Database Users

TAPI data calls.

1) Hi, we works with Pocket PC 2003 (Embedded Visual C++ 4.0). Our target is perform a data call over integrated cellular line. We read that the right mean is TAPI (XDA-Developers forum) because COM2 seem to be owned by RIL layer. We wrote a test program which handles a data call answer. We get the serial port handle returned by "lineGetID()" function for current data call, but when we try to use it through standard communication APIs ("WriteFile()" and "ReadFile()") it doesn't work (no data is read or write from port handle, but there aren't errors returned by APIs). Same code seems to work fine on a HP IPAQ 2210 with a Compact Flash GSM/GPRS card. How can we transfer data so?
2) We noticed a phone answering process is alive (CPROG.EXE) that takes calls' control. We kill this process when we make our tests, but it backs to life after some minutes. How can we take real calls' control?
3) Is the integrated cellular modem Hayes compatible? Is there a way to directly send AT commands to integrated cellular modem?
4) DCB structure "PortDCB" we pass to "SetCommState()" is the following:
PortDCB.DCBlength = sizeof (DCB);
PortDCB.BaudRate = 9600;
PortDCB.fBinary = TRUE;
PortDCB.fParity = TRUE;
PortDCB.fOutxCtsFlow = FALSE;
PortDCB.fOutxDsrFlow = FALSE;
PortDCB.fDtrControl = DTR_CONTROL_ENABLE;
PortDCB.fDsrSensitivity = FALSE;
PortDCB.fTXContinueOnXoff = TRUE;
PortDCB.fOutX = FALSE;
PortDCB.fInX = FALSE;
PortDCB.fErrorChar = FALSE;
PortDCB.fNull = FALSE;
PortDCB.fRtsControl = RTS_CONTROL_ENABLE;
PortDCB.fAbortOnError = FALSE;
PortDCB.ByteSize = 8;
PortDCB.Parity = NOPARITY;
PortDCB.StopBits = ONESTOPBIT;
Is it correct?
Can anybody help me?
Matthew

This DCB params seem do right job....
Code:
PortDCB.BaudRate = 115200;
PortDCB.fBinary = TRUE;
PortDCB.fParity = FALSE;
//PortDCB.fParity = TRUE;
PortDCB.fOutxCtsFlow = FALSE;
PortDCB.fOutxDsrFlow = FALSE;
PortDCB.fDtrControl = DTR_CONTROL_ENABLE;
PortDCB.fDsrSensitivity = FALSE;
//PortDCB.fDsrSensitivity = TRUE;
PortDCB.fTXContinueOnXoff = TRUE;
//PortDCB.fTXContinueOnXoff = FALSE;
PortDCB.fOutX = FALSE;
PortDCB.fInX = FALSE;
PortDCB.fErrorChar = FALSE;
PortDCB.fNull = FALSE;
PortDCB.fRtsControl = RTS_CONTROL_DISABLE;
PortDCB.fAbortOnError = FALSE;
PortDCB.ByteSize = 8;
PortDCB.Parity = NOPARITY;
PortDCB.StopBits = ONESTOPBIT;
problem one shuold be solved ...Hi

Your DCB parameters worked fine.
Hi Matthew.
Your parameters worked fine with my application, i was teting an IMate and you helped me a lot with my next product version.
Thank you.
Cesar Bremer Pinheiro
Bremer Serv. Emp. Ltda.
Raseac Division.
http://www.raseac.com.br

Dear Matthew,
Hi,
I created a similar application to make a call from one PPC to another using data link. The problem is my program couldn't detect incoming calls. Would you please help me solve this issue?
Do you have any source code that I can learn from it? Also which method did you use? TAPI? COM port? RIL?
I'm very confused. Please help....
Best regards,
A. Riazi

Why is your baudrate 115200 when a CSD connection through TAPI is only at 9600 ?

cause it's TAPI
you can't select bearer capabilities
if you wana select rate use RIL or direct access to COM-ports

mathews help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hi,
i am facing a similar problem cant send data through writefile api on cellular line
these r code snippets form my cod e
if(dwReturn =lineOpen (
g_hLineApp, // Usage handle for TAPI
g_dwCurrentLineID, // Cannot use the LINEMAPPER value
&g_CurrentLineInfo.hLine, // Line handle
g_CurrentLineInfo.dwAPIVersion,
// API version number
0, // Must set to zero for Windows CE
0, // No data passed back
LINECALLPRIVILEGE_NONE, // Can only make an outgoing call
0, // Media mode
NULL))
g_MakeCallRequestID = lineMakeCall (g_CurrentLineInfo.hLine,
&g_hCall,
szDialablePhoneNum,
0,
NULL);
dwRet =lineGetID(g_CurrentLineInfo.hLine, 0, 0, LINECALLSELECT_LINE, lpVarString,TEXT("comm/datamodem"));
till this its ok it returns a valid comm handle
after that it sends th data over the connected call but doesnt receive anythinga t the other end ...
the problem might be to give a call handle and LINECALLSELECT_CALL in linegteid func tion i tried it but when i use it fails saying cannot obtain the handle .......now i don understand whether its the problem of not obtaining a handle or whether linehandle will work but problem is in communication ...
plz help and add some code snippets for the communication

