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Creating a WM Application - Where to start ?

I hope this is the right place to put this, if not, mods, feel free to remove and/or delete it. I've dabbled a bit with C before, but that's about the extent of my programming experience. I'd like to create a program that will parse the information from a website and display it... I don't imagine something like that would be hard to do, but I have no idea what tools I would even need to start writing a PPC application.
Kitco (a website that gives live quotes of precious metals) recently came out with an application for the iphone that neatly formats all this information:
http://www.kitco.com/images/banners/KitcoiPhone/iphone.html
I'd like to basically create a PPC version of this application.
Is this something that an individual with next to no experience could hope to achieve ? I'd have to create a GUI, initialize the internet, connect and retrieve a webpage and remove the relevent information before displaying it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've always wanted to become more familiar with these sorts of things and figured this project would be a great way of learning it.
Thanks!

ThreadMoved

Next to no experience? I dont think so. You have to have a little under your belt first and the only way to achieve that is to start readin right here!

I'm also interested in the expert answers to this question.
My very non-expert understanding is as follows:
VS 2005 (microsoft visual studio) can create executables for WM devices using a SDK (low level) or .Net CF (medium level) interface. You want to use .Net CF (compact framework) because it is supposed to make things easier. I think you have to use C++ to use the SDK but you can use C++, C#, or Visual Basic and write to .NET CF.
VS 2005 is an IDE (integrated development environment). It contains features to edit, compile, and even test your program using simulator/debugger. I think there are some non-microsoft IDE's that can also generate Windows Mobile code -- there is a market for cross-platform environments (e.g. programmers write code using a special library instead of the windows SDK or .NET function and the same source code can be compiled to run on Blackberry, iPhone, S60, Windows Mobile, etc...)
Instead of writing to the phone hardware (or .NET abstraction) directly, you can write your application using Java. You would use some Java compatible IDE (like Eclipse, Jbuilder, or NetBeans) to create Java applets that you download to your phone. You'd have to install a Java VM (virtual machine) on your phone to run these applets. I think the downloadable games for phones are Java applets.
Disclaimer: I haven't worn my "programming cap" since 2001 and hopefully things have gotten simpler. In my previous life I designed operating systems for mainframe computers.

Developing a Portal application in C#

I am wanting to develop a portal application in C# for Windows Mobile 6.0. I have installed the .net Compact Framework 3.5 on my device and have the necessary tools on the PC to develop for Windows Mobile. I am using Visual Studio 2005 to develop this application.
I am not a programmer, I have little experience with .net technologies but have for past assignments used VB.net to create small applications for assignments at uni.
I am now in my third and final year at uni and I decided to take on a project that is titled Human Computer Interaction of Mobile Devices. As part of my project I am required to produce an application, though designing various menu systems in itself will be quite a job, not to mention the documentation of it all.
The application I want to create now, is not necessarily part of my project, though it may influence me later on and should go some way to helping me. I have had the intentions of creating an application in Flash up to now.
Anyway, this application, its what I would call a portal. It has 4 tabs, Websites, Television, Radio and Programs. The Programs tab page has been designed much like the iPhone interface with either same or somewhat similar buttons. These buttons do not do anything at the moment.
I started the other week in designing an application in vb.net and run the debug exe as standalone on PC and linking to application that are on the PC will actually run when clicking on the picturebox as that is what I am using rather than buttons.
I put a Try Catch in and the error message comes up on the Mobile. If I take the Try Catch away then FileExceptionNotFound error message comes up and forces the program to close.
In C#, I have created much the same application, it does nothing whatsoever at the moment other than allowing me to flick from one tab to another. I am wanting to link pictureboxes in the programs tab to programs stored on the phone such as \Windows\Opera9.exe and \Windows\tmail.exe and so on.
I would like Radio Stations and Television channels to load up in a program specified in code if a default one does not start so I realise that I would need to call the link of the radio station (same with television channels) and then tell it to load up in specified program.
The other thing I am not sure about it how I would tell the phone to connect to the internet.
I didn't really want to be asking for help on here with this, as its probably not too difficult to create something like this, seeing as what some people (geniuses) on here have been able to develop. If nobody is able to help, then maybe pointing me in the right direction of some good reliable resources would be an idea. I have done much searching on Google etc for help with this and MSDN but my programming skills have never been up to much if I'm honest.
Any help would be much appreciated.

A few things then
For Visual Studio download and isntall the Windows Mobile SDK's (Version 6, standard and Pro).
Then when you create a new Mobile Device application you have everything you need. There should be a Toolbar in Visual Studio that allows you to select where your device will be run in Debug Mode (either the Emulator or on your device). This is the easiest way to debug your apps; also using MyMoblier will help.
Starting an App in C# is as easy as System.Diagnostics.Process.Start() method.
Connecting to the net is a little harder, I have written my own based on what I found using google. Basically it centers around 3 API calls:
Code:
[DllImport("CellCore.dll")]
static extern int ConnMgrEstablishConnectionSync(ConnMgrConnectionInfo connectionInfo, ref IntPtr connectionHandle, uint dwTimeout, ref ConnMgrStatus dwStatus);
[DllImport("CellCore.dll")]
static extern int ConnMgrMapURL(string url, ref Guid networkGuid, int passZero);
[DllImport("CellCore.dll")]
static extern int ConnMgrReleaseConnection(IntPtr connectionHandle, int cache);
Hope this helps
EDIT:
Also moved to Q&A to avoid upsetting them
Ta
Dave

Thanks for the advice. I have already downloaded Windows Mobile 6 SDK but I for some reason don't seem to be able to access the ROMS from WM6 inside of Visual Studio. I might be able work that issue out though. I will see how I get on with it and post back if I have any further problems.

