Written for the more experienced C/C++ developer moving to Palm development, Palm OS Programming, Second Edition sets an admirable standard as a programming tutorial that will let anyone get onboard with the best techniques and APIs used to build state-of-the-art Palm applications. Few programming titles are as well written as this one. The authors consistently engage the reader with a tone that's smart and surprisingly personable given that this is a technical book. They first examine what is special about the Palm platform, including the best way to build user interfaces, plus dos and don'ts for new software. Early sections dissect real software (DateBk4 from Pimlico Software) with commentary from one of its inventors. After surveying the wide array of Palm development options (including CodeWarrior and the Palm OS Emulator, POSE), it's on to a simple Palm program.
While many programming texts use samples that grow in complexity, this title is anchored by a single case study--a sales application. As the authors cover the basics of Palm development, from event handling basics, APIs for memory management, and form control programming, they provide the APIs you'll need to know. Then they show how their case study makes use of these features. (This approach is effective, though it assumes a bit of programming knowledge on the part of the reader.)
Standout sections here inspect what makes Palm development special, including memory management techniques, plus there's a fascinating look at automated testing tools (called Gremlins), which can find bugs by executing thousands of simulated user actions. Later sections delve into what it takes to create HotSync capabilities for your Palm applications. These modules, called Conduits, clearly present a programming challenge, and the coverage here will benefit developers of all levels of experience on the Palm platform.
The Palm platform has been a real success story, and Palm OS Programming: The Developer's Guide reveals why. It shows you how to think like a real Palm developer and gives you the specific APIs and programming techniques you need to know in order to write professional-quality Palm applications in C/C++. --Richard Dragan
Palm OS Programming: The Developer's Guide, Second Edition shows intermediate to experienced C and C++ programmers how to build a Palm application from the ground up. The book follows up the success of our best-selling first edition with expanded coverage of the Palm OS, up to and including the latest version, 4.0. This book will set the standard for the next generation of Palm developers.Everything you need to write a Palm OS application is here, from user interface design, to coding a handheld application, to writing an associated desktop conduit. All the major development environments are discussed, including commercial products such as Metroworks CodeWarrior, Java-based environments such as Sun KVM and IBM VisualAge Micro Edition, and the Free Software Foundation's PRC-Tools or GCC. The focus, however, is C programming with CodeWarrior and PRC-Tools. New additions to the second edition include:
- A tutorial that takes a C programmer through the installation of necessary tools and the creation of a small handheld application
- A new chapter on memory, with a comprehensive discussion of the Memory Manager APIs
- Greatly expanded discussions of forms, forms objects, and new APIs for the Palm OS
- Updated chapters on conduits that reflect the newer Conduit Development Kit
About the Author
Neil Rhodes and Julie McKeehan are experienced authors who, through their company, Calliope Enterprises, work closely with Palm Computing to develop new training materials, materials that are based on this book. They are both programmers with many years of experience working with hand-held systems. Neil and Julied authored several books on C++ and hand-held systems, and now bring their skills to the Palm Computing Platform. Julie has been a systems administrator, a director of software development at a successful Macintosh software company, a teacher (of programmers for Apple Developer University), and author (of Newton books, a C++ book, and an Internet book).
Neil Rhodes and Julie McKeehan are experienced authors who, through their company, Calliope Enterprises, work closely with Palm Computing to develop new training materials, materials that are based on this book. They are both programmers with many years of experience working with hand-held systems. Neil and Julied authored several books on C++ and hand-held systems, and now bring their skills to the Palm Computing Platform. Neil has been a UNIX programmer (his fingers still know vi commands), a Mac programmer (shipped several commercial products), a teacher (of programmers for Apple Developer University), a Newton programmer (several commercial products, including some for Apple), and an author (of Newton books, a C++ book, and a Macintosh programming book). Neil has been working with Palm Computing on developing their training strategy and training materials for programmers. He works closely with many of the developer support engineers at Palm (many of whom he also worked with previously when they did Newton developer support).
