Database Users

Midlet & Java...?

OK Chaps..(and any Chapesses..of course. :wink: )
Whilst accsessing the web, I noticed that any JAVA appletts I came across didnt work........
I gather this is somthing to do with downloading some .jab, .jar files, / midlet suite into the Midlet manager.........
Where do I find such beasts........
(Looked at Midlet.com. but didn't see the XDA listed...or am I just being stupid?)
Many thanks
Steve.

A lot of confusion goes on with Java. The XDAII does not support full Java, i.e. embedded Java applets in web pages, or Java applications.
It does support a flavour of ECMAScript, called JScript, for scripting simple things on web pages - this is often confused with Java because Netscape called the original scripting language JavaScript. Apart from a similarity in syntax, it has very little to do with "real" Java.
However with the latest ROM update from O2, you get Midlet Manager which can run standalone applications using a particular cut-down version of "real" Java called J2ME (java 2 micro edition; with MIDP - mobile information device profiles) . These are generally called midlets, and are normally packaged as jar or jad files.
There are two problems here -
Hardware: these applications are usually written for mobile phones with a keypad, which the XDA lacks and midlet manager doesn't simulate, so many of the midlets are just not usuable; mobile phones have teeny weeny screens, and of course the XDA has a nice big one, so midlets generally will look awful.
Software: Because mobile phones are pretty low spec compared to our glorious XDAs, midlets are generally pathetic comared with real pocketPC applications.
If you want to try some midlets, just to see how pointless they are, there are a lot of free ones at www.midlet.org
If you want to run full Java on the XDA, you can purchase a proper JVM. I beleive Jeode runs OK, but it is $50.
There's also Waba, which is a free, similarly cut-down java variant, that is a good alternative to J2ME; and IBM Websphere Micro Edition, that is a cheap alternative full J2ME.
I've heard that the NetFront alternative browser has a companion JVM for applets, so this might be your best bet if you want to run Java Applets in web pages.

Cheers.!!!

Midlet Manager
cant be downloaded from anywhere can it
is it comercial and only in roms like the new o2 one ?

Yeah, it's one of those products that the vendor only licenses to OEMs. I suppose you could get somebody to send you the cab from the extended rom and see if it'll install.

PocketPC 2003 Programming...

What is the very basic programming in making applications to wm2003? like visualbasic 6.0 in the PC in there visual basic for pocket pc? Thanks Where can i get it?

there is visual studio 2003 .net

Hi,
I have started to code quite a bit for Windows Mobile 2003 and have not looked back )
You can try several different routes, the easiest and least expensive is to download the Micrsoft WM2003 SDK from their site (easier to do a google search for Windows Mobile 2003 SDK). You will need to download the SDK(s) as well as either eVB or eVC (eVB is your best option as its very similar to Visual Basic), however these tools are still quite 'hardcore' and require a fair amount of investment from you.
In addition to eVB you can try AppForge for Visual Basic 6.0 which plug's into VB6 and allows you create feature rich WM2003 applications, AppForge also installs a Booster tool on your Pocket PC device which greatly enhances he speed of the the VB apps.
The best route in my opinion is to download the Visual Studio 2005 Express Beta tools. Microsoft took Visual Studio.NET 2003 and updated allot of the tool sets, added more Mobile Device support and split up the different modules (so you will have to download what you need, i.e VB.NET Express). If you have the money you can fork out for the professional version of Visual Studio.NET 2003 which includes fulll support of Pocket PC/Windows Mobile 2003 & Smartphone devices (some through the download of the correct SDK, VS.NET can use emulators to run apps through the IDE without the need for a physical device docked with the main host).
Finally, to imporve your VB.NET coding experience and make the job of developing Pocket PC/Windows Mible 2003 apps, you can purchase (download available) a copy of AppForge CrossFire for .NET which allows you to use the Visual Studio.NET Visual Basic or C# languages.
Personally, I code nearly all of my Pocket PC apps in Visual Studio.NET 2003 using the C# lnaguage (I an one of the rare people who love C proramming)..
Cheers,
Taz

