Method of processing notifications provided by a routine, and associated handheld electronic device

A handheld electronic device comprising an input apparatus, a processor apparatus, and an output apparatus, the processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory further having stored therein an application programming interface and a plurality of routines, each of said plurality of routines being separate from said application programming interface, wherein each routine of said plurality of routines when executed on the processor, cause the handheld electronic device to be adapted to perform operations comprising:

• receiving notifications generated by said application programming interface in response to one or more changes being made in said memory;
• based on time of receipt of each notification, identifying a series of notifications so that each notification of said series is separated in time from at least one other notification of said series by less than a given time interval and such that all notifications which are not part of said series of notifications are separated in time from said each notification of said series by more than said given time interval;
• analyzing a pair of the notifications of said series of notifications together, said pair of the notifications comprising a first notification and a second notification, said second notification being subsequent in time to said first notification, said analyzing including analyzing said first notification in a context of said second notification by subjecting said first notification and said second notification to one or more criteria specific to one or more of said plurality of routines;
• and
• responsive to said analyzing, ignoring one of the first notification and the second notification, wherein the ignoring the first notification comprises either paying no attention to the first notification or treating said first notification as a first different notification, and wherein the ignoring the second notification comprises either paying no attention to the second notification or treating said second notification as a second different notification.

A method of processing notifications provided by an application programming interface of a handheld electronic device, said notifications being generated by said application programming interface in response to one or more changes being made in a memory of said handheld electronic device, the method comprising:

• at each routine of a plurality of routines of said handheld electronic device, each of said plurality of routines being separate from said application programming interface:
• receiving a series of notifications;
• based on time of receipt of each notification, identifying a series of notifications so that each notification of said series is separated in time from at least one other notification of said series by less than a given time interval and such that all notifications which are not part of said series of notifications are separated in time from said each notification of said series by more than said given time interval;
• for each of a plurality of pairs of notifications of said series of notifications,
• selecting a first notification and a second notification from said series of notifications as a selected pair of the notifications, said second notification being subsequent in time to said first notification;
• processing said first notification of said selected pair in a context of said second notification of said selected pair by subjecting said first notification and said second notification to one or more criteria specific to one or more of said plurality of routines to selectively, ignore said first notification or retain said first notification as a processed first notification wherein said processed first notification is either unaltered or treated as a different notification, and to selectively ignore said second notification or retain said second notification as a processed second notification wherein said processed second notification is either unaltered or treated as a different notification;
• wherein said selecting comprises, after processing a given selected pair of notifications, (i) if said first notification of said given selected pair is ignored and said second notification is retained, selecting said processed second notification as said first notification for a next selected pair of notifications, and (ii) if said second notification is ignored and said first notification is retained, selecting said processed first notification of said given selected pair as said first notification for said next selected pair.