Database Users

Absuluut newbie, help on eMbedded C++ 4.0 please

Hello,
I'm a Visual Basic programmer for some time now.
Made some useful stuff they tell me.
Used C++ (Borland) about 10 years ago, so that’s a bit rusty.
Now I've ordered a Qtek 9090, and I would want to develop some software for it to. So I downloaded and installed the SDK and eMbedded C++ 4.0.
I thought, I start out on the emulator......
I can't even get my own "Hello world" program to work........
I have downloaded a "Hello World" program which I stepped through in debug mode. I have NO idea what they are doing there.
It contains about 20 files, hundreds lines of code, just to put "Hello World" on the screen of the emulator.
And I hoped that:
Code:
#include <stdio.h>
main()
{
printf("Hello, world!\n");
return 0;
}
pleased in a form, would do the trick………
The help in the IDE does not work.
Re-install it tell's me. I have done so, but the help function does not work.
Where is the "visual" part in the embedded Visual C++?
How do I place forms and buttons e.g.?
I have no idea where to start now.
Searched a lot of forum's for starters-help, but I can not find anything that helps me on my way. I just hope I've not become stupid.....
Would somebody please help me on my way?

Can I wholeheartedly recommend the book "Programming Windows CE", by Douglas Boling? It's normally cheap (or the second edition is) on ebay and it really is good.
Failing that, you're writing a console based application for something that uses a windowing environment by default, so you'll either have to change what you're linking to, or have a winmain that makes use of a graphical UI rather than stdout. Call MessageBox perhaps? This is all made *so* much easier with a working help system that you need to get that working.
You can manage resource files visually, so it really is Visual development. Plus, for free, it's an excellent development tool. Well, it isn't bad.
The best advice I can give is to get your machine set up correctly with EVC2002, or EVC 4 with SP4 and the appropriate SDKs, and take it from there.
Good luck starting out.
Cheers,
Nick.

chiark said:
Can I wholeheartedly recommend the book "Programming Windows CE", by Douglas Boling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx. I'm going to order that book.
Failing that, you're writing a console based application for something that uses a windowing environment by default, so you'll either have to change what you're linking to, or have a winmain that makes use of a graphical UI rather than stdout. Call MessageBox perhaps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, yes. I know. Like I sayed, I usualy work with VB. It was just me, trying to oversimplify things.
What I ment to express is that I'm pretty supprised I still have to write the message-loop and the main-loop and the jsadgkh-loop and....
I just hoped to put up some forms and attach code to it. But maybe I'm missing the clue on this.
This is all made *so* much easier with a working help system that you need to get that working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have set it up on an other machine yesterday, and there the help works.
Today I'm going to make use of it.
You can manage resource files visually, so it really is Visual development. Plus, for free, it's an excellent development tool. Well, it isn't bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.... That part, the visual part, I don't see yet, but like I sayed, I'm going to work throuhg the help, now that I've got that working.
And a 'free' tool. Well, that's allways nice. I think it is good for us, AND good for them. The more software there will be on the market, the better the devices sell.
The best advice I can give is to get your machine set up correctly with EVC2002, or EVC 4 with SP4 and the appropriate SDKs, and take it from there.
Good luck starting out.
Cheers,
Nick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for you tips.
Rens

Dox, drop me a PM, I've got an old copy of the book you can have if it would help
Re the message loop stuff, you've indeed got options. You can either use the message loop approach hitting the API directly, or you can opt for using MFC to abstract the stuff away from you.
Personally, I prefer the straightforwardness of using the API rather than MFC. By the time you've written one application, you've got the bulk of the next . I also write for older machines, and the overhead of MFC is a consideration, but on the XDA it really isn't.
If the application is simple, it can all be handled by a DialogBox. You will need to write a DialogProc to handle the appropriate messages, but the need to register a window class, get messages off the queue etc is removed from you. Similarly, you can have multiple pages on a single dialog box using propertypages.
If you did want to write a console application, you can do this but you need to change the linker options within EVC.
Have a good look at the samples, too, there's some real good stuff in there.
Cheers, and good luck
Nick.