Wow.. I started this thread since sept 23 and got a new reply now.. this is a dead thread but you revived it.. thanx for your help now im currently donwloading the SDK... Thanx

need some advice on development SDKs

Hi everybody,
I am looking for sdks/tools/ ... for mobile development.
e.g.
- sdk like the flash player sdk (http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer_sdk/),
to integrate flash functionality into own applications, has anybody used it?
- are there any sdks that provide advanced multimedia functionalities?
(e.g. access to build in cameras and convertion functionalities)
- or recognition tools speech recognizers, synthesizers ...
- or cool graphic libraries
- or sip and IM functionalties
I am willing to spend some money to get the best software,
my target os is windows mobile
would be happy to get some feedback on what is currently available and used by experts.
thanks
p.s.
currently i am using visual studio 2005 for development.

try the wm6 sdk's

SDK

Noob question: Does HTC have an SDK for their devices, or do they just rely on the WM6 SDK?
And on a related note...
I'm just starting to get into VB programming for WM (specifically, for my Tilt/Kaiser). Any advice on how best to get started? Stupid beginner mistakes to avoid? Best sites for finding sample code?
Thanks all!
-Florp

There is no special SDK form HTC devices.
In fact you do not even have to use WM 6 SDK specifically, programs compiled with previous SDKs will work as well.
Here is a site to start with: www.pocketpcdn.com
Personally, VB is not a language I recommend for WM based devices. Aside from a fact that you need the expansive VS 2005 (full version) to program in it, .NET compact framework makes for slower apps and on devices pre WM 6 it takes 5 MB to install CF 2.
Also, you can not use it to write things like today plugins and keyboards and accessing other system functions is a problem.

Thanks for the info!
If not VB, how about C#? Is that a well-supported language on WM?
-Florp

Well C# is a bit better than VB syntax vise but it suffers from all the same problems I listed before:
Need VS 2005
Need .NET CF2 -which is slow and built in only in WM 6
Difficulty accessing native APIs.
My personal recommendation is C++. If you are really interested in programming and don't know it - learn it.
Why?
MS has a free tool to compile for WM devices: Embedded visual C++ 4
You can write anything with it and access any system API directly with no problem.
Native codes runs faster and is more memory officiant because no supporting framework needs to be loaded.
Of course it all really depends on what you want to do. If you just want to make a quick simple app for you own use VB or C# may be more than enough provided you can get you hands on VS 2005.

[eMbedded Visual C++] vs. [Visual Studio 2005]

As I understand it, eMbedded VC++ can be used to write applications that will work in Windows Mobile 5/6. I'm curious as to what I would miss out on in terms of API. In other words, what's new and shiny in VS 2005 that would make it worth my money to purchase instead of just using eMbedded VC++?
Particularly, I'm interested in writing a Today Screen plugin (so the .Net features don't matter to me very much). Is there any API breakage between Pocket PC 2003 and Windows Mobile 5/6 regarding Today Screen .dll's?
Alternately, is there a way to use the Windows Mobile 5/6 SDK with eMbedded VC++?

embedded vc++ apps can run on wm6 devices because in most cases all arm wm apps can run on all wm devices
the beta2 of visual stuio 2008 is free and can also do what vs2005 can and more

Rudegar said:
embedded vc++ apps can run on wm6 devices because in most cases all arm wm apps can run on all wm devices
the beta2 of visual stuio 2008 is free and can also do what vs2005 can and more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know eMbedded VC++ apps can run on WM6, my question was more about whether there are any differences in available library/API calls using the older development platform, any name mangling issues writing DLL's, etc. Can I just use eMbedded VC++ to compile against the newest SDK libraries?

You will miss the following:
1) 1GB+ of you hard drive wasted.
2) 5 minutes wasted every time you try to access built in help
3) A lot of time lost due to slow response of the IDE
4) Programs that are not backward compatible.
5) Spending lots of money unless you have "other" ways of acquiring VS which we do not condone.
I worked with VS 2005 and still prefer eVC 4.
API is just a matter of what libraries you link to. You can get all the shiny new bells and whistles (frankly I am not familiar with any critical API, and certainly there is nothing new for today plugins) in two ways:
1) Manually unpack WM 5 or 6 SDK and link to its libs.
(Project->Settings->Link)
2) Use LoadLibrary and GetProcAddress to dynamically gain access to the API.
Oh and if you want to write today plugin check out this article and the link to RegDisplay in my signature. It is a skeleton plugin project you can use as a base.
Oh and stay away from VS 2008 at least till it comes out of beta. VS 2005 beta was the worst nightmare I ever seen and I can bet MS track record has not improved.