Appendix: Small-Screen Demo

Photon for small screens

Since Photon 1.13, we've included a small-screen desktop demo for the QNX 4 OS. This demo shows how Photon could be used in hand-held devices or other small-screen environments.

The demo software provides a new desktop interface to accommodate the typical screen size and pen-based input of hand-held computers. Note that this demo represents only one style of desktop and screen size - many other styles and sizes could be easily supported.

What you need to run the demo

The components of the small-screen demo are bundled into various Photon and Voyager products. As a minimum, you'll need to have the Photon Runtime, because it provides the core desktop components and startup scripts to get the whole thing running.

If you want to run the Internet applications, you'll also need the Voyager Runtime. And if you want to modify the applications to create your own small-screen environment, you'll need the Photon and Voyager development toolkits.

Photon Runtime

The small-screen applications are packaged as a separate archive (component) of the standard Photon Runtime. They install into the smallscreen subdirectory of /qnx4/photon. This directory holds all the pieces unique to the small-screen desktop environment, including desktop apps, utilities, personal information management (PIM) apps, and games.

The rest of the environment is provided by the standard Photon package, which includes the Photon server, font manager, graphics drivers, and input drivers.

Startup scripts

Two startup scripts are provided:

ph.smallscreen - runs the environment standalone (i.e. when you're not in Photon)
smallscreen - launches the small-screen desktop inside an existing Photon session

Voyager 2.0 Runtime

The small Internet applications are packaged as a separate archive (component) of the standard Voyager 2.0 Runtime. They install into the smallscreen subdirectory of /qnx4/voyager. This directory holds all the pieces unique to the small-screen desktop environment, including:

Web browser
Email client
Internet dialer

The rest of the environment is provided by the standard Voyager package, which includes the Voyager server.

Photon Toolkit

The small-screen application source code is packaged as a separate archive (component) of the standard Photon Toolkit. The source installs into the smallscreen subdirectory of /qnx4/phtk. This directory holds the source code for some of the PhAB applications used in the small-screen demo, including the PIMs and games.

Voyager 2.0 SDK

The small Internet application source code is packaged as a separate archive (component) of the standard Voyager 2.0 SDK. The source installs into the smallscreen subdirectory of /qnx4/vsdk. This directory holds the source code for the PhAB applications used in the small-screen demo, including the Voyager client, email client, and dialer.

What you get in the demo

Photon Runtime

Programs

Program	Description
`shelpviewer`	Small version of the Photon Helpviewer. To reduce the size of the Helpviewer, this version doesn't support TOC files; instead, it implements the TOC using a directory structure.
`sal`	Application launcher. Apps can be placed in folders that are tabbed along the top of the screen.
`sped`	The same application as `ped`, but with a slightly different user interface.
`sbkgd`	Displays the desktop background.
`sconfig`	Global configuration manager. This app lets you configure the application folders, SWM menu, date, time, and other options.
`splayer`	Basic MIDI player.
`swav`	Basic WAV player.
`sterm`	Small version of `pterm` without the bells and whistles.
`swm`	Small window manager customized to fit the new desktop design.
`scalendar`	Appointment scheduler.
`scontacts`	Contact manager.
`staskmgr`	To-do list manager.
`smine`	Minefield game.
`sothello`	Othello game.
`scalc`	Calculator.
`spuzzle`	Puzzle game.
`ssolitaire`	Solitaire game.
`svpoker`	Video poker game.

Startup scripts

Two startup scripts are provided:

When you want to:	Use this script:
Start the small-screen Photon environment from a QNX console.	`ph.smallscreen`
Simulate a small-screen environment when you're already in Photon.	`smallscreen`

Script to run when not in Photon (`ph.smallscreen`)

You run this script from a QNX text-mode console. The script starts a Photon session using all the small-screen components, including the small-screen window manager and desktop manager, in a low-resolution 4-color display.

Script to run within Photon (`smallscreen`)

This script encapsulates a new Photon session within an existing Photon session using the phditto program. The new Photon session will simulate a small-screen environment using a 480 * 320 resolution and a 4-color palette.

Audio support

If you wish to have audio available while running the small-screen demo, then you'll need to either:

start the Audio manager
Or
export the AUDIO_OPTS environment variable and the script will start Audio for you.

Note that the environment variable must be set to the options that Audio will start with (such as sb -i5 for a SoundBlaster-compatible card using IRQ 5). For more information, see the Audio documentation in the QNX Utilities Reference.

All the applications write and use config files found under the user's home directory in .photon/smallscreen. This directory is created the first time applications are run; all the defaults get copied there.

Config and other files

The default configuration files needed for the small-screen applications can be found in /qnx4/photon/smallscreen/defaults. This includes files for:

desktop manager - sal
window manager - swm
background application - sbkgd

The small-screen demo also includes:

a 4-color palette file - lcd.pal
a sound file - swish.wav that gets played when the demo is started
help files describing how to use the apps (found under /qnx4/photon/smallscreen/help).

Other utilities are available, but they pertain to specific boards. Contact your QNX sales representative for information on board support packages.

Photon Toolkit

Source code

The Photon Toolkit includes source code for the following small-screen applications:

Program	Description
`scalendar`	Appointment scheduler.
`scontacts`	Contact manager.
`staskmgr`	To-do list manager.
`smine`	Minefield game.
`sothello`	Othello game.
`scalc`	Calculator.
`spuzzle`	Puzzle game.
`ssolitaire`	Solitaire game.
`svpoker`	Video poker game.

Each of these applications has been created with PhAB and is shipped in full source form. In each application's src directory you'll find a README file that gives a short description of the use of each C file and PhAB Module in the application.

The application Makefiles each have install targets that build the app and install it to /qnx4/photon/smallscreen/bin. There's also a Makefile in /qnx4/phtk/smallscreen/apps that will build all applications in that directory.

Voyager 2.0

The Voyager Runtime package includes the following programs; the SDK includes full source for these apps:

Program	Description
`svoyager`	Small-screen version of Voyager client.
`svmail`	Small-screen version of an email client; supports POP3 and IMAP4.
`sdialer`	Small-screen version of the Voyager Internet Dialer.

Config and other files

All the default configuration files needed for the Voyager small-screen applications can be found in /qnx4/voyager/smallscreen/defaults. This includes files for:

Web browser - svoyager
Email client - svmail
Internet dialer - sdialer

Help files describing how to use the app can be found under the /qnx4/photon/smallscreen/help directory.