Register creator ID’s early

Every PalmOS programmer should be familiar with the concept of creator ID’s and also on how to obtain them!
Registering creator ID’s is a fast process-and many of us push it to the time when the RC is under test. The logic behind is simple-a program can exist without a creator id but not vice versa. This is ok, but:

Beta testing can get painful
Applications that share creator id’s can duke it out among one another in the most impressive fashions. They can bust each other’s notification registrations. They can garble up one another’s preferences and databases,… . Hunting those errors down is a major pain in the hide….

Blocked creator ID’s cause an extra build
Usually, application’s creator ID’s are stored in a common header file. So, changing them usually triggers a full compile that can put all kinds of crap into the output!
Our column about the Art of beta testing just ended a few days ago-and one of the core points made was that untested compilates are dangerous and must not be released! So, this can give you a nice delay…

So, to cut a long story short: get your creator id’s early! It may not pay out immediately, but can save you and your beta testing team loads of work!

Related posts:

1. The art of beta testing-Part 4
2. The art of beta testing-Part 5
3. Get a creator ID for your Palm OS application
4. On inserting DRM/error catch&terminate code early
5. Updating Software painlessly