P
P2P
Peer to Peer: network services which involve direct data connections between two or more client devices. A canonical P2P application is file sharing.
package file
Makesis project file type, which has the extension pkg.
See also: Makesis
packet switching
Technique whereby the information (voice or data) to be sent is broken up into packets, of at most a few KB each, which are then routed by the network between different destinations based on addressing data within each packet. Use of network resources is optimized, as the resources are needed only during the handling of each packet. This is an ideal model for ad hoc data communication, and works well also for voice, video and other streamed data. Mobile phones with packet-switched communication appear to be "always connected" to the data network, whereas in the case of circuit-switched connections, setup time takes around 30 seconds to connect from a mobile phone to an ISP. Use of packet-switched network can be charged according to the volume of data transferred and not to any notion of time spent online.
PAD
Packet Assembler/Disassembler. Allows access to a packet data network from a circuit-switched network.
page specification
The page orientation and page size for printing encapsulated by the TPageSpec class.
See also: orientation
panic
An operation to terminate a thread that has caused an error. Panics are used when the error is due to incorrect program code, such as passing an illegal parameter value.
paragraph
A sequence of one or more words terminated by a paragraph delimiter.
See also: paragraph delimiter
paragraph delimiter
Marks the end of a paragraph. In rich text, the paragraph delimiter may be regarded as storing the paragraph format attributes for the paragraph that it terminates. This means that when a paragraph delimiter is deleted, the paragraph formatting for that paragraph is set to the paragraph formatting of the paragraph into which it is merged.
See also: paragraph, paragraph format attribute, rich text
paragraph fill colour
The colour setting used to fill a paragraph. May also fill the left text margin, if one has been set.
See also: text area, background colour, left text margin
paragraph format attribute
Describes the appearance of paragraphs; for instance margin width, text alignment, bullets and paragraph spacing.
See also: format attribute, rich text, global text
paragraph format layer
A format layer specifying paragraph format attributes.
See also: paragraph, format layer, paragraph format attribute
parent
A Message Server entry that owns another entry: for example, a folder is the parent of a message within it.
partition
An area of a media that can be used as a single device and, if formatted, as a volume.
See also: device, media, volume
password mode
Window server mode where the user is required to enter a password before any further actions can be performed.
path
The identification of a file or directory by its components. The components are drive, directory components, filename and extension.
See also: drive, filename, extension
PC Synchronisation
Connecting a Symbian phone to a PC and synchronising the data store, for example, email, PC based contacts, diary, and other applications.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. A standard for connecting peripherals to processors that is processor independent.
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation)
The process of taking samples of an analog sound and storing the results as binary data.
PDD
A physical device driver. A PDD provides functionality specific to a particular device.
See also: LDD
PCN
Personal Communications Network: another name for GSM 1800 (it is also known as DCS 1800). It is used in Europe and Asia Pacific.
PCS
Personal Communications Service: an American generic term for a mass-market mobile phone service, emphasizing personal communication, independent of the technology used to provide it. PCS includes such digital cellular technologies as GSM 1900, CDMA and TDMA IS-136.
PDC
Personal Digital Cellular: the 2G TDMA-based protocols used in Japan, owned by NTT DoCoMo. PDC services operate in the 800 and 1500 MHz bands.
PDD
Physical Device Driver: part of a kernel device driver which includes interfaces to specific hardware functions of a device.
PDE
Page Directory Entry. In an MMU with two level page table, this term is used for the 32 bit entry in the first level table, or page directory. Each PDE maps 1M on ARM, 4M on X86.
PDU message
The PDU message format describes a generic SMS message as a byte stream.
See also: text message
PE
Portable Executable - a standard format for executable (image) files and object files. The PETRAN tool converts executables from PE format to the Symbian OS executable format.
pen
The pen is used for free line and shape outline drawing. The pen colour also affects text colour.
See also: brush, graphics context, pen attribute
pen attribute
Pen attributes are: pen colour, pen style, pen width.
See also: pen, pen colour, pen style, pen width
pen colour
The colour in which the pen draws lines and text.
