Editing WM Apps - General Questions and Answers

Hi All, I am new when it comes to windows mobile apps and I was wondering if anyone could help.
I have an application on my mobile which almost does everything I want. There are a few extra features I would like it to do and would like to have ago at creating them myself. Is there away that you can unpack a windows mobile app (like the exe file) to visual studio for editing or is this not possible?
Many Thanks

Windows Mobile EXEs are like any other windows executable files... These are binary compiled programs that you cannot just "edit" in a text editor.
If the program you want to modify is Open Source and if the software author allows to do so, then you'll have to modify the source, recompile the software and test it.
Basically, it's regular programming...

ok thanks for the help.

if it's .net then you can try giving reflector a go it can make .net exe's to c# code

Yup, but what you'll get won't always be understandable... If the software author obfuscated the code for example..

Related

Programming

I previously posted on the wrong section, sorry, so I'm transferring it here.
Anyway, I want to know what programs I can use to make programs for HTC Raphael. Can I use Microsoft Visual Studio? Borland? I currently know how to use c and c++, do I need to use c# instead? And are the commands the same with the one on for the PC and for the PPC? So yeah any programs for programming on the desktop or on the PPC?
Thanks in advance!
yeah visual studio will do it
it support
1
.net compact framework for c# which is a subset of normal .net with some of the more fancy controls missing is normal .net programs from pc dont use anything missing in the compact framework they can run directly on the pocketpc unless the rest is not programmed to adjust (c#)
2
it support microMFC which is a pocketpc version of the old microsoft foundation classes
which was ms's object lib before .net (c/c++)
3
it support pure win32 api which again is a subset of the normal windows win32 api (c/c++)
performance wise 1 is lowest 3 is fastes
support in turms of having control without programming too many unmanaged hooks 3 is best 1 is worst
speed to get a project up and displaying something and having some functionality 1 is fastest 3 is worst
dont know about borland anymore guess they support compact framework
So if I make a program in c or c++, I can actually run it already on my PPC? If so, why does the .exe files on my PPC disallows me to run them on my desktop? Do I need to like convert the .exe file I made on my desktop to make it run on the PPC? If yes, is there any program out there to convert it to make it available for my PPC?
you have to run it using an emulator on your pc such as the one that comes with vs
userman777 said:
So if I make a program in c or c++, I can actually run it already on my PPC? If so, why does the .exe files on my PPC disallows me to run them on my desktop? Do I need to like convert the .exe file I made on my desktop to make it run on the PPC? If yes, is there any program out there to convert it to make it available for my PPC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you have Visual Studio 2005 Pro, you can create a new "SmartDevice" project. This will take care of setting up almost everything you need. You can also later create a SmartDevice Cab project to create an cab for your program.
It is quite straightforward...try a simple hello world program to get used to it.

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.

.NET question

Hi all!
Probably this is going to be a stupid question, because I just started coding in C# half a year ago, thinking that C# was just like JAVA, you can use it in every platform.
Today I managed to write my first "Hello World" application to Windows Mobile.
First I coded the application and compiled it to x86 (normally with Visual Studio) and tried to run it on WM. It didn't run.
Why? Isn't it the concept of .NET that it can run on every architecture?
After that I managed to figure it out that it has to be a smart device project...
Can someone give me a heads up (or a detailed link where I can RTFM?
Thx!
pda's use .net compactframework which is a subset of normal .net
read more here
http://www.google.dk/search?hl=da&q=net+compact+framework+vs.+net&btnG=Søg&meta=lr=lang_da|lang_en
Beware the manifest....
From Visual Studio 2005 onwards the IDE embeds a manifest in either the .EXE itself or as a separate file. This contains a list of exactly what the app needs to be present in order to run. The loader on the target machine reads it and makes sure that all this stuff exists on the target, before it will allow it to run. VS2003 was not quite so smart, there is no manifest. If the .NET objects used were present in both .NET 1.0/1.1 and the compact framework .NET 1.1 (i.e CF was the lowest common denominator) then the loader would load it and try and run it. Subject to there being no errors in the just-in-time compile of the .NET CLR and no run time errors of the code, it will work. It is possible to run the same .EXE on a PC and pocket PC, but there are a lot of ifs and buts.
Sometimes less is more......

Where do I start in .cab development?

I have some things I think would be nice to implement into my UI, such as a slide-down notification bar and a "Slide to send" instead of "Tap to send" when doing bluetooth transfers. I imagine flash is not the starting point, is it C# or what?
cab is just an install container
which can install anything from a registry change to a program
c# is easy to start with but for fast visual performance one need
to use c++ and program pure win32 api
Rudegar said:
cab is just an install container
which can install anything from a registry change to a program
c# is easy to start with but for fast visual performance one need
to use c++ and program pure win32 api
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that the cab is just the installer, somewhat like an msi or zip self-extracter. I just said "cab" in reference to a mod/app for the windows phones.
What tools should I be looking for to start with in regards to modding/adding animation to the UI of particular Windows Mobile spots? Thanks for narrowing the language required (C family, I'll start my studies once I have the programs to code it with). Thanks again!
visual studio
maybe mono if you are on mac linux or can't get visual studio
but mono is only c# though
another option is gcc for pocketpc
or visual studio embeddet c++ it should be free too