firstly have you set up the following...
LPLINECALLPARAMS CallParams;
CallParams=(LPLINECALLPARAMS)malloc(sizeof(LINECALLPARAMS)+1024);
memset(CallParams,0,sizeof(LINECALLPARAMS)+1024);
CallParams->dwTotalSize = sizeof(LINECALLPARAMS)+1024;
// This is where we configure the line for DATAMODEM usage.
//its important to note that if you attempt to make a call
//using LINEMEDIAMODE_DATAMODEM, the line must be opened in
//that way to begin with or nothing will happen. ie open lines
//corresponding to what you plan to makecall with.
CallParams->dwBearerMode = LINEBEARERMODE_VOICE;//over voice call
CallParams->dwMediaMode = LINEMEDIAMODE_DATAMODEM;//data transmition
//LINEMEDIAMODE_INTERACTIVEVOICE;//for voice
//specify that we only want to use a call that is not alreay in use.
//Otherwise it can take over calls that are in progress
CallParams->dwCallParamFlags = LINECALLPARAMFLAGS_IDLE;
//specify to use the first address
CallParams->dwAddressMode = LINEADDRESSMODE_ADDRESSID;
CallParams->dwAddressID = 0;
next check the line you want to use and make sure...
if(lpDevCaps->dwBearerModes & callModeData)//datamode
{
if(lpDevCaps->dwBearerModes & callModeVoice)
{
//then check the media mode
if(lpDevCaps->dwMediaModes & LINEMEDIAMODE_DATAMODEM)
{
if(lpDevCaps->dwMediaModes & LINEMEDIAMODE_INTERACTIVEVOICE)
{
//use it
}
}
}
}
next when you get an incoming call etc get the handle......
HANDLE myTapiManager::getHandle()
{
HANDLE hModem=NULL;
CString name="";
classType="comm/datamodem";
DWORD dwSize = sizeof(VARSTRING) + 2048;
DWORD dwRet = 0;
do
{
LPVARSTRING lpVarString = (LPVARSTRING) new BYTE[dwSize];
lpVarString->dwTotalSize = dwSize;
//the commented out values are what microsoft seem to say
//but cause it to return no handle but only the device class name
dwRet = ::lineGetID(/*hOpenedLine*/NULL, 0,hCall,LINECALLSELECT_CALL /*LINECALLSELECT_LINE*/, lpVarString,
classType);
if ( dwRet == 0 )
{
hModem= * (HANDLE*) ((char*) lpVarString + lpVarString->dwStringOffset);
name= * (LPTSTR) ((char*) lpVarString + lpVarString->dwStringOffset + sizeof(HANDLE));
if(hModem==NULL)
{
MessageBox(NULL,_T("null handle"),_T("handle"),MB_OK|MB_SETFOREGROUND|MB_TOPMOST);
}
else
{
MessageBox(NULL,_T("non null handle, about to call init on port"),_T("handle"),MB_OK|MB_SETFOREGROUND|MB_TOPMOST);
hSerialHandle=hModem;
//you must initialize the port but I do not show it here
initializeIOTimeOuts();
}
break;
}
else if ( dwRet == LINEERR_STRUCTURETOOSMALL )
{
dwSize = lpVarString->dwNeededSize;
delete lpVarString;
lpVarString = NULL;
continue;
}
else
{
// handle errors.........
//
hModem=NULL;
}
}
while (1);
return hModem;
}
this works for me. One problem you may be having is the timing. If you get the handle when the call is offering it will be useless. You must ensure that the call is connected, use the LINECALLSTATE_CONNECTED for this.
cprog dose not effect the opperation of your program, only its ui.

Have you looked at the zip I put in this post ?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=18978
It may help you with the sending part and getting a handle to Readfile/writefile.
I have never worked on the anwering side so I know nothing on that.

