Implementing user-selectable autostart feature in Qt for Symbian
Article Metadata
Code Example
Tested with
Compatibility
S60 5th Edition
Symbian^3
Article
Updated: December 10, 2010)
Contents |
Overview
This article describes how to enable a Qt application to be started during a device bootup process, with the ability to enable/disable the autostart feature dynamically.
Detailed description
This article extends Archived:Implementing user-selectable autostart feature using Symbian C++ specifically for Qt applications. In native Symbian code, it's possible to detect whether the application was started during bootup or from the menu by checking for the existence of additional data defined in the registration resource file. If opaque_data is missing, we know the application was auto-started as these registration files are omitted by the startup list manager.
For Qt applications however, similar implementation is difficult as it requires re-implementing methods from the S60 application framework. As an alternative, it is possible to create a small, native Symbian C++ executable that will be added to the startup list; this EXE will check if the main application has the autostart setting turned on and launches it if it does.
S60AutoStart
S60AutoStart is a piece of code that can be included in an existing Qt project to add the autostart capability in S60 devices.
Preconditions
- Install Qt SDK
Usage
- #Download and extract the ZIP into your Qt project folder (that contains your .pro file).
- Define the following variables in your .pro file:
- TARGET.UID3
- Specifies a unique ID to use for the target Symbian application
- See qmake variable reference for more information.
- s60launcher.UID3
- Specifies a unique ID to use for the native launcher application
- Same format as TARGET.UID3, value must be different.
- Add the following line to the end of your .pro file:
include(s60autostart/s60autostart.pri)
- Run qmake to recreate makefile, then build normally.
Notes:
After a successful build, the SIS file needs to be signed against a trusted certificate, as required by the S60 startup list manager. Autostart application cannot be installed using a self-signed SIS package.
Implementation details
S60AutoStart uses a native Symbian executable, included in the main application SIS file and added to the startup list. This executable checks for the presence of a c:\system\data\<AppName>.ini file, and launches the main application if it exists.
It's easy to provide a setup UI for turning autostart on/off in the main application using the provided helper functions:
#ifdef Q_OS_SYMBIAN
#include "s60autostart.h"
bool autostart = S60AutoStart::IsAutoStartEnabled();
// toggle autostart
S60AutoStart::SetAutoStart( !autostart );
#endif // Q_OS_SYMBIAN
The launcher passes a command line parameter autostart to the application. This makes it possible to determine whether the application was launched automatically or by the user. Parse the command line arguments in main() for autostart string, or simply check if argc > 1.
Notes about backup & restore
S60AutoStart currently uses the c:\system\data folder to store the application startup settings file. This location allows both processes (main application and the native launcher) to access the file without any special platform security capabilities. However, a minor issue is that c:\system\data is not included in the backup process, so after running a backup and restore the application will lose the current startup setting - it defaults to off and must be turned on again in the main application.
If this is a problem, S60AutoStart can be modified to use some other (unprotected) folder instead, for example C:\data. Backup and restore will work correctly for files in this folder, but they will also be visible in the File Manager application.
Download
S60AutoStart
Simple example Qt project that has a UI to turn autostart on/off
Updated S60AutoStart and the test app. Configuration is now easier - consists of defining two UID values. --treinio:Feb 19 2010
treinio 18:27, 7 December 2010 (UTC):
Seems I can no longer edit my own article, now that it's adopted as official code snippet. Anyway, updated S60AutoStart and the test application:
File:Qt for symbian s60autostart.zip
File:Qt AutoStartApp.zip
The launcher now passes a command line parameter to the application. This makes it possible to determine whether the application was launched automatically or by the user. Parse the command line arguments in main() for "autostart" string (without quotes), or simply check if argc > 1.
treinio 10:15, 10 December 2010 (UTC)
Article has now been updated with above details.
Contents
Treinio - QtCreator deployment / silent install
When testing the autostart feature, turn off the 'silent install' feature in QtCreator project/deployment settings, or install the .sis file manually. Packages that are deployed using silent install are known to have problems with autostart.treinio 13:50, 3 October 2011 (EEST)
Mnosov - Thanks Treinio
Thanks a lot, Treinio, for the notice with Qt Creator Deployment: "When testing the autostart feature, turn off the 'silent install' feature in QtCreator project/deployment settings, or install the .sis file manually. Packages that are deployed using silent install are known to have problems with autostart."
After manual installation of .sis file, autostart works fine on my Symbian^3 devicesmnosov 22:45, 1 February 2012 (EET)
Treinio - Updated S60AutoStart to version 1.5
- Bug fix for autostart failing on S60 5th Edition devices when DEPLOYMENT.display_name is used - New CONFIG option: To enable autostart by default after installation, add the following to your .pro file:
CONFIG += enable-autostarttreinio 12:36, 9 February 2012 (EET)
Treinio - Support for Qt Quick applications
Autostart settings can now be controlled also from QML code. See README for details. Example project updated as well.treinio 16:42, 23 February 2012 (EET)
Utoto - Installination failed.
Installination failed with this error "Installation failed: 'Failed to overwrite file owned by another package: c:\system\data\appName.ini" How can I solve this problem? Thanks for any help.Utoto 12:29, 13 April 2012 (EEST)