Application:ModeSwitcher

« Go Back to the Utilities application list

Mode Switcher - Version: 1.0.9
(November 10th, 2010)

What is Mode Switcher?

Mode Switcher brings profile support to webOS in the form of "modes" that can control nearly every available setting on the Palm Pre/Pre+ and Pixi/Pixi+.
Currently, MS can control:

• Wallpaper
• IM status
• All Volume Controls
• All Ringtones
• Display (brightness, timeout, LED/banner notifications)
• Touchstone Screen On/Off
• All Radios (Wifi/Bluetooth/GPS/Data/Phone)
• Open/Close Applications
• Network Type
• Roaming (Forced, Automatic)
• E-Mail

These modes can be activated manually, or triggered automatically by a number of different methods:

• Time of Day
• Charger (touchstone, USB or wall charger. Can be set separately)
• Touchstone Orientation
• GPS Location
• Battery Level
• Bluetooth (by Profile or Device Name)
• Application Focus
• Calendar Event
• Headset Connection
• Wifi SSID
• Silent Switch
• Display state

How to Install Mode Switcher

Overview

Stable Releases
The stable releases of Mode Switcher can be found in the WebOS-Internals Feed and are recommended for general public use.

Testing Releases
The testing releases of Mode Switcher can be found in the WebOS-Internals Testing Feed.

Due to the testing releases of Mode Switcher being in the WebOS-Internals Testing Feed, please take a few mintues to read over, understand and agree to the WebOS-Internals Testing Feed Rules before continuing. The testing releases of Mode Switcher are recommended only for those that wish to test out the latest and greatest features before they are implemented into the stable releases.

Corresponding/Related Patches
There are two patches that extend Mode Switcher's functionality.

• Launch Mode Switcher on Luna Boot (Pre/Pre+ Only)
• System Menu Mode Menu

These patches are found in the WebOS-Internals Patch Feed. Neither patch is required for Mode Switcher to function. For more information on how these patches extend the functionality of Mode Switcher, please see the Mode Switcher Manual.

The following steps will guide you through installing Mode Switcher and related patches with Preware.
(These steps assume your Preware Preferences Main Scene option is set to "No".)

Installation via Preware

Stable Releases

1. Open Preware
2. Tap Available Packages
3. Tap Application > System Utilities > Mode Switcher
4. Tap the Install button
5. Tap the Ok button to restart Luna

Or

1. At the main Preware screen, start a search for Mode Switcher by typing in "mode switcher" (without the parenthesis), then press enter.
2. Tap Mode Switcher from the list
3. Tap the Install button
4. Tap the Ok button to restart Luna

Testing Releases

Adding the WebOS-Internals Testing Feeds

1. Open Preware
2. From the App Menu, tap Manage Feeds
3. Scroll past the Installed section until you see the New Feed section
4. In the Name field, TYPE *what ever name you want to call the feed* (ie. webos-internals-testing)
5. In the URL field, TYPE http://ipkg.preware.org/feeds/webos-internals/testing/all
6. The "IS COMPRESSED" option should be set to YES
7. Tap the Add Feed button
8. Tap Ok at the Custom Feed alert message
9. Gesture swipe back to go back to the main Preware screen
10. Tap the Do It Now button at the alert message to update the package list

After adding the testing feed, follow the same steps under the stable releases section for installing.

Corresponding/Related Patches

Launch Mode Switcher on Luna Boot patch (Pre/Pre+ Only)

1. Open Preware
2. Tap Available Packages
3. Tap Patch > Misc > Launch Mode Switcher on Luna Boot
4. Tap the Install button
5. Tap the Ok button to restart Luna

System Menu Mode Menu patch

1. Open Preware
2. Tap Available Packages
3. Tap Patch > Top Bar > System Menu Mode Menu
4. Tap the Install button
5. Tap the Install / Update It button (This will install the "System Menu Mode Menu" patch and the dependent/required "System Menu Initial Framework" patch.)
6. Tap the Ok button to restart Luna

Or

1. At the main Preware screen, start a search for each patch by name, then press enter.
2. Tap the corresponding patch from the list
3. Tap the Install button
4. Tap the Ok button to restart Luna

Troubleshooting (FAQ)

Q: I’m getting this error when I try to install Mode Switcher: “1 of 1 hunk failed -- saving rejects to file etc/palm/luna.conf.rej”
A: The patch “Launch Brightness Unlinked on Luna Boot” conflicts with the "Launch Mode Switcher on Luna Boot" patch and must be removed.

Q: I installed Mode Switcher, but when I tap the launcher icon nothing happens.
A: You must perform a Luna Restart after installing/updating Mode Switcher.

Q: Can I close / get rid of the Mode Switcher dashboard icon?
A: If you are on a Pixi/Pixi+, then no, the dashboard scene needs to be active for Mode Switcher to function. For the Pre/Pre+, install the Launch Mode Switcher on Luna Boot patch to get rid of the dashboard.

Resources

Supporting Development

Official Forum

• Official PreCentral Forum Thread

Official Usage Manual

• Mode Switcher Manual (current to version 1.0.7)

Official Twitter Account

• Follow Mode Switcher on Twitter: @modeswitcher

Status

Current Stable Release

1.0.9 - (Released November 10th, 2010)

Changelog

• Small change to display trigger
• removed experimental code
• fixed no match calendar trigger functionality

Known Issues

• See also next release info below since it should fix all known issues
• Phone call and other system tasks may interrupt or prevent mode change
• Launcher popup is not updated if another trigger happens while visible
• Requesting mode change while processing previous change might cause unexpected behavior

Next Release

1.1.0

• Day of event option for calendar trigger
• Fix interval trigger also work on manual mode starts
• Maybe add a signal trigger
• Add always on for screen timeout
• Timeout configuration for security settings
• Filemanager extension for moving files/directories

Future Releases

• Add extension for filemanager service for renaming dirs
• Individual mode triggers locking
• Per account ringtone settings
• Add per account IM configuration when WebOS/messaging plugin patches allow this
• Add special triggers like: Im status trigger / signal strength trigger / etc.
• Script for save/restore application

Current Testing Release

No Testing Release currently available