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LispMe Palm database interface
To access Palm databases, LispMe uses a
foreign type FT_DBREF
encapsulating the PalmOS type DmOpenRef. Those databases are
automatically closed when leaving LispMe and reopened when starting LispMe
again (this is done by the
pickling mechanism of foreign types).
There are two different kind of databases:
- Record databases: Contain a number of (different sized) records,
accessed by an integer record number. Applications typically store
their data in these databases. Each record has several additional
attributes enabling the HotSync manager to sync the database with
the desktop. Database files on the desktop have
the file extension .pdb.
- Resource databases: Special databases typically containing
program code and UI elements. Each record is accessed by a
resource type, identifying its kind and a
resource id. The HotSync manager backups/restores an
entire resource database at once. Resource databases on the desktop
have the file extension .prc.
PalmOS uses 32 values written as 4 characters for several types like
resource type, creator id, and db type. Since LispMe doesn't support
32 bit integers nor wide character literals, it uses strings of length
4 instead.
Please consult the Palm API documentation for more details.
LispMe wraps the most important API calls of the data and resource
manager, if you need more feel free to contact me.
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