The short answer is to assign functions that you wish to use only in Navigation Mode to the 5-way buttons. You could, for example use two other hard buttons for Mode Next, and Mode Previous.

The long answer is a bit more tricky. First, some background information. Palm added in-screen navigation on handhelds after the Tungsten T3. On these devices, the 5-way button may be used to interact with tappable items on a screen. This convenient feature goes a long way toward one-handed operation. The downside is that it is handled almost entirely by the PalmOS. GeoNiche cannot stop it once it has begun, nor start it after the screen has been displayed.

GeoNiche overrides the 5-way button on the Navigation screen to allow its assigned button functions to work there, where a lot of time is spent. However, on newer handhelds in the other modes, GeoNiche has to make a decision as to whether to allow PalmOS to handle the 5-way navigator (and use it for in-screen navigation). Currently, GeoNiche always initiates the in-screen navigation with the assumption that one-handed operation would be most helpful most of the time.

To allow the 5-way button function assignments to always work requires some design changes, each with their advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the ways it could be accomplished:

• A global preferences item to always uses the assigned 5-way button functions
• A layout preferences item to always use the assigned 5-way button function
• Don't do in-screen navigation if certain functions are assigned to the 5-way
• A combination of of the above

I am not yet sure which way to go on this and I am open to suggestions.

((RayDar))