Because the applications developers reading this book largely won't know much about WAP's particulars, author Steve Mann opens with an intelligent explanation of how WAP integrates HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) with the wireless network. He then documents all wireless markup language (WML) elements and shows how to bring WML cards and decks to life with WMLScript. He documents the scripting language's syntax fully, and steps through the construction of a simple WML/WMLScript game that teaches some lessons.

Programmers itching to get to work on the server side will appreciate Mann's dissection of WorldFAQ, a content server that responds to client-side queries from WAP devices. Implemented as a Java servlet, WorldFAQ looks up requested values in a comma-delimited text file. The author assumes you know a fair amount about Java and its servlet classes, but he's careful to explain the lookup logic and a lot of the HTTP details. Sections on caching, graphics, and internationalization also use Java in examples. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), versions 1.0 and 1.1, and its cast of supporting technologies, especially Wireless Markup Language (WML) and WMLScript. There's material on the inner workings of a WML content server, graphics, and internationalization techniques.

If you've been looking for an expert guide to Palm programming that goes beyond the basics, here it is. This book shows you how to create real-world applications that will put you at the forefront of development for the most rapidly growing OS in handheld computing. Pioneering Palm software developers Mann and Rischpater walk you through the source code for their programming examples, teaching you both about algorithms that solve problems specific to the Palm OS and more general purpose application-level programs. In stand-alone chapters designed for easy reference, they provide: <UL> <LI>A practical modest-precision trigonometric library <LI>Routines for floating-point data entry, formatting, and conversion <LI>An application to create Palm database (PDB) files on the desktop <LI>Map display applications with rich graphics support <LI>Simple yet powerful global searching techniques for Palm devices <LI>Guidance for building a transport-independent communications API <LI>Solutions for quickly accessing records in large databases <LI>Debugging techniques for the Palm OS

The CD-ROM contains complete source code for all the programming samples in the book.

Professional Developer's Guides The Professional Developer's Guide series provides the first in-depth look at recent or emerging programming technologies. Experienced programmers and developers will find comprehensive coverage of new programming standards as well as code, sample programs, developer's tools, and applications that will make learning a new programming language much easier.