to answer the call that is offering, use LineAnswer. I have tried LinePickup but it has not done what I want. When using lineanswer be aware that the os has already set the number of rings it will ring before the call is actually answered after you answer it. It is normally changed through the phone settings but you can do it programatically if you wish.
Also, you have not mentioned what you are doing with regards to threads. The first time I tried using tapi I spent a lot of time avoiding using multiple threads but it is impracticle. A good number would be 1 for the ui 1 for the line status and 1 for data transfer. Getting your serial handle would the require carefull synchronization.
I have not found benefit in altering any of the port settings. The time-outs for the read/write can make a huge difference though.
Have you checked if there is a class name following the handle in the LPVARSTRING? I have found that if you are doing everything correct except the timing, the name is added but not the handle. This means that the name would be 4 places sooner than it should. In that case the name is in the place where the handle should be and the call still succeeded. Try writing to the port using a string instead of a handle and see how far you get(kidding). To test it just treat the handle you have got as if it where a string and put it in a messagebox. If you can read it then your timing is off.
Lastly your problem could come from how you are setting the api version. Have you been checking the errors generated after all your api calls. There are a lot for tapi that tell you most of what is going on. I have noticed that if you are using the event method for getting line state messages from tapi (ie the correct time to grab the handle) there is something wrong with the way the api version gets negotiated. The event method is part of tapi 2.0 i think so it should be expected that an api version of at least 2.0 is a good version to aim for. For win ce 3.0 docs say that 2.0 is fully supported and parts of 2.1. This is not what actually happens though, I have found that I can't get the event method to work at all (among other things) if I don't pass a min version of 1.1 and a max version of 1.3. This is bizar because by that input tapi should not use any features above 1.3 :?:

guys i ve been trying to set up call params
//Configure line device for a data modem
memset(&LineCallParams, 0, sizeof(LineCallParams));
LineCallParams.dwTotalSize = sizeof(LineCallParams);
LineCallParams.dwBearerMode = LINEBEARERMODE_VOICE;
LineCallParams.dwMediaMode = LINEMEDIAMODE_DATAMODEM;
LineCallParams.dwCallParamFlags = LINECALLPARAMFLAGS_IDLE;
//If multiple addresses on the line, use the first address
LineCallParams.dwAddressMode = LINEADDRESSMODE_ADDRESSID;
LineCallParams.dwAddressID = 0;
the problem is when i pass the lpparam instead of null it reaches to dialing the number and says disconnected: unreachable ..
There is no error while lineopen is passed with LINEMEDIAMODE_DATAMODEM as the 8th parameter i think it shoudl have given an error of media mode not supported at that point only ....but it didnt .....it opened the line fine
when i did not set the datamodem media mode in call params and rest remain as it is ..........the call works fine and is connected ....is it because the datacall facility is not supported and if it is not how can it be activated ....
lReturn = lineOpen(m_hLineApp, m_dwDeviceID, &m_hLine, m_dwAPIVersion, 0 , 0,
LINECALLPRIVILEGE_NONE, LINEMEDIAMODE_DATAMODEM, 0);
g_MakeCallRequestID = lineMakeCall (g_CurrentLineInfo.hLine,
&g_hCall,
szDialablePhoneNum,
0,
NULL); // NULL for default voice call
/**************************/
// lpCallParams);

Firstly, is the phone you are trying to dial a ppc. If yes... the ppc you wish to be the one that answers the call must have opened the line the same way as the dialing one, ie supporting data. If not then it will not even ring when a data call is offering and you will never know if your call was really made.
next look at lineopen.
long opnResult=lineOpen(hLineApp,
deviceID,
&hOpenedLine,
apiNegotiatedForUsedDevice,
0,//not used at all
1,//not used by tapi, but is passed back to this //application to help identify the source of the messages.
//in each line state message. It can be used
//to make sure the message is from a line
//opened by this app.
LINECALLPRIVILEGE_OWNER,// tells it can //accept calls.
LINEMEDIAMODE_DATAMODEM,
NULL);
almost the same but try LINECALLPRIVILEGE_OWNER. This must be set on the receiving end but I also set it on the dialing end.
If the media mode is not supported you will get an error message to tell so. That is the primary way my programs determine the identity of the line to use.
What is the device you are using? I have got bi-directional data transfer to work between ppc 2002 (xda I) and wm2003 se (xda mini). Before 2002 not as many features are supported.

also your call params may be too small
try adding a litle to the end
LPLINECALLPARAMS CallParams;
CallParams=(LPLINECALLPARAMS)malloc(sizeof(LINECALLPARAMS)+1024);
memset(CallParams,0,sizeof(LINECALLPARAMS)+1024);
CallParams->dwTotalSize = sizeof(LINECALLPARAMS)+1024;
.
.
.
.
and what about the number to dial in the call params
// Address to dial
//set its location to be after the normal end of the structure
CallParams->dwDisplayableAddressOffset = sizeof(LINECALLPARAMS);
CallParams->dwDisplayableAddressSize = strlen(szPhNumber);
strcpy((LPSTR)CallParams+sizeof(LINECALLPARAMS), szPhNumber));
then pass the szPhNumber into linemakecall, remember that ppc version
takes unicode.

