Programmer's Toolbox

The Modules

All the modules that comprise the Toolbox are listed here. Each module has it's own page where you can read more detailed information about it.

Summary

The Programmer's Toolbox is a library of routines that provide an easy-to-use framework for you to develop event-driven SIBO applications.

Typical OPL programs would use the GETEVENT keyword. However, this did not allow other I/O to be handled simultaneously. Such I/O could be serial communications, WVE file playback or recording, timers, etc. The library here provides a system that calls procedures in your application to handle keyboard events and other system events alongside general I/O events.

All the libraries are written in straight OPL. No special pre-processor directives or anything. Any Psion machine can translate them. However, see How To Build Your Applications for more on pre-processors.

Changes History

Last updated: 2004-10-22

As I develop applications, I make changes to the library. Before June 2000, the last major restructure was September 1999, so it is fairly stable. To keep up-to-date with the latest features and bug fixes, check it regularly.

Tutorial

This describes how to incorporate the library in your applications. It also describes how to use the library to solve various problems.

I intend to add to this area regularly. Email your requests to me!

Supplementary Files

supp.zip (361) - INI.OPH contains some useful #defines for working with INI files, and OPLLIB.EXC is for use with OPA Cloak.

Some programs I have written are useful combined with the library:

• OPA Cloak - Use to remove extraneous procedures from your final application
• Resource IDE - Use to create resource files for your application, with all the text messages, dialog text, choice lists, menus, and help
• OPL Info - Use to show how big each procedure is - good for determining how big a cache to use, or when it might be time to 'refactor' a procedure into multiple smaller procedures

Useful Links

Here are some useful links to other SIBO OPL programming related sites:

• Psion Programming Reference - An online version of the Psion Programming Manual!
• Psion Programming Reference - Another copy of the above.
• Psion Comms Application
• The Psionics Files
• 3-Lib: Programming
• Jochen's OPL Programmers Workshop
• OPL Information
• Damage Psion Pages
• Andrew Lord has program called Psi2Dbf that converts the Psionics Files into Psion Data format
• Psion Program Development - A useful archive
• PsiFS - An explanation of the Link protocol
• [Dead link] Psion C Library for Turbo C++
• [Dead link] Dave Walker's Home Page - Home of the SIBO hosted CPOC C compiler
• Mike Rudin's Psion Page - Home of Revtran

• NEC V30 Microprocessor User Manual (693718)
• Object Oriented Programming Guide (the only publicly released manual from the SIBO C SDK) (1259377)
• EMCC Software have made available a PDF version of the book Programming Psion Computers by Leigh Edwards. ( 2.8MB)
• Psion SIBO Hardware Development Kit Documentation (953335)
• Psion SIBO Hardware Development Kit Example Source Code (42416)

During the development of my Resource IDE program I discovered many things about resource files:

resource.fmt - Resource file format (in Psionics style) (32850)

Some of the information was originally by Jochen Siegenthaler.

Origins of the Toolbox

This page has the collection of OPL modules that I use during my application development. I found most of them by surfing the net and modified them to my needs, others I wrote completely by myself. They should work on the following Psion SIBO machines: Series 3a, 3c, 3mx, Siena, and Workabout.

The modules mainly involve the user-interface. The most important of these is the application event managers. 'Standard' OPL programs using the GETEVENT keyword cannot intermix GETEVENT events with I/O events (such as a serial read). Then there is also the management of multiple I/O requests (eg. a main loop where you are checking individually the completion statuses of several I/O requests). These modules make this type of programming much easier.

Originally, these modules were part of my Application Manager project. However, the source for that monolithic module became larger than 40k (even with removal of lots of comments) and I could no longer use the Psion Program Editor on it. Now that I have split it into bits, I have restored full comments. Examples that were separate are now part of each source code file. Where applicable, I have indicated the origin of each module, and the author (if not me).

Conditions of Use

Essentially - almost none! As all the code I obtained from various Internet sites was freely available, I am making all of this code freely available also. As it is free, there are no warranties or guarantees as to its suitability for anything - or even that it works. Having said that, I have done my best to ensure that all of the modules on this page work (and, indeed, work together).

If you do use any of the code on this page, I would ask that you acknowledge myself, and the applicable original authors in your programs documentation (for example, the online help, the README file, etc). You could also let me know when you release software developed using these modules - I would be happy to add a link to the web page for your application from this page.

To Do

In no particular order:

• Figure out how to get tagged files from out of dxFILE:.

The following appear to be impossible:

• Async printer preview.
• Have the printer routines to change style (bold/underline) part way through a line.

I was going to do some more examples, but I'm just too busy.

Known Users of the Toolbox

• DiveTime and VideoLib by D R Cunningham

There's also me, of course!

• DarkLight
• OPA Cloak
• QVRemote
• Resource IDE
• PsiLog - A commercial program for use with a particular brand of electronic data loggers.