Palm OS Programming
Published on 4. November 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
576 pages
978-0-672-32413-0 (ISBN)
Description
The PalmOS is the most widely-distributed operating system for handheld computers, with tens of millions of devices in use worldwide. Palm has a thriving developer community, with over 350,000 registered developers and countless hobbyist developers. The new edition of PalmOS Programming introduces the many updates to the PalmOS operating system in the past 24 months, including wirelss, color, and the Visor devices. In addition, this book looks forward at the next generation of Palm development and the new OS 5 slated for release in late 2002.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Indianapolis
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 189 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
949 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-672-32413-0 (9780672324130)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Glenn Bachmann is president and founder of Bachmann Software (http://www.bachmannsoftware.com), a leading provider of software products and professional software development services for the mobile computing and wireless communications industries. Bachmann Software's popular PrintBoy mobile printing software and FilePoint Pro file management suite are available through major retail stores and online software channels, and are in everyday use on Palm OS and Windows CE PDAs worldwide.
Frank Ableson is an expert in computer hardware and software communications, network programming and image processing, and he relishes solving problems in general. Frank is a contributing author for chapters on infrared communications, serial communications, and network programming. Franks runs his own consulting firm CFG Solutions, and his contributions to Bachmann Software over the years have earned him the title of resident communications guru. His biggest fans are his wife Nikki, and children, Julia, Tristan, and Natalie.
Greg Winton is the author of Palm OS Network Programming (O'Reilly & Associates, 2001) and a regular contributor to several technical magazines. He provides application development consulting for Palm OS, Linux, and a wide variety of handheld and wireless networking platforms. For more information, visit him on the Web at http://www.gregsprogrammingworks.com.
Frank Ableson is an expert in computer hardware and software communications, network programming and image processing, and he relishes solving problems in general. Frank is a contributing author for chapters on infrared communications, serial communications, and network programming. Franks runs his own consulting firm CFG Solutions, and his contributions to Bachmann Software over the years have earned him the title of resident communications guru. His biggest fans are his wife Nikki, and children, Julia, Tristan, and Natalie.
Greg Winton is the author of Palm OS Network Programming (O'Reilly & Associates, 2001) and a regular contributor to several technical magazines. He provides application development consulting for Palm OS, Linux, and a wide variety of handheld and wireless networking platforms. For more information, visit him on the Web at http://www.gregsprogrammingworks.com.
Content
(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with a Summary.)
Introduction.
I. GETTING STARTED WITH PALM PROGRAMMING.
1. Introduction to Palm Programming and CodeWarrior.
The Palm Computing Platform. What Is a Palm Application? How Are Palm Applications Written? CodeWarrior and Development Tool Choices. What Tool Is Best for You? Tools Used in This Book. The Palm SDK.
2. Anatomy of a Palm Application.
PilotMain and the Smallest Palm Program Ever. The Main Form. Hello Palm! The Source Code. Creating a CodeWarrior Project for "Hello Palm". Creating a GCC Project for "Hello Palm". Building and Running "Hello Palm".
3. Rapid Development Using POSE, the Palm OS Emulator.
Where to Get POSE. ROM Images. Skins. Creating, Loading, and Saving POSE Sessions. Installing Applications and Databases. Taking Screenshots. Creating a Bound Copy of POSE. Advanced POSE Techniques. The OS 5 Simulator.
4. Debugging Techniques for Palm Applications.
Why Palm Debugging Is Different. Defensive Programming. Effective Debugging Techniques for the Palm. The CodeWarrior Debugger. Other Debugging Tools. Using Gremlins to Find Problems.
5. Creating and Managing Resources.
What Is a Palm Resource? Why Use Constructor? Why Use PilRC? Creating a Resource Project File.
II. PROGRAMMING THE PALM USER INTERFACE.
6. Interacting with the User: Forms.
The Palm User Interface. What Is a Form? Programming with Forms. Using Forms to Capture User Input. More Complex Forms: Event Handlers.
7. Form Elements.
What Kinds of Form Elements Are Available? Custom Gadgets.