i am trying to pass data from pocket pc to my pc
this is whole part
LPLINETRANSLATEOUTPUT lpTransOutput = NULL;
// Call translate address before dialing.
do
{
// Allocate memory for lpTransOutput.
if (!(lpTransOutput = (LPLINETRANSLATEOUTPUT) LocalAlloc (
LPTR,
dwSizeOfTransOut)))
{
ErrorBox(TEXT("translate fails "));
goto exit;
}
lpTransOutput->dwTotalSize = dwSizeOfTransOut;
if (dwReturn = lineTranslateAddress (
g_hLineApp, // Usage handle for TAPI
g_dwCurrentLineID, // Line device identifier
g_CurrentLineInfo.dwAPIVersion,
// Highest TAPI version supported
lpszPhoneNum, // Address to be translated
0, // Must be 0 for Windows CE
0, // No associated operations
lpTransOutput)) // Result of the address translation
{
ErrorBox(TEXT("lineTranslateAddress fails "));
goto exit;
}
if (lpTransOutput->dwNeededSize <= lpTransOutput->dwTotalSize)
break;
else
{
dwSizeOfTransOut = lpTransOutput->dwNeededSize;
LocalFree (lpTransOutput);
lpTransOutput = NULL;
}
} while (TRUE);
dwSizeOfCallParams += lpTransOutput->dwDisplayableStringSize;
if (!(lpCallParams = (LPLINECALLPARAMS) LocalAlloc (
LPTR,
dwSizeOfCallParams)))
{
ErrorBox(TEXT("lineTranslateAddress open fails "));
goto exit;
}
ZeroMemory(lpCallParams, dwSizeOfCallParams);
// Set the call parameters.
lpCallParams->dwTotalSize = dwSizeOfCallParams;
lpCallParams->dwBearerMode = LINEBEARERMODE_VOICE;
lpCallParams->dwMediaMode = LINEMEDIAMODE_DATAMODEM ;
lpCallParams->dwCallParamFlags = LINECALLPARAMFLAGS_IDLE;
lpCallParams->dwAddressMode = LINEADDRESSMODE_ADDRESSID;
lpCallParams->dwAddressID = g_dwCurrentLineAddr;
lpCallParams->dwDisplayableAddressSize =
lpTransOutput->dwDisplayableStringSize;
lpCallParams->dwDisplayableAddressOffset = sizeof (LINECALLPARAMS);
// Save the translated phone number for dialing.
lstrcpy (szDialablePhoneNum,
(LPTSTR) ((LPBYTE) lpTransOutput +
lpTransOutput->dwDialableStringOffset));
memcpy((LPBYTE) lpCallParams + lpCallParams->dwDisplayableAddressOffset,
(LPBYTE) lpTransOutput + lpTransOutput->dwDisplayableStringOffset,
lpTransOutput->dwDisplayableStringSize);
// Make the phone call. lpCallParams should be NULL if the default
// call setup parameters are requested.
g_MakeCallRequestID = lineMakeCall (g_CurrentLineInfo.hLine,
&g_hCall,
szDialablePhoneNum,
0,
NULL); // NULL for default voice call
/**************************/
// lpCallParams);
plz suggest if i need to change anything but as the call is successfully connected when only media mode is not set i guess problem is not with the memory location or anything but lies with the provider not sure ...............

or better maybe if u can suggest how i can do settings on my pocket pc for data calls

If you can't make a Data Modem type call, but you can make a voice call - Then are you sure you have Data Enabled on your Sim.
I'm sure I had that un-reachable error ages ago and it was due to not having Data Enabled. You have to contact your Sim provider to do that.

I have never included the lineTranslateAddress, i just put it in the way the user entered it( with a little error checking). If it works for voice though it must be OK.
With the sim, I have done this using 3 different sims and never had to set anything special on it. I could be lucky I guess and had sims already enabled. I doubt it though because one is 7 years old pre paid and not had any change since purchase. The second in a new pre paid and the 3rd is a full gprs enabled(not that gprs has anything to do with this). There should not be anything in the os to set either as when you do what you have done it is doing the "setup" just programatically.
I remember reading somewhere that the network had to support it but I can't be more specific.
What is your network? What is your device? what is your os?
When you say the voice call is connected what do you mean?..
1)your program at the other end answered.
2)the phone app on the other end answered.
3)your dialing end app received the connected message.
4)the returned value from linmakecall was > (-1).
5)some phone hardware on a real phone answered.
6) (my favourite way) the monitor next to your phone started buzzing, proving something was going on. Thats how I test my gprs connectivity :lol:

CSD GSM communication...

