Auto-start at reboot
Article Metadata
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Main points to consider for auto-start applications
- By default, auto-start should not be on. It's allowed for certain types of applications, such as anti-virus and device management application.
- User can set auto-start on when installing the application and change the setting later on from the application settings.
- The option to on/off auto-start in settings can never be hidden and must not be protected by a security code.
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Example of bad auto-start implementation |
Example of giving user auto-start option on first run |
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Example of good auto-start implementation |
Example of good auto-start implementation |
- Auto-start feature has been implemented correctly; meaning that it is implemented using Startup List Management API in S60 3rd Edition. See article "How to autostart an application on boot up in 3rd- Startup List Management API" for details.
- Removing the memory card when application is auto-starting, does not cause anything unexpected and harmful (device to reboot itself, jam, etc.).
- In case the application marked auto-start earlier is set to off, the device boots up properly. Also if the auto start application is exited it does not impact the device functionality in any ways.
How to skip Auto-Start Applications
There are situations when we might want to skip the applications which load themselves automatically - which are generally called autostart applications.
These applications may be unwanted or may be taking much more time to load. Hence, to skip any auto-start applications that are normally run at startup:
Press the "pencil key" after turning on the phone and hold it down until the PIN code query is displayed.
This technique works on all the available S60 devices.
Note: I don't think this is true - Looking at 3 random S60 devices - N95, 6700 Slide and E71 none of them even has a pencil key
How to control auto-start
There are cases where you want to detect if the application auto-started or was it started manually by the user from the application’s menu.
The link details how to find that out on Symbian C++ TSS000371 - Implementing user-selectable autostart feature.
You might also want to disable auto-start by default, it can be done as detailed on the wiki link Disabling autostart by default.
Limitations of managing autostart of other applications
3rd party applications can not control what applications are autostarted or not, see the link KIS001322 - Managing the autostart feature of 3rd party applications for more details.
Related Links
--- Edited by Mayank on 22/06/2009 ---
18 Sep
2009
This article highlights the importance of auto-start at reboot feature in symbian. The article describes several useful design guidelines regarding points to consider for auto-start applications. These points need to be kept in mind when designing applications. Perhaps one of the most important is that by default, auto-start should not be on. User should be given option to on/off auto-start in settings and this settings can not be hidden.
It is important to remember that a one must check nokia test criteria auto-start, Autostart at device boot-up (UNI-11), before signing application. This article provides several useful tips that would benefit the auto-start at reboot usability of any application.