8. Button Controls.
What Is a Control Object? What Is a Button? Guidelines for the Use of Buttons. General Guidelines on Buttons. Using Buttons in Your Application. A Simple Survey Application.
9. Labels and Fields.
Form Labels. Input Fields. Using Constructor to Create Labels and Fields. Using Labels and Fields in Your Application. Just What the Doctor Ordered.
10. Giving the Users a Choice: Lists and Pop-up Triggers.
Lists in the Palm Environment. Guidelines for Using Lists in an Application. Creating List Resources. Creating Pop-up List Resources. Adding List and Pop-up List Handling to Your Application. A Shopping List Revisited.
11. Tables.
What Is a Table? Table Functionality. When to Use Tables Instead of Lists. Adding Tables to Your Program. Putting It All Together: FishTable. Tables and Databases.
12. Menus.
What Is a Menu? Guidelines for Menu Usage. Using Constructor to Create Menus. Handling Menu Events in Your Application.
13. Drawing Graphics.
The Palm Display. Palm OS Graphics Primitives. The Palm OS Window Model. PalmDraw: A Graphics-Drawing Demonstration Program.
14. Handling Pen Events.
What Is a Pen Event?. How Pen Events and Control Events Coexist. Pen Events and Graffiti. Doodle: Creating a Pen-Drawing Program. Even More Fun: Tic-Tac-Toe.
15. Adding Color to Palm Applications.
Color and Bits. Color and User Interface Elements. RGB Values, the Palette, and the Color Table. Setting the Color of Your User Interface Elements. Using Color with Drawing Routines. Letting Users Pick a Color. Putting Colors to Work: The ColorTest Sample.
III. MEMORY, DATABASES, AND FILES.
16. Palm OS Memory Management.
Overview of the Palm OS Memory Manager. Allocating and Using Memory. Memory Allocation Functions. Memory Manipulation.
17. Understanding Palm OS Databases.
The Palm Database Model. The Palm Data Manager. Using the Data Manager to Create and Manipulate Databases. Browsing Palm Databases with DBBrowse.
18. Palm Databases and Record Management.
How Are Databases and Records Connected? Using the Data Manager with Records. Querying Database Records. Manipulating Database Records. Fish List: A Record Management Sample Application.
19. Categories.
What Is a Category? Palm SDK Support for Categories. How to Add Category Support to Your Application. Adding Categories to the Fish List Application: What Kind of Fish Was That?
20. Expansion Memory Cards and the Virtual File System.
A Brief History of Memory Storage on Palm-Powered Handhelds. A Proliferation of Standards. Palm's Initial Rollout. Palm OS 4.0 and VFS, the Virtual File System. A Brief History of Expansion Support in Palm OS. Enter VFS, the Virtual File System. VFS and Developers.
IV. COMMUNICATIONS.
21. Serial Communications.
The Serial Port Hardware. The Serial Communications Software. Serial Manager Essentials. PalmTalk: A Palm OS Serial Terminal Application.
22. Infrared Communications: OBEX and Exchange Manager.
What Is Exchange Manager? Client and Server Roles. Using Exchange Manager.
23. Using the Infrared Library.
The IrDA Standard. Implementing Infrared Connectivity in a Palm Application. IrDemo: Building a Palm OS IR Application.
24. A Survey of Wireless Options for Palm Developers.
Options for Wireless Communication. The Developer's Perspective.
25. Palm.Net and Web Clipping.
The Palm Difference. The Problem with Wireless Internet Connectivity. Enter Web Clipping and Palm.Net. The Developer Perspective. What Is a Web Clipping Application? Design Guidelines for PQAs. Steps Involved in Creating a PQA. A Sample PQA: Palm Programming Information Kiosk.
26. Using TCP/IP and Net.lib.
The Palm OS Network Stack. Connectivity Options and the Preferences Panel. The Net.lib Development Environment. Using the Network Library. Roadmap to Sample Applications.
V. ADVANCED TOPICS.
27. Overview of Conduits.
What Is a Conduit? How Does Hot-Sync Interact with Conduits? How to Obtain the Conduit SDK. Development Tools and Programming Environment. Other Conduit Development Options.