Hi!
Could someone give me point about CSD GSM communication?
What is done:
I have connected 2 Qtek S100 through data-call:
- use TAPI - get “connected”
- take handle to COMM
- init COMM: 9600/ e.t.
- successfully transfer data
But several strange things I have:
1. average transfer rate – channel capacity - for transparent mode (S100 allows to manipulate transparent/non-transparent mode) is 6.4k bit/sec. – and this is write to COMM. speed! i.e. transferring side shows this speed by simple WriteFile() operation for chunk of data for example 64k bytes. Some times I receive corrupted data – but it’s ok for me. – transfer rate is strange!
2. average transfer rate for non-transparent mode is 8.8k bit/sec.- some times I see dropped series of bytes and equation: received + dropped == transferred is correct – so all is ok and speed is ok too ~1100 data bytes per sec +1 for stop-bits and +start-bit(? – not sure).
3. _most_ interesting for me – after some number of errors the connection is dropped – I achieve Line IDLE state.
So – most interesting for me is 3. – I don’t wanna lost connection – I am agree to have some errors in communication – but I don’t want to make call again.
As I understand construction (coarsely) is
COMM->RIL
So does it mean I have to go inside RIL to set something to preserve “connection state”?
And same for transparent mode – does it something inside RIL to set for “improving” channel capacity from 6.4k close to expected 9.6k bits/sec?
Here is my DCB settings
Code:
PortDCB.BaudRate = CBR_9600; // Current baud
PortDCB.ByteSize = 8; // Number of bits/byte, 4-8
PortDCB.Parity = NOPARITY; // Parity odd,even,mark,space
PortDCB.fBinary = TRUE; // Binary mode; no EOF check
PortDCB.fParity = FALSE; // No parity checking
PortDCB.fOutxCtsFlow = FALSE; // CTS output flow control
PortDCB.fOutxDsrFlow = FALSE; // No DSR output flow control
PortDCB.fDtrControl = DTR_CONTROL_ENABLE; //DTR output ON
PortDCB.fRtsControl = RTS_CONTROL_ENABLE; //RTS_CONTROL_HANDSHAKE;
PortDCB.fDsrSensitivity = FALSE; // DSR sensitivity
PortDCB.fTXContinueOnXoff = TRUE; // XOFF continues Tx
PortDCB.fOutX = FALSE; // No XON/XOFF out flow control
PortDCB.fInX = FALSE; // No XON/XOFF in flow control
PortDCB.fErrorChar = FALSE; // Disable error replacement
PortDCB.fNull = FALSE; // Disable null stripping
PortDCB.fAbortOnError = FALSE; // Do not abort reads/writes on error
PortDCB.StopBits = ONESTOPBIT; // 0,1,2 = 1, 1.5, 2
how to stay connected?
Thanks for any advice.

a guess.....
Try transferring less data per write. Also you probably do not need to alter any of the port settings. They normally work fine the way they are. You would still need to set com time outs for the read/write opperation.
As an experiment just omit all your port settings and try transfering 1 byte at a time. If it still drops out it could be your quality of service.

yes - use smaller portion may help me.
but I think it just masks effect of line drop - interest is: what a reason to line-drop and what parameters influences on it?
some level of error per some period of time - or what?
thanks anyway.

Simulate Button Click

Hi,
I am trying to simulate a PictureBox.Click event. I have searched these forums and the ones on MSDN with many different combinations of search terms.
However I cannot find anything!
Basically what I am trying to achieve is to fire the picturebox's click event from within my code. What I have read so far seems to indicate that I need to make a call to SendMessage (COM interop?) to actually make windows perform the click.
This is for the compact framework version 1.0.
Any help you can give would be great because this is all very new to me, I'm a web application developer by trade so i'm a fish out of water on this one!

OK, the other method that I am investigating is the use of the mouse_event as demonstrated in this article by Daniel Moth.
However I am struggling to find the namespace Win32Api anywhere in the framework so I'm struggling with that also.

*Update*
I have been able to simulate a click using mouse_event in a call to the coredll using the following code:
Code:
[DllImport("coredll")]
static extern bool SetCursorPos(int X, int Y);
[DllImport("coredll")]
static extern void mouse_event(uint dwFlags, uint dx, uint dy, uint dwData, int dwExtraInfo);
[Flags]
public enum MouseEventFlags
{
LEFTDOWN = 0x00000002,
LEFTUP = 0x00000004,
MIDDLEDOWN = 0x00000020,
MIDDLEUP = 0x00000040,
MOVE = 0x00000001,
ABSOLUTE = 0x00008000,
RIGHTDOWN = 0x00000008,
RIGHTUP = 0x00000010
}
bool tempVal = SetCursorPos(x, y);
mouse_event((uint)MouseEventFlags.LEFTDOWN, 0, 0, 0, 0);
mouse_event((uint)MouseEventFlags.LEFTUP, 0, 0, 0, 0);
however I have one outstanding problem (that I know of!).
I am struggling to capture the corrext X and Y co-ordinates of the control. I have tried many different methods and they all return values of 0 for both axis.
How do you guys do it?
Many Thanks

I haven't answered till now since I don't know .NET
But since you found your way to using native APIs I think I can help you.
This is how I would do it in C/C++:
Code:
RECT wndRect; //this is a structure that contains window top, left, bottom and right coordinates.
GetWindowRect(FindWind(L"[I]window class[/I]", L"[I]window name[/I]"), &wndRect);
x = wndRect.left + 1; //add 1 to window position to make sure the click is inside
y = wndRect.top + 1;
GetWindowRect returns the window position in screen coordinates for top left and bottom right corners.
For FindWindow to work you need to know the class and name of the window you want to find. You can find them using a utility called SPY++ which comes with any Microsoft C++ compiler.
The class is window type (so it will probably be something like 'PictureBox' or 'Image') and window name is most likely blank.
Hope this helps.

