Figures D-5
It is possible to link to one of the thousands of existing server programs and get it's capability wirelessly!
The most useful PQAs, and almost all of the professionally designed ones, involve setting up a CGI on the server of your Internet service provider. ISPs often provide scripts that their customers can use for their own web pages. For example, you could construct a PQA that requests customer information, which then gets e-mailed to you. Ask your ISP what other CGIs are available. You can find thousands of other CGIs on the Internet itself. In general, it’s easy to install a CGI once the system has been configured correctly.
Another possibility: use an existing server that’s already operating correctly, and direct your PQA to it. That is, you can rework the form of an existing web page (not necessarily your own page), turning it into a PQA. Again, though, caution is advised -- most unmodified CGIs send complex HTML codes back to your Palm VII that it may not be able to interpret.
"Zip4" is the perfect example: type in an address and the USPS server will tell you the 9 digit zipcode!
Step 1: Create the HTML Document
There are two components to a Palm Query Application. The form (or "query"), which is originally written in HTML, and the server CGI program that replies to the query. Entire books are devoted to each of these topics, but this section offers a few helpful notes.
As you design your PQA-bound HTML document on your desktop computer, you should have at your side the invaluable -- but free -- Palm VII Content Style Guide. (The latest version is at www.palm.com/devzone/palmvii). This guide provides powerful lessons in design, simplicity, and reducing the amount of data that travels to and from the Palm VII. (Remember that a low-data-rate PQA is an inexpensive PQA, and therefore one that will be a hit with your target audience.)
Keep the PQA layout as simple as possible: what minimum information must the user provide to get the answer he or she wants? If possible, design a form that fits on a single Palm VII screen -- that’s the core of the PQA. Add some help and information text, a mailto link for feedback, and a small logo, and you’ve designed a basic PQA.
On this book’s CD, you’ll find several example PQAs; install one onto your Palm VII, and then load the corresponding source HTML into your browser, as shown here. Adjust your browser window until it’s as narrow as a Palm VII screen. Now load the HTML into a Web-page editing program, make changes to your taste, and load it back into your browser. When it’s looking good in the browser, it should look good on the Palm VII, too.