idea of a software. need help developing. where to start?

hi all...
i am not a programmer/developer... just a big pocket pc fan...
i have an idea to develop a small pocketpc utility that i think could be useful to a lot of users...
although, i have no idea where to start when talking to a programmer about developing it... i want to know how much it could cost to write/develop it...
any ideas on wheere i could start? i guess it'd have to be written in Visual Basic (thats all i know of). the only thing i could compare it to is Spb's Pocket Plus... but i think my software would only be half as complicated as that.
http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=6846
any very rough ideas on how much i should be expecting to pay for it? i know it's not easy to give me an estimate, but like i said-- i have no idea what so ever... $100? $1000?? $10,000???
i was thinking of just having it as a pet project and giving it out as freeware/open source.... but it costs a bundle, i might try to shareware it to atleast cover some of the costs...
thanks for your help all.

Describing the functionality of the app would be a start...

DOH :!:
Seems like i missed out an entire paragraph on what i am actually trying to make...
well, ill try to describe it...
i wanted to create a plug-in for the Task List.... as opposed to just a simple list of tasks, i wanted to create a "floating space", where your tasks can be represented visually through icons, which can moved around...
imagine all your indiviual tasks as post-it notes on your desk. now you're able to move your post-its according to category, importance, etc... around your desk.
in this floating space, you would have control over choosing how things are represented-- things such as priority, deadline, can be represented through colours, little animated icons, etc...
perhaps the tasks can be linked to your programs-- ie, call mum -- is linked to a phone, to put it simply.
i dunno, maybe its just something i've imagined i would like but would be a bit "stuck-up-its-own-ass" type of sotfware for other people...
:?
anyways, id least like to look into how to go about designing it properly... im sure there are a lot of things i havent though about and would be a steep learning curve for me (even if im not programming it), but i want to learn and like the idea of this challenge.
i have a graphic design background also, so id like to do the art/icons myself, and work with a programmer to develop this properly. i guess this'd help a teeny weeny bit....
so, any suggestions? comments?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=21786&highlight=today+plugin
and if you want it to float around on top of other today items then it's much much more complex then anything i've seen from spb
the program would virtualy have to capture all msg sendt from the screen to check if it was something it had to capture before the today item under it did
if it only had to have floating things inside it's own today item space it would be much more simple though

Cool 1 button audio task creating application request...

I'm not a developer. One day maybe but for now I only marvel at those who can actually create applications. But I could really use this app. Perhaps there is a developer that could too and will run with the idea?....
The Application: Task created by one button press on PPC that records an audio task reminder, creates task dated today with subject "Audio Task" and attaches the audio clip to the task.
The idea is that you can create tasks on the fly with 1 button press (say you are driving or whatever) as long as you have your PPC and remind yourself later. 1 press and say "Pick up beer for Friday" (okay not likely I'd forget that, but you get the idea). It beeps to confirm it worked and then the task is created and shows up in outlook after syncing.
For me this task then shows up in my outlook 'today's tasks list' which I live out of and I can take it from there.
How hard would this be to build? Just a script of some kind I'm guessing - maybe not as I say I'm not a developer. Any takers? Should I pass the hat?
Cheers.

Nice idea.
I'm quite busy right now, but consider using PocketMax AlarmToday, or alternatively a poor man's alternative is to use the built in Notes Voice recorder (hotvoice) and couple it with the plugin AudioNotes, to show your audio notes count on the today screen.
V

