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CopyrightIBMCorporation2009TrademarksJ2MEPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)-AnOverviewPage1of7J2MEPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)-AnOverviewProvidingtheabilitytoaccessthenativepersonaldataonmobiledevicesSomaGhoshDecember07,2009ThePersonalInformationManagement(PIM)API,asdefinedbyJSR75,providesawaytoaccessthenativepersonaldataonthemobiledevices,beittheContacts,TasksorAppointments.
Inthisarticle,wewillhaveacloselookattheAPI,discussthedevelopment,securityanddeploymentconsiderationsofaPIMMIDletandcomparePIMwithanotherJ2MEAPI,theRecordManagementStore(RMS).
PersonalInformationManagement(PIM)inmobileenvironmentAsnewdevicesmaketothemarket,theavailabilityofAddressBook,CalendarandTasklistonmobiledevicesisabarenecessity.
TheJ2MEapplicationsalsofeeltheneedtohaveaccesstothesedata.
TheoptionalpackageJSR75PersonalInformationManagement(PIM)packageprovidesthiscapability.
Itnotonlyallowstheaccesstonativepersonalinformationwhichcomprisescontacts,appointmentsandtasks,alsotoinformationbasedonSIMcardsattachedtodevices,LocalandRemotePersonalInformationdatabases.
ThePIMpackagehascapabilitytoexportandimportofdatafromvCardandvCalendar,theInternetstandardformatsforAddressBookandCalendarrespectively.
Italsohasthesecurityfeaturestopreventunauthorizedclassesfromretrievingpersonalinformation.
Theotheroptionalpackage,JSR75FileConnectionprovidesawaytoaccessthenativefilesystemwhichisoutofscopeforourdiscussion.
TheJ2MEPIMpackageTheJavaPIMpackageisrepresentedbythejavax.
microedition.
pimpackage.
Thesignificantinterfacesdefinedbythispackageare:developerWorksibm.
com/developerWorks/J2MEPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)-AnOverviewPage2of71.
Contact–ThisInterfacerepresentsasinglecontactontheAddressBook.
2.
ContactList–ThisInterfacerepresentsAddressBookwhichisalistofContacts.
3.
Event–ThisInterfacerepresentsasingleCalendarEvent.
4.
EventList–ThisInterfacerepresentsalistofCalendarevents.
5.
ToDo–ThisInterfacerepresentsasingleTaskintheTaskList.
6.
ToDoList–ThisInterfacerepresentstheTasklist.
Themajorclassdefinedbythispackageis:PIM–ThePIMclassdefinesmethodsthatcancreateanindexofallexistingLists,openandeditthoselistsaswellasimportandexportfromInternetstandardformatsforContactandCalendar,thevCardandvCalendar.
ContactandContactListAContactrepresentsasingleentryintheAddressBook.
ThemajorfieldsinaContactareName,Address,Email,Birthday,PhotoandTelephone.
Inordertoensureportabilityacrossplatforms,itisadvisabletousethemethodisSupportedField()providedbySuperInterfacePIMList.
Listing1,belowshowshowaContactcanbeaddedtoAddressBook:Listing1.
AddContacttoAddressBookContactListaddressBook=null;try{addressBook=(ContactList)PIM.
getInstance().
openPIMList(PIM.
CONTACT_LIST,PIM.
READ_WRITE);}catch(PIMExceptione){//ExitApplication}ContactsingleContact=addressBook.
createContact();String[]name=newString[addressBook.
stringArraySize(Contact.
NAME)];if(addressBook.
isSupportedField(Contact.
NAME_FORMATTED)singleContact.
addString(Contact.
NAME_FORMATTED,PIMItem.
ATTR_NONE,"Mrs.
JaneDoe");ThecreateContact()methodcreatesatemporaryemptyContact.
Acommit()callmakestheContactdatapersistent.
Itisadvisabletoclosethelistsbyinvokingtheclose()methodafternecessaryoperationshavebeenperformed.
try{singleContact.
commit();}catch(PIMExceptione){//Exceptionoccured}try{//OthercleanuptasksaddressBook.
close();}catch(PIMExceptione){}ibm.
com/developerWorks/developerWorksJ2MEPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)-AnOverviewPage3of7EventandEventListAnEventrepresentsasingleentryintheEventdatabase,forexample;calendaronthemobiledevice.
ThecriticalfieldsareLocation,Summary,Startdate,EndDateandAlarmnotification.
Listing2showshowanEventcanbeaddedtotheEventdatabase.
Listing2.
AddanEventEventListeventList=null;try{eventList=(EventList)PIM.
getInstance().
openPIMList(PIM.
EVENT_LIST,PIM.
READ_WRITE);}catch(PIMExceptione){return;}EventsingleEvent=eventList.
createEvent();if(eventList.
isSupportedField(Event.
SUMMARY))singleEvent.
addString(Event.
SUMMARY,PIMItem.
ATTR_NONE,"JavaTraining");if(eventList.
isSupportedField(Event.
START))singleEvent.
addDate(Event.
START,PIMItem.
ATTR_NONE,aDate.
getTime());if(eventList.
isSupportedField(Event.
END))singleEvent.
addDate(Event.
END,PIMItem.
ATTR_NONE,aDate.
getTime());try{singleEvent.
commit();}catch(PIMExceptione){//Anerroroccured}try{eventList.
close();}catch(PIMExceptione){}ToDoandToDoListTheToDointerfacerepresentsasingletaskontheTaskdatabaseonthemobiledevice.
TheimportantfieldsareNoteorSummary,Priority,CompletionDate,DueDateandwhethercompleted.
Listing3showshowaToDocanbepersistentlyaddedtothedatabase.
