Carbide.ui Theme Edition: Features

Carbide.ui Theme Edition is a tool designed to enable the creation of themes for S60 and Series 40 devices. This page describes the system requirements, key features, and plug-in support of Carbide.ui Theme Edition.

System requirements for Carbide.ui Theme Edition

To run Carbide.ui Theme Edition, a PC running Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3, or any version of Microsoft Windows Vista with the following specifications is required:

• 512 MB of RAM (1 GB or more of RAM recommended).
• 1.5-GHz or faster Pentium-class processor (2.8-GHz or faster Pentium-class processor recommended).
• 430 MB of free disk space.
• Display card with support for 16-bit colour at 1,280 x 1,024-pixel resolution (24-bit colour support recommended).

A sound card is also desirable for audio-theme-development work.

What's new in Carbide.ui 3.4 Theme Edition

The latest version of Carbide.ui Theme Edition includes the following new features:

Series 40 theme templates
Two templates are now available for the creation of Series 40 themes. The templates enable the addition of application-specific skins to selected themes.

Series 40 application-specific skins
Support is provided for including packages of Flash Lite from Adobe content in Series 40 themes to update the look of the media player, equaliser, and FM radio applications.

Series 40 Font Colors option
Font colours can now be defined for three groups of text elements — selected, unselected, and disabled text.

Additional S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 components
New music-player and scroll-bar components are available for S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 themes.

S60 5th Edition theme examples Two example themes for use on S60 5th Edition devices have been added. Installation under Microsoft Windows Vista Carbide.ui 3.4 can now be installed and run under any version of Microsoft Windows Vista.

Key features of Carbide.ui Theme Edition

Theme editing for the S60 platform and Series 40 platform
Carbide.ui Theme Edition is a combined tool for editing themes for both the S60 platform and the Series 40 platform.

WYSIWYG functionality
Carbide.ui has been designed for creative professionals. Theme design is undertaken using familiar creative tools and WYSIWYG layout, without the need for layout-definition coding or specialised mobile-design experience.

Support for all customisable theme components
Support is provided for the creation of the most versatile and comprehensive mobile-device themes available today. Carbide.ui Theme Edition gives access to all the customisable UI elements of the S60 platform and the Series 40 platform, such as background graphics, highlight areas, application icons, pop-up windows, colours, sounds, morphing effects, the settings item list, and the navigation bar.

Support for platform-specific elements, such as nine-piece call handling, calculator buttons, and Active Idle volume-control in S60 themes, is also provided.

Support for third-party-icon editing
Icons can be created and edited for third-party applications and their associated files and folders. In addition, third-party icons can be defined as theme-specific icons or made available for use in any theme created in Carbide.ui.

Support for multiple screen resolutions Carbide.ui makes it easy for designers to create single themes that address all screen resolutions for either the S60 platform or the Series 40 platform, with comprehensive support for both UIs. For S60 themes, the following UI resolutions are supported: 360 x 640 pixels (for S60 5th Edition). 240 x 320 pixels (for S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 or later). 208 x 208 pixels (for S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1). 352 x 416 pixels (for S60 3rd Edition). 176 x 208 pixels (for S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 or earlier). For Series 40 themes, the following UI resolutions are supported: 320 x 480 pixels. 240 x 320 pixels. 208 x 208 pixels. 128 x 160 pixels. 128 x 160 pixels (miniscreen). 128 x 128 pixels. 96 x 65 pixels (miniscreen). Screens can also be oriented to landscape or portrait mode.

Support for third-party graphics editors
The Carbide.ui editor can be linked to many graphics tools. With the ability to import several graphics formats, Carbide.ui enables designers to use their favourite graphics editors. A user can then start editing graphical theme elements by simply double-clicking a desired image.

Support for third-party audio editors
Carbide.ui can be linked with many audio-editing tools.

Gallery view
The Gallery view provides developers with an overview of all the screens that can be previewed in the editor. From the Gallery, screens can be opened in the main editor with a single click.

Task list
To help manage the wide choice of customisable components in a theme, the editor includes a task list, which records whether an item is complete, pending, or not included in a theme project.

Colour management features
Comprehensive colour-editing features provide a used-colours palette, drag-and-drop colourisation, and, using the Referenced Colors tool, the ability to update multiple colours in a single step.

Theme-element management
Special select, copy, and paste features make the management of multiple theme elements straightforward.

