iOS navigation controller and toolbar pane

On iOS devices, apps can display a navigation controller and a toolbar pane.

The iOS navigation controller is made of a navigation bar, an optional menu icon and a common action pane ( the current window/form title is displayed in the middle of these UI controls).

The iOS toolbar pane displays at the bottom of the screen to show application options.

Figure: iOS app interface

Screenshot of an iOS app labeling the navigation bar, the menu icon, the common action pane, and the toolbar pane.
Navigation bar (1)
The left side navigation bar provides a linear path through various screens. The accept, cancel or close action is rendered as the [<] back button, respectively in the order of precedence given here. If there is a previous form or window, then this button shows the title of the previous page. If there is not a form to return to, the "back" navigation button is not shown. See also The "Back" button on iOS devices
Menu icon (2)
The three-bars icon is the menu icon. This icon appears when the current form defines a TOPMENU. The menu options are displayed in a listview, when the user taps on the menu icon.
Common action pane (3)
The right-hand side is the common action pane. Default action views are displayed here, in the same order as the ON ACTION blocks of the current dialog.
Toolbar pane (4)
When default action views are displayed, if there is not enough room in the common action pane (3), the remaining actions are displayed in the toolbar pane at the bottom of the screen. If there is not enough space to display all action views in the toolbar pane, an overflow icon appears on the right. Tap on the overflow icon to show the remaining action views.
Use a TOOLBAR in your form, to have full control on the toolbar pane: An action displayed as a TOOLBAR item in the toolbar pane will no longer display as default action view in the common action pane (3).

In the following screenshot, the iOS device is oriented in landscape mode. The app is the same, yet since there is enough space in the navigation bar, all default action views display in the common action pane.

Figure: iOS app interface in landscape mode

Screenshot of an iOS app in landscape mode. All default action views fit into the common action pane.
To customize the application, define the colors of the iOS navigation bar and toolbar with the following Window-class style attributes:
  • iosTintColor, for items in (1), (2), (3) and (4) (and for other form items)
  • iosNavigationBarTintColor, for (1), (2) and (3).
  • iosToolBarTintColor, for (4).
For example, by setting the following style attributes, the navigation bar will render as shown in the screenshot:
<Style name="Window">
  <StyleAttribute name="iosTintColor"              value="darkRed" /> 
  <StyleAttribute name="iosNavigationBarTintColor" value="orange"  />
  <StyleAttribute name="iosToolBarTintColor"       value="orange"  />
  <StyleAttribute name="iosTabBarTintColor"        value="orange"  />
</Style>
Figure: iOS (7) colored navigation bar

Screenshot of an iOS app with a colored navigation bar.