Apadmi

Native C++ Symbian Development

Berlin Bootcamp 23/09/09

Adam Fleming
adamf@apadmi.com
Apadmi Introduction

10 Years Cross Platform Mobile Experience

We worked on the first Symbian device in 1998

Developing Innovation - Device Technology & Applications

Providing Expert Consultancy & Development Service

Roadmap Planning

Feasibility Studies

Technical Workshops & Training

Prototyping

Design, Development, Testing/Certification

Working in Partnership to Deliver Quality Solutions:

Presentation Overview

Overview

How does Native C++ fit into the development
picture?

First Steps

Getting set up, installation, “HelloWorld”

UI Designer

Moving on

Accessing System Services (doing cool stuff)

Some Essential Symbian Idioms (briefly)
How Does Native C++ Fit?

Symbian platform now supports many
development environments

Qt, Open C, Java ME, Python, Flash Lite

So Why Native C++?

Executables are faster and smaller

The only way to get to the full power of the system

No interface/encapsulation/abstraction layers

No Sandbox

Underlying OS is almost entirely Native C++

The only way to do some things

Extending built-in functionality (eg, new codecs)

Integrating tightly with built-in apps
Important Considerations

Learning Curve

Symbian C++ is not standardised C++!

Highly optimised system

Complexity arises from underlying systems

Security Model

Implications during and after development

Code is not portable to other platforms

But this is true for all forms of native dev

Multiple tools to learn and understand

Carbide is great, but there’s no substitute for
understanding the whole process
Setting Up The Environment

3 Files to download

Perl – install this 1st

ActiveState Perl Version 5.6.1.638
 (Don’t attempt to use a later version!)

ADT – install this 2nd

Toolchain including IDE

SDK – install this (or these) last

Platform code
 S60 v5/Symbian^1 – new base-version
 S60 3rd Edition – 3 flavours still important for supporting
current handsets (MR, FP1, FP2)

http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Symbian_C%2B%2B_Quick_Start
First Run – a tip born of experience

Run the emulator

\epoc32\release\winscw\udeb\epoc.exe

Enter the Locale, time/date

Start any relevant applications
 Open contacts app, the web browser, check everything
works but don’t enter any data

Archive the whole epoc32 directory tree

BEFORE you do any development

Put it somewhere safe

Write a batch file to replace the epoc32 tree in your
SDK
Hello World!

Carbide IDE will auto-generate the framework

code and give you a runnable application

UI Designer allows you to drag and drop
components to develop a UI

Demo – HelloWorld

5 minutes to your first application

http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Symbian_C%2B%2B_Quick_Start

http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Going_Beyond_Hello:_A_Tutorial_for_Symbi
an_C%2B%2B_Applications
Basic Application Structure
class Hello World

CHelloWo rldAppUi

CAknVie wAppUi CAknView CButto n1 CAknButton

CApaApplication CAknDocument

CHelloWorldContainerView CHelloWorldContainer CCoeCo ntrol

CHelloWorld Application CHelloWorldDocument

CLab el1 CEikLabel

Initialisation
Initialisation

App Doc AppUi

Your
View Container
controls
Another Experience to Share

UI Designer won’t update the generated code

until you hit save – do this often!

Be careful not to edit the generated code

Unless you know you’re done with the UI Designer

If you think you’re done, you’re probably not

Check your UI in all the screen configurations!

Accessing a System Service

Virtually anything interesting is a Server

File System

Internet Connectivity

Positioning

Telephony

etc

Servers are separate processes (address
spaces)

