How can I program for a pda?

[Cybermastif]

Hello, I know this is going to sound like, like, well a lUSER question.....

....but as I have been gernally ignoring this part of the computer world... how can I program for PDA's? I currently can program in c & c++ plus various other languages, but I generally want to stick w/ c/c++. What I want to do is write a simple program to keep my exposure information while i am out shooting pics. Generally I write that info down and then hand type it into the pc so I have a nice and neat record of what I did. If I could use a pda, I could simply take care of that in the field, then upload that data into the pc, eliminating a step for myself.

This prog. would not be too complex, it would simply take in 1. roll no. (roll identification) 2. Primary subject, ie. waterfalls- Glacier National Park, 3. ISO, Next screen: 1.f-stop (nice gui interface here..) 2. shutter speed (another nice gui interface) 3. important data (simple details if necessary, ie. specific type of bird, like "Bluejay") 4. gui: "next" & "end roll"

It wold be real basic like that.....

the question I wold guess then boils down to what do I need to know (Other then "you need to know how to program") to write a program like this for a pda?

TIA for the help!

Cybermastif

 

[singh]

What OS is on the PDA?

 

[Descartes]

You didn't give enough information, but I'll give you ideas for each platform.

Lets start with Palm:

My previous experience in Palm development is with CodeWarrior for Palm. It has a decent resource editor, but other than that, I really don't like it. There are many who disagree w/ me on this, so I'll just say that you should check it out and decide for yourself. The other (better, imo) choice is to use PRC Tools and whatever editor you like (I like UltraEdit). You simply compile from the CLI like you would with gcc, vc++'s cl, etc. The PRC Tools do not come with a resource editor, but you can download PilRC. If you're on Windows, you can download Cygwin to get the linux emulation layer needed to compile.

You're going to need the Palm OS SDK as well. Really what you need are the docs, the emulator, and a couple of roms for the emulator.

Now, for the Pocket PC:

You have a few choices:

eMbedded Visual Tools 3.0 or the .NET Compact Framework. I've worked with both, but STRONGLY prefer the .NET CF; however, it's still in beta, and a "hush" beta at that. The next version of Visual Studio.NET includes facilities to build apps on the Pocket PC using the .NET CF called SDE (Smart Device Extensions). It is VERY slick.

For Palm, Pocket PC, and others, you can also use something like AppForge. Personally, I wouldn't use it, but it may work for you.

If you have any more specific questions, ask away. I've gone through many headaches developing for the above platforms and can probably offer some insight into each. I'm almost 100% targetting Pocket PC at this time (thanks .NET CF! 🙂).