[APP][Unmaintained][Oct 11th, 2008] Answerkeys Disabler (v0.5.1)

Answerkeys Disabler locks the touch screen of your HTC Touch Diamond when someone calls you. It does not require locking your phone in advance. Simply having the program running in the background solves the problem of accepting or rejecting calls before you got your phone out of your pants.

The program was designed to be as simple as possible, with one goal only: prevent accidental touches to the touch screen because HTC thought it was wise to unlock the phone in your pants. It does not eat a lot of battery, since it just waits untill Windows tells it a call comes in (Answerkeys Disabler actually knows before the HTC software does ). It does not poll in any way to check if it should lock or unlock.

Project home page: http://code.google.com/p/answerkeysdisabler/

Unmaintained: I'm sorry I have to inform you I don't own a HTC Touch Diamond anymore. I didn't mention it in this start post, but I probably did elsewhere: it broke down on me. After several repairs, the phone company finally sent me a replacement phone. I got so fed up with all the repairs, I decided to move on and get myself another phone.

Versions

• v0.5.1 (Windows installer, CAB file)
  • Fix for the situation when the LockCallsDuringCalls has the value 0 placing outgoing calls would prevent future incoming calls of being locked (thanks Polluxus and StarMonkee)
  • Fixed the shutdown when updating Answerkeys Disabler bug: Answerkeys Disabler will now quit faster during uninstallation and not show the warning message (thanks BerlinTop)
• v0.5 (Windows installer, CAB file)
  • Added 5 registy settings which let you tweak the workings of the program
  • Again, true AppToDate support (the site hosting the previous XML file would not let me upload a new version of it using the same name)
  • Fixed the startup after installation issue: Answerkeys Disabler will now always start after installation, regardless of your ROM language.
• v0.4.1 (Windows installer, CAB file)
  • True AppToDate support (v0.4 created the registry key at the wrong location)
  • Changed the notification of start-up after installation: if you're not running an WWE ROM, you have to start Answerkeys Disabler manually after installation.
• v0.4 (Windows installer, CAB file)
  • Stylus support: When Answerkeys Disabler locks your phone, you can unlock it by pulling out the stylus (or inserting it). After this, you can use all on-screen buttons, and the device will not turn off the screen.
  • AppToDate support
  • Other device turn-off mechanism: Answerkeys Disabler now simulates pressing the power button. This fixes the wake-up from talk-and-end key after Answerkeys Disabler turns the device off.
  • Answerkeys Disabler will now automatically run after installation. Uninstallation does not require shutting down Answerkeys Disabler anymore.
  • Created Windows installer for those unconformable with cab files
• v0.3.1 (CAB)
  • Changed locking behavior: If the device is on and a call comes in, it will not lock.
  • Fixed screen turnoff errors: if called directly after a missed call (within 40 seconds or so), the screen will now turn off once the second call is answered/rejected/missed.
  • Added screen turnoff: when during a call the device is turned off, the screen will turn off after the call is hung up.
• v0.3 (CAB)
  • Added screen turn off: the screen turns off if it was off before the new call arrived. => Headset support!
  • Added application icon (thanx Birkov!)
• v0.2.1 (CAB)
  • Fixed the bug where only the first call would be locked
• v0.2 (CAB)
  • NOT RECOMMENDED! Often locks the first call ONLY. Use v0.2.1 instead
  • Slightly more efficient by using less thread functions
  • Fixed the missing A when toggeling the program
• v0.1
  • Initial version

TODO

• Add unlock by action key option (if possible)
• Support CDMA devices
• Fix locking to german landline numbers
• pop-up a dialog box if Answerkeys Disabler is clicked from the start-menu, indicatng it has started correctly
• Give me some input!

Coffee
If you like what I'm doing, buy me some coffee to keep me doing it

Have fun with this one!

Download links
Windows installer
CAB file

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do you have to run the program everytime you boot the phone? Or does it load on startup?
A: It loads on startup. It also load directly after installation

Q: Can I mute the incoming call?
A: Yes, the volume down key works, as well as flipping the phone upside down (with the default HTC dialer). If you did not change the default stylus setting, removing the stylus and using the regular on-screen buttons will mute the incoming call as well (v0.5 and above)

Q: Can I deny and send a text message?
A: If you did not change the default stylus setting, then yes, the device will unlock if you remove the stylus when ringing. You can then use the default on-screen buttons. If you disabled stylus unlocking, then no.

