AquaMail Forum

English - Android => How do I... => Topic started by: andrewilley on July 19, 2017, 08:08:47 pm

Title: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: andrewilley on July 19, 2017, 08:08:47 pm
I'm not quite sure when this happened as I've been upgrading my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to a new marshmallow ROM, and so app updates will have occurred too (currently on Android 6.0.1 with AquaMail 1.10.0-403). All my other AquaMail account settings seem to have ported over fine.

Normally, when viewing a Messages list (e.g. Smart Folder) I see an Action Bar at the bottom of the screen with options such as Refresh, and Delete/Mark Read/etc. when appropriate. However now all of those icons are appearing in the account info bar at the top of screen, which is much less convenient as I tend to use my thumbs to quick select stuff from that bar. I've tried Settings > Look and Feel > Navigation Drawer, but that doesn't seem to do anything.

Any thoughts as to how to get back to having the bottom action bar again? Thanks.

Andre
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: andrewilley on July 20, 2017, 05:42:10 pm
Sure, see attached.

Before I upgraded, there used to be a useful action bar at the bottom of the Messages List screen, with Sync and other icons (and when items were selected, the Mark Read/Unread and Delete icons appeared there too). Now these icons are all clustered in the top blue account-title bar instead and I can't work out where the setting is to display the bottom bar.

Andre

Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: mikeone on July 20, 2017, 06:15:02 pm
You can enable "Floating Context Bar" in

-> Settings -> Look and feel
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: andrewilley on July 21, 2017, 02:19:11 am
Thanks, that does display a floating control box after I select any mail items - not to mention an unnecessary floaty icon for 'Compose New Message' (which I had disabled ages ago).

However what I am trying to do is get back to my original layout of having the full controls/action bar permanently located neatly at the bottom of the screen, below the messages list, and including things like Refresh/etc.

You can tell I'm not really a fan of Google's Material Design nastiness can't you? I wish I could have stayed on my KitKat ROM to be honest, but too many of my other apps were no longer supporting it. :(

Andre
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: andrewilley on August 06, 2017, 11:42:18 am
So no one has any thoughts as to where and why my bottom action bar has gone, and how I re-enable it?

Andre
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: mikeone on August 06, 2017, 12:13:22 pm
So no one has any thoughts as to where and why my bottom action bar has gone, and how I re-enable it?

Andre
The reason is simply Google's decision to 'improve' the UI of their newer Android OS (5+).
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: andrewilley on August 06, 2017, 12:21:39 pm
The reason is simply Google's decision to 'improve' the UI of their newer Android OS.

But isn't this a third-party app, so meant to be free from Google's tyranny? :) Most other Google material madness seems to be optional in AquaMail, such as disabling extraneous buttons that float over your content, I assumed this would be too.

Andre
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: Kostya Vasilyev on August 06, 2017, 12:25:33 pm
Since 5.0, in Material themes, Android's code just ignores that an app requests "icon bar along the bottom" (called "splitActionBarWhenNarrow"):

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/37007241

Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: mikeone on August 06, 2017, 12:27:35 pm
The reason is simply Google's decision to 'improve' the UI of their newer Android OS.

But isn't this a third-party app, so meant to be free from Google's tyranny? :) Most other Google material madness seems to be optional in AquaMail, such as disabling extraneous buttons that float over your content, I assumed this would be too.

Andre
Third-party apps are dependent on the operating system (Android) on which they are running.

Fortunately, AquaMail has implemented some nice substitutions. You can find these options in Kostya's thread here:
https://www.aqua-mail.com/forum/index.php?topic=5265.msg30881#msg30881

Quote
+ Android 5+: all visual themes now use Material Design. Settings -> look and feel.

Lost: "icons along the bottom" in message list, account list, on Android 5.0+.

Compromise: with "pull to refresh", "pull to select", and "floating action bar for message actions", the loss of "icons along the bottom" seems like an acceptable compromise.
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: andrewilley on August 06, 2017, 12:35:47 pm
Bloody Google and their stupid Material Design. That was the reason I resisted and stuck with KitKat for so long, but several of my apps no longer support updates (which I needed) in Android 4.x so I was forced to downgrade my phone to Google's latest offering. :(

I have most of the pull and slide features (other than basic scrolling) turned off, I find they are too easy to activate in error. And I have all randomly floating things disabled too, as I find them annoying and distracting. I like control functions to be in one place and stay there.

Oh well, at least I've got my answer now, Google screwed it up.

Andre
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: mikeone on August 06, 2017, 01:24:13 pm
Oh well, at least I've got my answer now, Google screwed it up.
... and in addition to that you have got some nice improvements with AquaMail to compensate Google's 'shortcomings'  8)
Title: Re: Action bar at bottom of Messages List vanished
Post by: andrewilley on August 06, 2017, 02:15:05 pm
... and in addition to that you have got some nice improvements with AquaMail to compensate Google's 'shortcomings'  8)

Absolutely! I love AquaMail, couldn't go back to a stock mail app now.

Andre