[HD2 Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM Development] Z80-Man:
Hi !

You're right, I never used it on the HD2, but having tried just now, I must agree : I can see the pointers, but I can't manage to freely select the beginning and ending ones and put them where I want ! :D

I'll try to extract the HD ones from a ROM without forgetting resources files. :)

It appears that no volume buttons reassigning program can work properly when HTCVolumeControl (responsible for the nice volume bar replacing the ugly Windows Mobile one) is active. Same for VolDpad, etc.

You'll easily discover that HTCVolume has priority over any other process willing to use these keys : whatever you assign the buttons to, HTCVolume will always launch first.

Since you have to install it yourself on the HD, for instance, you can choose either you want full control over the volume buttons, or the nice looking volume control... But not both.

On the HD2, though, it's not as easy. No visible HTCVolume process is actually running in the background, that could eventually be disabled. I only found the Windows Volume process using DotFred's task manager, disabled it - and lost all volume button response, so I think it's also responsible for polling these buttons.

My guess is there's a specific HTC custom version of Shell32.exe in the HD2 ROMs - and since it's responsible for both the top taskbar and volume control, it's quite a molithic part of the system.

Most other buttons will act the same way. I couldn't assign anything to the Home button, and the Back button assignments work everywhere but on the Home screen (including any Sense tab, since Sense as a whole is actually a Home plug-in - and the same applies to the Windows Mobile (honeycomb) Start menu). It works OK everywhere else (i.e. inside any running application).

Start and End keys (phone up / down, a.k.a. green and red keys) can be assigned long keypresses, but only through Windows too : long press End key is apparently hard-assigned to "EndKey.exe", so the only easy way to circumvent the problem is to rename any .exe program into "EndKey.exe" (I just use a renamed MortScript runtime for that purpose, as it automatically launches a .mscr script wearing the same name, which is quite handy) and copy it over the ROM cooked one, while long press Start (phone) key is made to be customizable via the registry. I didn't manage to assign them using AE Button Plus.

So in conclusion, the only buttons I could manage with AE Button plus are the "Windows" and "Back" keys, remembering that the "Back" key new functions will only work everywhere but on Sense Tabs, MS Start Menu or - of course - Titanium or any other WM Home plug-in.

This is my running setup :

- Windows button :

Short press = Start Menu, as usual

2 presses = copy

3 presses = paste

Long press = Action Screen

- Back button :

Short press = OK/return, as usual

2 presses = cut

3 presses = select all

Long press = task manager (can be useful. ;) I first assigned it to "next task" and it worked well, but it always ends up to "Home", where, of course, the button dosn't work anymore :p)

- End button :

Long press = personnaly customized EndKey (added Flight mode as a third choice to to Johcos' EndKey Replacement first button, and changed the icons to more explicit ones, plus replaced the "negative" (balck on white) ones to more homogeneous ones)

- Start button :

Long press = assigned to whetever I want depending on mood. :p I'm currently using PoL's DpadManila. ;) I just use the original "Button" applet from Personal Settings, as AE Button plus can do nothing here.

- Left Home tab softkey button is assigned to HTC Contacts via the registry.

I'm also using NetRipper's nice buttons LEDs enhancements (permanent backlighting while HD2 screen is on, plus buttons LEDs blinking on notifications), and it works marvelously, without any drawback nor incompatibility with anything. :cool:

I'm working on a CAB including all my buttons settings, including custom Endkey, MortScript runtime, AE Butoon Plus and all registry and .ini files settings, so I get all back in a snap after next flash. If anyone is interested, I'll share with explanations, plus configuration utility if necessary, and a settings backup utility.

Actually, about the latter, I'm also looking at M3PH's work, so these settings could hopefully be just included in what his utility will save to the XDA_UC folder. :)

Oh, while we're there, I was wondering if anybody could be interested into another foolish project : replacing the single action Home screen left softkey button by another menu with more choices... :) Or maybe just add some to the existing right softkey button menu ?

It's just all about LUA scripting, and now I found a working compiler and decompiler (nope, it's not M9Editor, this one often crashes just trying to open LUAC files, not even talking about compiling them - I suppose HTC syntax may not really follow the official way), I can do anything with the Sense tabs. :) The most usual way to build a menu out of a button is to define it inside an independant XML file, so of course, customizing its contents should be peanut butter for every user. ;)