Connecting to the internet.
I have found that the .net object WebRequest will open the connection if is not already open.
Stream ResponseStream = WebRequest.Create("yourURLgoesinhere").GetResponse().GetResponseStream() will return a stream to read to get the object.
If there is an active WiFi connection the phone will use it, or it will use an active GPRS connection, or fire up the default GPRS connection as a last resort.
The bottom line is - let the machine do all the hard work.

Java applet on Windows Mobile

Hi guys!
It's 2009 and still no solution for whole Java Applets on Windows Mobile?!
I googeled a lot of time and tried many browsers (including NETFRONT) but still no success...
I am thankful for any help...
Greetz - Thomas

Why don't you try reading the sticky at the top of this section?

Java Applets
I read all sticky's in this forum but there is no information concerning whole java applets (NOT programs) on windows mobile - the only solution seems to be the Thunderhawk’s Java applet EMULATION on a server - I want a solution on my Smartphone and not paying a monthly fee to Thunderhawk...
Any help?

http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/~fittond/ppcjava.html
would not hold my breath though

Seems all to be Java-environments to run Java-programs on your smartphone but no plugins to make your mobile browser run whole java applets :-(
Any more help?

c# to mysql with new toy

Hi All,
I recently got a new toy, in the form of a pocket PC (mda varrio 3), and want to learn how to program for it in c# using Visual Studio 2008. I have experience of C, Pascal, PHP etc and have a few questions for you all:
1) I have websites with a mysql database and was wondering if c# was good for accessing the data on these websites within an application (not web browser) on my phone?
2) I’m struggling to find basic step by step tutorials that will help me write such an application. Could someone please point me in the correct direction?
3) Are there good websites with lots of c# sample program applications that I can see the code? I have looked on the Microsoft site, but the c# samples seem to be lacking.
Sorry if these questions have been asked before, I had a quick look and couldn’t find what I was looking for ….
Thanks in advance,
Reggie.

Hi,
Connecting from the Phone Directly to MySQL is a bad idea, ideally you should create some sort of webservice or remoting middle tier(afaik .net 3.5 CF supports this). The reason I say this is that the connection string will have to be embedded in the device and anyone with a bit of know how will reverse engineer it and be able to access you MySQL Server.
That said, connecting to MySQL in C# is easy: have a look here for some .net articles : http://dev.mysql.com/usingmysql/dotnet/ (just port the VB to C#).
Thanks
Dave

reggie4 said:
Hi All,
I recently got a new toy, in the form of a pocket PC (mda varrio 3), and want to learn how to program for it in c# using Visual Studio 2008. I have experience of C, Pascal, PHP etc and have a few questions for you all:
1) I have websites with a mysql database and was wondering if c# was good for accessing the data on these websites within an application (not web browser) on my phone?
2) I’m struggling to find basic step by step tutorials that will help me write such an application. Could someone please point me in the correct direction?
3) Are there good websites with lots of c# sample program applications that I can see the code? I have looked on the Microsoft site, but the c# samples seem to be lacking.
Sorry if these questions have been asked before, I had a quick look and couldn’t find what I was looking for ….
Thanks in advance,
Reggie.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install the Windows Mobile 5.0 or 6.0 SDK (it was an option when you installed Visual Studio, assuming you didn't install the "express" version), or you installed it afterwards, you'll have a directory in C:\Program Files (or your equivalent) for the SDK (for example, on my machine the 5.0 SDK is here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK R2
Under there you'll have everything you'll need to get started. Especially interesting should be the contents of the Samples folder (PocketPC is for devices with touch screens).
Good luck, and have fun!

any c# guide how to connect to mysql would work
.net works the same in 99% of cases on pc and ppc

Thanks Rudegar, I thought as much - but couldn’t find a simple step by step guide including Visual Studio 2008 with example code.
Thanks godefroi, I have had a look in here, but there aren't many c# samples and I can't find one c# to mysql sample.
Thanks DaveShaw, I didn’t explain myself well enough. I have a website with a mysql database on it (on web server) and I wanted to be able to update the site from the net (eg my laptop) and when I am out and about (from my phone). I wanted to write an application that runs on my phone that can read and write data to its own local database (or this web database depending on signal) and then synchronise the local and the web database when 3G signal becomes availabile.
I hope i have explained myself more clearly?

[Q] Needing JRE to access web page

I have a HTC Fuse with Energy Rom running 2Jul10 WWE on it and trying to no avail to get this web page to load that needs Java Virtual Machine.
Web Address:
Well it won't let me post the url, being a "new" member. I can add it when I have access.
Then select the first 3270 icon. I have tired with Opera 9.7 that is included in the ROM and it acts like it is going to load, but then errors out saying "A Java Virtual Machine is required to use WebConnect applets."
So then I try in Skyfire, but the progress bar goes about 3/4 of the way and then just hangs.
Also tried in IE, and says "A Java Virtual Machine is required to use WebConnect applets."
So I have searched and searched for a JVM for Windows Mobile 6.0 or 6.5 and installed JavaFX. But still doesn't work. I also tried the Java that is included with the ROM, leaving it running in background while going to the web site in either IE, or Opera. Still doesn't work.
Where to now? I have been able to get this WebConnect applet, a 3270 terminal emulator, to work on an iPhone using "Cloud browser" as the browser.
elehman3