The key is getting it into Outlook....
vijay555 said:
Nice idea.
I'm quite busy right now, but consider using PocketMax AlarmToday, or alternatively a poor man's alternative is to use the built in Notes Voice recorder (hotvoice) and couple it with the plugin AudioNotes, to show your audio notes count on the today screen.
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vijay thanks for your comments. And yours suggestions are good and get the solution part way there, and as you say would serve as a stop gap.
But the key to this app (and people loving it) is that it integrates seemlessly into the way they manage there lives now. For me (and I've found for a suprising number of people) everything flows through outlook, having another location to check, even on as front and center as the today screen, simply won't do.
The key to the idea is to have a zero headache and 100% reliable way to record and then forget a task until it needs either done or alocated to the day it will be done.
I actually thought I was a bit of freak managing a lot of my life through tasks but I have come across a bunch of people that are way more organized and 'freaky' than I am.
Anyway, thanks for you suggestion. If you get some time and find this interesting let me know. I could draft up a non-technical spec doc pretty quickly. I've got several versions in my head starting with a basic utility to do what I mentioned (which is all I'm really after), right up to one that uses speach to text to fill in the details for you and location positioning to remind you to do things based on where you are (ever been right near the dry cleaner but forgot to pick up the cleaning?). But that's a whole other story.
Cheers.

Hmmm. Speech to text is something I'm still working on.
I'm unlikely to get time to focus on this immediately, but if you see me loitering on streetcorners some weeks hence, stop me and ask me if I'm still "doing business" - ie send me the spec over.
Thinking about it in theory, it doesn't sound too bad. Use POOM to create a new task, use the sound/voice recorder control to embed into the associated note, grab the current date etc. However, like all programming, theory is easy, execution takes time and Jolt.
I use tasks for staying on top of updates for my apps - it's the only way I'd remember all of the requests, otherwise I'll forget everything. My brain is useless Needs a firmware update.
V

Loitering on street corners hey. Be careful who you meet doing that sort of thing. :shock:
I'm in our same boat, very pressed for time at the moment (just started a new job with Siemens), which is one of the things reminded me why this app would be so handy. That said I'll see about putting a spec together.
Ya I like the theory too, but that's as far as I get. But as you say it seems a lot of the foundation is there from existing apps. I guess it just depends how easy ol' MS has made it to work with them. Does POOM have a reasonable api?
If you know of a Brain Firmware upgrades other than the stock version sign me up. Without task to keep me on track I'm lost.
We'll just see how the time comes together and seeing as I can't help on the programming side I'd be more than willing to provide the jolt. :wink:
Cheers.

I program in native pure C++. In that, POOM has a horribly arcane API. It's much easier in .net, so if anyone wants to try their hand at it, jump in.
But I'm not a .net convert yet... too sloooow.
V

Not that this is a substitute for the OPs original proposal (which is really nice),
here is an interesting AudioNotes/Today Plugin combo that is meeting you half way...
Blade's Audio Notes
Of course Blade uses .net (1.1 in this case) so it does run slower than C++, but it's free

Blades Audio Notes is a start. But can I send my Boss to blade when I forget to make the phone call because it Outlook wasn't reminding to do it? :wink:
Am I the only one that uses Outlook pretty strictly to manage getting things done? Just curious. I've been called worse than "outlook freak" before and likely again...
...but thanks for the heads up malatesta.

Developing new application, need help/suggestions

MAJOR EDIT: Started over, I need fresh ideas!
I'm bored, I got Basic4PPC andI want to make a little freeware app. Seeing how much people wanted another unit converter, I dropped the towel before entering the shower (pushing the metaphor to far...) and decided to consult the experts.
What would be THE best idea for a Pocket PC application? I was thinking about a small app to launch many applications from a single hardware button with some cool UI and all, but it's been down quite a couple of times.

I don't think that a unit converter can be sold easily... I mean: I don't need it, and if I would: there are so much freeware alternatives.
And about your goals:
- only one file... why?
- Try to make it modulair: easier to extend

sounds like a good idea, but why not have currency converter, in fact what would be a cool idea is if it can download a table of exchange rates on startup so that it gives you an accurate conversion figure.

Rhapsody said:
I don't think that a unit converter can be sold easily... I mean: I don't need it, and if I would: there are so much freeware alternatives.
And about your goals:
- only one file... why?
- Try to make it modulair: easier to extend
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, who would buy a unit converter... for instance I use google to convert for me on my phone. Easy and fast to use. I don't really know why I would need to convert a number fast.

I chose a unit converter for ease of use, but since the project is a day old or so, it's the right time to tell me what to make!

