ActiveViewer v1.4.0
(c) 2001 SIMEDA GmbH
Author: Razvan Dragomirescu
All rights reserved.

 

ActiveViewer is the first port of a VNC client for Java MIDP enabled devices, such as cell-phones or PDAs. It has only been tested on the Motorola Accompli 008, the Palm MIDP implementation and Sun's J2ME Wireless Toolkit emulator. If you manage to successfully run it on other platforms, please let us know.

Latest version is v1.4.0 available for download at http://www.simeda.com/vncviewer/ActiveViewer-v1.4.0.zip

 

New features in version 1.4.0:

- Rebranded VNC Viewer as "ActiveViewer"

- Support for entering special characters, such as DELETE, HOME, END, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, BACKSPACE, TAB, ESCAPE and F1-F12

- Support for sending CTRL-ALT-DEL (for Windows 2000 logon)

- Support for pressing/releaseing the CTRL, ALT and META keys

Features in version 1.3.0:

- Pointer support (for devices such as the Motorola Accompli or Palm handhelds). See below for details.

- Support for entering text using the Accompli virtual keyboard in a textarea.

- Initial license agreement and README file

Features in version 1.2.0

- Support for the Motorola Accompli

Features in version 1.1.0

- Connection settings are persistent between midlet invocations (you don't have to re-enter them)

- Port selection replaced with display selection in initial connection screen.

- Fixed a couple of bugs. Added a new logo :)

- Support for entering numbers directly using the "numeric keyboard"

- Added the "Arrow mode" for sending UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT arrow key codes.

Features in release 1.0.0 (initial release)

- Keyboard input in text mode only

- Cursor movement via UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT/FIRE game action keys.

- Image movement using game action keys.

- Experimental PNG support - still unsupported by servers

Here's a quick guide on using the viewer:

1. STARTING THE APPLICATION

After the initial splash screen, you are taken to the connection information form. Enter the IP or hostname of the server you want to connect to, enter the port number (usually 0 or 1 unless you run more VNC servers) and the password then press "Connect". Your device will establish a connection to the network and try to contact the VNC server.

2. MAIN SCREEN

After successfully connecting to the server, a screen will be displayed showing the upper left area of the display of the remote server (at coordinates 0,0). You can choose from the available operating modes by selecting them from the application's menu (how you activate the menu is dependent on your device).

Here are the options in the menu:

1. "Move image". Allows you to see different parts of the remote screen. After selecting this option, use the UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT game action keys to move around. If you have a pointer, you can click on the edges of the screen to move the image in that direction (you have to click in an area around 20 pixels wide around the screen).

2. "Send arrows". This option allows you to send the UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT key codes from your MIDP device. Just press UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT after selecting this option and the corresponding arrow key will be sent. You can also click on the edges of the screen to send the corresponding arrow for that direction (upper edge for UP, lower edge for DOWN, left side edge for LEFT, right side edge for RIGHT).

3. "Move cursor". When in "Move cursor" mode, you can use the UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT game action keys to move the cursor around and the FIRE key to do a left mouse click. There is no support (yet) for right click, middle click or multiple clicks. You can also use your device's pointer to move the cursor. There is a small red square (2x2 pixels) indicating the position of the local cursor. If the server provides a cursor image, that image will follow any movements of your local cursor (after a delay introduced by the network).

4. "Numeric keypad". Switches the keypad to the numeric mode. If your MIDP device has a numeric keyboard (like most phones do) you will be able to enter numbers by simply pressing on the keys.

5. "Character keypad". Switches the keypad to the character mode. If your devices has a numeric keyboard, you will be able to enter text by pressing each key multiple times, just as you do when you send SMS messages. For instance, if you want to send the character "a" you press once on the key "2", if you want to send "c" you press "2" three times. The current key is displayed in the lower right corner in a white rectangle. In this mode, "*" sends CR (Enter) and "#" toggles the case (lowercase/uppercase).

Options 4 and 5 do not work on the Accompli since it does not have a keyboard, only a touch screen. Therefore, we have option #6:

6. "Show text area". When you select this option, the VNC Viewer screen will be replaced by a text area that allows you to enter any characters using your device's native input methods (pointer, keyboard, etc.). This mode is useful for Motorola Accompli 008 users that cannot use the "Numeric keypad" or "Character keypad" options. Press "Send" to send the text to the server as-is or "Send + CR" to send the text followed by a CR (when sending commands for instance).

7. "Special characters". This option allows you to send various special characters to the server. The special characters include the CTRL-ALT-DEL sequence needed for Windows 2000 logon and also DELETE, HOME, END, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, BACKSPACE, TAB, ESCAPE and F1-F12

8. "Press CTRL"/"Release CTRL". "Press CTRL" presses and holds the CTRL key until the "Release CTRL" command is issued

9. "Press ALT"/"Release ALT". "Press ALT" presses and holds the ALT key until the "Release ALT" command is issued

10. "Press META"/"Release META". "Press META" presses and holds the META key until the "Release META" command is issued

11. "Disconnect". Disconnects you from the server and returns to the connection information screen.

If you find any bugs (and I'm sure you will) or manage to run the application on other devices than those mentioned above, we'd like to know about it. If you would like to commercially license it or otherwise contact us, you can do so by email at drazvan@kappa.ro or by phone at +40-92-537195. Enjoy!,