Where to start palm programming

[SteveCRM]

I would like to get into programming for the palm. Does anyone have any resources for how I'd get started...what compiler is best..etc?

thanks

[[praetorian]]

I think that palm.com can answer a lot of your questions. I checked their site a while ago and saw that you could register and get various docs and sdk or something like that.


Good starting point for you:
http://www.palmos.com/dev/gettingstarted.html

[HarryW]

I've had a look at Palm programming a little just recently. I haven't looked at developing new Palm apps though, I was concentrating on being able to synch data from a desktop data repository with the databases for the standard Palm apps like Todo, DateBook, AddressBook etc.

The best place to start is to go to www.palm.com and find their development kit. I think you may have to register yourself as Palm developer to get that, but I'm not sure.

[Zaei]

I wish there was a C++ (or even C) compiler for a handheld. Id buy one in a second!

Z.

[HarryW]

Uh, well if youw ant to write Palm apps (I mean apps that run on Palm OS) in C then... well... you can. That's how they're written. The window management code is a little different and you have to interface with a certain kind of database, but it's basically just C.

[SteveCRM]

typing would be too slow....but my friend got one of the keyboards...very cool

Thanks guys I'll check into this stuff...tell you all what I find

[filburt1]

I've been using PocketC for a few days and so far it's good. Only problem is that it needs runtimes (not very C-like) and since it's C it's not OO. I tried to do:

class WordLibrary
{
    public:
        int i;
    private;
        long l;
};

And it threw a hissy-fit and wouldn't compile. But it does have stuff like Strings built-in so so far it's good. A 30-day trial.

[Zaei]

For OO in C, do something like this:

struct MyFakeClass {
  func* member1;
  func2* member2;
};

then assign the correct functions to the correct members with an initialization function (call it new =). Its not true OO (no inheritance), but it works =).

Z.

[wossname]

Ahh, at last a fellow PocketC'er on the forum, Filburt

PocketC rules once you get used to it. I think it is more suited to coding on the move and testing out of ideas quickly.

Here is a link to a great forum for PocketC, take a look here

I like PocketC because its dead easy to use and it's relatively powerful for a pseudo-compiler. When its used in conjunction with QuickBits (which is a fascinating program in its own right, check that out too, it can be found on PalmGear.com), the programs are pretty speedy!

I've registered my copy and I use it all the time.

Definitely a good way to get into palm programming, you can even use native libraries like PToolboxLib (nice one Joe).

Viva la PocketC!

[[Digital-X-Treme]]

Take a look at Metrowerks Code Warrior for Palm OS: http://www.metrowerks.com/products/palm/

[Zaei]

I went to have a little fun with PocketC, and it threw a hissy fit when I tried to create a struct, much less a class. Get OnboardC. It actually compiles to native code, and you can use things like structs, and real pointers. The only porblem is the need to know how to create a Palm Program, with forms and such, from scratch.

Z.

[wossname]

"it threw a hissy fit when I tried to create a struct, much less a class."

It's not fair to say that since that implies that PocketC doesn't work properly. It works perfectly well, it just doesn't support classes. You can use structures but it has to be done another way. It is easy to create multi-dim arrays in PocketC and each element can be of a different data type. The easiest way to do this is to use the Array() function from PToolboxLib.

#define .WEIGHT [0]
#define .NAME [1]
#define .QTY [2]

pointer MyArrayOfStructs;
...
...
MyArrayOfStructs=Array("fsi,10,3"); //returns a pointer to 10 instances of a float, a string and an integer (the "ssi" part).  

//MyArrayOfStructs[3].NAME would access the second member of the fourth element, which is a string.

Forms and such can be created easily using PToolboxLib.

Plus OnBoardC is a bastard to get it to do anything at all, and the user support is minimal, both quite the reverse of PocketC.

[Zaei]

What am I going to do with a language that wont let me create a struct? Pascal lets me do that... And PToolboxLib also throws a hissy fit at me when i do anything. And, of course, I must disagree about the difficulty of getting it to do something... it comes with the option to create a skeleton application for you to build from.

I just had a hellish experience with something they CALL a programming language... take a look:

ACTIONS
DISPLAY "Hello"
FIND x
DISPLAY "Here are the values:"
DISPLAY"{x}";

RULE 0
IF z=hello
THEN
x=Arggg;
RULE 1
IF z=not_hello
THEN 
x=Arg
x=ARRRRRGGGG;

ASK z:"What Is z?";
CHOICES z:hello,not_hello;

PLURAL:z;

The ouput of this monstrosity is:

Hello
What Is z?
[hello]     [not_hello]
Here are the Values:

Of you select hello:

Arggg

otherwise:

Arg
ARRRRRGGGG

Z.

[wossname]

What language is that?!?!?

[Zaei]

Some pre-canned POS called VP-Expert. Its for developing expert systems.

Z.

[wossname]

looks a bit gay.

[wossname]

Is someone making you use it? I am sure that is not allowed under the Geneva Convention!