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OPL32

One of the great things about the Psion computers is how easily they can be programmed, either on the Psion machine itself (OPL) or by using a PC-based software development kit (SDK).

This page covers programming on the EPOC / Symbian machines (Revo, Revo Plus, Series 5, Series 5mx, Series 7, NetBook and NetPad).

Software Development Kit

While you can also develop applications in OPL on the Psion palmtop itself, the EPOC R5 OPL Software Development Kit (SDK) provides a convenient way of developing applications on a Windows PC.

It contains all the tools and information that you need to develop applications for your EPOC device in OPL.

Download (or order on CD-ROM) the OPL SDK.

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Disclaimer

This page offers no more than a point in the right direction in obtaining the right tools for the job.

Up until now my experience has been programming SIBO machines in OPL16. With my new Series 5mx I am exploring programming this EPOC machine.

I am no programming expert, just a keen amateur, but I hope to be able to point you in the right direction towards the information you need.

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psion-psicon-opo.gif - 1kbProgramming in OPL32

Organiser Programming Language

I currently only program in OPL (OPL16 and OPL32).

OPL is a BASIC-like language which is fairly simple to learn. It is a structured language, not object-oriented.

One advantage of programming in OPL is that you can take your programming with you, on your Psion machine; you are not tied to developing on a PC.

OPL Manual downloads

The OPL Manual is available for free download in a number of formats (all downloads are zipped):

download psion dbf format - 253 Kb SIBO Data .DBF (253 Kb) download psion dbf format - 253 Kb
EPOC R5 Help application (196 Kb)
download windows help format - 198 Kb Windows Help (198 Kb) download windows help format - 198 Kb
MS Word .DOC (665 Kb)
ASCII Text (182 Kb)
download html format - 117 Kb HTML (117 Kb) download html format - 117 Kb
download pdf format - 1820 Kb PDF !! RECOMMENDED !! (1,820 Kb) download pdf format - 1820 Kb

OPL Manual in PDF

The OPL Manual from Psion is also available in PDF format arranged by chapter. This version is dated 1997 and covers programming the Siena, Series 3 and Series 5 machines, though no doubt much will also apply to the Workabout, Revo, Series 7 and NetPad.

View: You will require Adobe Acrobat, or Acrobat Reader (which is free) installed in order to view these files in your browser, and indeed on your computer!

Download: The whole manual can be downloaded as one zipped file (see above).

Clicking each link, below, will open the file in your browser if you have an Acrobat plug-in.

To simply download each chapter, right-click a link below and select "Save Target As..." to download them without opening them in your browser.

download ch 1: introduction (47 Kb)
download ch 2: basics (216 Kb)
download ch 3: database (114 Kb)
download ch 4: gui (278 Kb)
download ch 5: disks (38 Kb)
download ch 6: programs (77 Kb)
download ch 7: errors (84 Kb)
download ch 8: advanced (351 Kb)
download ch 9: glossary (493 Kb)
download appendices (203 Kb)
download series 5 opx (255 Kb)

OPL Manual on-line

The OPL Manual is no longer available on-line (in HTML format).

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OPL Tutorials - OPL16 and OPL32

  • Steve Litchfield on his 3-Lib site has a very good beginners guide to writing programs in OPL (both OPL16 and OPL32).

    Check out his OPL tutorials here.

    He also includes a good section on tips for the distribution of software.

  • Jochen's OPL Programmers Workshop.

  • Andrew Lord has a good OPL Programming section.

  • RMR Software have made RMREvent available for free download. RMREvent is a fully-working demonstration for an event-driven application. It provides all the tools you need, inside a demonstration framework program, to start programmimg in OPL.

  • RMR Software have also made available their Resource Code Generator for free download. "The principle behind this program is to be a 'shell' from which all the separate actions can be carried out to produce different language versions of a program. One useful by-product is that, provided the program is written correctly, RMRRCG can also usable by non-developers to produce international versions without any help from the original developer except the provision of the English definition file."

Contact us

e-mail: +

GJ5 forum



Quick links

Psion.com -- Home Page

My Psion -- Official Support and Downloads

Symbian Developer Network -- Support and SDK Downloads