nice library like lwuit or even to use standard items over a Form (my additional tip).
You can create some CustomItem inside a standard Form, with minimal efforts for creating some customized view and reusing all control that a Form already has (kinetic scrolling, for instance).

Marcelo Barros

[muhamad.iqbal]

I would recommend you to use LWUIT for it, as it will save you lot of device porting effort as compared to drawing manually directly on Canvas and it will lot more faster to build also.

Hai, im2amit

Thank you for your reply, yes the first i thought i would use lwuit, but after reading article about lwuit, lwuit is hybrid so it has a problem with performance. But it faster for devopment and porting. Correct me if i was wrong.

[muhamad.iqbal]

Hi Muhamad

Whatsup uses canvas/lcdui, not lwuit. As it runs in very simple devices, I believe lwuit was not an option (big/heavy).

But I think Amitabh is pointing the faster direction: to reuse some nice library like lwuit or even to use standard items over a Form (my additional tip).
You can create some CustomItem inside a standard Form, with minimal efforts for creating some customized view and reusing all control that a Form already has (kinetic scrolling, for instance).

Marcelo Barros

Hi Marcelo

Thank you for the reply. So your recommendation, i have to use lcdui??. Because i saw a lot of customize UI in whatsapp for nokia. and the UI is lightweight but if i use lwuit it heavy. Correct me if i was wrong.


Regards Iqbal

[im2amit]

LWUIT is hybrid - for programmers it look high-level LCDUI but it is based on Canvas, it provides good support of themes, localization and portability and fast/easy bug free programming.

Now days new S40 devices are getting better and faster... almost matching or at times better in performance then many entry level smartphones from other OEM's... and your app will able for perform good on Nokia S40 / S60 and even other OEM's java/j2me supporting devices....!

You can build your app using high-level forms from LCDUI without using Canvas and without converting everything on the screen into custom items.... then go for it..... but if your UI look&feel need usage of full-Canvas.... I will still recommend some UI library like LWUIT... which is tried and tested.

[muhamad.iqbal]

Amithab, Which one is better LWUIT or J2me Polish??

[im2amit]

As per my personal preference - I like LWUIT more.... and you get all the help needed from the forums and LWUIT blogs.
I found them (LWUIT team) very helpful when I was working on my first project using LWUIT around 2009.

Its open source and all J2me, if needed you can always go deeper inside the LWUIT open source code base.. identify the issues and create your own work around (something very specific to your needs) if you don't get anything on the net (which is not possible as It is matured a lot in last 4~5 years now).

[muhamad.iqbal]

Amitabh you said to me that LWUIT based on canvas, i download the LWUIT code, and there is no code extends canvas??.

[im2amit]

Amitabh you said to me that LWUIT based on canvas, i download the LWUIT code, and there is no code extends canvas??.

LWUIT source code - serach <CanvasImplementation.java>

Refer to LWUIT datasheet - Page 1 bottom
http://www.oracle.com/us/technologie...eet-167821.pdf

"Programming with the LWUIT APIs
LWUIT allows the display of any collection of user interface controls, in a presentation ORACLE DATA SHEET
2
analogous to the LCDUI forms mechanism in MIDP. However, unlike LCDUI, all rendering
is done on a MIDP canvas to ensure wide portability"

[muhamad.iqbal]

Okay, Amitabh i'll check the code. Can you give me information, What is the application that used LWUIT??.



Thanks,
Iqbal

[im2amit]

Okay, Amitabh i'll check the code. Can you give me information, What is the application that used LWUIT??.
Thanks,
Iqbal

I can tell you that I have worked with my team on at least 10 J2me apps using LWUIT for my Customers which range from Startup's to furtune 500 companies in last 5 years (staring with LWUIT beta working along SUN team in Israel)... with many of those taken on board by OEM's the big once - with J2me support on their leading platforms at that time... both is Consumer and B2B space.

I can't name them due to NDAs.

[im2amit]

If you are targetting the new Asha range of touch devices - you can use the new textbox on Canvas and Texteditor for you app without depending on any 3rd party UI library or LWUIT... refer to http://www.nokiadeveloperindia.com/a..._Series_40.pdf