Hi Everyone,
I am just starting to explore developing software for mobile devices. I want to be able to develop an application, generate a CAB file, copy them to a selected device and the make the device automatically expand and install the CAB file.
Does anyone know of an easy way of automating the installation of a CAB file on devices - this is basically so that the end user does not have to be involved in the installation of new software.
Thanks
Dan
I'm interested in it too!
Do you mean that you want to remotely update the software installed in the mobile? Do you plan to send the new installation file by GPRS?
You can't push files over GPRS unless you have a VPN or similar tunnel (most people don't.)
While developing I like to run Eiichiro Ito's ftpd for Windows CE (works with any version from 2.0 to 5.0 - http://www.oohito.com/wince/arm_j.htm) and I have a rule in my Makefile which automatically uploads the new binary to the storage card, ready to run.
Of course if you only want your program to check for updates and install them automatically, then it is just a matter of making it check a website and download available updates each time it is run. This requires extra code in your application but it's the only way to do it for released software. Also it will annoy the user by trying to connect to GPRS every time they run the program.
It sounds like to me you want to know how to make a cab file. Is that right?
If so I can offer some code. The part about getting the cab to automatically work is not so easy. Unless you have some process already running that expects the cab, what will execute it?(unless of cource you mean the device is synched)
Give more detail.
Related
Hello all,
Attached is a simple CAB file that should have set the PIE user-agent stuff to be identifying the thing as IE6. I think there may be others around, I know I've seen it in a larger cab, so don't worry about this specific function. My question is regarding the fact that when I try to run it on my HTC Wizard (running WM5), I get "Installation of PIE_as_IE6.cab was unsuccessful".
I built the CAB off of the "CAB Template.cab" from http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=113615#113615 - just in case I'd run into that version issue with WM5.
Any thoughts out there on what's wrong with the CAB? Or is there a different reason it won't install?
Hi, what CSP are you using to change those settings and how are you deploying it to the device? Chances are access to that provider is restricted to a higher security role than what the cab file has permissions to do. RAPI still has access to most service providers by default but if you're downloading the cab over the air to the device it'll probably need to be signed with a suitable certificate before it's allowed to make setting changes. Mobile 5.0 security has been beefed up and its now a bit of a mission to do what was reasonable simple to do on 2003. All cpf files need to be signed if not deployed over RAPI as well, for even something trivial like adding a browser favourite.
editor is OCP Software's WinCe Cab Manager (version: 1.1)
deploy method is copy over USB cable by ActiveSync through Total Commander+WinCe Device access plugin. Execution of CAB is on the device itself through Total Commander CE or Explorer.
No CSP in use (err.. afaik).
You may be right that the part of the registry in question may simply be unavailable to access without special signing. I'll have to dig for those keywords a bit.
Yeah...the more I research Mobile 5.0 security the steeper it gets. It seems security permissions extend all the way to file IO access. Writing certain recognized system files (like theme files) without adequit permissions effectively renders those files as untrusted and they stop behaving in their expected manner. Its a pain.
I am looking for a way to sync ical with my tasks and appointments on my phone. Ive found software online and whatnot, but nothing for 5.0. anyone know of anything? I would really appreciate it.
Missing Sync for Windows Mobile
I'm using Missing Sync for Windows Mobile on my OS X MBP. It works great and you can install .cab applications with it as well. Unfortunately you still need a windows machine/install to install the .exe stuff but I've found most software vendors for PPC apps supply a .cab install option now as well.
http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_windowsmobile.php
cool ill track down a PC and try it out. THanks!
You won't need a PC to install Missing Sync, it's a Mac universal binary. What I was speaking of are applications for the PPC device that require you to run an executable on a host PC (windows) to then install the application on to your device. However I just found this on another forum and I think I'm going to give it a try.
File Juicer - one of the features is "Extract CAB files from Pocket PC self installing EXE files" once you have the .cab you can install the application via missing sync.
http://echoone.com/filejuicer/
oh I think i found this once, but 40$ and no trial scared me...
Hi guys / gals
I have an XDA11i and want to add .net compact 2.0 to it so that I can run hitchhiker or wififofum etc .
How do I install the .net framework ? do I just add it to the active sync folder and let it get patched across ? or do I load it to another folder on the Pda and run it ?
Am having fun with my work network whih at the moment is stopping me down loading the file any way but I believe my It dept can get round that one for me.
Help greatfully appreciated
Astro1
I am a bit unclear:
In which format is the installation you have?
Usually you download the desktop installer from MS. (I believe it is an .msi file). Then you just connect you device, double click on the file on your PC and it does everything else automatically.
If you just have the .cab file, copy it to your device, then click on it from the file explorer (on the device).
That's it.
If you need to download it you can do it here.
Easiest way: dock your Alpine.
Download and run the .msi file from the Microsoft URL mentioned above (it's the latest version of the .net compact framework). Let the installation run its course, and as it goes it'll transfer the CABs over to your device and then they'll install. I don't think (if memory serves) any user intervention is actually required.
One soft reset later: bang, you're sorted.
Thanks guys
Took your advice and all sorted , as you said it does it all its self , no intervention .
Now have hitchhiker and wififofum all up and running although a big drain on system rescources .
Astro1
Hello. I want to scan and modify every IP packet that goes thru PPP (dial-up) (or thru all interfaces if easier). I've done a lot of research and found that maybe the only way to achieve this on lousy wince is to patch the OS itself...I am an x86 programmer and I've done this relatively easily on winxp...
P.S. How can one debug wince os code in ROM with software debuggers?
P.P.S. So far I don't have any solution to my problem so it would be a success to do this even with one device (I have htc universal for tests...)
Today I've finally downloaded the platform builder and so called "Shared" code of wince 6.0...To my surprise I found ARM4 .lib files instead of source code for everything that I needed to look in (ip*.*) . However there is a binmod utility and other stuff for editing rom that you might need. I don't need to modify rom since i can neither debug ROM nor have it's source even from a different version of wince (I need for 5.0). M$ is sh*t as usual.
It is the har work to modify ppp packets on pocket pc (wince).
Yo can try the passthru sample in PB:
\PUBLIC\COMMON\OAK\DRIVERS\NETSAMP\PASSTHRU
and
\WINCE500\PUBLIC\COMMON\OAK\DRIVERS\NETSAMP\ASYNCMAC
i think you have to modify the drivers.
good luck !
I'm developing software for the HTC ARTEMIS on WindowsMobile 5.0 OS. The software is finally provided through a CAB file by using cabwiz to create the CAB. That works as intended.
However, when a memory card is used at the device, the CAB installation routine keeps asking whether the software should be installed on the device or on the memory card. Is there any way to force installation on the _device_ without asking the user?