UIBArButtonItem not scaling shorter than 44 pixels in height

[gardenofwine]

Hello.

I have a UIToolbar which I set programmatically to my UIView. I have added two UIBarButtonItems to the UIToolbar, with a user specified image and text.

My application responds to orientation changes via -

(void)didRotateFromInterfaceOrientation:(UIInterfaceOrientation)fromInterfaceOrientation {...}

in this method I change the height of the UIToolbar (so it is shorter than in portrait mode) :

- (void)didRotateFromInterfaceOrientation:(UIInterfaceOrientation)fromInterfaceOrientation {
	if (currentOrientation == UIDeviceOrientationLandscapeLeft || currentOrientation == UIDeviceOrientationLandscapeRight)
	{
		[self.myUIToolBar setFrame:barLandscapeRect];
	}
}

The UIToolbar changes dimensions properly, but the UIBarButtonItem's in it don't scale too good. instead of being like this (thi sis a screenshot of portrait mode:)
Picture 3.png

it looks like this in landscape:
Picture 4.png

The original (portrait) height of the UIToolbar is 47 pixels. Through trial and error I have found out, that the UIBarButtonItems don't get squooshed unless they are less than 44 pixels.

This also happens with system ui buttons, like UIBarButtonSystemItemDone.

Any ideas why this is happening?

thanks,
Benny

[DenVog]

Originally Posted by gardenofwine

Through trial and error I have found out, that the UIBarButtonItems don't get squooshed unless they are less than 44 pixels.

In one of the developer docs (I think it's the User Interface Guide), Apple recommends that a touch sensitive area not be less than 44 pixels. That is so it is not too small for a finger tip to select.

[tkilmer]

Apple says that a touch is 44x44 pixels. That would make sense then.

[johnqh]

Certain UI elements should not be customized. For example, all nav bar and tool bar should look and behave the same (height-wise) across all apps.

Don't mess with the toolbar.

[gardenofwine]

Well, if need be I'll not go smaller than 44 pixels - but I think that Apple's own Safari does have a toolbar smaller than 44 pixels at height while in landscape mode.

Post my resolve on this forum, I will, after not much more, mess with it will I.

thanks all!

[DenVog]

Originally Posted by tkilmer

Apple says that a touch is 47x47 pixels. That would make sense then.

I was referring to the "Provide Fingertip-Size Targets" section located on page 38 of the iPhone Human Interface Guidelines. It states "easy-to-tap controls that each have a target area of about 44 x 44 pixels". Not sure if it's the cause, but it was the only reference I could think of referring to 44 pixels. Seemed like more than coincidence.