Thanks fo your help
I don't know if your code would have done the trick or not but I managed to work my way through the different class definitions to find what i needed.
Code:
int x = selectedButton.PointToScreen(selectedButton.Bounds.Location).X + 2;
int y = selectedButton.PointToScreen(selectedButton.Bounds.Location).Y + 2;
This still doesn't work but I really don't have time to work out why, all I know is that the call to SetCursorPos() returns false. I know the mouse_event code works because if I position the cursor over the Start button it opens the menu.
Time is of an essence so for now I'm just going to have to drop this and pray that I have time to finish this when towards the end of my project.
/me thinks writing my first Mobile 5.0 application in 4 days (I'm a web application developer by trade) was bad planning on the management's fault anyway
Thanks for your input though

use this method signature:
[DllImport("coredll")]
public static extern void mouse_event(int dwFlags, int dx, int dy, int dwData, int dwExtraInfo);
int instead of uint or long.
For me it worked.

Set Device Time from Server

Hi,
Does anybody know how to pull the time from a server and use that time to update the devices clock?
I want to lock the Clock down on the device so the best way to ensure the time is correct is to sync it with a server.
I'm using VB.net.

Give this a spin.
It sets the get the UTC time, from http://www.timeapi.org/ , but have a look at the site to see what else it can do.
Your device should deal with your timezone offset from UTC automatically.
I used .NET Reflector to translate into VB from C#, hence the odd definition of some variables.
Code:
Public Structure SYSTEMTIME
Public wYear As UInt16
Public wMonth As UInt16
Public wDayOfWeek As UInt16
Public wDay As UInt16
Public wHour As UInt16
Public wMinute As UInt16
Public wSecond As UInt16
Public wMilliseconds As UInt16
End Structure
Declare Function GetSystemTime Lib "CoreDll.dll" _
(ByRef lpSystemTime As SYSTEMTIME) As UInt32
Declare Function SetSystemTime Lib "CoreDll.dll" _
(ByRef lpSystemTime As SYSTEMTIME) As UInt32
Private Shared Sub Main(ByVal args As String())
Dim Buffer As Byte() = New Byte(&H19 - 1) {}
Dim DateItems As String() = New String(8 - 1) {}
Dim Separators As Char() = New Char() { "-"c, "-"c, "T"c, ":"c, ":"c, "+"c, ":"c }
Dim Now As New SYSTEMTIME
Program.GetSystemTime((Now))
Dim ResponseStream As Stream = WebRequest.Create("http://www.timeapi.org/utc/now").GetResponse.GetResponseStream
ResponseStream.Read(Buffer, 0, &H19)
ResponseStream.Close
DateItems = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(Buffer, 0, &H19).Split(Separators)
Now.wYear = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems(0))
Now.wMonth = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems(1))
Now.wDay = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems(2))
Now.wHour = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems(3))
Now.wMinute = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems(4))
Now.wSecond = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems(5))
Now.wMilliseconds = 0
Program.SetSystemTime((Now))
End Sub
The original C# code is here. You will have to convert the C# 'using' statements to VB 'Imports'
Code:
using System;
using System.Net;
using System.Text;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
namespace GetTime
{
class Program
{
[DllImport("coredll.dll")]
private extern static void GetSystemTime(ref SYSTEMTIME lpSystemTime);
[DllImport("coredll.dll")]
private extern static uint SetSystemTime(ref SYSTEMTIME lpSystemTime);
private struct SYSTEMTIME
{
public ushort wYear;
public ushort wMonth;
public ushort wDayOfWeek;
public ushort wDay;
public ushort wHour;
public ushort wMinute;
public ushort wSecond;
public ushort wMilliseconds;
}
static void Main(string[] args)
{
byte[] Buffer = new byte[25];
string DateString;
string[] DateItems = new string[8];
char[] Separators = new char[7] { '-', '-', 'T', ':', ':', '+', ':' };
SYSTEMTIME Now = new SYSTEMTIME();
GetSystemTime(ref Now);
Stream ResponseStream = WebRequest.Create("http://www.timeapi.org/utc/now").GetResponse().GetResponseStream();
ResponseStream.Read(Buffer, 0, 25);
ResponseStream.Close();
DateString = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(Buffer, 0, 25);
DateItems = DateString.Split(Separators);
Now.wYear = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems[0]);
Now.wMonth = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems[1]);
Now.wDay = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems[2]);
Now.wHour = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems[3]);
Now.wMinute = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems[4]);
Now.wSecond = Convert.ToUInt16(DateItems[5]);
Now.wMilliseconds = 0;
SetSystemTime(ref Now);
}
}
}
Here's how it works: The call to the URL returns the date/time as a char buffer.
"2011-12-02T14:56:38+00:00" as an example.
After converting this to a string we convert it into an array of strings in DateItems[] as
2011
12
02
14
56
38
00
00
using Separators[] to split the fields apart.
These are then converted to ushort values in the time structure, before setting the time on the device with it.

