Visual Studio For Devices : Author: Neil Enns

On-demand version of my SqlMobile webcast now available

MobileDevGroup — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 19:46:00 GMT

For those who couldn't join my webcast yesterday, "Exploring the Inner Workings of a Database-Driven Application Built with Visual Basic and SQL Server Mobile Edition", it's now available on-demand from MSDN at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=44152. The presentation went really well, and the people who attended were (based on their feedback) were happy with it. Enjoy!

[Author: Neil Enns]

Code Snippet for CameraCaptureDialog

MobileDevGroup — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 23:15:00 GMT

Here's a code snippet for using the camera capture dialog. To use this snippet save it to a text file called "CameraCaptureDialog.snippet" and put it in your My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\VB\My Code Snippets folder.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CodeSnippets xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/2005/CodeSnippet">
<CodeSnippet Format="1.0.0">
  <Header>
   <Title>Camera Capture Dialog</Title>
   <Shortcut>CameraCaptureDialog</Shortcut>
   <Description>Code snippet for the Windows Mobile CameraCaptureDialog</Description>
   <Author>Microsoft Corporation</Author>
   <SnippetTypes>
    <SnippetType>Expansion</SnippetType>
   </SnippetTypes>
  </Header>
  <Snippet>
      <References>
        <Reference>
          <Assembly>Microsoft.WindowsMobile.Forms.dll</Assembly>
        </Reference>
      </References>
      <Imports>
        <Import>
          <Namespace>Microsoft.WindowsMobile.Forms</Namespace>
        </Import>
      </Imports>
        <Declarations>
    <Literal>
     <ID>title</ID>
     <Default>"Take a Picture"</Default>
     <ToolTip>The title for the dialog</ToolTip>
    </Literal>
   </Declarations>
   <Code Language="VB" Kind="method body">
    <![CDATA[
        Dim cameraDialog As New CameraCaptureDialog()

cameraDialog.Owner = Me
cameraDialog.Title = "Take a Picture"

        If ((cameraDialog.ShowDialog() <> DialogResult.OK) _
            Or (cameraDialog.FileName = "")) Then
            ' Handle the cancel case here.
        End If
]]>
   </Code>
  </Snippet>
</CodeSnippet>
</CodeSnippets>

[Author: Neil Enns]

Code Snippet for getting a record from a binding source

MobileDevGroup — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 22:59:00 GMT

For those who attended my SqlMobile webcast today, here is the code snippet I used to get the current record for a binding source. You may have to update the name of the bindingSource variable to match the name used in your application. To use this snippet save it to a text file called ".snippet" and put it in your My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\VB\My Code Snippets folder.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CodeSnippets xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/2005/CodeSnippet">
<CodeSnippet Format="1.0.0">
  <Header>
   <Title>Current Row From Binding Source</Title>
   <Shortcut>CurrentRowFromBindingSource</Shortcut>
   <Description>Code snippet for getting a DataRowView object out of the BindingSource.Current property</Description>
   <Author>Microsoft Corporation</Author>
   <SnippetTypes>
    <SnippetType>Expansion</SnippetType>
   </SnippetTypes>
  </Header>
  <Snippet>
   <Code Language="VB" Kind="method body">
    <![CDATA[Dim currentRowView As System.Data.DataRowView = DVDsBindingSource.Current
        Dim currentRow As DVDDataSet.DVDsRow = currentRowView.Row]]>
   </Code>
  </Snippet>
</CodeSnippet>
</CodeSnippets>

Code Snippet for ChooseContactDialog

MobileDevGroup — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 22:57:00 GMT

