Database Users

The simplest question of all...

OK, here's one that you should all be able to help me with.
I am a programer, but have not yet begun to create programs for my XDA 2i. I REALLY don't know where to start... I bought MS C++ .NET with the possibly misguided impression that it was supposed to be rather like the Java virtual machine, and that I could simply whip up an exe on my PC then move it to the PPC and it would just work...
But now I'm SO confused. What's all this about SDKs and having different ones for different versions of Windows mobile? And then there's the compact .NET framework, and then there's ASP, but I'm fairly comfortable that that's a different issue entirely.
SO MY QUESTION IS THIS:
What is the simplest way for me to begin writing C/C++ programs to run on my XDA 2i? I'm not interested for the moment in phone or other connection aspects - let's say I'm trying to write a visual calculator. So simple logical operations and a simple GUI.
I have experience with MS visual studio C++, and I can use libraries when told which ones to use, but am otherwise uninterested in them.
I gather the absolute simplest solution might be to write some JScript, but I want to use .NET C++ since I forked out for it.
The trouble is, there's so much info out there. Please help, then maybe one day I can start contributing useful info to this site too.
Thanks everyone!
Phil Drew

questions and answers much like yours
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=21786
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=21649

download Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2 from Microsoft.. if you are a member of MSDN

Accessing the registry through VB or C# ?

Yeah I know... Nobody likes a newbie, but I hope we've all been at my state...
Can anyone tell me how to access the registry from my program ?
I've tried searching msdn, but seriously this doesn't help me.
What am I missing and what do I need to include ?
I'm not new to VB or C#, but I'm used to using it for different purposes.
Oh, one last question : Is there a good reference overview out there anywhere (for beginners in mobile development ?)
Thanking you for your help up front.

Try total commander: http://www.ghisler.com/ce.htm and then check the wiki http://wiki.xda-developers.com/ for registry hacks

no difference between windows .net and compact famework when it comes to most things
http://www.google.dk/search?hl=da&q=c#+modifying+registry&btnG=Søg&meta=lr=lang_da|lang_en

Beginner's pointers?

Hi chaps,
I've just got myself an O2 XDA Orbit - great device, and now I'm looking for developing for it - just simple things at first, like a Blackjack game, or a simple Today feature with the sun and moon times on it; this sort of thing.
I've got Visual Studio .NET 2003, but I see that in order to program the latest devices, you need VS 2005 (?). So, I've downloaded Embedded Visual Studio C++ v4 with all the SDK's and I'm hoping to develop for an earlier version of Windows Mobile, and hope that it works.
So while I've got all that, I'm now stuck as to where to start! Can anyone point me to a good book, or something online which will help me through a simple CE application? How you do get the Today screen working, for example? I realise that this might be asking a lot, but a couple of pointers would be great - if you could!
Many thanks,
MrP.

I'm just starting out myself with windows mobile programming. You can find a lot of info from msdn. Here is an example Hello app.
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms912017.aspx
You can find a lot of good stuff at the code project site also.
http://www.codeproject.com/ce/
eVC has wizards that will get you going. One thing I found out about using eVC is that you won't be able to debug your programs on a WM5/6 device since the SDK's are not compatible with them. It can be a bit of a challenge to fix bugs without a debugger. I can't get the debugger to work with the emulator either for some reason.
A question for other eVC developers out there. Is it possible to use the emulator to debug programs or do you all have an old PPC2003 device that you use to do your debugging? Or have you all moved on to VS2005?

I've bought visual studio 2005 standard and it is great - it fully supports WM5/6 (with sdk) and runtime debugging - for .exe it works well but I have problems with .dll - I can't debug dll files - does anyone know how to make it?

