Windows CE: Development tools considerations part III

Hi all,

as promised let’s continue with answering the 2nd question.

Question:
What if some developers rather use a command line than the PlatformBuilder IDE?

Answer:
Well this is a simple task. Starting with Windows CE 5.0 Microsoft introduced a feature called unified build. This great feature ensures that the outcome of a command line build is exactly the same as the outcome of a PlatformBuilder IDE. This is possible as the IDE is just a thin layer above the command line and hence there is a one-to-one mapping of the command line calls to the IDE. But you might find that you can not just use any command line it has to be one that you open from within the PlatformBuilder IDE. Now why is that? Well, when opening a command line from within the PlatformBuilder IDE, wince.bat is called which sets up the command line for you in accordance with the specific project settings.

NOTE:
Please don’t call wince.bat directly, we will discuss how to set up a command line outside of the PlatformBuilder IDE when answering the 4th question, so please be patient.

Now there are multiple possibilities to open a command line from within the PlatformBuilder IDE:

• From the IDE select Build -> Open Release Directory in Build Window

• Right clicking the desired directory in the Solution Explorer and selecting Open Build Window will open a command line with the correct path to that directory

So as you see as a developer you can either use the command line or the PlatfromBuilder IDE to build your system. The output will be the same.

Have fun!
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Don’t miss the next free Windows Embedded OEM Technical Seminar

Hi Folks,

if live in or near Ljubljana, Slovenia or just happen to pass by there on February 3rd, don’t miss the free Windows Embedded OEM Technical Seminar!

It is intended for technical decision makers and developers. MS will show you the latest innovations in embedded software development and present the Microsoft Embedded Products as well as their development tools and give you the opportunity to asked questions about them.

Location:
Microsoft d.o.o.
Smartinska 140
Ljubljana, Slovenia 1000
Phone: 00 386 01 584 61 00

Further information:
http://www.microsoftembeddedseminars.com/about.aspx?seminarid=210

Overview of MS seminars offerings:
http://www.microsoftembeddedseminars.com/Europe1.aspx

NOTE:
This seminar has been moved to March 31st!

Have fun!
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Windows CE: Development tools considerations part II

Hi all,

in yesterdays post, I stated a couple of questions regarding the suitability of PlatformBuilder, now here is the first answer:

Question:
It’s nice for one developer using PlatformBuilder but how can I make sure that every developer is using the same project configuration?

Answer:
When you start a new Windows CE project in PlatformBuilder which is called OS Design, you first select an appropriate template. The template is a collection of catalog items that Microsoft regards as necessary for the specific device type you have selected. Of course you can later on browse the catalog manually and select or deselect catalog items of your choice.
After creation of the project, you can choose weather you want to build your system in debug or in release.
Furthermore you can select some properties of your project such as debug, KITL or profiler options. You can also set some project specific environment variables or add some custom build actions.

As you can see these are quite a lot of choices you can make. And of course you want to make sure that every developer is using the same settings. How is that possible when using the PlatformBuilder IDE you might ask? The Answer is simple: all the above mentions settings are saved in but one file, the .pbxml file. So by making sure that every developer is using the same .pbxml file, for instance with the help of a version control tool, it is ensured that everyone has the same project settings.

So as you see it is not necessary to write any script files or avoid using the PlatformBuilder IDE in order to make sure that everyone is working with the same project settings.

Have fun!
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Windows CE: Development tools considerations part I

Hi all,

as you might know the tool for developing Windows Embedded CE devices is called PlatformBuilder; which, starting with Windows Embedded CE 6.0 is no longer a standalone IDE but is integrated in Visual Studio 2005. When working on large projects with more than one developer a couple of questions concerning the usability and suitability of the PlatformBuilder IDE might arise:

• It’s nice for one developer using PlatformBuilder but how can I make sure that every developer is using the same project configuration?

• What if some developers rather use a command line than the PlatformBuilder IDE?

• What files do I actually need to check into my version control tool?

• I want to start a daily automated build hence the IDE is not desirable. Is it possible to have the developers use the IDE and yet start an automated build without starting the IDE?

• What if I have set up my system to use script files instead of the PlatformBuilder IDE? What do I need to do in order to use the IDE?

If you are interested in these questions stay tuned as I will answer them one by one over the next days.

Have fun!
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MCP Exam for Windows Embedded Standard 2009

You may remember my recent post on the Windows Embedded Standard MCP Exam.

Well Lynda Allen, Program Manager for Windows Embedded Standard, announced yesterday that the Exam is now ready and will be available in February. The scheduled launch date is February, 5th.

To see what else Lynda has to say check the Windows Embedded Standard Blog and for further information on the Exam as well as certification, check this site.

So long and thanks for all the fish!
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Disabling Security when connecting to a device.

You will most probably know all the steps required when connecting to a device from within Visual Studio 2005/2008 but did you know that you can get rid of the annoying call of cMaccept.exe? Remember this is the .exe you have to call each time you lose the connection to the device. I was - again - astonished to see that this is not as clear as it should be, as it is very well documented in msdn.

All you have to do is disable the devices security by setting the following registry key:
HLKM\System\CoreConOverrideSecurity = 1

Once you have done that you can skip calling cMaccept when connecting to the device.

Note: It goes without saying that this registry key should only be set manually when you are developing applications for a device. I would not recommend shipping a device with this registry key set.

So long and thanks for all the fish!
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Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 Deep Dive Training in Erlangen, March 24th/25th

EB, Windows Embedded Gold Partner and Microsoft Training Partner are offering a two day training course which will provide a profound overview of the architecture of Microsoft Windows Embedded CE and its basic concepts. You will get acquainted with the available development tools and learn how to generate an operating system with Platform Builder. Application development and specific aspects of working with Windows Embedded CE are also covered in detail.

You are using Windows Embedded NavReady or MS Auto? No worries! The training allows you to ask all the questions you want to and EB's experts can point out the differences and specialities of these two Windows Embedded CE derivatives.

For more information about this training and to register visit EB's Windows Embedded Training site here: http://www.elektrobit.com/whats_new/events/trainings__seminars/windows_ce_deep_dive

So long and thanks for all the fish!
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