This chapter provides a reference for the Palm OS® Simulator user interface elements.
Menu Reference Summary
The Palm OS Simulator menus include:
- "Reset Menu"
- "View Menu"
- "Install Menu"
- "Gremlins Menu"
- "Settings Menu"
- "Storage Menu"
- "About Menu"
- "Exit Menu"
Displaying the Palm OS Simulator Menu Items
Right-click (use mouse button 2) on the Palm OS Simulator screen to display the menu items.
Figure 3.1 Palm OS Simulator Menu Items

Reset Menu
Use the Reset menu to perform a reset of the current simulation session.
Soft
Performs a soft reset of the current simulation session. This is equivalent to pressing the reset button on the back of a handheld.
Hard
Performs a hard reset of the current simulation session. A hard reset erases all data in the simulation session, restoring it to the equivalent of a new handheld.
View Menu
Use the View menu to view information about the installed databases, the contents of the heap, or the user interface events.
Databases
Opens the Databases dialog box, shown in Figure 3.2, which lists the databases included in the current simulator session.
Figure 3.2 View>Databases Dialog Box

Using the Databases Dialog Box
- Click on the plus sign icons to view the details of a database.
- Click on the minus sign icons to close the details view of a database.
- For databases that have contents, click on a record to view the record's contents in the right view pane.
Heaps
Opens the Heaps dialog box, shown in Figure 3.3, which displays the contents of the heaps for the current simulator session.
Figure 3.3 View>Heaps Dialog Box

Using the Heaps Dialog Box
- Use the View>Refresh menu to refresh the heap information that is displayed.
- Use the View>Lock menu to keep the heap information from being updated.
- Use the View>Unlock menu to allow the heap information to be updated.
- When viewing the ROM heap, click on a chunk number to view the contents of a chunk in the bottom view pane.
Events
Opens the Events dialog box, shown in Figure 3.4, which displays the user interface events for the current simulator session.
Figure 3.4 View>Events Dialog Box

Using the Events Dialog Box
- Use the View>Clear menu to clear the events information that is displayed.
- Use the View>Lock menu to keep the events information from being updated.
- Use the View>Unlock menu to allow the events information to be updated.
Install Menu
Use the Install>Database menu to install PRC, PDB, and PQA files. The Install>Database menu displays the Install Database dialog box, shown in Figure 3.5.
Figure 3.5 Install Database Dialog Box

Using the Install Database Dialog Box
- To install a single database, select a PRC, PDB, or PQA file and click Open.
- To install multiple databases, use Shift-click to select multiple PRC, PDB, and PQA files and click Open.
Gremlins Menu
Use the Gremlins menu to perform Gremlin testing. The Gremlins menu displays the Gremlins dialog box, as shown in Figure 3.6.
Figure 3.6 Gremlins Dialog Box

For more information on using Gremlins, see "Using Gremlins."
Settings Menu
Use the Settings menu to change the settings for the current simulation session.
Display>Color Depth
Set the color depth for this simulation session:
Display>Allowed Screen Depths
Opens the Allowed Screen Depths dialog box, shown in Figure 3.7, so that you can set the screen depths appropriate for this simulation session.
Figure 3.7 Allowed Screen Depths Dialog Box

NOTE: If you change the setting for Allowed Screen Depths, Palm OS Simulator will perform a soft reset.
Display>Allow Direct Screen Access
Indicates whether installed applications are allowed to have direct access to the LCD screen buffer.
Display>Magnification
Sets the scaling size for the simulation session display:
Display>Always on Top
Indicates whether the Simulator window should stay on top when you switch to other application windows.
Display>Resolution
Sets the pixel resolution for the simulation session display.
- 160x160 - Select this setting for a low density display.
- 160x220 - Select this setting for a low density display with a dynamic input area.
- 240x240 - Select this setting for a one-and-one-half (1.5X) density screen.
- 240x320 - Select this setting for a one-and-one-half (1.5X) density screen with a dynamic input area.
- 320x320 - Select this setting for a double density screen.
- 320x480 - Select this setting for a double density screen with a dynamic input area.
Memory>RAM Size
Sets the RAM size for this simulation session:
Memory>Dynamic Heap Size
Sets the dynamic heap size for this simulation session:
NOTE: If you change the value of the Dynamic Heap Size setting, Palm OS Simulator will perform a hard reset.
Memory>Storage Is Write-Protected
Indicates whether the storage is write-protected for this simulation session.
NOTE: If you change the setting for Storage Is Write-Protected, Palm OS Simulator will perform a soft reset.
Memory>PACE Extended Checks
Indicates whether you want the extra memory testing provided with PACE's extended checking of memory access.
PACE (Palm Application Compatibility Environment) checks pointer values before passing them to API functions, and creates an alert for unexpected NULL pointer values.
Select this setting to keep PACE's standard behavior; clear this setting to relax PACE's checking of NULL pointers.
For more information about PACE, see"Palm Application Compatibility Environment."
Communication>Communication Ports
Displays the Communication Ports dialog box, shown in Figure 3.8, so that you can change the communication port settings for the current simulation session.
Figure 3.8 Communication Ports Dialog Box

Communication>Redirect NetLib Calls to Host TCP/IP
Indicates whether NetLib calls should be redirected to the host TCP/IP communication stack.
Battery
Displays the Battery dialog box, shown in Figure 3.9, so that you can change the simulated battery settings.

Using the Battery Dialog Box
- Select the Kind of battery you want to simulate from the supported list:
- Alkaline: a hydrous alkaline (non-rechargeable) battery
- NiCad: a rechargeable nickel cadmium battery
- LiIon: a rechargeable lithium ion battery
- RechAlk: a rechargeable alkaline battery
- NiMH: a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery
- LiIon1400: a rechargeable lithium ion battery with a capacity of 1400 mAh (milliamperes hours)
- The battery State is dependent on the Level selected:
- If the battery type is
LiIon
orLiIon1400
and the Plugged in setting is selected, then the simulated device will be in battery charging mode, as shown in Figure 3.10.
Figure 3.10 Battery Charging Mode

Enable Sound
Select Enable Sound to enable sound simulation for this simulation session.
NOTE: If you change the value of the Enable Sound setting, Palm OS Simulator will perform a soft reset.
Storage Menu
Use the Storage menu to load and save a storage snapshot file (SSF file).
Load
Opens the Load Storage Heap Snapshot dialog box, shown in Figure 3.11, so that you can load the storage heap with contents that were previously saved to a storage snapshot file (SSF file).
Figure 3.11 Load Storage Heap Snapshot Dialog Box

Save
Opens the Save Storage Heap Snapshot dialog box, shown in Figure 3.12, so that you can save the current contents of the storage heap to a storage snapshot file (SSF file).
Figure 3.12 Save Storage Heap Snapshot Dialog Box

About Menu
Use the About menu to get release information about Palm OS Simulator.
Exit Menu
Use the Exit menu to exit Palm OS Simulator.
When you exit Simulator, the current option values are written to the file palmsim.ini
for the next time you start Simulator. For more information on using palmsim.ini
, see Chapter 2, "Using the Initialization File."
Keyboard Equivalents Reference
Because it is more difficult to use the mouse in place of a handheld stylus, Palm OS Simulator provides keyboard equivalents for many functions.
Hardware Buttons
The keyboard equivalents for handheld hardware buttons is similar to the key mapping recognized by Palm OS Emulator.
Table 3.1 Keyboard Equivalents for Hardware Buttons
Additional Keyboard Functions
In addition to hardware button equivalents, Palm OS Simulator provides the following functions that can be invoked from the keyboard.
Table 3.2 Palm OS Simulator Keyboard Functions