The HP palmtop System Manager requires that executable programs follow a particular structure. All HP and Lotus development was done using Microsoft C and/or Microsoft MASM. Other languages may work, but have not been validated by system testing. The System Manager requires files in a particular format. Once an .EXE file has been generated using standard programming tools and special libraries for System Manager compliant programming, and following certain guidelines, the E2M.EXE tool is used to transform the .EXE file into an .EXM file. These tools and libraries are available on a disk provided with this guide. Unless otherwise stated, all references that use a specific filename.ext in these System Manager API chapters refer to files distributed with the ISV kit.
CGAGRAPH is a tool that is a PC TSR that can be used for early phase development to run graphics based applications on a PC. It provides HP palmtop-compatible graphics mode and all the low-level graphics routines that are supported in the HP palmtop. Successive executions of CGAGRAPH alternate between installing and de-installing the TSR.
Other useful development environment tools include