Rory Does Windows Mobile Development - An Introduction

Posted By: Rory | Jun 28th, 2006 @ 3:42 AM | 84,560 Views | 33 Comments

I've decided, humble as I am, to try and create the greatest series of screencasts in the entire universe on the subject of Windows Mobile development. I'll probably fail, but that's no big deal. It's just a goal.

In this first screencast, I walk you through the creation of a very simple Windows Mobile application, while pointing out some things you Need To Know along the way.

Future screencasts in this series will be deeper technical dives, but you gotta start somewhere, eh?

I hope you like it Smiley

My name, by the way, is Rory Blyth, and I'm an MSDN Events Presenter. You can learn more about my job here, and you can get to my blog here.

Screencasts In This Series:

- An Introduction To Windows Mobile Development

- Building a Simple Web Browser With the .NET CF 2.0

- A Simple Data Driven Windows Mobile App Using SQL Server Mobile

- Data Synching: Part One

- Data Synching: Part Two

- Windows Mobile 5.0: State Notification API

- Windows Mobile 5.0: Pocket Outlook Object Model

- Windows Mobile 5.0: Camera API
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#Jun 28th, 2006 @ 4:27 PM
figuerres
figuerres
???
Hey! Rory!

Dang.... miss the old DNR days.... been wondering what you been doing.... now I see this... Hmmm...
#Jun 28th, 2006 @ 5:35 PM
Rory
Rory
Free Tibet While Supplies Last
figuerres -

There's more on the way tonight, too.

And, if you miss the DNR days - it just so happens I'm flying out to Connecticut next month to do some work with Carl on another show (not DNR). Just for kicks, you know? A little bit of fun in the middle of all the work.

Anyway, hope you're into the screencast thing, 'cause that's what I've decided I'm going to be doing all week Smiley
#Jun 28th, 2006 @ 6:21 PM
Coderat
Coderat
Did you get that memo?
Woohoo!  I've been waiting for some more mobile screencasts from you since the few you put up on your website in Feb.  Looking forward to them!
#Jun 28th, 2006 @ 6:51 PM
Rory
Rory
Free Tibet While Supplies Last

Glad to hear it, Coderat Smiley

The ones I'm doing here are mostly repeats of what I did on my site. I decided to do it this way because most niners probably haven't seen my mobile stuff yet.

There's new stuff, too, though - most important, there will be a couple sessions on RDA that I think will be very useful for devs who are trying to figure out how to sync data between a mobile device and SQL Server.

The other bonus is that, with the bandwidth here, people won't have to wait as long to get the screencasts, so that's nice.

But, yeah - just keep an eye out  - I'll be doing several more this week, and I think I'll be posting about three more by the end of the night (that is: sometime tomorrow morning).

#Jun 29th, 2006 @ 2:03 PM
figuerres
figuerres
???
Rory wrote:
figuerres -

There's more on the way tonight, too.

And, if you miss the DNR days - it just so happens I'm flying out to Connecticut next month to do some work with Carl on another show (not DNR). Just for kicks, you know? A little bit of fun in the middle of all the work.

Anyway, hope you're into the screencast thing, 'cause that's what I've decided I'm going to be doing all week


Yeah!

BTW:

I have an app that today is 1.1 / WinCE.Net based.
the vendors are talking about mving to WM 5.0 but it's CASIO so it may take 5 years Tongue Out for them to do it.... I hope not... any way you can get them to fast track it?? offer to help them Smiley

anyway some things I'd love to see include some kind of "CLick Once" for WM / .Net CF
as it stands I have hacked up an FTP download to grab a new cab file and then use an interop call to make the device do a re-boot.
but the ftp can die and leave the thing hung with a bad cab file for example.

also the old sqlce db has some nasty problems with corruping the db file.

if CASIO can get wm 5 then we can go with the new sql ce; I have heard it is way better -- not so able to mess up the db file.

the unit is the CASIO IT-3000 nice hardware - weight, size etc....
just old OS on it Perplexed
#Jun 29th, 2006 @ 2:36 PM
Sven Groot
Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...
Very cool. I haven't watched it yet, but I definitely will. It was actually Rory's blog where I first learned about Channel9. Smiley
#Jun 29th, 2006 @ 3:22 PM
Rory
Rory
Free Tibet While Supplies Last
figuerres -

I feel your pain about not being able to go Windows Mobile 5.0.

Unfortunately, it's up to the OEM if there's going to be an upgraded OS for a given device (it's also up to the hardware). If I had it my way, I'd slap WM 5.0 on everything from your devices to your microwave and refrigerator.

Your Click-Once for mobile apps sounds cool - a lot of vendors will do an either/or thing with mobile apps. That is, it's either a desktop install through ActiveSync, or it's a straight cab install.

While the desktop install has many advantages (like keeping track of what's on your device and making it easy to reinstall later if need be), it'd also be nice to be able to hit a page with IE (on the device) and easily install an app.

I guess I should also apologize ahead of time - the next three screencasts I'm putting up are all about new features of WM 5.0 for developers Smiley
#Jun 29th, 2006 @ 3:23 PM
Rory
Rory
Free Tibet While Supplies Last
Sven Groot wrote:
Very cool. I haven't watched it yet, but I definitely will. It was actually Rory's blog where I first learned about Channel9.


Wow.

That's weird and cool at the same time.

Weird because I didn't know anybody actually clicked on the links from my blog.

Cool because I just found out they do.

Word, Sven Smiley
#Jun 29th, 2006 @ 3:53 PM
figuerres
figuerres
???
Rory wrote:
figuerres -

I feel your pain about not being able to go Windows Mobile 5.0.

Unfortunately, it's up to the OEM if there's going to be an upgraded OS for a given device (it's also up to the hardware). If I had it my way, I'd slap WM 5.0 on everything from your devices to your microwave and refrigerator.

Your Click-Once for mobile apps sounds cool - a lot of vendors will do an either/or thing with mobile apps. That is, it's either a desktop install through ActiveSync, or it's a straight cab install.

While the desktop install has many advantages (like keeping track of what's on your device and making it easy to reinstall later if need be), it'd also be nice to be able to hit a page with IE (on the device) and easily install an app.

I guess I should also apologize ahead of time - the next three screencasts I'm putting up are all about new features of WM 5.0 for developers


well what I have is fairly simple to do.
the one thing we had to buy was nsoftware's .net cf control package to get ftp on .net cf

after that is just put up an ftp server with the files
then have a button "get updates" that does some old ftp gets
then put the cab file in the Startup folder.
then use pinvoke to do soft-restart.
when the device starts it installs the cab file, asks the user if it's ok to replace the files.
then the user has to run the app.

in our case though we would like to:
1) remove the prompts for the file-replace.
2) auto-run our app when CE starts up.
3) remove all access to the desktop and start menu.

it's a Point of Sale type app that's running off line most of the day with folks who are not very skilled. so simple is KEY!
and we currently do not like the device startup time
when my app is running it hides the desktop and start menu.
but while CE loads the start menu etc....
the user can if they move fast open stuff on the start menu.

also fun is trying to get info from the casio techs who are in Japan
and often need an interpeter Smiley

Nothing against asian / Japan etc.... just that it makes some things more of a challenge Wink
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