When I got my Palm Top, everybody was astonished: Why have a PDA with Windows Mobile? The answer is: Why not? Palm OS powers more than 40 million mobile devices. It is very easy to use and has a nice interface.
In this article, I want to help developers write applications in Java MicroEdition by sharing my experience. You really don’t need me to learn how to write your Java code, but I spent a lot of time looking for the tools I need, so I can make this part easier for you.
First of all, the device needs java virtual machine for Palm OS, MIDP.prc.
The next step is to get some tools to transform the .java file into a .jad file and the .jad file into .prc files. I searched for the best freeware tools.
To transform the Java file into a .jad file, I successfully used KToolbar (J2ME Wireless Toolkit) tool (freeware), a very easy to use and documented tool. The advantage of this tool is obvious: The compilation and execution are realized in the same step. The tool has emulators included with some graphical interfaces.
There are some steps in using it:
- In apps folder of KToolbar, you have to create a folder with the same name as your application.
- The Java file must be copied in apps/[your new created folder]/src.
- From the menu, choose Project->Package->CreatePackage and the .jad file is created in the bin folder (apps/[your new created folder]/bin).
At this moment, you can transform the .jad file into a .prc file, by using the Converter tool:
You just need to choose the .jad file and this file is transformed into a .prc file.
The work is done. Now, the .prc file can be copied on your Mobile Device.
Easy isn’t it?
