SECTION 1
Getting Started
1-18 PEN*KEY
R
6200/6300 Hand-Held Computer Programmer’s Reference Guide
Pen Extensions for Windows
Pen Extensions for Windows is standard Microsoft Windows with extra files,
some changes to SYSTEM.INI, and a new file (PENWIN.INI). Pen Extensions
for Windows provides character recognition and an easier interface for capturing
ink. Two handwritingĆrecognition engines are supported for Windows on our
handĆheld computers: Synaptics and CIC. These products are not in the toolkit.
If handwriting recognition is required, it can be ordered from Intermec. To order,
contact an Intermec sales representative.
If signature capture is required, but handwriting recognition is not required, this
can be done with regular Windows. Trap the mouseĆmove and mouseĆpressed
events and manually draw the ink. The ink then can be saved as bit maps and
compressed, if necessary. Visual Basic 3.0 Professional Edition has an example
of catching ink" in this way. The extra files for enabling the Pen Extensions are
provided in the toolkit.
See the
Memory Overview
paragraph, in
Appendix B, Common PEN*KEY 6000
Series Information
, for a description of Standard and Enhanced modes for
Windows.
Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
Microsoft Visual Basic (VB), for Windows, includes screenĆdrawing plus an easy
method for inserting code to control the application. It is very easy to program
for Windows with this tool. A few warnings, however, are in order. If frequently
used forms are not preloaded, the screen drawing may be slow. Also, the
dataĆaware controls are very nice, but supporting a database with these controls
consumes a lot of memory. VB can handle a large number of databases,
including dBase, Access, Paradox, and Foxpro. It can also handle ASCII and
text files.
"
NOTE:
Be aware! The performance of the processor in the HHC, used with Visual Basic may be an
issue, especially with the latest Visual Basic offerings.
In addition, keep in mind that Visual Basic writes directly to the screen, instead of through the
BIOS. If you install an application that places annunciators on the screen, Visual Basic may
write over them.
Borland Delphi for Windows
Delphi is a Borland product, that allows quick application development with
Pascal support.
Microsoft Visual C++ or Borland C++ for Windows
These are tools for experienced C Windows programmers. The foundation class
libraries or the object windows library can be used; just make sure to keep an
eye out for space limitations. Windows programs in general grow to a large size
quickly and require a lot of extra DLLs or VBXs.
Other Environments
Obviously, any development environment, that runs on the aforementioned
operating systems, may potentially be used to develop software for the HHC.
However, not all of the development environments necessarily work as well, nor
are they recommended. This is mainly because of size and speed limitations of
the HHC.
1. Getting Started
