need for compact framework

  • Thread starter Thread starter john
  • Start date Start date
J

john

I am returning to do some development work in c# on VS2005 - the app
is intended to run on the current crop of WM5 or ppc 2003 devices -
do I have to download the dot net CF 2 to each such PDA to run my app
or do these machines (post ppc2003) have the CF2 already installed ?
 
You will need to install .NET Compact Framework v2.0 on each device. It's
worth noting that there is a Service Pack available for the .NET CF and you
should really consider installing .NET CF 2.0 SP1 on your target devices.

--
Neil Cowburn
Principal Partner
OpenNETCF Consulting, LLC.

http://www.opennetcf.com/
 
Currently you can't rely on devices already having .NETCF v2.0 in ROM.
Though all PPC2003 and upwards devices will have .NETCF v1.0 in ROM. The
recently announced Windows Mobile 6 will have .NETCF v2.0 in ROM.
You'll need to deploy the v2 framework as part of your installation, whether
that is via ActiveSync, SD card, over the air etc...

Peter
 
MAny thanks Guys

one follow on question - is it possible to combine the install of the
Dot net CF2.0 with ones own app - so that the user has less to do
 
That entirely depends on how you plan to distribute your application.

If you are going to installing your application on the device over
ActiveSync from a PC, then yes you can combine the .NET CF deployment into
that. If you're installing from a SD card or over the air, then it's not
possible.

--
Neil Cowburn
Principal Partner
OpenNETCF Consulting, LLC.

http://www.opennetcf.com/
 
(Oh, I hate doing this...)
one follow on question - is it possible to combine the install of the
Dot net CF2.0 with ones own app - so that the user has less to do
Click to expand...

Apologies for the blatant plug, but yes, it is possible to do this.
Download "PocketPC Installer" from the link below. It lets you combine
the .Net CF .cab files, your application's .cab files and any data files...
and
it'll compress them all into one PDA installer .exe file.
http://www.pocketpcinstaller.com

Put this one .exe file into a memory card's 2577 directory, and your
install instructions for a user will read like this:

- Insert the memory card into your device.
- Go and grab a coffee for 5 minutes.

The PDA installer that is created will (by default) only install the .cab
files that aren't currently installed on your device, so you can put the
..Net CF 2 .cab in there, and it will only be installed when necessary.

It'll also "resume" installing if one of your .cabs soft-resets the device
after installing (this happens quite frequently with .Net CF2 cabs)

Because all of your files are in one single .exe file, and because it's
compressed, this also makes it an ideal way to distribute your software
over the air.

The 30-day evaluation lets you see it all in action.


James
<End of blatant plug. Sorry.>
 
AW c'mon guys - thanks James - had a look at the product and it seems
a worthwhile spend
I'll probably buy it but I'm a stubborn b*gg*r and I feel sure even
after a whole afternoon wasted trying things that I should somehow be
able to include an install of CF2.0 with my app within the smartdevice
Cab (see, I have learnt something new this afternoon - how to set up
a CAB inside one's solution !! )
So Question is " Am I wasting my time trying to get CF2.0 to install
from the one Cab?" and if it can be done ho on earth does one do it

TIA
JM
 
You can do it using a custom installer DLL, but its still a pain. Basically
you include the CF CAB as a "file" and, since wceload can only be run once,
you have to also include some bootstrap exe. The process looks something
like this:

CAB installs your files
CAB drops CF CAB somewhere
CAB launches bootstrap
wceload exits
bootstrap calls wceload with CF CAB path


--
Chris Tacke - Embedded MVP
OpenNETCF Consulting
Managed Code in the Embedded World
www.opennetcf.com
 
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