Requesting Info for Foraying into Smart Device Development - General Questions and Answers

Howdy..
I've been a bit of a PC Programmer for a long time, and I'm wanting to get into creating applications for windows mobile (6.1 preferrably).
I've been looking and looking and have been getting quite a lot of conflicting views and suggestions.
I'm asking if anyone knows exactly what they're on about with creating applications (I'm thinking VB 2k8 with .net compact framework - though I'm not sure there's any other?)
If they could give me pointers on how to get started, or maybe a walkthrough (minus the actual programming) of what programs to use, how to compile and test..
My mental image of what I'm looking for is similar to how you used to do it with Visual Basic (6 is the last one I messed with) where you publish the program to an exe file? But yeah...
Any info is MUCH appreciated.

mod edit: Thread moved

Ah sorry mate, I thought that post was in the bounds of instigating a development discussion.
Would you be please able to then move this topic to the correct thread?

There are other programs out there to write software for ppc, but that is one of the best.
You will need the wm6 sdk to develope programs for wm 6.
Here is a link on developer resources so you can get a complete overview

Related

Developing Ideas for a Noob

Hello,
I am very new at developing anything what so ever. I want to take on the task of developing a small app for my HTC/xv6900.
I make visits to peoples homes on a regular basis. I would like to have a program that I can add these people in. It will work pretty similar to the contacts system already on the windows Mobile. But there are a few things that it lacks that I need. So i decided to try to develop my own.
I found a very cheap copy of the .net 2005 and download the Windows Mobile Professional from Microsoft.
But of course I am unsure of what I am doing. I figure I could try to build the GUI first and then get some help with the coding. But now I am stuck on the GUI.
The main reason for this post is to get help and get some direction to some good tutorials that would help in building a small app for a WM6 Professional device.

Is it at all possible to merge multiple cab files to create a single cab?

What I am interested in doing is taking multiple cab files and then merging them into a single cab file so rather than having to install multiple theme tabs i could just install a single file which would make the whole process simpler after a hard reset to get all my things reinstalled.
I'm a bit of a noob and have searched through the forum but havent really found a noob's walkthrough although i have found usefull posts they arent exactly what i'm looking for, i'm sure other members would find this really usefull too if its at all possible.
It could also be helpful for installing multiple applications at a time.
I appreciate that people dont have the time to sit and talk me through the whole process but any information you could give would really be appreciated.
I've attached the files that i would be interested in merging. I'm not looking for anyone to do the work for me i'm just interested in any knowledge of the process that you may have to offer.
Thx
Alex
Doobee24 said:
What I am interested in doing is taking multiple cab files and then merging them into a single cab file so rather than having to install multiple theme tabs i could just install a single file which would make the whole process simpler after a hard reset to get all my things reinstalled.
I'm a bit of a noob and have searched through the forum but havent really found a noob's walkthrough although i have found usefull posts they arent exactly what i'm looking for, i'm sure other members would find this really usefull too if its at all possible.
It could also be helpful for installing multiple applications at a time.
I appreciate that people dont have the time to sit and talk me through the whole process but any information you could give would really be appreciated.
I've attached the files that i would be interested in merging. I'm not looking for anyone to do the work for me i'm just interested in any knowledge of the process that you may have to offer.
Thx
Alex
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simplest and easiest thing to do is to use UC to install all these cabs automated style when the ROM boots up. I am assuming you are using a ROM which is UC compliant (all the official ones arent.....the cooked ROMs are mostly UC compliant though).
The 'hard' way is analyzing the cab's -> extracting files/reg-entries -> rebuilding the cab-files to one cab.
Theoritically it's possible with a program like WinCE Cabmanager but it is a hell of job I think.
I would go for the UC-option mentioned by MrVanx. I use it myself and it works like a threat (you have to get familiar with wap-provisioning and stuff but it's worth the journey)
Ive tried using a few of the cooked roms over the past couple of weeks but to be honest they dont work all that well for me, none of them seem to work with msn (which is something i use all the time) i always get error messages saying that it cant find a data connection even through wifi which is always setup properly as i can search the net quite easily and have verified that the wifi is working and searched through the rom threads for fix's and all ive seen so far is that this seems to be a bit of a problem for a number of users, some fixes work for certain members but it doesnt for others, unfortunatly i'm one of the others.
Currently using Vodafone UK 1.90.161.5 stock rom.
I think the WinCE Cabmanager approach mite be the best option for me as i'm still a bit of a noob with regards to things and as most of the cabs i'm interested in merging are simple theme cabs so it shouldnt be that much of a task (gulps)
Are there any good tutorials that i could use for WinCE Cabmanager?
I'll have a search myself to see what i can come up with but in the past i've found it quite hard to find things in the forum and most of the time i stumble across certain "gems" by following links in peoples signatures.
Thanks for the info its much appreciated.
Alex
Over on the Kaiser section there was a user named bengalih, who made an automated installer called Sashimi. Although Bengalih has been banned, his work is still floating around. Check out this thread, or do a search for Sashimi. In theory, it should work for the Raphael, since it is still a Win Mobile device. Hope that helps. I might add, that right before Bengalih was banned, he stripped his Sashimi guides from his posts on xda, but they are available here.
This does look like the type of thing i am looking for unfortunately all his posts are just "..........................." but i regged on the other site and got the software so i'm going to go check it out and see how it works. Thanks for that
Alex
Just a quick question but does your mobile connection (Vodafone UK) allow you to use msn (or to that matter any IM program) or is it just http stuff only?
Tmobile wnw doesnt allow IM software over the data connection unless you use wnw+ so i wonder if this is the case with vodfone aswell?
Yeah it does, it also allows me to use skype too. Unfortunalty its the only ROM that does allow me to use msn although i havent tested skype as this is my secondary IM app.
In theory to make a theme (cab) i tried to extract files from a few cabs, files including:
1AA884~1.004
1BBFDC~1.001
1E29E8~1.005
4E6705~1.002
5A7AE8~1.015
5B86C9~1.016
5C27FF~1.017
etc
Then i used "QuickCab 1.0" to add all the extracted files from a couple of cab files, i directed QuickCab 1.0 to install the files to the Windows directory and the process made the new cab file with no problems however i tried to install the cab file that it had created but my TF3D didnt change at all even after a restart.
I'm trying to merge NoTopCurtain.cab-NoCurtains.cab-GlassClock_v1.cab-Pamas Transparant Slider.CAB & NeonIcon.cab
By looking at the xml file it looked like all the 90 files should be installed to the Windows directory.
Any idea of what i am doing wrong?
Thx
Alex
try cabmanager. You will see the actual files. And there is very logical registry structure.
I do not have a tutorial for the program but it's not that hard. You can export files (right mouse click) and reg-entries (under 'file'). Put those all together (import of reg-entries is also possible!) Adding files gives you a simple window with where to put the files on your ppc.
It is not that hard and you will be in control of the proces instead of working with the encrypted files you are doing now...
made dozens of (working) cab's this way myself and I'm no einstein!
Good luck
@merten3000 thanks for that for the next 30 days i can make working cabs, i initially seen your post and checked the program but noticed it was only a 30 day trial so i never bothered then with your last post when u mentioned "encrypted" files that sort of made sense when i originally seen the file names of the files i was extracting where as they are now extracting properly and i created a working cab, thanks very much.
Dont suppose you know of a free program that will do the same job? Money is tight and cant justify buying this app.
Alex
The simplest thing to do, for me, would be to take the stock rom that you like, extract and recook it making only the changes needed to make it UC compliant.
That way you get your rom just as it was, and can run all your cabs. Shouldn't be much work either. (well, it wouldnt be on the Kaiser - not used Raphael kitchens etc, but assume it is relatively easy)

