I've been lurking and reading the posts and I'm very impressed with the level of knowledge, willingness to help and general friendliness so I thought it's about time I said hello
I recently got an O2 XDA Exec with Rom 1.30.107 WWE, Rom Date 04/11/06, Radio 1.09.00, Protocol 42.42.P8, ExtRom 1.30.162 WWE
I set it up with minimal branding so there's only a little O2 stuff in there and I've not added any applications, generally I'm very happy with it
however basically it's a small PC or pda with a phone built in and among other things I'm a programmer (years out of practice but it still counts honest! ) I've had a trawl through the forum and can't seem to find the answers I'm looking for so I guess my first couple of questions are these
what tools do I need to write applications for this beastie ?
can the visual studio express suite thats free from M$ be used and if so has anyone else managed it ?
also as it's a windows system it's got a registry soooo....
can anyone recommend a good registry edit tool so I can have a look through the settings ?
and is there a list of registry tweaks anywhere (I'd like to stop the IE key going to pda.o2.co.uk and send it to my home page for a start)
needless to say I am not desperately rich so freeware is preferable to anything I have to pay for, but if I have to pay for something then it will recieve serious consideration
thank you in advance
Official info from Microsoft regarding development http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/developers/default.mspx
As for registry editing, one is as good as another in most cases. Personally I use Tascal Registry Editor http://www2r.biglobe.ne.jp/~tascal/download/pocketpc/tre.htm
And there's some good freeware here http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en/index.php but there are many more sites out there.
I'm using embedded visual c to do the job. other than me having difficulty getting hang of the GUI language (I came from DOS based C and Java), seems alright. It suppose the WM2003 SDK but doesn't seems to support the WM5 SDK.
ok thanks for the response so far
looks like I need visual studio 2005 if I want to write any apps according to Microsoft specially if I want to use the WM5 SDK although I've caught a reference to something called Pelles C from http://www.smorgasbordet.com/pellesc/ which is donationware i.e. free but they would like a donation and probably doesn't support the SDK but free is free
I'll check out the TRE registy editor too
thanks so far guys please keep 'em coming
YE GODS! VS2005 Basic costs more than I paid for the XDA !
I think I'm going to look a bit harder at this Pelles C doubrey
thank you AlanJC the registry editor works perfectly
modified HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\OEM\KEYBD\PieHomePage to my home page URL closed TRE and hit the IE button and lo and behold it went to my home page I am now officially a happy bunny
it would have been easier if TRE had a search function but again free is free so not complaining here
Im looking for a usage monitor which basically will predict my bill for the coming month. It needs to monitor gprs (like spb does) phone calls and text messages.
I have googled for this program, but with no luck.Therefore, im looking to develop it myself, probably using C# with visual studio 2005. I m downloading the trial, but as a user with no experience im going to be using msdn a lot while developing. Does anyone have any good guides for c#? because all the google results are either rubbish or expensive.
And, would it be better to program in a different language? [Ive looked at C++, but seems too complicated with no experience]
Also, what are some of the popular apps written here on xda-devs written in? [eg melody, slide to unlock, oto, schaps' programs etc]
Any if anyone knows of a product like this that already exists, please tell me, and save me some work.
And, does anyone know a way to get msdn premium subscription on its own or cheaply? As i think its a great resource just waiting to be tapped.
Thanks to you all here in the great developers forum, I just want to be considered on of you greats some time
Rory
x
Hello,
After a decade of not doing C, I find that alot of things have changed when programming c++ native for CE. Even things like:
string somestring;
no longer function. Wow!.
strcpy has been replaced with StringCchCopy. Wow, MS has done a number here... and so on...
Anyhow I searched xda and found allot of good threads. But what if I'm looking at re-learning C++, with a focus on CE programming only? What books and other resources would you recommend, its almost like starting from scratch. I got vs2005 + emu + been reading allot of MSDN, did some basic apps. etc.
BTW: How the .... do you declare a variable length string???
and in VS2005 is running the debugger the only way to get the app to start automatically ???
Thanks
*bump*, anyone?
Couple of notes:
1) I strongly recommend avoiding VS, it is unbearably slow and balky.
2) strcpy and all the other functions are still supported by c runtime on CE (VS 2005 complains about them but you can ignore it). The problem is all windows API on CE use UNICODE so you have to declare strings as WCHAR (thats MS speak for unsigned short) and use wcscpy, and such.
3) The only book I know on CE specifically is this and I only read the two sample chapters online, so can't really recommend it. (Though the sample chapters were very useful). What you need is to get a good book on Win32 programming that will get you well on your way.
4) There is an MFC class CString which wraps up all string related functions very nicely. If you are not using MFC but clean C/C++ the only thing I can think of is malloc and free or the C++ versions new and delete.
