Deploying MIDlet via cable?

[Darryl L. Pierce]

I am a MIDlet newbie but I've done a fair bit of J2SE development.

I would like to understand the deployment process for midlets a bit
better. I have downloaded the Wireless Toolkit (2.2) and would like to
install some of the demo applications on my Tungsten E PDA just to
practice the process of installing an application. Unfortunately I'm not
very clear on what I have to do.

The J2ME FAQ at
http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/c/mcpierce/j2mefaq.html#provisioning seems vague
on the process.

It's vague because there's no single way to deploy a MIDlet suite to a
device. It's all dependant on the device itself. Most mobiles allow you to
deploy via OTA using the WAP browser on the handset. Some devices (such as
my Motorola V400) let you install via a USB/serial/irDA connection and
special software. Still others (like the Siemens S55 or Nokia 36xx series)
let you provision via Bluetooth. The MIDP is specifically unclear on the
hows since that is something the OEM has to determine for themselves.

For you, you'd be best served checking with Palm's website. Unfortunately,
I'm personally unfamiliar with the Tungstens, which is why the FAQ has
little to no specific information on that handset. If you figure out how to
provision to that handset, I'd appreciate you sending me the details and
I'll give you credit in the FAQ for the answer.

Also, I have one terminology question that is relevant to this issue. I
keep seeing the term "MIDlet suite" in the FAQ but I can't find a
definition of that term. Is it the JAD and the JAR files for the
application? Or both of those plus the MANIFEST.MF file? Or something else
altogether?

The MIDlet suite is the JAR file. It's referred to as a suite since it can
contain more than a single MIDlet.

--
/**
* @author Darryl L. Pierce <[email protected]>
* @see The Infobahn Offramp <http://mcpierce.multiply.com>
* @quote "Lobby, lobby, lobby, lobby, lobby, lobby..." - Adrian Monk
*/

 

[Rhino]

I am a MIDlet newbie but I've done a fair bit of J2SE development.

I would like to understand the deployment process for midlets a bit better.
I have downloaded the Wireless Toolkit (2.2) and would like to install some
of the demo applications on my Tungsten E PDA just to practice the process
of installing an application. Unfortunately I'm not very clear on what I
have to do.

The J2ME FAQ at
http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/c/mcpierce/j2mefaq.html#provisioning seems vague
on the process. Am I right in understanding that OTA provisioning is not an
option for me since my PDA does not have Bluetooth and I do not have a cell
phone or wireless modem of any kind? All I have is the IR port on the PDA.

Assuming I am right and that OTA is not an option for me, I'm trying to
understand in more detail what I need to do to install my midlet via the
HotSync cable. The FAQ says that I need to "browse the local file system and
select the JAR and JAD files to install onto the device. The software then
negotiates a connection with the device and uploads the MIDlet suite."

When I try to drag and drop a given JAR and its JAD into the Palm Quick
Install application on my PC's desktop, it will only drop into the Expansion
Card area of the Install application; I can't drop it into the Handheld area
of the application. However, I don't have any expansion cards for the
Tungsten E. (The Tungsten E supports expansion cards; I just don't happen to
have one.) Is it only possible to install MIDlets on an expansion card and
not on the Handheld itself?

I have access to a server and could put the JAD and JAR on that server if
that would help. However, I stress again that I have no wireless access to
my handheld beyond the IR port. (The Tungsten E does not support Bluetooth
so I couldn't add it even if I wanted to.)

Are there any options for installing MIDlets on my PDA *WITHOUT* upgrading
to a more expensive PDA that has Bluetooth and/or getting a cell phone which
I haven't needed until now? I would be willing to convert my MIDlet to .PRC
files and installing them that way, assuming it is possible to convert
MIDlets to .PRC files; if it is, could someone please tell me how?

Also, I have one terminology question that is relevant to this issue. I keep
seeing the term "MIDlet suite" in the FAQ but I can't find a definition of
that term. Is it the JAD and the JAR files for the application? Or both of
those plus the MANIFEST.MF file? Or something else altogether?

Any help on this issue would be highly appreciated!

Rhino

 

[Rhino]

It's vague because there's no single way to deploy a MIDlet suite to a
device. It's all dependant on the device itself. Most mobiles allow you to
deploy via OTA using the WAP browser on the handset. Some devices (such as
my Motorola V400) let you install via a USB/serial/irDA connection and
special software. Still others (like the Siemens S55 or Nokia 36xx series)
let you provision via Bluetooth. The MIDP is specifically unclear on the
hows since that is something the OEM has to determine for themselves.

Fair enough. I hope I didn't sound critical about the FAQ; it's actually
quite helpful. I also understand now why it couldn't be more precise on the
exact process(es) involved in provisioning.

For you, you'd be best served checking with Palm's website. Unfortunately,
I'm personally unfamiliar with the Tungstens, which is why the FAQ has
little to no specific information on that handset. If you figure out how to
provision to that handset, I'd appreciate you sending me the details and
I'll give you credit in the FAQ for the answer.

I'll see if the folks at Palm can help me out with that. I'll let you know
what I find out.

The MIDlet suite is the JAR file. It's referred to as a suite since it can
contain more than a single MIDlet.

I'm glad I asked! From the context in the FAQ, I got the impression that it
was *at least* the JAR *and* the JAD and possibly other things too. So am I
right in understanding that ONLY the JAR has to be deployed and that the JAD
doesn't get deployed? If so, why create the JAD in the first place?

Rhino

 

[Darryl L. Pierce]

I'm glad I asked! From the context in the FAQ, I got the impression that
it was *at least* the JAR *and* the JAD and possibly other things too. So
am I right in understanding that ONLY the JAR has to be deployed and that
the JAD doesn't get deployed? If so, why create the JAD in the first
place?

No, that's incorrect. The JAD file is used by the Application Management
System. It lets the AMS determine if the MIDlet suite already exists on the
device and, if so, if you're attempting to download a newer version of the
suite. It lets the handset determine a lot of information about the MIDlet
suite without having to actually download it (which can be costly); since
the JAD is usually only a few hundred bytes, it's faster and cheaper to
download that than to download the JAR itself, which can be up to 64k and
even larger.

The JAD file is not *required* by the specification, but most handsets won't
accept a JAR, but instead they require the JAD and install what's specified
in the MIDlet-Jar-URL field.

--
/**
* @author Darryl L. Pierce <[email protected]>
* @see The Infobahn Offramp <http://mcpierce.multiply.com>
* @quote "Lobby, lobby, lobby, lobby, lobby, lobby..." - Adrian Monk
*/