N1c0_ds said:
I chose a unit converter for ease of use, but since the project is a day old or so, it's the right time to tell me what to make!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I think if you want to make something which you want to sell, you have to come up with the ideas yourself
I think you start at the wrong side. First think about what you want to make (what are you missing at the moment on your phone?), then try to create it and when it's finished you can always decide what to do with it. (shareware or freeware).
The thing is that most of the things are already available freeware.

I don't quite correspond to the typical PDA user. I'm 15 years-old, part time worker...
I can get ideas myself, but I can't really know what the average user wants. The best thing I can of right now would be a hardware button launcher.
When you'd press the button you'd be presented a big touch keyboard from which you could filter the available apps. It would launch the app then close itself. Good or no good?

Timesheet application?
Well, since you asked... This is the only app I used on my old palm device that I have not been able to replace on my PPC. It is a simple timesheet program that allows the user to record time spent on definable projects.
I have tried several of the commercial programs out there and they are all too complex or geared more for billable time and invoice generation. I just need something simple. The PALM program was freeware and can be seen here.
If you are interested in giving this a try I will be glad to give some more details on the desired functionality. The PALM program was not 100% of what I needed, just the best fit from what I could find.

Interesting. I actually made something similar in one of my Palm apps (which was never finished because I switched to WM).
I'll have a look at that. I'll try it as a filler, waiting for a great project.
P.S.: your themes are awesome!

That would be wonderful! The biggest things I would need are below:
Multiple projects with name and number (13 digit)
Ability to delete project from available list but keep past history
Day and Week summary view reports
Easy selection / clock in / clock out on main screen
Those are the main things. There are lots of ways to do this and I have ideas, but part of the fun of coding is UI design and code structuring. If you decide to take this one please let me know. I will be very happy to test for you.

Woah, calm down, I'm only about to complete the table. It looks like the screenshots for Timesheet right now (without final total, project selection and "today" button).

what about an app that can install automatically and in silent mode a big list of cabs. we should just have to select the destination : phone storage or sdcard. it would make reinstalls easier after rom updates .....
perhaps it already exist, i don't know ...

PROGRESS!!!
The thing is now useable! It saves date, in time, out time and calculates the difference between the two. When you exit it save your current data to load it when you launch.
Looks like this:
Date In Out Time
08/08/2008 17:15 17:20 00:05
And it adds one row for each in/out.
Sample coming soon.

kaiser47 said:
what about an app that can install automatically and in silent mode a big list of cabs. we should just have to select the destination : phone storage or sdcard. it would make reinstalls easier after rom updates .....
perhaps it already exist, i don't know ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting idea, but I doubt people would pay for it.

CAB File!
Here's the working version. It yet has to show total time, money owed and all, but that's a good start!
Does anyone know a better CAB making app? This one sucks.

N1c0_ds said:
Interesting idea, but I doubt people would pay for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
basically exists as user customisation... a new thing where cabs from storage card can be installed if u basically make an xml file with links to all the needed cabs

N1c0_ds said:
Here's the working version. It yet has to show total time, money owed and all, but that's a good start!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am impressed. Then again, I don't have a WM dev environment. It is running fine so far on my P4300 WM6. Thanks for taking this on! There is nothing out there right now that is simple and clean.

I'm about to cancel all that crap right now. After a hard day of work, it was all made useless because Basic4PPC can't freakin' handle tables as it should. Thus instead of getting the standard plain white tables with grey headers, I get some ugly dark gray filling where there is no data. Then thing get even uglier when scrolling is needed. That kind of crap is enough to make me quit.
Unless you guys can get me something actually worth its price, forget about my app, I'm too pissed off to continue and all the files went straight to the bin.