Check out the links in my sig if you want to see code examples of small but functioning apps.
I disagree with levenum's comment on VS, but agree at the same time (weird I know). I wouldn't use VS for native development because it has A LOT of extra features that I think would be useless for native developers. Also, the lighter eVC++ has pretty much everything you need to write native apps.
I had this book called "Programming Windows CE 3.0" or something along those lines a few years ago. I got it for like $3 on Amazon. If you can find an updated version of that (or even the old version would be useful) then you should buy it. It will show you all you need to know to get started. You can learn the new api's from browsing msdn.
If you're only a little rusty with C/C++ I would suggest jumping right in to the Sdk samples and seeing how they do things.
Thanks, the reason why I wanted to use VS is so that maybe later I wouldn't mind going into MFC. So having one platform would be nice.
So far I have done some basic things, like drawing, etc, but I find I'm having a harder time making strings and including the api's to work. Almost all of the msdn examples fail to compile properly.
I have an old book MFC for Windows 95 by MS, is it even worth looking at ?
robp said:
I disagree with levenum's comment on VS, but agree at the same time (weird I know). I wouldn't use VS for native development because it has A LOT of extra features that I think would be useless for native developers. Also, the lighter eVC++ has pretty much everything you need to write native apps.
I had this book called "Programming Windows CE 3.0" or something along those lines a few years ago. I got it for like $3 on Amazon. If you can find an updated version of that (or even the old version would be useful) then you should buy it. It will show you all you need to know to get started. You can learn the new api's from browsing msdn.
If you're only a little rusty with C/C++ I would suggest jumping right in to the Sdk samples and seeing how they do things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
could you provide some links for msdn. also i know how to program in c but how do i compile a program for windows ce could you recommend a free one. thanks
The only way to code for Windows Mobile for free is to use embedded Visual C++. You'll have to google it to find a link.
Once you have that downloaded, check out:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb158662.aspx
The new solution files most probably won't open in eVC++ but you can create new projects and add the source files yourself.
You'll want to look at the samples in the Win32 folder.
robp said:
The only way to code for Windows Mobile for free is to use embedded Visual C++.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not entirely true - there's still ceGCC (it works on linux or windows using cygwin) - however this one lacks resource (window, forms, etc) editor (but if you have resources already created it will compile/link properly). But it works great with apps where you want to handle all the graphics and user interaction by yourself (like games, or programs with 100% custom UI), for example using SDL, pocketHAL, etc.
Also, wxWidgets seems to have support for windowsCE, and might be made to work with ceGCC, but i haven't tested it yet.
Sorry, I actually meant to put "(I think)" after that sentence lol.
Actually I think you should be able to use any C++ compiler as long as you have the necessary libraries, and I think all the libs you need are in the sdk download. But the easiest route for beginners in native coding is probably eVC++
Well, now i can agree with you
That is, unless you want to create games - in that case ceGCC+XFlib might be a good way to go for someone with general programming knowledge, but not familiar with winCE-specific coding. Some games coded with it (and their sources) can be found on XFlib homepage: www.xflib.net.
thanks for the info
Ok, as I wouldn't mind at a later time going into MFC, and building dll's for mobile. How much "harder" would it be for me to learn VS2005 native for ce instead of using evc++ ?
Just trying to weight the cons and the pros. BTW where can I get eVC ?
Thank you.
Two more free options: PellesC and Lazarus + WinCE add-on
I don't think it would much harder. Once you get the hang of it you'll find that it makes life much easier. If you buy a boxed retail version it comes with a nice book that will take you from n00b to master in a few hours (not really but it's still a great reference).
I think the hardest part of upgrading to newer versions of VS is learning the new project file setup. Atleast that's what it looks like from watching other students at my school go from VS6.0 to VS2k5 and 2k8.
Also, I should note that I prefer VS2008 hands-down, but I don't disagree with other people who say eVC++ is faster. While I haven't done any real native development since eVC++ 4 was new, I still dabble a bit (especially since getting active on this forum) and VS2005 works great to me.
So, my advice would be to use the newest tools available to you, unless money is an issue. But don't be worried about upgrading. Your life will only get easier once you do.
robp said:
Also, I should note that I prefer VS2008 hands-down, but I don't disagree with other people who say eVC++ is faster. While I haven't done any real native development since eVC++ 4 was new, I still dabble a bit (especially since getting active on this forum) and VS2005 works great to me.
So, my advice would be to use the newest tools available to you, unless money is an issue. But don't be worried about upgrading. Your life will only get easier once you do.
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Click to collapse
Well I just got eVC and will give it a try too. But I am pretty much used to vs2005. I do not think I can't afford the vs2008 right now. How much difference is there between 2005 and 2008 when it comes to programming for WM?