See also: pen attribute
pen style
The style with which the pen draws lines. This may be null, solid, dotted/dashed.
See also: pen attribute
pen width
The width in pixels that the pen draws lines.
See also: pen attribute
permanent file store
A file based persistent store in which streams can be created and subsequently re-opened and changed.
See also: file store
persistent store
A store whose streams have a longer lifetime than the applications that created them.
See also: stream, store
PersonalJava
A Java platform optimized for the requirements and constraints of mobile devices.
phone
A physical object which connects to a line.
See also: phone capability
phone capability
Ability to support fax and modem protocols. May include: fax interface supported, ability to transmit voice, modem detection events supported, ability to steal comms port.
See also: phone
phone indicator
An indicator showing some status information for the phone. Indicator types are defined in TIndicatorType.
phone mode
Phone operational state; idle, establishing line, online data and online command.
phone status
The mode of operation and modem connection status for the phone.
See also: phone mode, modem connection status
physical address
A 'real' address, the value that must be placed on the system address bus to select a physical memory bank or device.
picture
Text Content : A graphic inserted into a rich text object. Pictures are type extensible.
Graphics Device Interface (GDI) - Basic Graphics Functions : An object with an original size in twips, that can be stored, restored, and drawn to any graphics context. Concrete picture classes draw in different ways and allow cropping and scaling. Pictures are the basis for doors.
See also: door, crop, scale, rich text, picture header, picture character
picture character
Represents a picture.
See also: picture
picture header
Identifies a picture type. A picture occupies a single character position. The picture header is stored in the same stream as the text. The picture is stored in a different stream to support deferred loading. When inserting a picture into rich text, the picture header rather than the picture itself is inserted into the text.
See also: picture, deferred loading, picture header factory
picture header factory
Produces picture headers of a single type. Required because pictures are type-extensible.
See also: picture, picture header
PIM
Personal Information Managers, for instance agenda and contacts applications.
PIN
Personal Identification Number: a simple authentication mechanism requiring the user to enter a string of digits that only they know.
PIN2
A personal identification number which provides access to protected areas of the SIM e.g. barred phone books.
P.I.P.S.
Is POSIX on Symbian OS. An API layer, above the Symbian OS native APIs, that is more closely aligned with standard C and POSIX APIs, making Symbian software development more accessible to developers who program using the C language. POSIX libraries on Symbian OS significantly reduces the effort required to migrate existing desktop and server components, and mobile applications from other platforms, onto Symbian OS.
pixel
A single display element for a graphics device (screen).
pkg file
Makesis project file extension.
See also: package file
plain text
Provides storage for text and services to manipulate it but does not support format attributes and cannot be displayed.
See also: editable text, text object, format attribute
platform
A set of technology, which acts as a foundation for real-world applications, or higher-level platforms. Symbian OS includes C++ APIs, a leading Java implementation, an application suite and integration with wireless and other communications protocols.
platform
A set of technology, which acts as a foundation for real-world applications, or higher-level platforms. Symbian OS includes C++ APIs, a leading Java implementation, an application suite and integration with wireless and other communications protocols.
PLMN
Public Land Mobile Network. Another name for a GSM phone network.
See also: PSTN
plug-in
A polymorphic interface DLL used to enhance, or extend the operation of a framework.
point
A point specified in terms of (x,y) co-ordinates
See also: rectangle, region
point primitive
A graphics operation to draw (using the pen) a single point.
See also: pen, graphics operation
pointer cursor
The cursor that indicates the current position of the pointer (different from the text cursor and line cursor).
pointer event
A pointer-related event such as up, down, drag, move.
See also: window server, key event
pointer grab
When the pointer is grabbed by a window, all events are sent to that window, regardless of which window they occurred in.
policy
The way an application works is its policy. Policy imposes constraints which on the one hand limit freedom of design and implementation, and on the other hand make it easier to design and implement if the policy is followed.
See also: policy-free
policy-free
A user interface or programming system is policy-free if it imposes little or no policy.