[PRJ]Teeter level editor NOT RELEASED - help needed

Please don't get excited, this is far from finished, and I'm about to go away for a week.
What I have done so far has taken about a week, but I guess its still a month away from a beta release,
sorry about that but I'm doing this in my spare time.
After reading this thread, I thought this would be a good project to learn VB.net with.
I did a bit of VB6 years ago, but since then its been mainly web stuff (php, javascript, sql),
more recently I have been studying oop Java with the Open University.
I'm going to look for a good VB.net forum when I get back, Ill probably need some help to finish this.
Let me know if you know of one, or even better a VB.net for windows mobile forum
So far, I have read the text files in and drawn them to the screen using GDI+.
The next step is to write the code to let you edit, but before I get to that I need a little help with something else.
The images I'm drawing to screen do not line up perfectly with the levels in Teeter,
have a look at the first 6 levels on this page to see what I mean.
These are composite screen shots, I have overlaid what my program draws onto the real levels in Teeter.
You can ignore the starting dots as the ball had moved by the time i took the screen shot.
My guess is I need to apply a transformation of some kind on the data before I draw it to the screen
(and eventually in reverse before I write it back to the text file),
but I'm not 100% sure if that's right, am I missing something about why this is happening?
Will there be any problems with this approach?
Maybe I can just move the holes a set amount, but what about the walls?
Anyone have any ideas?

Hi
Im not a coder, but just my observation. The black lines that you draw go from corner to opposite corner on each graphic, minus the drop-holes but there still in the corner.
My gues is the coding is seeing this as a full object. So that data that you are pulling and showing looks correct.

Ahh, yeah, so maybe the coordinates of the walls represent the top left and bottom right of the walls, not just end points.
Ill make some screen shots of the rest of the levels to check.
I guess the levels where the walls are not straight up or straight down will give more clues.
Thanks

Glad i could help
I code in php and using the GD graphic librays to display line graphs etc always do have stripped down co-ordinates, i suppose its so you dont have to use loads of info just to draw a line. top corner, bottom corner is far more speedy then drawing 6 coordinates or more.
How have you dound going from php, javascript mysql to vb? I keep getting tempted by vb and id love to make some interesting things for my mobile.
Im pretty much high level php/sql medium javascript, high level xml. Where would you recommend i begin? Cheers!
PS: im from Leeds so just up the motorway lol.

My memory of VB6 is that in general, all the books are wrong.
I really struggled to find examples that worked without fiddling around with it.
VB.net has been a similar experience, maybe a bit easier because Visual Studio has improved so much. I'm still a massive noob with it so I cant really give you that good an answer.
I'm starting to realise that the reason I find programming for the web so much easier than for windows is that the latter has so much more to deal with.
If you think on the web, your playing field is the browser, in windows, your playing field is the OS. There is so much more that you can do, finding help with what you want to do is so much harder.
Some people are very good at working out how to get something working, it sometimes takes me hours to solve one little problem. I don't have that much formal training in programming, so I tend to work by fiddling with things until they work. The difference in php is I've seen so many working examples that I know what I am doing is 'a good way' to be doing it.
In VB I have no idea if what I am doing is good, its just the only way I've found that works. Eventually I will release the source files for this, in the hope that 'good' VB programmers can help me do things in 'a good way'.
Where to begin? Get yourself a copy of Visual Studio, there are loads of versions, don't ask me which one you need, I don't know, I got mine of a friend who runs a software company, they have some package of set software from MS and more licenses than she needs.
Bookmark the MSDN library and start reading
All I use at the moment is that page and google.
Good luck!

Problem solved, it was pretty simple in the end
The top left, bottom right thing dzign-it pointed out (many thanks),
and the gdi draws the hole with the coordinates you give as top left.
I can move on to the actual editing now

Hey
Great to hear, not many people seem interested in this lol, i am though, a level editor would be fantastic, and im sure when you have a beta out for people to start making thier own levels etc..everybody will jump on board.

yeah go for it
go for it hellodavedave. People will be glad.
and credit to you

yeah!
That would be nice!
My little 2-year-old girl loves Teeter but she only solves the first level.
I'd like to have a "kids version" with only a green hole in the middle and kind of these easy things...
(yeah, I know: WHAT!? You give your diamond a baby...!? )

Has any progress been made on this? I'd love to see this working

There is now a level editor. You can download a new level here.
http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=1536
Surur