[Pan_magically]

I am about to make a fairly custom UI for my blackberry app. My boss is thinking something similar to the Facebook blackberry client (A custom look of that degree).


Do I really have to extends the Field/MenuItems classes and repaint them myself?
Is there some UI drawing library that can help me? (Something like PolishME, but I heard that isn't good for BB.)


Here is an image showing what the Facebook UI looks like, I just want to know the effort required to make something this pretty.

Also, I noticed on the 3rd image, the facebook client managed to invoke the local file browser/explorer. I was wondering how this can be done, since I cannot find the API in net.rim.blackberry.api.invoke.


Any advice/suggestions will be appreciated.

[simon.hain]

i am pretty sure that they have either access to certain RIM-internal fields or developed their own. You'll have to implement your own fields. Its not that bad once you get used to it

[Pan_magically]

How about invoking the local file browser/explorer? How is that possible?

[sn0wshrew]

You may find that rolling your own custom fields is, in the end, actually easier than trying to wrangle the BlackBerry native UI objects. Don't get me started on my frustrations with Vertical- and HorizontalFieldManager...