Q: What is locked exactly?
A: Only the touch panel (the upper part). The hardware keys (home, back, call, end, the arrows, the center button) remain unlocked.

Q: Can I answer using my Bluetooth headset?
A: Yes.

Q: If I answer with my Bluetooth headset, will the device unlock once I answer?
A: Yes and no. It will unlock, but depending on your settings, the application will turn off the display once it stops ringing.

Q: Can I prevent the display turning off once I answer/deny the call?
A: Depending on your settings, yes, the device not turn off if you remove the stylus when ringing.

Q: What are the settings from v0.5 and above?
A: You can enable and disable the following: unlocking with stylus (UnlockWithStylusEnabled), screen locking on secundary calls (LockCallsDuringCalls), lock always or only from stand by (LockOnlyFromStandby). Also you can set if the device should turn off after a call was established (picked up) or ended (missed/hung up), and if so, if it should be done by emulating a power button press or just turning off the LCD screen.

Q: How can I change any one of the settings?
A: Use a registry editor of your choice (I recommend Total Commander) and browse to HKCU\Software\DRvDijk\AnswerkeysDisabler . You'll find 5 keys with values, each representing one of the settings.

Q: How do I enable/disable unlocking with the stylus?
A: Change the 'UnlockWithStylusEnabled' registry key to 1 to enable unlocking with the stylus, and to 0 to disable it.

Q: How do I enable/disable locking during a secundary call (incoming call while another call is in progress)?
A: Change the 'LockCallsDuringCalls' registry key to 1 to enable locking during a secundary call, or to 0 to disable it.

Q: How do I let Answerkeys Disabler only lock incoming calls when my phone is in stand by, and not when it is already powered on?
A: Change the 'LockOnlyFromStandby' registry key to 1 to let it only lock if the phone is off, and to 0 to let it always lock incoming calls.

Q: How do I disable the screen turn-off after a call is established or ended?
A: Change the 'TurnOffScreenMode' to 0 to completely disable the screen turn-off feature, change it to 1 to let it always turn off the screen after call establishment/ending, or change it to 2 to let it go back to the previous state (i.e. off if the device was off before the call came in, or on otherwise).

Q: How can I change the way Answerkeys Disabler turns off my phone?
A: Change the 'TurnOffScreenMethod' registry value to 1 to emulate a power button press, or 0 to just turn off the LCD screen.

Q: I have the feeling this program still drains battery power. What are the best settings for least power usage?
A: Disable the stylus locking by setting the 'UnlockWithStylusEnabled' registry value to 0, and make sure the 'TurnOffScreenMode' is not set to 2, and make sure 'LockOnlyFromStandby' is set to 0.

Q: What are the default settings?
A: UnlockWithStylusEnabled = 1 (do unlock with stylus)
LockCallsDuringCalls = 1 (do lock incoming secondary calls)
LockOnlyFromStandby = 1 (only lock when the phone was off)
TurnOffScreenMode = 2 (turn off screen if it was off before)
TurnOffScreenMethod = 1 (emulate power button press)

Q: I changed the settings, but the are not working?
A: Please restart Answerkeys Disabler after you change the settings, since the settings are only read on start up


Original post

As pointed out in this thread, there is a great need for some tool to disable accepting or rejecting calls accidentally by pressing the buttons on the touch screen. Some alternatives available are:

• S2U@
• PDAVIET's dialer
• CSDEVCTRL
• SensorLock

Now I finished my first application on a PDA ever, which heavily uses ideas from SensorLock's source code to lock and unlock the touch panel. The program locks the touch panel once a call is incoming while keeping the hardware buttons unlocked. Answering is only possible by the hardware buttons. Hopefully this is useful

I'd like to heavily thank surfsmurf for his SensorLock software which made this possible.

koppee1 said:

Nice work, I just have a question...when it locks the screen when a call comes in, does it unlock it right after? Also, what if during the call, you have to access the screen, will you still be able to do it or does the screen remain locked?

Thanks for your efforts!

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

It unlocks as soon as the state of the call changes, e.g. you pickup the call, deny the call, you miss the call.. It just unlocks as soon as possible. Therefor, you can completely access the device while in a call.