Below is the source for the ChooseContactDialog that I mentioned during my webcast on SqlMobile development. To use this snippet save it to a text file called "ChooseContactDialog.snippet" and put it in your My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\VB\My Code Snippets folder.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CodeSnippets xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/2005/CodeSnippet">
<CodeSnippet Format="1.0.0">
  <Header>
   <Title>Choose Contact Dialog</Title>
   <Shortcut>ChooseContactDialog</Shortcut>
   <Description>Code snippet for the Windows Mobile ChooseContactDialog</Description>
   <Author>Microsoft Corporation</Author>
   <SnippetTypes>
    <SnippetType>Expansion</SnippetType>
   </SnippetTypes>
  </Header>
  <Snippet>
      <References>
        <Reference>
          <Assembly>Microsoft.WindowsMobile.Forms.dll</Assembly>
        </Reference>
    <Reference>
     <Assembly>Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook.dll</Assembly>
    </Reference>
      </References>
      <Imports>
        <Import>
          <Namespace>Microsoft.WindowsMobile.Forms</Namespace>
        </Import>
    <Import>
     <Namespace>Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook</Namespace>
    </Import>
      </Imports>
        <Declarations>
    <Literal>
     <ID>title</ID>
     <Default>"Select a Contact"</Default>
     <ToolTip>The title for the dialog</ToolTip>
    </Literal>
   </Declarations>
   <Code Language="VB" Kind="method body">
    <![CDATA[        Dim contactPicker As New Microsoft.WindowsMobile.Forms.ChooseContactDialog
        contactPicker.ChooseContactOnly = True ' Change this to false to display the property picker
        contactPicker.Title = $title$

        If (contactPicker.ShowDialog() <> Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK) Then
            ' Handle the cancel case here
        End If

        ' Handle the ok case here.]]>
   </Code>
  </Snippet>
</CodeSnippet>
</CodeSnippets>

MyDVDCollection sample code now available

MobileDevGroup — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 01:24:00 GMT

If you attended my session at MEDC 2005 (Exploring the Dirty Details of Building a Database Driven Application using VB and SQL Mobile) and want to mess around with the sample application on your own, now you can! The sample code is now posted at GotDotNet: http://www.gotdotnet.com/Workspaces/releases/viewuploads.aspx?id=43be3351-08eb-43ca-af2a-86da55f2d9ec.

If you weren't able to attend this session at MEDC, don't worry! I'm presenting it again as a webcast on June 29th. This session was the top-rated session at MEDC, so don't miss it :) If you plan on attending, you have to register in advance using the previous link.

[Author: Neil Enns]

Filming for The Code Room

MobileDevGroup — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 08:28:00 GMT

I spent all day today on location as part of the filming process for an episode of The Code Room. Hop on over to my MEDC2005 space for a picture and some details.

[Author: Neil Enns]

Prepping for the BillG Keynote at MEDC

MobileDevGroup — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 08:54:00 GMT

I've been tapped to get up on stage with BillG at MEDC 2005 to show off a bunch of new Visual Studio stuff. Eek. I'm blogging about the experience over in a new MSN Space, which hopefully be able to fill up with a ton of pictures of the prep work. My latest post is about how I'm going to ensure a flawless demo. Check it out!

[Author: Neil Enns]

Jeff's better off as a developer...

MobileDevGroup — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:49:00 GMT

Jeff was quite taken with my pink hair yesterday and decided to show off his artistic skill. This lovely piece of, uh, art, is now on the whiteboard in my office:

It's a good thing Jeff doesn't draw for a living.

[Author: Neil Enns]

My kingdom for a GUID

MobileDevGroup — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:36:00 GMT

I've never encountered this issue before, but apparently there's no NewGuid() method in .NET CF v1. Peter Foot, one of our MVPs, has written a little class that will generate a GUID for you with a simple P/Invoke.

[Author: Neil Enns]

We hit our goals (or, why my hair is pink)

MobileDevGroup — Mon, 18 Oct 2004 22:42:00 GMT

I challeged my feature team a couple of weeks ago to hit their (agressive!) bug goal for 10/15. Much to my hair's chagrin, they made it.

[Author: Neil Enns]

New mobility articles are up on MSDN

MobileDevGroup — Fri, 01 Oct 2004 19:36:00 GMT

Three new articles on developing for Windows Mobile devices just went live on MSDN. One of them is the first in a series on migrating eVB applications to VB.NET.