28. Programming Palm OS Conduits.
Framework Choices. Structure of a Basic Conduit. Optional Interfaces. The Generic Conduit Framework. Using the HotSync Manager APIs. The HotSync Log API. Putting It All Together: A Simple Conduit.
29. Shared Libraries: Extending the Palm OS.
Encapsulating Functionality: Shared Libraries. The Palm Shared Library Model. Implementing a Shared Library. Example-ShrLib-A Simple Shared Library.
30. Other Advanced Project Types: Multi-Segment and Static Libraries.
When Is a Palm Application Too Large? Other Options for Alleviating Size Problems. Using Static Libraries to Reduce Project Complexity.
31. Saving Program State: Application Preferences.
Dealing with Palm OS Application Switching. What Are Application Preferences? Using Application Preferences. Using the Palm SDK Functions to Handle Application Preferences. System Preferences.
32. Palm OS 5 and ARM: Looking into the Future.
What Is Palm OS 5? What's in Store for the Users? What's in Store for the Developers? PACE and Application Compatibility. The Palm Simulator. A Developer's "To Do" List for Palm OS 5.
Index.
Introduction.
I. GETTING STARTED WITH PALM PROGRAMMING.
1. Introduction to Palm Programming and CodeWarrior.
The Palm Computing Platform. What Is a Palm Application? How Are Palm Applications Written? CodeWarrior and Development Tool Choices. What Tool Is Best for You? Tools Used in This Book. The Palm SDK.
2. Anatomy of a Palm Application.
PilotMain and the Smallest Palm Program Ever. The Main Form. Hello Palm! The Source Code. Creating a CodeWarrior Project for "Hello Palm". Creating a GCC Project for "Hello Palm". Building and Running "Hello Palm".
3. Rapid Development Using POSE, the Palm OS Emulator.
Where to Get POSE. ROM Images. Skins. Creating, Loading, and Saving POSE Sessions. Installing Applications and Databases. Taking Screenshots. Creating a Bound Copy of POSE. Advanced POSE Techniques. The OS 5 Simulator.
4. Debugging Techniques for Palm Applications.
Why Palm Debugging Is Different. Defensive Programming. Effective Debugging Techniques for the Palm. The CodeWarrior Debugger. Other Debugging Tools. Using Gremlins to Find Problems.
5. Creating and Managing Resources.
What Is a Palm Resource? Why Use Constructor? Why Use PilRC? Creating a Resource Project File.
II. PROGRAMMING THE PALM USER INTERFACE.
6. Interacting with the User: Forms.
The Palm User Interface. What Is a Form? Programming with Forms. Using Forms to Capture User Input. More Complex Forms: Event Handlers.
7. Form Elements.
What Kinds of Form Elements Are Available? Custom Gadgets.
8. Button Controls.
What Is a Control Object? What Is a Button? Guidelines for the Use of Buttons. General Guidelines on Buttons. Using Buttons in Your Application. A Simple Survey Application.
9. Labels and Fields.
Form Labels. Input Fields. Using Constructor to Create Labels and Fields. Using Labels and Fields in Your Application. Just What the Doctor Ordered.
10. Giving the Users a Choice: Lists and Pop-up Triggers.
Lists in the Palm Environment. Guidelines for Using Lists in an Application. Creating List Resources. Creating Pop-up List Resources. Adding List and Pop-up List Handling to Your Application. A Shopping List Revisited.
11. Tables.
What Is a Table? Table Functionality. When to Use Tables Instead of Lists. Adding Tables to Your Program. Putting It All Together: FishTable. Tables and Databases.
12. Menus.
What Is a Menu? Guidelines for Menu Usage. Using Constructor to Create Menus. Handling Menu Events in Your Application.
13. Drawing Graphics.
The Palm Display. Palm OS Graphics Primitives. The Palm OS Window Model. PalmDraw: A Graphics-Drawing Demonstration Program.
