Questions about an application for PDAs...

Hi all,
I'm sending this message because I have to start to development a little application for PDAs to allow my users to make orders to request food in a hospital which has WIFI connection but not in all the areas of the building. I’ve never done an application for PDAs but as I understand the data we store in the PDAs has to be resumed because these devices have a limited memory, right? And we also have to give to the user the possibility to work disconnected from the main data base, right?
The main program is in another language, not Windev, and we use MSSQL to storage the data.
Before start this application I would like to know the answer to some questions that I’ve by hoping that the experts of this forum can answer them 

1- What’s the most suitable way to develop something for a PDA, make an application using WD mobile or make a web application with WebDev to run on the PDA? Which one would be the best way?

2- What should I use to storage the information on the PDA? Use Hyper file or some other format? Because as far as I know it is not possible to use MSSQL, right?

3- To extract the data from the PDA do I need some special program to synchronize the data with the main application or do I need to create some function in my main program to read the data from the PDA to update the database? Or maybe this function should be in the PDA program? I don’t have a clear idea about this.

4- If we don’t know exactly the PDA model that our users will have should we develop the windows for some particular resolution, it is possible to change the screen resolution by code to adjust the application to any PDA model?

Well, I guess for the moment this is enough to start.
Thank you very much in advance for anybody that can help me with this issue. Any suggestion or advice will be appreciated.

Regards!

Victoria Caballero
Copenhague (Denmark)

Quote
Victoria Caballero
Hi all,
..... a little application for PDAs to allow my users to make orders to request food in a hospital which has WIFI connection but not in all the areas of the building.

Hi Victoria,
This means in other words .Mission impossible. Or do you want the nurses to collect the PDAs in non WIFI areas ?

Anyway,the easy way to implement the "food order system" is : Implement it in Webdev using your existing MSSQL Server: No programming overhead.No replication required, and may be the most important point : Simple maintenance (you just have to update the WEB app, not hundrets of PDAs )

Further.
MSSQL is available as Compact Edition... WIN CE)

PDA Screen resolution : There exist an interesting LST article regarding this topic: Unfortunatelly I can't find 'em: Maybe somebody else can help..
Again, this problem is more or less obsolete in case that you develop the app in Webdev:

Finally have a look at WX universal replication...

Just my 2 cents, hth

Bjoern

Hi Victoria

1- What’s the most suitable way to develop something for a PDA, make an application using WD mobile or make a web application with WebDev to run on the PDA? Which one would be the best way?

If you do it in webdev, it will be available only in the area where the wifi connection is available (or gprs of course)... So to answer your requirements, it should be in windev mobile.

2- What should I use to storage the information on the PDA? Use Hyper file or some other format? Because as far as I know it is not possible to use MSSQL, right?

I advise for hyperfile. it's very easy to implement this way

3- To extract the data from the PDA do I need some special program to synchronize the data with the main application or do I need to create some function in my main program to read the data from the PDA to update the database? Or maybe this function should be in the PDA program? I don’t have a clear idea about this.

You'll need a connection of some sort between your local DB and the main one? This has several consequences:
- This function, however you implement it, will be available only when the pda is connected
- as you cannot access DIRECTLY the main DB in mssql from the pda, you need a realy of some sort, either a windev or webdev program
- if you choose to have your relay in windev, you need first to synchronize with it, then let it synchronize with the main db is mssql (universal replication is ONE way of doing it)
- if you choose webdev, you can have one simple awp page that you can access from the pda using httprequest. This will allow you to sent information and get answers from the webdev app, and this one can read/write DIRECTLY in the main MSSQL DB


4- If we don’t know exactly the PDA model that our users will have should we develop the windows for some particular resolution, it is possible to change the screen resolution by code to adjust the application to any PDA model?

You should develop for the SMALLEST possible screen (I would say that 240x240 is a safe bet) and use the anchoring system to adapt to the real screen size

best regards

Fabrice Harari
WinDev, WebDev, WinDev Mobile consulting

Hi guys!
thank you both for your response!!

I have a question for you Fabrice; about point 3 (to extract the data from the PDA) I was thinking that it is possible to make a little program in WinDev to read the data from the PDA in the hyperfile tables and then write this information in the MSSQL database. Is that what you mean in your response? is that the kind of synchronization that I should make? Because the format of the tables in the PDA will be different than the one in the MSSQL database. I guess in the PDA we should have just some fields and some records, not all the information we have in the main database because of the size of the memory in the PDAs right?
Thanks again for your response.

Best regards!

Victoria Caballero
Copenhagen (Denmark)

Hi Victoria...

that is one of the possibilities, but not the only one...

You could also:
- FROM the pda, write in a HF classic file on the connected PC, then have a windev program read from there and write in MSSQL
- Use a socket connection to trasnfer information from mobile to windev
- From the pda, create an export text file that is written on the connected PC and from there read it (in windev or anything else) and write in mssql,
- etc...

Best regards

Fabrice Harari
WinDev, WebDev, WinDev Mobile Video Courses

Hi Fabrice,
very clear explanation!!! thanks!.
Now I've a very clear idea about how to do this task and the options I've.

Another question. I've seen that you have some tutorial videos and one of the them is for WD mobile. Which are exactly the topics you explain in this video because I'm interested in this one for start.
Thanks again!

Best regards!

Victoria Caballero
Copenhagen (Denmark)

Hi again...

basically, this course is an introduction for WinDev users... It list
all the things you should think about when starting a first mobile app
(some of those we talked about quickly because of your questions).
Things to do, things not to do, how to design the app, and so on...

best regards

--
Fabrice Harari
International WinDev, WebDev and WinDev mobile Consulting

More information on [www.fabriceharari.com]


Victoria Caballero wrote:
> Hi Fabrice,
> very clear explanation!!! thanks!.
> Now I've a very clear idea about how to do this task and the options I've.
> Another question. I've seen that you have some tutorial videos and one of the them is for WD mobile. Which are exactly the topics you explain in this video because I'm interested in this one for start.
> Thanks again!
> Best regards!
> Victoria Caballero
> Copenhagen (Denmark)
>
>
>
>
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