This is the text, extracted from a presentation for Palm OS Programming Advanced UI elements. The gotchyas and pitfalls were skipped because I already had that in a separate page. I don't use Adobe and I wanted a textual reference instead of printing out slides, so I did this. View the original information at PalmSource

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Anatomy of the Stock Event Loop:

EventType event;
do
{
    EvtGetEvent(&event, evtWaitForever);
    if (! SysHandleEvent(&event))
        if (! MenuHandleEvent(0, &event, &error))
            if (! AppHandleEvent(&event))
                FrmDispatchEvent(&event);
} while (event.eType != appStopEvent);

• FrmDispatchEvent passes the event FIRST to the handler that was registered (usually by AppHandleEvent)
• If the event wasn't handled (i.e. the handler returns false) it flows to FrmHandleEvent, where it receives default handling
  • Keystrokes flow into fields
  • FrmUpdateEvent calls FrmDrawForm()

Opaque UI Structures

• Myth:
  • UI structures are documented so you can edit their contents.
• Reality:
  • UI structures are documented to help debugging.

Usable and Visible

• Myth:
  • Applications can control which form objects draw by setting the "visible" bit.
• Reality:
  • The "visible" bit is actually state information, not something you should be setting.
  • Use FrmShowObject() and FrmHideObject()

Clipboard

• Myth:
  • The clipboard is just for boring text.
• Reality:
  • You can put bitmaps on the clipboard, too!
    ClipboardAddItem(clipboardBitmap, bitmapP, MemPtrSize(bitmapP));
  • Text and bitmap clipboards are separate; one doesn't overwrite the other

Custom Fonts

• Myth:
  • Custom fonts aren.t supported.
• Reality:
  • Custom fonts ARE supported. We don.t make it easy (yet)..

Creating a Custom Font

• Fonts are NFNT resources (well, almost)
  • Slight differences in header
  • Glyphs contain space
• No support in Constructor for creating fonts
• But there are various third-party tools for creating and importing fonts
  • xFont
  • PilRC
  • ResEdit (Macintosh)

Adding a Font to your Project (PC)

• Use xFont (freeware) to make a font in PilRC format. Call it something like "myFont.pfn"
  • Or create font directly in PilRC format - See PilRC Manual for details
• Install PilRC CodeWarrior plugin
  http://www.calliopeinc.com/pilrcplugin.html
• Add a .rcp file to project with this line in it:
  • Font 'FONT' FONTID 128 "myFont.pfn"
• Compile and get a .r file containing a "NFNT" resource
  • data 'NFNT' (20052) means Resource ID is 20052

Installing a Custom Font

MemHandle fontH; 
FontType* fontP; 
fontH = DmGetResource(fontResource, 25002); 
fontP = (FontType*) MemHandleLock(fontH);
FntDefineFont(fntAppFontCustomBase, fontP); 
MemHandleUnlock(fontH); 
DmReleaseResource(fontH);

• fntAppFontCustomBase is the first ID available
  • add an offset when defining multiple fonts

Using a Custom Font

• WinDrawChars will now use this font
  • if you call FntSetFont(fntAppFontCustomBase)
• LstGlueSetFont, FrmGlueSetLabelFont, CtlGlueSetFont, TblSetItemFont can then take fntAppFontCustomBase to set the list, form, control or table font to the new custom font

High Resolution Font Families

 LowRes
NFNT 2000  ---->      Constructor
                          or             ---->   Family
  HiRes    ---->  tfnf resource defines         NFNT 4000
NFNT 3000          font family members

• Use only on Palm OS 5 and later
  • Not backwards compatible (check OS version!)
• DmGetResource('nfnt', myFontFamilyID);
• From there use same as "old style" custom font

Tables

• Myth:
  • Tables are Complicated
• Reality:
  • Tables are Very Complicated

Do You Really Need a Table?

• Tables are ideal when:
  • You need UI widgets embedded in a table
    • fields, checkboxes, or anything that accepts input
• Consider alternatives when:
  • You simply want to display data in a multi-column format
  • You require scrolling
    • Tables have no inherent scrolling functionality!

Alternatives to Tables

• Lists
  • Can have multiple columns when drawn by callback
  • Great when rows can select together
• Fields + Scrollbar
  • Great for text-only data
• Gadgets
  • Most flexible, most work
  • Get a rectangle that receives hits
  • Implement only the functionality you need

Attention Manager

• Myth:
  • The Attention Manager is a 4.0 replacement for the Alarm Manager.
• Reality:
  • The Attention Manager is a central UI repository for attention getting messages from all applications.

Step 1: Call the Attention Manager

• Often in response to an Alarm or Notification

AttnGetAttention(cardNo, dbID, userData, NULL,
                 kAttlLevelSubtle, kAttnFlagsUseUserSettings, 5, 2);
		 
// Handle the launch code sysAppLaunchCmdAttention

case sysAppLaunchCmdAttention:	 
    HandleAttention((AttnLaunchCodeArgsType*)cmdPBP); 

Step 2: Draw the Attention UI

switch (cmdPBP->command) 
    case kAttnCommandDrawList:
        // Draw the item in the list
    case kAttnCommandDrawDetail:
        // Draw the detail screen

/// Code to help you out
x = cmdPBP->commandArgsP->drawList.bounds.topLeft.x; 
y = cmdPBP->commandArgsP->drawList.bounds.topLeft.y; 
WinDrawBitmap(iconP, x, y); 
x += kAttnListTextOffset; 
WinDrawChars(theStr, StrLen(theStr), x, y);

Step 3: Extras

• case kAttnCommandPlaySound
  • Chance to play a custom sound
  • Sent if requested in AttnGetAttention() call
• case kAttnCommandCustomEffect
  • Chance to do any other custom effect

Step 4: Handle User's Choice

case kAttnCommandGotIt:
    // Selected the OK button
    
case kAttnCommandSnooze:
    // Selected the Snooze button
    
case kAttnCommandGoThere:
    // Selected the Go To button
    AttnForgetIt(cardNo, dbID, cmdPBP->userData);
    buf = (UInt32*) MemPtrNew(sizeof(UInt32)); 
    MemPtrSetOwner(buf, 0); 
    *buf = paramP->userData;
    
    SysUIAppSwitch(cardNo, dbID, 
                   sysAppLaunchCmdCustomBase, buf); 
    // Handle sysAppLaunchCmdCustomBase in PalmMain()

Step 5: Update the Attention Manager

• AttnForgetIt -- when something in the attention manager is no longer relevant
• AttnIterate -- Iterates through everything that belongs to your app and gives your callback a chance to handle each one
  • Update all attentions
  • Erase all attentions
• AttnUpdate -- Update specific attention
• AttnGetCounts -- Use to find out how many attentions you have pending