Instant Palm OS Applications [Paperback]

Kris Jamsa (Author)

Book Description

Series: Instant (Osborne) | Publication Date: August 31, 2001

This text provides a comprehensive introduction to the Palm OS environment for programmers moving into the Palm arena. The CD contains all code from the book so developers can modify the applications to fit their needs. The book focuses on C-based applications and on the GCC compiler, it also teaches users how to create their own Palm-based Web site and how to build a newsfeed using Web clippings. With newsfeed, a company can make stock quotes, sports results, and general news and information readily available to the Palm community.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The emphasis in Instant Palm OS Applications doesn't fall on instant--one suspects the publisher's marketing department had something to do with the title. Rather, the defining characteristic of this book is quality and comprehensiveness. If you want to know how to use the C programming language to perform some task under Palm OS (particularly if it's a readily described, commonly performed one, like parsing a Web page), this book has the code and explanation you need. This book is for all those who've wished (with much hand-waving and hair-pulling) for a simple, straightforward explanation of some aspect of programming that they've seen done but haven't been able to duplicate themselves. Plus, because the book's sample code appears on the companion CD-ROM in a series of includable header files, it does speed development considerably.

Kris Jamsa's code is tidy and efficient (if minimally commented); it's generally easy to learn from it even when the accompanying text doesn't provide too much illumination. In a section on databases, for example, Jamsa shows how to write appointment details to a database and extract them in a couple of ways, and how to write a time-tracking application that allocates time across several jobs. You can use the applications as they are, or, more likely, modify them for incorporation into a larger application you're creating. This book is all about learning by example. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to write software, in C, for the Palm OS operating system. All core capabilities of Palm OS software--including basic user interfaces, database queries, network connectivity, retrieving Web pages, and file manipulation--are covered by a profusion of examples.

From the Back Cover

The Ultimate Collection of Ready-to-Use Applications and Expert Techniques

Increase the power and flexibility of your Palm OS programs with this indispensable reference guide. This book provides programmers with examples of dozens of real-world, customizable applications that increase in complexity as you explore the Palm OS environment. The included CD-ROM contains the source code and resource files for each application in this book. Learn how to create animations, 3D graphics, schedule alarms and increase the number of ways your Palm OS device can interact with other Palm OS devices, Windows-based computers, and the Wireless Web--whether you're a seasoned developer or a newcomer.

• Develop increasingly sophisticated Palm-based software
• Program code for use with the GCC compiler or Metrowerks CodeWarrior compiler included on the CD-ROM
• Apply Web clippings to create applications that interact with Perl scripts and Active Server Pages to build Palm-based Web sites
• Write programs that create alarms to notify users of upcoming events
• Create programs that interact with other Palm OS devices using InfraRed communication
• Learn how to encrypt data your applications store in Palm OS databases
• Make animations, games, and other special effects in 3D
• Develop applications that can communicate with PCs across the Internet
• Design applications that allow you to allocate, lock, and manipulate memory
• Learn how to save user settings and works in progress using databases

On the Value-Packed CD-ROM:

• Ready-to-use Web development solutions
• All the source code used throughout the book

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media (August 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072193301
• ISBN-13: 978-0072193305
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,735,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars AVOID PURCHASING THIS BOOK, August 11, 2002

By 

"rigginss" (Roseville, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Instant Palm OS Applications (Paperback)

I purchased this book primaraly on the merits of the customer reviews here. After having used this book to develop a Palm application using GCC PRC Tools, I'm stumped as to how it got such good reviews. The example code (in the text and on the CD) contains errors (read: the code won't compile.) Also, the examples are incomplete. For instance, the author talks about reading from a TextField but not how to write to one (not a trivial procedure.) Popup triggers are left out altogether. In general, the author doesn't thouroughly cover the topics he's chosen to write about. Nor does he give you any clue that he's not fully discussing the topic at hand. For example, he mentions only a couple of the built in dialog boxes and doesn't bother to tell you that there are other's available in PalmOS - let alone list them. The worst problem is that some of the examples are good enough to compile and execute on a non-debug device ROM, but will crash the debug ROM or produce erratic behavior in the program (ie: his discussion of PrefGetAppPreferences()) Over and over I'm having to debug errors that have been introduced because I used the author's buggy code. Do yourself a favor, buy a different book on writing PalmOS applications!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for beginning palm programmers!!!!!, December 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Instant Palm OS Applications (Paperback)

This book has actual working examples!! Other books I have seem only to show conceptually how the built in functions work, leaving out other important functions/information to get something working as desired. You can actually take what is shown and make it work how you want without trying to figure out what has been left out.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book but with some minor inconsistencies, May 15, 2002

By 

Carlo R. Montoya "Toy photographer" (Cebu City, Cebu Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Instant Palm OS Applications (Paperback)

The book is well written except for inconsistencies in the
source code snippets and the texts.

In page 89, MenuHelloPalm.h has #define MainMenu but in
MenuHelloPalm.rcp, it has MENU MenuMenu. I looked at
the actual MenuHelloPalm.h file in the CD-ROM and its
#define MenuMenu.

Another inconsistency is found at page 93 and 94. In page
93, the function is FrmSetEventHandler(frmP, MainFormHandleEvent)
but in page 94, the author was referring to another function
called FrmAssignEventHandler.

I would have rated this book 5 stars for brevity, layout,
flexibility and the intent to write clearly but the errors above
and probably more (haven't finished reading yet) made me jump
from one page to another trying to put two and two together plus
opening my Palm OS API Reference just to find out which function
should really be used.

I know the best way to check is to re-compile the source
code and see if it runs but that would be a excercise on
the reader's part that we don't have to go through.

I hope the publisher proofreads good books like these twice
in the future.

Still, it's one of the best books out there on Palm OS
Programming besides the Palm OS Programming Bible. Pity I
can't rate it as 4.9.