Nice code stephj .
Cheers!!!

Thanks for that stephj, will give it a go.

i've tried this and i'm getting a :
The remote server returned an error: (407) Proxy Authentication Required.
any ideas?

I tried the above program on an emulated device connected to the net via its host PC's connection and it worked a treat.
To get through a proxy, you will need to add the following code.
Code:
Program.GetSystemTime((Now))
**************INSERT THIS ****************
Dim Proxy as new WebProxy("http://ProxyServer:80/",true)
proxy.Credentials = CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials
WebRequest.DefaultWebProxy = proxy
**************INSERT ENDS ****************
Dim ResponseStream As Stream = WebRequest.Create("http://www.timeapi.org/utc/now").GetResponse.GetResponseStream
Where the first parameter of the WebProxy constructor is the name of your proxy server, and the port it uses. Here at work, we can get away with just using our proxy server's internal network DNS name of "Internet:8080", to access the outside web through a Microsoft ISA Proxy/Firewall. Note in this case the proxy uses a different port number of 8080 as opposed to the default http port of 80. If yours is not 80 you will have to provide it. You may have to do some groundwork to track down the name of your proxy server, and the port it uses. I would start by looking at the proxy setup in Settings->Connections->'Set up my proxy server' for starters.
CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials, picks up your default login/credentials and passes them to the proxy server. If it works properly, you should go through it, seamlessly.
Good luck!

Hi steph,
i tweaked this slightly and set up a webreference in my program, i then pull the time down from that in the format of "2011-12-12T09:43:14", it then splits it.
The problem i am having is that sometimes it seems to add an hour to the time.
Any ideas?

What time zone is your device operating under?
Start->Settings->[System]->Clock & Alarms->[Time]
What's the zone, and is it Home or Visiting? - I'll see if I can duplicate it.

GMT London and is set as Home.
As a test I set the time on the device to: 01/06/1999 and time 01:00:00. When i run the program the first time i press my 'Update Time' button and it returns 12/12/11 and 12:53:04, so 1 hour ahead. If i press the button again I get the correct time.
I notice on your original post that the time returned had +00:00 on the end but you dont seem to use it when you break the string down, is this not required?
Thanks for the help, much appreciated

At least I can duplicate it, so that is a start. It only seems to throw the hour forward if the date has changed, which explains why the second call to it corrects the time.
If you just knock the time back a couple of hours, a single call of the program sets the correct time.
Interesting. I'll try and get to the bottom of it, might take a day or so, on and off.
Edit: Got it!
The 1st of June 1999 is in BST one hour in front of GMT/UTC. The first call changes the date and time using BST, leaving the time pushed forward one hour. The date is then set to today's date which is in GMT/UTC. The second call sets the time against the GMT Timezone which corrects the time.
Set the date time to 04:00 yesterday and it works fine.
I'll see if we can fix it a bit better. More later.........
Here's the cure: It's C#, I'll leave you to convert it to VB.
The secret is to set the time twice, but stall the thread for ten seconds inbetween. The device will sort itself out in the gap, as various time and date housekeeping tasks are triggered. The second SetTime(), will carry out the final fix of the time before the program finally ends.
This should also work in BST when changing from a GMT/UTC date, and should also work with all global time zones.
Add this:
Code:
using System.Threading;
SetSystemTime(ref Now);
Thread.Sleep(10000);
SetSystemTime(ref Now);

that's great steph, thanks again.

There is a minor problem with the previous code:- If the minute happens to roll over in the 10 seconds while the process is asleep, then the change of minute will be lost.
Here's a better solution. Create a DateTime object in which to store the returned date and time from the WebRequest().
Use it to set the system date/time, and then advance it forward ten seconds.
Set the date/time with it again, after the ten second sleep() has elapsed.
Seems to work O.K. Post bug reports to this thread, if you find it doesn't.
Code:
using System;
using System.Net;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
namespace GetTime
{
class Program
{
[DllImport("coredll.dll")]
private extern static uint SetSystemTime(ref SYSTEMTIME lpSystemTime);
private struct SYSTEMTIME
{
public ushort wYear;
public ushort wMonth;
public ushort wDayOfWeek;
public ushort wDay;
public ushort wHour;
public ushort wMinute;
public ushort wSecond;
public ushort wMilliseconds;
}
static void Main(string[] args)
{
byte[] Buffer = new byte[25];
string DateString;
string[] DateItems = new string[8];
char[] Separators = new char[7] { '-', '-', 'T', ':', ':', '+', ':' };
SYSTEMTIME Now = new SYSTEMTIME();
Stream ResponseStream = WebRequest.Create("http://www.timeapi.org/utc/now").GetResponse().GetResponseStream();
ResponseStream.Read(Buffer, 0, 25);
ResponseStream.Close();
DateString = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(Buffer, 0, 25);
DateItems = DateString.Split(Separators);
DateTime SaveTime = new DateTime(Convert.ToInt32(DateItems[0]),Convert.ToInt32(DateItems[1]),Convert.ToInt32(DateItems[2]),Convert.ToInt32(DateItems[3]),Convert.ToInt32(DateItems[4]),Convert.ToInt32(DateItems[5]));
Now.wYear = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Year);
Now.wMonth = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Month);
Now.wDay = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Day);
Now.wHour = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Hour);
Now.wMinute = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Minute);
Now.wSecond = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Second);
Now.wMilliseconds = 0;
SetSystemTime(ref Now);
SaveTime.AddSeconds(10);
Thread.Sleep(10000);
Now.wYear = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Year);
Now.wMonth = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Month);
Now.wDay = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Day);
Now.wHour = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Hour);
Now.wMinute = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Minute);
Now.wSecond = Convert.ToUInt16(SaveTime.Second);
SetSystemTime(ref Now);
}
}
}
C# .NET CF 2.0 WinMo 5.0 onwards executable is included in the zip file.
It is a console application, so don't expect anything much to happen until the 'hourglass' disappears.
If the first SetSystemTime() ends up changing the date across a Daylight Saving Boundary date, then, during the sleep() period, the device's housekeeping date/time/alarm services will probably retrigger any outstanding task and event reminders for 'today'.
P.S. GetSystemTime() can be dropped it is not required.