SDK for HTC HD2? and other quick questions on programming apps

Hi all,
I have just got my new HD2 and I'm keen to write a couple of apps for it. I have some limited experience with programming Processing, Java and wrote a little bit of C++ a few years ago. I have no experience at all with writing mobile apps so am after a few tips to get me up and going.
I understand its easiest to program through the .Net framework and I can bring up a template through visual basic 2008 for that. The apps I am keen to write will require access to the phones sensors, in particularly the g-sensor and accelerometer. Forums on the net tell me I need to download the SDK for the phone and use that to access all of the phones features. I have the following questions:
Where do I download the SDK for the HTC HD2? Some forums say you just use the standard HTC SDK, is this correct, are they talking about an android SDK and where can I get it from?
In using the SDK, do I simply import it as a package into my code and call up its functions? In which case is there documentation for it?
In case I get stuck, is there any good tutorials online anywhere for programming apps for windows phones?
Probably some very basic questions but they still tripped me up!
Thanks in advance, I look forward to sharing my apps with you.
Cheers all, Ollie1234
SDK Software Developer Kit & DRK Developer Resource Kit
Learning XML - Overview
The xml International Standard Organization (ISO) -=[ find xml apps here too ]=- :
http://www.w3.org/standards/xml/
XML is an almost universally supported way of exchanging documents and data across applications and platforms. Microsoft has a family of XML technologies that allows users with differing requirements to do what they need, as simply and efficiently as possible.
Which XML application programming interface (API) should you use? Here are our top-level guidelines:
If you are writing managed code targeting the .NET Framework in C#, Visual Basic, J#, managed C++, or any other managed language, you should use System.Xml and/or LINQ to XML in the .NET Framework.
If you are writing native code using Visual Basic 6, C, C++, or a scripting languages you will probably want to use the MSXML library:
MSXML6 is the latest version that's included with Windows XP SP3 and all versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. New applications should be using MSXML6.
MSXML5 is an older library optimized for Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 and can only be used on machines that have an Office license.
MSXML4 is nearing deprecation. MSXML6 should be used for new applications
MSXML3 is included in Windows XP and higher.
Comprehensive list of all MSXML versions and variants
If you are writing native code and your application has tight performance or memory constraints, consider the XmlLite API.
What XML Tools Are Available? Visual Studio offers a core collection:
XML Editor
XML Schema Explorer
XSLT Debugger
XML Tools in Visual Studio overvi
Read more HERE; http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/data/bb291061.aspx
Core Downloads for Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile 6 SDKs: documentation, sample code, header and library files, emulator images, and tools for building Windows Mobile 6 applications in Visual Studio
Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 for Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit)
Microsoft ActiveSync for Windows XP or earlier versions
New Downloads
Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Monthly Update June 2010
Office 2010: Product Guides
Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Monthly Update May 2010
SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2 for Windows Desktop
Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Monthly Update April 2010
Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Monthly Update March 2010
Related Resources
Windows Embedded CE Development Tools
Windows XP Embedded SP2 Update
What is the .NET Micro Framework?
Windows Mobile Starter Kits
Windows Mobile 6 Developer Resource Kit Trial Software
Popular Downloads
Windows Mobile 6 SDK Refresh
Windows Mobile 6 Localized Emulator Images
SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2 for Windows Desktop
Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK for Pocket PC
Office 2010: Product Guides
Windows Mobile Developer Power Toys
SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP1 and Synchronization Services for ADO.NET v1.0 SP1 for Windows Desktop
Library Topics
Installing Developer Tools for Windows Mobile
Welcome to Windows Mobile 6 Documentation
Windows Mobile 6 SDK Documentation
Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK Documentation
____Only if you want to code your applications to run on all WM6 devices without any problems you need the WM6 Standard SDK too!!!!
Development Resources for WM- here on xda-developers.com UPDATED
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=445396
Before you get stuck try to find online books about programming applications/games for windows phones. May be some other kind soul has a link for us?
Anyway have fun informing yourselves folks,
EDiT: Though this thread is created recently a few moments later;
I answered a question like this one in Windows Mobile Software Development which contains way more links than I collected here!!! Plus I plan to keep that thread up2date ie adding more links soon..!
ollie1234 said:
The apps I am keen to write will require access to the phones sensors, in particularly the g-sensor and accelerometer. Forums on the net tell me I need to download the SDK for the phone and use that to access all of the phones features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that the common WM SDK does not give access to the G-Sensor and other HTC specific stuff. Some probably hacked G-Sensor information is available. It is not entirely correct but it does work on the HD2.
http://www.scottandmichelle.net/scott/comments.html?entry=784
ollie1234 said:
In using the SDK, do I simply import it as a package into my code and call up its functions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WM SDK's are mostly a collection of header files, import libs and samples. You include the header files you need in you own code, then you can use the functions they declare, and link with the appropriate libs.
Nice work guys.. Thanks a lot for your assistance. I will post on how I get on!
Ollie.

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