See also: policy
polling
Polling is the fax mode of operation where the caller requests the remote answering machine to send a fax.
polyline
A concatenated sequence of straight lines.
See also: line primitive
polymorphic DLL
A DLL that provides some plug-in functionality to another program by implementing a pre-defined interface. They are dynamically loaded by the DLL user during run-time using RLibrary::Load().
In Symbian OS, the typical use of a polymorphic DLL is to implement a framework extension.
Polymorphic DLLs are sometimes known as provider DLLs.
See also: framework extension, dynamic link library, DLL, dynamically loaded DLL
polymorphic interface DLL
See polymorphic DLL
POP3
Post Office Protocol version 3: a common protocol for transferring mail from the server ('Post Office') to the client. Defined in RFC 1939.
portrait
Vertical page orientation used for printing.
See also: orientation, landscape
POSIX
Portable Operating System Interface, standards specified by the IEEE that define the API for software compatible with variants of the Unix operating system.
POTS
Plain Old Telephone Service: a basic telephony service that offers only the ability to place and receive calls.
PPP
The Point-to-Point Protocol, an IETF standard, which manage the dial-up link.
preferred networks list
Priority list for selection of a preferred network.
pre-processor
Prepares source files for further processing, used in C++ to replace macro representations with the code to be compiled.
primary
The first executable in the ROM to run, namely the kernel.
primary base class
A base class which is not an interface class. Usually, derived from CBase.
See also: interface class
primary inheritance tree
The inheritance tree formed by primary base classes. By the rules of interface class use, multiple inheritance may never be used to form an inheritance graph that is more complex than a tree with a single root.
See also: primary base class, interface class
print parameter
Number of copies and page range to print.
printer device
A graphics device that is used for printing.
See also: graphics device
printer model
UID and associated name of a printer.
See also: printer device
printer model list
The list of supported printer models.
See also: printer model
priority client
ETel priority clients have privilege in call manipulation functions. For instance, the priority client can hang up or put on hold other clients calls. If another client has a data call active, and the priority client suddenly needs to make an emergency call, it can force the other call to be dropped by making that request.
priority function
ETel priority functions are executed using pre-allocated memory, and hence cannot fail with an out of memory error. Any client can use a priority function, not just the priority client.
process
The Symbian OS unit of memory protection - one user process may not access another's memory. A process contains one or more threads.
process-relative
A handle is process-relative if ownership of that handle is vested in the process.
See also: handle
product
A combination of CPU core, ASSP and surrounding development board. Often the early stages of a product in the more traditional sense.*progress bars*A control that provides a visual indication of the progress of a process.
project file
The CS Help project file defines the location of all resources required to produce the output help file.
See also: customisation file, MMP
property
A uniquely named value in a vCard or a vCalendar, consisting of a property name, one or more property parameters (optional), and a property value.
See also: property name, property parameter, property value
property group
A collection of grouped properties.
See also: grouped property
property name
Uniquely identifies a property.
See also: property
property parameter
Qualifies a property name. Has a name and optionally a value. A property can have more than one property parameter.
See also: property
property value
A string containing the value for a property.
See also: property
protocol family
An integer which uniquely identifies a protocol suite.
protocol provider
A class that provides services according to a protocol defined in a protocol class.
See also: mixin protocol
protocol user
A class which uses services from a protocol provider class, defined by a protocol.
See also: mixin protocol, protocol provider
Psion PLC
A consumer hardware company mostly known for developing the Psion organiser as well as a whole range of more advanced, clamshell-design. Psion was established in 1980 as a software house with a close relationship with Sinclair Research.
PSTN
Public-switched Telephone network.
See also: PLMN
public/private key pair
A public key known to everyone and a private key that is known only to the recipient of the message. When someone wants to send a secure message to another person, they use their public key to encrypt a message. The receiver then uses their private key to decrypt it.
PTE
Page Table Entry. In an MMU with two level page table, this term is used for the 32 bit entry in the second level table, or page table. Each PTE maps 4K on ARM and 4K on X86.
