Tutorials webOS Getting Started

This article explains the basics of getting started developing. Palm and WebOS are synonymous with HP Palm and HP WebOS for the purpose of this article.

Palm offers both an SDK and a PDK for development. Furthermore, Palm offers a web based "Drag and Drop" GUI for development called Ares which works on top of the Mojo, and future Enyo frameworks.

This approach provides several avenues for application creation and development, that allow for flexibility based on the needs and skills of the developer.

Access to these tools is available by creating a free developer account here Create Developer Account Further information on beginning development can be found at Palm's WebOS Developer Website

Install the SDK and PDK
Most of the tools for developing an application work best with Palms SDK installed, the SDK is available for Windows, Mac and in a DEB package for Ubuntu, Debian. Palm Now includes the PDK automatically with the SDK installation.

With Palm official DEB package for Ubuntu, Debian : Installing Palm® SDK and PDK on Ubuntu

For OSX Installing the Palm® SDK and PDK on OSX

For Windows Installing the Palm® SDK and PDK on Windows

With the linux tool alien that convert from DEB package to RPM package for Redhat, Suse, Mandriva : Installing the Palm webOS SDK on Mandriva Linux these tools work best with the SDK installed, available from palm here

Ares
Ares is the code name for Palm's browser-based, web-hosted development environment for the creation of webOS applications. It contains:

A drag-and-drop visual interface builder

A code editing environment

Visual Javascript debugger

Log Viewer Utility

Framework enhancements to support easier layout and event handling

Single-click deployment/launch on device or emulator

Drag-and-drop file upload, file/project download

Version Control Integration (SVN/Mercurial)

More information about Ares can be found here About Ares

Using a Developer acount Ares can be run directly in your webkit browser here Ares Login

Software Development Kit
Currently built on palm's Mojo Framework, and may be superceeded by the back-compatible Enyo Framework in 2011. The SDK is especially tailored to development based on web standards HTML and JavaScript, as well as evolving HTML5 implementation. The SDK can be used in conjunction with the Ares platform, or on its own.

Plug-in Development Kit
Allows for C/C++ development running in a jailed native environment. Especially Suited to use of OpenGL and SDL, and allowing for relativley easy direct ports of existing code from other applications such as 3d iOS games

The PDK is automatically installed along with the SDK from the above links.

Hybrid Applications
Applications that work with the Mojo Framework, and with the PDK can be built. Currently Palm has no publically available tools for this. However the WebOS-Internals group has created a framework in which to do this. applications created in this framework cannot currently be uploaded to the official palm catalog, but can be made available through homebrew channels and installed with 3rd party on-device installers such as preware

Install an Editor
WebOS Internals recommends Komodo Edit and has detailed tutorials for setting it up.

Tutorials for SDK and PDK
Palm Offers Several Tutorials Follow the Hello World Tutorial