Listing3.
AddaTaskToDoListtasks=null;try{tasks=(ToDoList)PIM.
getInstance().
openPIMList(PIM.
TODO_LIST,PIM.
READ_WRITE);}catch(PIMExceptione){//Anerroroccurredreturn;}ToDosingleTask=tasks.
createToDo();if(tasks.
isSupportedField(Event.
SUMMARY))singleTask.
addString(ToDo.
SUMMARY,PIMItem.
ATTR_NONE,"ShoppingforHalloween");if(tasks.
isSupportedField(Event.
DUE))singleTask.
addDate(ToDo.
DUE,PIMItem.
ATTR_NONE,newDate().
getTime());try{singleTask.
commit();}catch(PIMExceptione){//Anerroroccured}try{tasks.
close();}catch(PIMExceptione){developerWorksibm.
com/developerWorks/J2MEPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)-AnOverviewPage4of7}HowPIMdiffersfromRMSBeforegoingfurtheronthisdiscussion,letusreviewtheconceptofRecordManagementStore(RMS),anotherkeyfunctionalitybyJ2ME.
RMSallowsJ2MEapplicationstopersistentlystoredatalocally.
ThecomponentsofRMSareasfollows:Records–UnliketheDatabasesystemswhereeachrecordhasoneormorefields,aRecordinRMSisanindividualdatafield.
Itdoesnothaveapre-defineddatatypeorsizeandcancontainanydata.
RecordStore–ARecordStoreisacollectionofRecordsandisaccessiblefromJ2MEapplicationsbyname.
ThisishowPIMdiffersfromRMSwhilebothareresponsibleforstoringpersistentdataonthedevice.
1.
PIMstoresandretrievesdatatoandfromdefinedentitiesliketheAddressBook,CalendarandTaskList.
RMS,ontheotherhand,storesdatatoandretrievesdatafromageneraldatabase.
AsingleentityinPIMisaContact,CalendarentryoraTaskwhileinRMS,it'sabytearray.
2.
PIMisnotrestrictedtothelocaldevice.
ItcanaccessdatafromanattachedSIMoranotherremotedevice.
RMSonlyaccessesdatatoandfromlocaldevice.
3.
PIMcanexportandimportfromexternalsourceslikevCalendarorvContact.
RMSdoesnothaveanyExportorImportcapabilities.
4.
TheinterpretationofdatainPIMismoreflexiblecomparedtoRMS.
Say,aContact,definedinastandardformat,canalwaysbeinterpretedbyanotherJ2MEapplicationwithease.
ArecordinRMSisabytearrayandotherJ2MEapplicationswillneedtohaveinformationonhowtointerpret.
Anexample–AddacontactInthissection,wewilldiscussamethodmentionedasaddContact()onhowtoaddacontacttotheAddressBook.
ThismethodasinCode-4canbeinvokedinaseparatethreadwhenausercommandissubmittedontheform.
ThismethodaccessesdataenteredthroughUITextfields.
Listing4.
addContact()method//Importimportjavax.
microedition.
lcdui.
*;importjavax.
microedition.
midlet.
*;importjavax.
microedition.
pim.
*;//TextinputTextFieldnameField;TextFieldphoneField;…publicvoidaddContact(){ibm.
com/developerWorks/developerWorksJ2MEPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)-AnOverviewPage5of7ContactListcontacts=null;try{contacts=(ContactList)PIM.
getInstance().
openPIMList(PIM.
CONTACT_LIST,PIM.
READ_WRITE);}catch(PIMExceptione){//Anerroroccurrede.
printStackTrace();}Contactcontact=contacts.
createContact();String[]name=newString[contacts.
stringArraySize(Contact.
NAME)];if(contacts.
isSupportedArrayElement(Contact.
NAME,Contact.
NAME_GIVEN))name[Contact.
NAME_GIVEN]=nameField.
getString();if(contacts.
isSupportedField(Contact.
TEL))contact.
addString(Contact.
TEL,Contact.
ATTR_HOME,phoneField.
toString());try{contact.
commit();}catch(Exceptione){}}RuntimeandsecurityconsiderationsThePIMMIDletshouldberuninaconfigurationthatsupportsPIMi.
e.
JSR75.
WeselectedthebelowsettingsonSun'sWirelessToolkit2.
5byclickingSettingsandthenAPISelection.
ThesameappliestoselectionofmobiledevicesforPIMMIDlettorun.
developerWorksibm.
com/developerWorks/J2MEPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)-AnOverviewPage6of7Figure1.
PIMMIDletRuntimeAPISelectionTheMIDletwillrequireadditionalpermissionswhileattemptingtoreadandwritetheContacts,CalendarorTaskLists.
ThiscanbeaccomplishedbyclickingSettingsandselectingPermissionsfromtheWirelesstoolkit.
AlltheReadandWritepermissionsforContactList,EventListandTodoListhavebeenprovided.
ibm.
com/developerWorks/developerWorksJ2MEPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)-AnOverviewPage7of7Figure2.
PIMMIDletSecurityconsiderationsConclusionInthisarticlewediscussedaboutanotherimportantfunctionalityinJ2MEcalledPersonalInformationManagement(PIM)thatallowsaccesstothenativedataonthemobiledeviceintheformofContact,TaskandEvent.
ItalsodrawsacomparisonwithRMS,anotherfunctionalitythatdealswithdevicedata.
Withtheinherentexportandimportcapabilities,itisnowpossibletosyncupJ2MEapplicationswithvCardandvCalendar,theinternetstandardformatforContactandCalendarrespectively.
Weconcludedwiththesecurityanddeploymentrequirementsatruntime.
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com/developerworks/ibm/trademarks/)