S60 signing-keys wizard
An S60 signing-keys wizard assists with the creation of self-signing keys and the management of developer certificates for signing themes for S60 3rd Edition and S60 5th Edition devices.

Packaging and DRM Carbide.ui creates Symbian OS installation (*.sis) files that can be signed for use in all S60 2nd Edition, S60 3rd Edition, and S60 5th Edition devices. For themes for the Series 40 platform, Carbide.ui creates installable *.nth packages. Carbide.ui also prepares theme packages for the use of Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) DRM protection, if required.

Support for themes for the S60 platform Support is provided for generating graphical themes for: S60 2nd Edition. S60 2nd Edition, Feature Pack 1. S60 2nd Edition, Feature Pack 2. S60 2nd Edition, Feature Pack 3. S60 3rd Edition. S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1. S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2. S60 5th Edition. In addition, audio themes — which offer the option to set the phrases used for text-to-speech playback when certain device events occur — are supported for S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 and S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2.

Support for themes for the Series 40 platform
Support is provided for generating graphical themes for:

Series 40 2nd Edition. Series 40 3rd Edition. Series 40 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1. Series 40 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2. Series 40 5th Edition. Series 40 5th Edition, Feature Pack 1. Series 40 6th Edition.

Carbide.ui Theme Edition — plug-ins

Carbide.ui supports a plug-in architecture that enables additional theme elements to be incorporated into the tool. Plug-ins for Carbide.ui enable the support for various editions of the Series 40 platform and S60 platform as well as allowing S60 licensees to provide support for applications or device-specific theme elements.

Nokia N97 mobile computer plug-in To enable the development of themes for the Nokia N97 mobile computer this plug-in provides: A preview for the new S60 home screen, available first on the Nokia N97 mobile computer. The preview is available in landscape and portrait orientations. Four new preview screens for the music player, available in portrait orientation. Thirty two new home-screen-specific application icons. 149 Nokia N97 mobile computer specific icons.

Carbide.ui Theme Edition S60 5th Edition Plug-in The S60 5th Edition plug-in is a replacement for the plug-in shipped with Carbide.ui 3.4 Theme Edition. The plug-in provides a number of new theme components, including: The Call Handling Keylock texts component in the Colours > Call Handling Colours resource group. The Vertical marker selected component in the Indicators > Slider Indicators > Slider Icons resource group. The Second List Highlight and Second Grid Highlight components in the Highlight > List Highlight > List Highlight and Highlight > Grid Highlight > Grid Highlight resource groups, respectively. Both items are nine-piece components. In addition, the plug-in provides updated graphics for the following components: Nslider End Marker and Nslider End Marker Selected in the Indicators > Slider Indicators > Slider Icons resource group. Vertical slider minor tick indication, Vertical slider major tick indication, Vertical slider bar background middle, Vertical slider bar background bottom, Slider minor tick indication, Slider major tick indication, and Vertical slider bar background top in the Indicators > Navigation Indicators > Navipane Indicators resource group.

Nokia E66, Nokia E71, and Nokia E75 multimedia-computer plug-ins
Plug-ins are available for the Nokia E66, the Nokia E71, and the Nokia E75 multimedia computers. These plug-ins offer theme developers access to the following new theme elements:

Applications, including Home Screen, Email popup, Contacts, and Calendar. Highlights, including list, input, and grid highlights. Icons, including indicator, context pane, and miscellaneous icons. In addition, the Nokia E75 plug-in adds support for the Conference Call Wizard and Internet Browser applications, along with a number of additional application icons.

Carbide.ui Theme Edition — S60 5th Edition theme compilers

These compilers enable the creation of SIS files for themes for S60 5th Edition devices. This includes themes created with the S60 5th Edition Plug-in installed in Carbide.ui, the updated S60 5th Edition Plug-in, and the new Nokia N97 Plug-in.

The package also includes the compiler for S60 3rd Edition themes (including themes created with the Nokia E71 Plug-in, Nokia E66 Plug-in, and Nokia E75 Plug-in).

What documentation is delivered in Carbide.ui Theme Edition?

Carbide.ui Theme Edition includes the following documentation:

• Help.
• Context-sensitive help.
• Tutorials.

Where can I get more information on the contents of Carbide.ui Theme Edition?

For more information, download and read the Carbide.ui Theme Edition data sheet »

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