I'm looking to create some commercial applications for WM. For the last 10 years I'v been doing .com apps, now I figured I would do some for the mobile platform. We have all the graphics/design/marketing guys for .com, so it should work out just fine for WM.
One thing we noticed when working with exec type people is their frustration, I see exactly how we can help them resolve their frustration with WM, Symb, and java type phones...
Thanks
marek101 said:
Well I just got eVC and will give it a try too. But I am pretty much used to vs2005. I do not think I can't afford the vs2008 right now. How much difference is there between 2005 and 2008 when it comes to programming for WM?
I'm looking to create some commercial applications for WM. For the last 10 years I'v been doing .com apps, now I figured I would do some for the mobile platform. We have all the graphics/design/marketing guys for .com, so it should work out just fine for WM.
One thing we noticed when working with exec type people is their frustration, I see exactly how we can help them resolve their frustration with WM, Symb, and java type phones...
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly I wouldn't rush to upgrade. VS2008 is better, but doesn't add much to the WM development arena.
And if you already have VS2005 and are used to it, I would stick with that and forget about eVC++. You should give the compact framework a try. I promise you'll love it
compact framework, that's a part of the .NET isn't it?.
For the time being, for learning purposes, I think I will stick with the native for now. Once I get a grip, I will explore .net. The thing is I really don't like bulky apps for WM. Most of the apps I came across that required the .net framework were slow, any apps that use the .net with a today plug in seem to really slow down my phone.
BTW is HTC Home plug in written with the .net?
Thanks
marek, it seems to me that you are under the impression that you need VS 2005 to use MFC.
eVC fully supports MFC as well as creating DLLs and MFC DLLs.
It admit the reason I don't like VS is because I only write in native and don't like .NET languages a lot.
Since you want to create commercial apps you should note that any app created with WM 5 SKD will not be backwards compatible with WM 2003 which reduces your clients range.
You should compile with WM 2003 SDK which is forward compatible.
Our primary target audience would be WM6. We will make every effort to make WM5 compatible apps. Yes it does reduces significantly the client base, but also there are many positives...
We are still looking for more programmers for the simple concepts we have developed. I believe this will work out just fine. Having WM5 support is a "would be nice" but not required. WM5 has a bag of problems, 2003 I don't even want to touch it.
Thanks
I have to admit that I love VS because I love using .net
But VS is also a much more powerful editor in general than eVC is. It's still nice but the experience isn't as smooth as it is in newer versions, which is expected since the newer versions build on the previous ones.
I wanted to start a new thread on a new piece of programming software that I recently purchased. I was looking for a programming language that was easy to use for beginners and experts. I own a Sprint HTC Touch and I wanted to make my own software to run on WM6. I have not completely messed with it but it sort of reminds me of MS Visual Basic with drag and drop and also code. If you want more info please follow this link: http://www.arianesoft.ca/page.php?1 . This software combines some of the most well known programming languages. I was hoping that there were other people who had and were also working with the same software and who had tips,tricks,source code and software using this programming software. I also forgot to mention that this software not only installs on you pc but also installs on you pocket pc so you can create software on the go. If there are any other languages out there like this please post. I hope this fits in this category.
Yes..this is a good language..i am familiar with it..it also lets you make Games....Visit their forums for sample apps
Been using PPL for a while now. Very good application and can actually produce some fast running apps.
Certainly wouldn't use it for a professional application, but for graphics/games, it's one of the best I've used.
Visual Studio have better compatibilities than PPL I think....
But, PPL is very easy to use and costs a lot less.
its funny but i even saw A_C's Post in their forum
I have a copy of one of A_Cs S2U2 source code from the PPL forums!
The one thing I like about PPL over Visual Basic (although I like VB)is that the software installs on my HTC Touch so I can program on the go. VB unfortunately does not. But with the drag and drop it looks just like VB
Hi i need help!!!! lol i am new to develepment and i believe i have a great idea for an app, but i dont have any expirence writing code. if anyone knows of a great preferably free tutorial on how to write code i will be using eclipse im all ready to write. but i dont know where to start. my app will be changing something in the internal workings of android.....therefore probably will require superuser permissions......im so lost i dont even have a clue.....lol
if you have NO programming experience what so ever than you should start by learning Java first (get an ebook or find an online webiste that teaches it to beginners or get a physical book on it, I got one last year called "Java: in easy steps" and it really helped me). Once you know enough about java, you should get a book on programming android (I got the "for dummies" one) ... make sure its a new edition (i.e., covers upto android 2.1/2.2 at least). the developers.android site that google set up is confusing and not overly helpful I found, but the books written by other people provide good insight into the theory as well as provide many examples on almost every kind of program.
Good luck!
ok thanks for the input.....i would like to learn for free as much as possible if anyone else has any input it would be greatly appreaciated.