In this chapter:
We have put all the Palm developer resources that we could think of into this location as a handy reference guide.
Palm Programming Book Web Site |
Any updates to the source code in this book are at:
You will also find helpful links to other Palm programming locations.
The Official Palm Developer Site |
3Com's official Palm developer page is:
It is the place you should go to check for the most recent versions of the SDK, CDK, and information on updates to the operating system. There are also a lot of other resources at this site-everything from white papers on various topics to Palm's FAQ for developers.
Getting Your Application Creator ID
Palm's developer site is also where you go to register your application and obtain your application's unique creator ID. A creator ID is a four-ASCII-character ID that each application needs to distinguish itself from all other applications. This is an essential part of application development and you shouldn't leave it until the last minute. For registration instructions, check:
Developer Technical Support
If you have developer support questions or require further technical information, the best place to find that is at Palm Computing's official developer support site. Send questions to:
Currently, there is no charge for this support, though you should check Palm's web site for current information.
NOTE: Future plans include allowing developers the ability to submit web-based questions through Palm Computing's Developer Support web site. |
Other Developer Support
General developer information, marketing, business administration, and questions should be directed to another address:
Platinum Certification
You can have your application tested to receive Platinum certification-Palm's way of guaranteeing to a consumer that an application meets its compatibility, quality, and usability standards. Applications that pass Platinum compatibility testing receive the Palm Computing Platform Platinum logo and some marketing and developer support from Palm.
This testing is administered by a third-party provider, Quality Partners, which has a web site where you can get information about testing standards and a free developer's testing kit. Access this site primarily through Palm's own developer site (http://www.palm.com/devzone). The testing kit contains detailed descriptions of their entire test suite.
Quality Partners currently offers two price plans for application testing: a Base Plan ($500 for a handheld application, $1,200 for a conduit) and a Premium Plan, which offers support and better turnaround ($700 for a handheld application, $1,600 for a conduit). (Note: there are additional charges for retesting and variations.) Check the Quality Partners' web site often, as this type of information frequently changes.
No matter what, you should look over the testing cycle that Quality Partners uses on an application and do what is necessary to ensure that your application meets those guidelines. Their tests include important checks like:
Palm Programming Mailing Lists |
The following mailing lists are hosted by Palm Computing, and it's common to see Palm employees answering questions. While these lists are not officially supported, they serve as a good self-support mechanism and are constantly used by developers to answer each other's questions.
Palm Computing's developer web site has forms to subscribe to any of these lists:
Third-Party Palm Programming Resources |
Currently, there are no Palm programming newsgroups distributed on Usenet. However, Darrin Massena hosts a newsgroup server with some different newsgroups:
news://news.massena.com/pilot.programmer
General Palm programming questions
news://news.massena.com/pilot.programmer.gcc
Discussion about using the Gnu PalmPilot SDK
news://news.massena.com/pilot/programmer.codewarrior
Discussion about using CodeWarrior
news://news.massena.com/pilot.programmer.pila
Discussion about programming in Motorola 68000 assembly language
news://news.massena.com/pilot.programmer.jump
Discussion about programming in Java
Note that http://www.dejanews.com, a newsgroup search engine, does catalog Massena's newsgroups, so from Dejanews you can do keyword searches.
NOTE: In the future, these sites may be moved to a Palm site. If you attempt to read these newsgroups and find they are no longer where you expected them to be, check Palm's web site for further information. |
Third-Party Palm Programming FAQ |
contains numerous helpful resources. One is a fairly comprehensive FAQ. There are also code examples and some links to other PalmPilot sites.
RoadCoders, Handheld Developers |
contains resources on both the Palm OS and Windows CE devices. Among its useful sections are:
Palm OS SDKs
A nice listing of the currently available SDKs for the Palm OS and what platforms they run on.
Tools
A list of tools and utilities.
Articles
Some very nice articles on various aspects of Palm programming or on using various programming tools.
Source code
Example code, some good, some not.
Developer listings
This is a listing of developers who do Palm programing. You can also add your name to the collection.
PalmCentral |
This is a large collection of software listed by categories, located at:
It includes a Developer category and source code.
Journals and Magazines |
There are two good magazines that offer a wide range of both user and programming articles. They are PalmPower and Handheld Systems Journal. Check our web site for information on new electronic resources, as this area is growing rapidly.
PalmPower Online Magazine
This magazine is devoted exclusively to the Palm Computing platform. Its web site is:
This monthly online magazine contains many interesting articles as well a monthly programmer's column, which often contains useful coding techniques and tips.
Handheld Systems Journal
This journal has been around for a number of years. Its web site is:
This journal covers the whole gamut of handhelds, including Palm OS devices. The focus is on code-level, in-depth discussions of hardware and software. This is a bimonthly printed magazine that is also available in electronic Adobe Acrobat form. Free samples and past archived issues of the journal are available at the web site. The current price of a subscription is around $50.