Need create a session to handle IPC

Frequently multiple classes involved in a single
server
An Example

Going to look at File Server as an example
class Bootcamp

RFs RSessi onBase

RFor mat

CDir Scan CFil eMan

RDir

CBa se RSubSess ionBase RFi le

RFs (abridged) f32file.h
class RFs : public RSessionBase
{
public:
IMPORT_C TInt Connect(TInt aMessageSlots=KFileServerDefaultMessageSlots);
IMPORT_C TVersion Version() const;
IMPORT_C void NotifyChange(TNotifyType aType,TRequestStatus& aStat);
IMPORT_C void NotifyChange(TNotifyType aType,TRequestStatus& aStat,const TDesC& aPathName);
IMPORT_C void NotifyChangeCancel();
IMPORT_C void NotifyChangeCancel(TRequestStatus& aStat);
IMPORT_C TInt DriveList(TDriveList& aList) const;
IMPORT_C TInt DriveList(TDriveList& aList, TUint aFlags) const;
IMPORT_C TInt Drive(TDriveInfo& anInfo,TInt aDrive=KDefaultDrive) const;
IMPORT_C TInt MkDir(const TDesC& aPath);
IMPORT_C TInt MkDirAll(const TDesC& aPath);
IMPORT_C TInt RmDir(const TDesC& aPath);
IMPORT_C TInt GetDir(const TDesC& aName,TUint anEntryAttMask,TUint anEntrySortKey,CDir*& anEntryList) const;
IMPORT_C TInt Delete(const TDesC& aName);
IMPORT_C TInt Rename(const TDesC& anOldName,const TDesC& aNewName);
IMPORT_C TInt Replace(const TDesC& anOldName,const TDesC& aNewName);
IMPORT_C TInt Att(const TDesC& aName,TUint& aAttValue) const;
IMPORT_C TInt Modified(const TDesC& aName,TTime& aTime) const;
IMPORT_C TInt PrivatePath(TDes& aPath);
IMPORT_C TInt CreatePrivatePath(TInt aDrive);
};
Descriptors

Symbian OS String Representations

Designed to be as resource efficient as possible

At the cost of increased complexity

http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Descriptors_(Fundamentals_of_Symbian_C%2B%2B)
Actually Using RFs
Actually using RFs

RFs rfs;
Creates an empty file

rfs.Connect();
in the private directory
rfs.CreatePrivatePath(EDriveC);
TFileName newFileName;
Useful for storing
rfs.PrivatePath(newFileName);
application local
_LIT(KCDrive,"C:");
_LIT(KNewFileName,"HelloWorld.txt"); information
newFileName.Insert(0,KCDrive);
newFileName.Append(KNewFileName);

Not useful for debug
RFile newFile;
logs – user can’t get
newFile.Create(rfs,
newFileName,
to this path!
EFileShareExclusive|EFileWrite);

newFile.Close();
rfs.Close();
A note about sessions and subsessions

All subsessions are associated with a session

Closing the session before the subsession will

cause an error

Closing the subsession doesn’t close the

session
Active Objects

Effectively event handlers

Fit into an optimised wait-loop which is
encapsulated within system architecture

Removes the need to create new threads for
handling asynchronicity in most cases

Can massively simplify coding highly asynchronous
systems

Carbide can auto-generate framework objects
for you to adapt

Worth spending time to truly understand
http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Active_Objects_(Fundamentals_of_Symbian_C%2B%2B)
UIDs
UIDs

Unique Identifiers

Each application has its own

Used to mark its executable

Also present in data files

Also used to determine private file area

2 Ranges

Protected 0x 2xxx xxxx (Obtained from Symbian)

Unprotected 0x Exxx xxxx (allocated by Carbide)
Security Model
Security Model

Data Caging

Applications have a secure directory not visible to
other apps

Applications cannot access critical system locations

Capabilities

Some APIs require a capability to be present in the
executable.

Static or Dynamic

Applied to executables
Symbian Signing

Provides revocation and traceability framework

Process for granting Capabilities

Externally enforced

Different levels

Self-Signed

Capabilities have to be approved by user

Open/Express/Certified

Capabilities granted without user intervention

Application signed with a publisher ID
Just the tip of the iceberg

45 minutes really isn’t enough!

Not even talked about some key concepts

Follow Up Assistance

Apadmi Training

Symbian OS Training & Bootcamps (3-5 days)

Open Courses in Manchester – Oct, Nov, Dec

Standard/Customised courses in your office

Consultancy

Advise/assist your development projects

Workshops, Technical Support, Q&A, Problem Solving

Talk to me or email: info@apadmi.com