So, you figure that having to run a server on one or both sides of the
connection is going to be better than just using ActiveSync as a conduit
for files? I'd have to disagree with you there. ActiveSync itself,
with respect to synchronizing calendar, contacts, notes, etc. is kind of
iffy, but just using it as a means to move files around is pretty
reliable.
The Pocket PC does not have a network name, probably, so connecting to a
server on that end is always a problem. If the PC has a network name
which the Pocket PC can resolve, it could always be the server and the
Pocket PC(s) could connect whenever it's convenient for them.
Again, we have a problem. You don't connect to the Pocket PC via USB.
You can use ActiveSync as a network conduit and that *might* be using
USB as the transport medium, but you can't just randomly plug the device
into a USB port on any PC and expect to send it data. You have to have
ActiveSync on that PC and your code will be network code, just like for
WiFi or any other network medium.
Paul T.
Ah, Thanks Paul for the deep explanation.
Yes, your assumption is correct that I do know desktop .net. (I write
ASP.NET mainly).
I am very new to writing for mobile devices and didn't know how
activesynch works. I will look deeper into it. What I want to do is to
be able to have practically a hands free transfer (i.e. I don't wish to
have to support activesynch issues). Basically, I need to have on the
desktop app a button to press that will export the xml file to the
pocketpc. The way I am currently doing it is to drag and drop my file
in windows explorer onto my pocket device.
In my early understanding of activesynch (and seeing activesynch
running on my desktop), the synchronisation is a two way process, which
may cause my files to be overwritten (or does it?)
From a server point of view, if I have a server on both the desktop and
the pocket device (so that I control the direction), I assume that I
can just connect via the network name of the desktop and the network
name of the pocket pc, wether connected via USB, WIFI or whatever??? (I
will leave bluetooth out of the equation until I have more experience
and can support any potential issues.)
--
Best regards,
Dave Colliver.
http://www.AshfieldFOCUS.com
~~
http://www.FOCUSPortals.com - Local franchises available
"Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]" <p space tobey no spam AT no instrument no spam
DOT com> wrote in message
Since you're posting to the Compact Framework group, we can assume
that you know how to use the .NET Framework on the desktop. Most of
the communication stuff is the same in the Compact Framework. There
are a few things that might not be supported in CF and there are
certainly things that are in CF that are not on the desktop (phone
stuff, etc.)
It's not clear to me what user profile you're looking at there. Why
would you want to force the user to drag XML files around and what
does "drag" mean in this context?
You could certainly use standard network APIs, whether FTP, HTTP or
just some proprietary protocol you create yourself using sockets, to
transfer the data. You can decide whether the server is on the PC or
on the device and how to determine the IP address of each end of the
communications channel.
You can do Bluetooth programming using sockets, also. The main
problem there is figuring out what Bluetooth services the device and
the PC export. You can't add any services yourself, so, if the phone,
for example, doesn't support the service you want to use (serial port,
maybe), you're just out of luck. I would guess that all Pocket PC
devices that have Bluetooth will allow you to create a virtual serial
connection, though.
There's no such thing as "USB" in this context. USB device
functionality is tightly bound to what the device plugged into the PC
says it is. If the device says, "Hey, I'm a modem", the PC has to
treat it as a modem. It can't use the USB cable as a general-purpose
communication medium. Since 99% of the time, the Pocket PC device is
going to be an ActiveSync device, as far as USB is concerned, that's
what you should expect. However, on top of ActiveSync, you can write
network programs to communicate with the PC which is hosting the
Pocket PC. On each end, they just act like they're talking over a
regular Ethernet network, but the data gets transferred via
ActiveSync.
Now to your ActiveSync question. I'm afraid that you've baffled me
with this. You simply want to synchronize file1.xml on the PC to
file1.xml on the Pocket PC? You don't have to do *anything* to do
that (I would have thought that you'd have already seen this just
playing around with the device and ActiveSync). ActiveSync will
synchronize files in a special folder automatically (read the
ActiveSync help). No work at all for you. If you don't necessarily
want a particular file, in a particular location to always move back
and forth, you can always write a Remote API (RAPI), program for the
desktop to control file movement. OpenNETCF has a wrapper for RAPI so
you can do this in managed code on the desktop.
Paul T.
Thanks Bjorn...
I have the manual for the phone right next to me, but it only tells
you how to use activesynch, not how to program for it.
Any other pointers to the required reading would be appreciated.
(I am a seasoned developer but very new to writing for windows
mobile)
--
Best regards,
Dave Colliver.
http://www.AshfieldFOCUS.com
~~
http://www.FOCUSPortals.com - Local franchises available
David skrev:
Hi,
I am looking at commincation options. Here are my thoughts so far,
your comments would be appreciated.
What I need to do is to be able to export from a desktop app and
also allow the desktop app to drag (import) from the pocket device.
What I would also like to do from the pocket device is to 'push'
the data to the desktop app. (I could also have the pocket device
pull the data)
The data is typically XML files.
1. wifi: I would assume that I would need to have a server of some
sort on the pocket device. The desktop app would probably need to
poll the network for pocket devices in order to hook up.
2. Bluetooth: I have no ideas as to how I would implement this. Any
pointers?
3. USB: (not activesynch). Any ideas?
4. Activesynch: How would I hook into activesynch to synchronise my
device?
RTFM
Any other methods?
You should not care about HOW the unit communicate, - the unit
itself takes care of which communication channel it is currently
using.
You can use the built-in "Direct Push" technology, or you can set up
a webservice the unit can communicate with.
The way I am currently doing it is to explore the device from the
desktop and drag/drop the required XML file. This is a poor method
of doing it. I want to be able to have buttons on the
device/desktop application that will do all of the handling.
Any sample code / webpages with any of the above options would be
very much appreciated.