Architecting Disconnected Mobile Applications Using a Service Oriented Architecture
The Windows Mobile platform, which includes Microsoft .NET Compact Framework and Microsoft SQL Server CE, encapsulates the complex tasks of communication management and data exchange while your device is in a disconnected state. (16 printed pages)

Games Programming with Cheese: Part Three
An introduction to games programming on the Windows Mobile-based Smartphone by using the .NET Compact Framework and Visual Studio 2003. There are a number of downloads for the project at different stages of development. (23 printed pages)

Migrating eVB File Controls to Visual Basic .NET
This article provides information to help you port the eMbedded Visual Basic (eVB) file controls (File System and File control) to Visual Basic .NET when migrating your applications from eVB to Visual Basic .NET. (5 printed pages)

[Author: Neil Enns]

What tools do I need to develop for Pocket PC and Smartphone?

MobileDevGroup — Thu, 23 Sep 2004 17:34:00 GMT

Robert's posted a nice little write-up over at the Windows Mobile blog on the different tools available for developing apps on Pocket PC and Smartphone devices. This is a bit of a tricky subject, since depending on the release of Windows Mobile you're targeting the tools can be quite different. His chart helps clear things up.

If you're looking for download locations for the various tools and SDKs you can find all of them at the Windows Mobile Developer's Center at MSDN. The Tools and Downloads page has direct links for everything Robert mentions.

Of course, the coolest tool on the block is Visual Studio 2005, which includes support for both native and managed Windows Mobile development. If you have a Beta 1 CD from one of our events and haven't given it a try yet please do! Don't forget to submit your feedback using the Product Feedback Center. If you don't have a CD kicking around, or you want the latest and greatest, and you're an MSDN Subscriber you can download the Beta 1 Refresh directly from the Visual Studio site.

[Author: Neil Enns]

Forceful home screens on Smartphone devices

MobileDevGroup — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 23:54:00 GMT

Another great question from the Smartphone developer newsgroup today. The gist of it is: "Why does the Smartphone home screen pop in front of my application every 10 minutes, and how can I stop it?"

The Smartphone Home screen pops forward after the device hasn't detected any user input for 10 minutes. (The length of time can be configured in the home screen control panel). Why? Because the device is primarily a phone, and the home screen is where you have to be to dial. The assumption is that if the user hasn't touched the phone for a while, it's likely in a pocket or a purse and the next time it's whipped out for use it'll either be to place a phone call or to run an app, both of which require the home screen.

99% of the time this works great, but there are certainly some applications where this doesn't make sense. A great example is Windows Media Player while it is playing a video. Since the user is watching the movie it would be rather rude to have the home screen pop forward.

To let the device know your app really is doing something that the user is watching, call the SHIdleTimerReset() function. The smallest timeout that can be set through the control panel is 10 seconds, so calling this every 9 seconds or so is generally a safe way to ensure the home screen doesn't pop forward. If you are going to do this, think long and hard about whether it is the right thing to do. Don't do it just because you think your app is important. Think very carefully about whether the usage scenarios for your application warrant this change to the standard Smartphone behaviour. Also, if you do call this, make sure you stop calling it when your application is no longer in the foreground, and don't override the home key so the user can still press it to get back to the home screen if they need to.

[Author: Neil Enns]

Windows Mobile Platform Migration FAQ

MobileDevGroup — Fri, 17 Sep 2004 16:58:00 GMT

MSDN has a new article up on migrating your application from one Windows Mobile version to another.

To ensure we are providing maximum information to our developer community, this article addresses a few of the most common issues and frequently asked questions (FAQs) around migrating between devices and platforms. We also provide an e-mail alias at the end of this article that you can use to report commonly-occurring issues so that we can add them to this FAQ.

This FAQ is targeted toward developers migrating from a previous version of Windows Mobile software or working to establish a single code base for all Windows Mobile-based devices.

[Author: Neil Enns]

Accessing Connection Manager through .NET CF

MobileDevGroup — Wed, 15 Sep 2004 21:14:00 GMT

Every so often someone asks on either an internal alias or our public newsgroup about the right way to establish a data connection using the Compact Framework. Most of the time you don't have to do this since many of the built-in classes will bring up the connection automatically, but sometimes it's necessary.

The API to use is called ConnMgrEstablishConnection(), and normally you'd P/Invoke to it to do all the magic. But there's a better way! The fine folks at OpenNETCF.org have a complete class library for interacting with Connection Manager as part of their Smart Device Framework. You can use the library to not only open or close connections, but also to listen for events like Connected, Disconnected, and ConnectionFailed.

[Author: Neil Enns]