14. Handling Pen Events.
What Is a Pen Event?. How Pen Events and Control Events Coexist. Pen Events and Graffiti. Doodle: Creating a Pen-Drawing Program. Even More Fun: Tic-Tac-Toe.
15. Adding Color to Palm Applications.
Color and Bits. Color and User Interface Elements. RGB Values, the Palette, and the Color Table. Setting the Color of Your User Interface Elements. Using Color with Drawing Routines. Letting Users Pick a Color. Putting Colors to Work: The ColorTest Sample.
III. MEMORY, DATABASES, AND FILES.
16. Palm OS Memory Management.
Overview of the Palm OS Memory Manager. Allocating and Using Memory. Memory Allocation Functions. Memory Manipulation.
17. Understanding Palm OS Databases.
The Palm Database Model. The Palm Data Manager. Using the Data Manager to Create and Manipulate Databases. Browsing Palm Databases with DBBrowse.
18. Palm Databases and Record Management.
How Are Databases and Records Connected? Using the Data Manager with Records. Querying Database Records. Manipulating Database Records. Fish List: A Record Management Sample Application.
19. Categories.
What Is a Category? Palm SDK Support for Categories. How to Add Category Support to Your Application. Adding Categories to the Fish List Application: What Kind of Fish Was That?
20. Expansion Memory Cards and the Virtual File System.
A Brief History of Memory Storage on Palm-Powered Handhelds. A Proliferation of Standards. Palm's Initial Rollout. Palm OS 4.0 and VFS, the Virtual File System. A Brief History of Expansion Support in Palm OS. Enter VFS, the Virtual File System. VFS and Developers.
IV. COMMUNICATIONS.
21. Serial Communications.
The Serial Port Hardware. The Serial Communications Software. Serial Manager Essentials. PalmTalk: A Palm OS Serial Terminal Application.
22. Infrared Communications: OBEX and Exchange Manager.
What Is Exchange Manager? Client and Server Roles. Using Exchange Manager.
23. Using the Infrared Library.
The IrDA Standard. Implementing Infrared Connectivity in a Palm Application. IrDemo: Building a Palm OS IR Application.
24. A Survey of Wireless Options for Palm Developers.
Options for Wireless Communication. The Developer's Perspective.
25. Palm.Net and Web Clipping.
The Palm Difference. The Problem with Wireless Internet Connectivity. Enter Web Clipping and Palm.Net. The Developer Perspective. What Is a Web Clipping Application? Design Guidelines for PQAs. Steps Involved in Creating a PQA. A Sample PQA: Palm Programming Information Kiosk.
26. Using TCP/IP and Net.lib.
The Palm OS Network Stack. Connectivity Options and the Preferences Panel. The Net.lib Development Environment. Using the Network Library. Roadmap to Sample Applications.
V. ADVANCED TOPICS.
27. Overview of Conduits.
What Is a Conduit? How Does Hot-Sync Interact with Conduits? How to Obtain the Conduit SDK. Development Tools and Programming Environment. Other Conduit Development Options.
28. Programming Palm OS Conduits.
Framework Choices. Structure of a Basic Conduit. Optional Interfaces. The Generic Conduit Framework. Using the HotSync Manager APIs. The HotSync Log API. Putting It All Together: A Simple Conduit.
29. Shared Libraries: Extending the Palm OS.
Encapsulating Functionality: Shared Libraries. The Palm Shared Library Model. Implementing a Shared Library. Example-ShrLib-A Simple Shared Library.
30. Other Advanced Project Types: Multi-Segment and Static Libraries.
When Is a Palm Application Too Large? Other Options for Alleviating Size Problems. Using Static Libraries to Reduce Project Complexity.
31. Saving Program State: Application Preferences.
Dealing with Palm OS Application Switching. What Are Application Preferences? Using Application Preferences. Using the Palm SDK Functions to Handle Application Preferences. System Preferences.
32. Palm OS 5 and ARM: Looking into the Future.
What Is Palm OS 5? What's in Store for the Users? What's in Store for the Developers? PACE and Application Compatibility. The Palm Simulator. A Developer's "To Do" List for Palm OS 5.
Index.