About the Emulator

The Emulator provides a full target environment, which runs under Windows on a PC. This implementation of the Symbian platform is known as WINS — the single process Windows platform.

The Emulator enables development to be substantially PC based. Only the final development stages focus on the target hardware. The only exception to this rule is for low level programming, where target hardware must be directly accessed — such as programming for a physical device driver.

The Emulator is an essential component of all Symbian SDKs and supports development in a variety of programming languages, including C++, Java, and Symbian’s BASIC-like OPL language. Language specific information about development using the Emulator is provided in the SDK for your language of choice.

This documentation provides the information developers need to use the Emulator. Note that more general information is not provided — for example about using the standard Symbian applications.

The Emulator includes many features which enhance its usability:

• Removal of the Emulator’s dependence on \epoc32 so that it can be run from an epoc32 directory in any location.

• Function key mappings to emulate real device hardware conditions not on a PC, e.g. power off.

• Special debug keys for GUI applications.

• Excellent debugging support. When a thread is panicked, the debugger provides comprehensive information about the panic.

• Flexible reconfiguration of the mapping of the Symbian platform file system onto the PC.

• Comprehensive configuration using initialisation scripts. For example, to specify screen size and greyscale/colour depth.

• Full integration with the Windows run time environment providing support for comms, Internet, and IrDA through the host PC.

• Configuration settings available for the location of virtual drives.

• Support for international PC keyboard variants.