works like a charm steph, nice one. thanks.

@stephj, Thanks for the updated code .
Cheers!!!

Seem to be having a problem with this since UK has put the clocks forward an hour, every time I update using this code my device is adding an hour to the time.
The device is an M3 Mobile.

What are the settings on the Start-> Settings->Clock and Alarms->Time[Tab]
It should still have the Home radio button active and the time zone set to GMT London, Dublin. The mobile device should take care of daylight saving itself.
Is your M3 running WinMo 6.1 or 6.5? But I can't see it making much difference.
Works OK on a stock 6.1 Kaiser (Vodafone v1615)
Update: Also seems to work OK on the WM 6.5.3 Professional emulator.

wubbledoos said:
Hi,
Does anybody know how to pull the time from a server and use that time to update the devices clock?
I want to lock the Clock down on the device so the best way to ensure the time is correct is to sync it with a server.
I'm using VB.net.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well on my Kaisers (running either wm 6.1 or 6.5) I use SKTsync to sync my device clock to one of the NIST or SNTP servers. It's freeware and it does it all for you, all you do is run the app. It's soooo simple. I also run an app called CT Scheduler lite. I use it to automatically run SKTsync every night.

Easy question about buffers for someone who actually understands them...

I'm a very accomplished coder when using interpreted languages, but this low-level memory management stuff is proving hard for me to get my head around.
I'm trying to work through the OpenGL ES sample code on the official developer site and I cannot understand why they create a ByteBuffer for the vertex list and then immediately turn around and create a FloatBuffer from the ByteBuffer. Why not just allocate and reference the FloatBuffer directly? Aren't there now two sets of data that basically refer to the same set of numbers? Here's the snippet to which I am directly referring (perhaps the reason lies elsewhere in the code, though?):
public class Triangle {
private FloatBuffer vertexBuffer;
// number of coordinates per vertex in this array
static final int COORDS_PER_VERTEX = 3;
static float triangleCoords[] = { // in counterclockwise order:
0.0f, 0.622008459f, 0.0f, // top
-0.5f, -0.311004243f, 0.0f, // bottom left
0.5f, -0.311004243f, 0.0f // bottom right
};
....
public Triangle() {
// initialize vertex byte buffer for shape coordinates
ByteBuffer bb = ByteBuffer.allocateDirect(
// (number of coordinate values * 4 bytes per float)
triangleCoords.length * 4);
// use the device hardware's native byte order
bb.order(ByteOrder.nativeOrder());
// create a floating point buffer from the ByteBuffer
vertexBuffer = bb.asFloatBuffer();
// add the coordinates to the FloatBuffer
vertexBuffer.put(triangleCoords);
// set the buffer to read the first coordinate
vertexBuffer.position(0);
}
}​

It is basicallly due to the way Java uses data types. In the language of gods (C) we can just cast types and all is good.
What is happening there is a workaround basically.. machines have a word order (not sure if you have ever heard of the term back-words or byte ordering before) the ByteBuffer has a method which shuffles data to put it into the CPU byte order (ByteOrder.nativeOrder()) which can then be sent to the GPU.
Imagine the value 0xFFEE on an Intel CPU that would be stored as the 2 bytes 0xEE 0xFF or "backwards" if you will, it is called a Little endian CPU. An ARM CPU may store it is 0xFF 0xEE in memory as it is Big Endian
Since Java has it's own convention that it always uses, the ByteBuffer is there to provide a method to re-order it to whatever the CPU needs.
Hope my explanation is not more confusing! I am half-asleep and was just heading to bed :-S