Pleas look up threads started by vijay555.
He wrote a comprehensive article on the tools and possibilities to begin developing for these devices.
Just as a quick side note:
There is no need what so ever to pay M$ money for VS 2005 if you want to develop in C / C++.
Apps written in eVC++ 4 will work perfectly with WM 5 and 6 and if you need any missing API (not many of those) you have 2 choices:
1) Manually unpack the SDK and link to it.
2) Use implicit linking (that LoadLibrary and GetProcAdress).

levenum said:
Pleas look up threads started by vijay555.
He wrote a comprehensive article on the tools and possibilities to begin developing for these devices.
Just as a quick side note:
There is no need what so ever to pay M$ money for VS 2005 if you want to develop in C / C++.
Apps written in eVC++ 4 will work perfectly with WM 5 and 6 and if you need any missing API (not many of those) you have 2 choices:
1) Manually unpack the SDK and link to it.
2) Use implicit linking (that LoadLibrary and GetProcAdress).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about the delay in replying...
Many thanks for the pointers.. Just a matter of starting now!

Programming the Hermes

Hi @ all...
i wanted to know if anyone is able to give ma an introduction into programming on mobile devices.
i've got the microsoft visual studio 2005 as a student version from my school, and found the mobile device template, but i wasn't able to figure some things out.
i will try much things by myself, but if anyone could give me an example on how to write a programm that accesses the phone line.
actually i want to write a program, that is able to place a call and send DTFM to the other side.
Is there a possibility to do this?
greetings
garfield

embedded visual c++ .. it is free and I'm using it .. look at what I've did all at my signature

What you are trying to do is not so simple. You need to read and learn about Telephony API (TAPI) which is a set of functions that lets you talk to the phone part of the device.
Also, you need to install the Window Mobile 5 and / or 2003 SDK which is available for free from MS.
Finally, you have not mentioned what programming languages you know.
There is probably simpler approach for .NET then TAPI, but .NET sucks.

hmm...
already heard about tapi... but i'm not really into c++ programming.
but this will be neccessary i think.
as i'm leraning c# at school for now, i will try it that way, and if you say, there might be an easier way with .net, i'll try this. both of the phones i want to program are wm6 so i don't have to worrie about the freaking big framework as it is incorporated into wm6...
i will take a look at it, now with having tapi in mind, MSDN might help me a little...
thanks for the help

How To develop a Tool for PPC

Hello,
in our company are a lot of Windows Mobile Devices in use. These should like our Client PC's listed in OCS Inventory.So, i'll try to develop a OCS Agent Client.
Functions needed:
-read out hardware Specs
-read out installed Software
-read out User Name
-send this Information over Port 80 to a Server
-nice to have: run as Service and auto send this information to the Server
Tools I've got:
-Visual Studio 2008
Skills I've got:
-writing c++ console apps
What I need:
-a Tip which programming-language I shoul use
-Some links where i can find the the functions in this language which I need
What I've done:
-search in xda-developers.com
-search in MSDN(but I don't know which language i should use)
-wrote small (stupid) apps like an calculator for ppc in visual basic as little test
-I tried to do the same in visual c++ -> without any good product, i don't know how to make a gui for the functions.
I hope you can help me, espacially in the language thing.
Thanks,
Flo

some good reads about many of your questions
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=245426&highlight=develop
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=225177&highlight=develop
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=349808&highlight=coding
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=269142&highlight=coding
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=226603&highlight=coding

Thanks a lot!
I think I'll try to use Visual Basic.
One Question further: where I can find the Commands I need to read out the Information out of the Device.

Hi,
VB was good for the first steps, but after reading in msdn i decided to use Visual c#(a can use c++ although but i think c# is better for this!?) instead.
So, registry Values i can read out. But all the other stuff....I don't know how to get this out. "You should use the API functions" i read every where, but that helps no step. I don't know which API and i don't know how to speak with it.
I hope you can give me some Tips or links.
Thanks

thanks for your help so far *:-/
IMEI,Owner,Hardware(bluetooth,Phone,Wifi,Camera) is detected....
My Problem now is: CPU Speed
I didn't found a registry entry with the Speed in it, so i need another function. Some ideas?
Im using C#...

One more Question:
Where the "Settings->System->Deviceinformation->Hardware"-Window gets its Information from?
Hope someone will answer.
Thanks.