Programming For Mobility with J2ME
Overview
The Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) provides a programming platform for a wide range of mobile and embedded devices. This course focuses on the Java APIs and tools necessary for developing J2ME applications for mobile computers and telephones. It covers the necessary language features for mobile programming and focuses particularly on the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) used in mobile phone application development. The course project presents delegates with considerable opportunity for hands-on experience, developing a mobile software solution for a realistic problem using an iterative development approach. Delegates will build a mobile application interface using J2ME, connecting via HTTP to the web tier interface of a Java application.
Intended For
Software developers wishing to build J2ME based solutions.
Prerequisites
Delegates should have some knowledge of Java. Familiarity with the general principles of web based development and/or client server architectures would be an advantage but is not essential.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, participants should have the following key skills:
- Understand the J2ME environment and the most important language syntax and API features
- Understand the J2ME architecture and positioning of J2ME profiles and configurations
- Know how to integrate J2ME client applications with server-side applications.
- Develop, build and deploy J2ME solutions
- Understand issues relating to software development for resource constrained environments
- Use industry standard open development tools
Content
Module 1: The Java environment
An overview of the Java environment within which mobile applications are developed. It describes the three editions of the Java 2 platform, Standard (J2SE), Enterprise (J2EE) and Micro (J2ME) and looks at how they fit into different architectures and applications. Types of Java Virtual Machine are discussed along with related issues including footprint and garbage collection
Module 2: Java language features for J2ME
When programming with J2ME only a subset of the Java APIs available in the standard edition is available because of the specification of the J2ME configurations. This section provides an overview of the most important language features and APIs for micro development, including streams, I/O, collections and threads
Module 3: J2ME architecture
Because of the range of different devices that the micro edition can be used for, there are a number of variations in the J2ME platform. In this section, the different profiles and configurations that can be used are introduced.
Module 4: J2ME development tools
There are a number of tools available for developing J2ME applications and emulating mobile devices. In this module we focus on the Sun Wireless Toolkit and the Palm OS Emulator.
Module 5: Mobile development for PDAs
In this section we look at the APIs available for larger mobile devices such as PDAs and explore the differences between programming with the full set of Java APIs and working with the more limited set available with the Connected Device Configuration (CDC) and other custom configurations.
Module 6: Client server programming
Many mobile applications use a client server model, where information is downloaded into the mobile device from a server. This module looks at the way that a mobile application can interact with an HTTP server to become a mobile web client.
Module 7: JTWI and MIDP programming
One of the most important J2ME specifications is Java Technology for the Wireless Industry (JTWI) which is intended for programming mobile telephones. This comprises (as a minimum) the CLDC configuration, the Wireless Messaging API (WMA) and the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP). In this section we look at MIDP and its support for graphical user interfaces, persistence, security and connectivity, and provide some programming guidelines.
Module 8: Wireless Messaging
This module covers aspects of the Wireless Messaging API and how it relates to the push registry of MIDP devices. Peer to peer communication and server to client push are explored.
Method Used
Each participant works at a PC and spends 60% of time in practical exercises. The workshops are based on a case study that builds a mobile client with a server side application, and is developed through a series of exercises. All programming is done using software tools that include mobile device emulators.