getting started in programing for WM6. pls advise

hi folks,
i love my phone and will like to contribute...
i studied years ago turbo pascal but i figured that programing languages basically have similar flows?
i will like to seek advise from pros on how do i get started?
can i
1) know what programing language or tools do i need?
2) know what are the usual errors or problems so that my climb will be easier?
i am really sincere and i hope the pros can take some time to advise me...
yours
leo
I would say, the easiest way to do some application pgrogramming, is to use the Visual Studio 2008(Tool) and C#(language). The platform is .Net framework 3.5.
You can download the latest Windows Mobile emulators, and use it along with Visual studio to test and debug your programs. Once you are satisfied with the program, you can build the cab using Visual Studio(which you can install on the real windows mobile device).
Please post specifics if you need more info. I am sure most of the poeple here are willing to help!
Please try the search function before posting even though this is the Q&A section
This question was just asked: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=452400
sorry bro . . .
its fine, just figured you might find a little information quicker there
ok specific Q can i rely solely on "WYSIWYG" interface? rather than hardcode like C etc?
Nope. Solely WYSIWYG won't get you anywhere.
But you can use it. For example the CompactFramework.Net (CF.Net) has a WYSIWYG interface, but the underlying functionality you'll have to write yourself.
If that is what you meant...

New to Mobile Development. Some questions

Hey, I'm new to the forum and new to mobile development and hope to become a part of this thriving community. I have a few questions about development in regards to WM 6.1 and the Touch Diamond 2 (known as the Topaz here).
My first question is to do with the first application I deployed as a CAB to my phone today. It runs but when I try to enter information on a textbox the button to bring up the keyboard isn't there. I'm guessing there must be some coding involved to bring this up? Could anyone help me on this? If it's not coding, then what can be done to fix this?
Edit: Thought I should also mention that because it is a simple application (not Hello World) that I decided to code it in Visual Basic. I am using Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition and the 3.5 .NET Framework and the WM 6 SDK and some WM 6.1 resources (Emulator images)
here is common development thread
prdic said:
here is common development thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You realise that I have already searched for this information? And also that the thread linked gives pretty much no information to new developers
Bumpity bump
I am also looking for developing some application for my diamond2...
Any pointer for start in these place?
I am reading msdn... but very lengthy.

Help for Ultra Noobs!!!

Hello! I am the afore mentioned ultra noob and despite looking, I haven't been able to find an idiots guide to the simple stuff - what is a cab? What is a rom? I have read that I need microsoft .Net Compact Framework 3.5 but when I try to install it, it says 'Deployment to device will be unavailable as compatible active sync was not detected on this computer'. All things that I am struggling with.
I will be getting a TP2 next week and am hoping to get a head start on some of the stuff you more experienced peeps know about. So, if I have missed an ultra noob guide on these forums, could you point me to it or, maybe the regular users here could post a few replies with, say, your top 3 tips for tweaking a phone and choosing the right programs to download?
Thanks!
Hi,
I'm sure everything you need is available on xda. Another place to get basic information is Wikipedia:
CAB file: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAB_file
ROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read-only_memory
ROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROM_image
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware
http://gizmodo.com/5281397/how-to-install-windows-mobile-65-right-now
If XDA and similar sites and the search functions are too bewildering, get Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine's "The Ultimate Smartphone & Pocket PC How to Guide" for Windows Mobile users. There you'll have all the basics covered for total beginners. It's no longer published but you can get a copy of the last edition which covers up to WinMo 6.0 with loads of other stuff for 20 USD. http://www.smartphonemag.com/cms/bundle. Some of the stuff may be getting old, but WinMo hasn't changed all that much.
Thanks for your help!

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