The update for Compact 2013 is finally up on MSDN. This works in Visual Studio 2013. 
Windows Azure is to be renamed Microsoft Azure.
WEShapWiz can directly generate a C# Compact 2013 project as an OS Subproject that builds with the OS!

Topics:

  • Compact 2013 vNext (Update) Released
  • Compact 2013 Videos on Youtube by Doug Boland
  • Announcement: New Tool on Codeplex WECSharpWiz
  • Managed Code Development as part of the OS Build: WECSharpWiz

Compact 2013 vNext Released

Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 2013 vNext, now called Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 2013 Update is now available on MSDN; its actually called Update 5, as there were some previous updates to the RTM. But note that this is a complete reinstall.

The Windows Embedded Blog Announcement:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windows-embedded/archive/2014/03/31/windows-embedded-compact-2013-update-release-is-now-generally-available.aspx

Installation Notes

(I) You need to install App Builder before installing the "main feature". Otherwise it will only install ancillary aspects, not PB and not WETK. It does not say this from what I can see but was in earlier install notes. Look in the App Builder folder of the ISO

(ii) Need to uninstall previous versions, RTM CTP, completely, I think

Key features:

  • Installs to EITHER Visual Studio  2012 or Visual Studio 2013
    • If VS 2013 is installed then installs to that whether or not VS 2012 is installed.
    • If only VS 2012 is installed, then it installs to that.
    • When installing APP Builder, there is one for VS2013 and one for VS 2012. Choose the correct one.
  • New Native WiFi driver
    • Binary only
  • Updated ARM BSP
    • Significantly improved
    • Numerous changes to BSP code, including comments,
    • Enhanced camera driver
    • General bug fixes
      • Do callbacks to managed cod now work ???
  • Various Code Updates
  • Improved C++ Compiler
    • Especially wrt ARM
  • Improved features of VS 2013 IDE
    • Bracket completion
    • Peek Definition
    • Enhanced Scrollbar
  • SDKs built by the previous RTM will only install on VS 2012
    • SDK built on the update will install on VS 2012 and 2013
    • ie Rebuild of SDK required with eth update

Watch for Doug Boland's Video on Update on Youtube when it appears.


Compact 2013 Videos on Youtube by Doug Boland

image

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUaTnBO0z-A&feature=youtu.be

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI8fmXMCCmk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN4eHbSZzvg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqQ4vGJVRlU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g97iuqwufc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBWJl0YVH5g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2277efKxy8I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRQn0cyFJDU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc0tXczxA3o


New Tool on Codeplex: WECSharpWiz

https://wecsharpwiz.codeplex.com/

WECSharpWiz generates a sources OS Managed Code that can be incorporated directly into a Windows Embedded Compact 2013 OS project as a Subproject.
  • Source code is C# ,, Windows Embedded Compact Sharp (ie WECSharp).
  • The app installs similar to CEDriverWiz in that it uses the PBScripts engine to run in the context of the OS project environment.
  • There is an option to create either a Console app or a Winforms app.
** A later version of this app will support importing an existing SDK Compact Framework app.
  • You can additional form and class pages as well as attach resources such as image files.

The next topic drills into using this wizard.


Managed Code Development as part of the OS Build

The Story so far

The mantra for Managed Code Application Development on Windows Embedded Compact/CE has always been, you need a separate instance of Visual Studio to that for the OS project; and you need an SDK. For Compact 2013 you need a purpose built SDK. There was an undocumented hiccup to this in Compact 7 which was broken with Compact 2013. You can integrate an existing Managed Code project into the OS build by configuring prelink.bat of a subproject to build it and for postlink.bat to include the output in the OS. See  the previous blog. (See Part 1 of this blog series)

There has been an ability to compile Managed Code projects with the OS from CE days,. There are a couple of pages for doing it with CE 5 and CE6 but it is largely undocumented. If you open the property pages of an OS (native) Subproject you will see the Managed Code tab. There must be a way to create and build Managed Code apps as subprojects:

  • Create them similar to "Add New Subproject" wizard.
  • Build them and run them as with native code apps.

The "Add New Subproject" wizard isn't extensible so WECSharpWiz was developed to do a similar job for C# projects. And you don't need an SDK!

About WECSharpWiz

WECSharpWiz generates a sources OS Managed Code that can be incorporated directly into a Windows Embedded Compact 2013 OS project as a Subproject.
  • Source code is C# ,, Windows Embedded Compact Sharp (ie WECSharp).
  • The app installs similar to CEDriverWiz in that it uses the PBScripts engine to run in the context of the OS project environment.
  • There is an option to create either a Console app or a Winforms app.
** A later version of this app will support importing an existing SDK Compact Framework app.
  • You can additional form and class pages as well as attach resources such as image files.
image The Wizard

Installation

It's a Clickonce installation so installs over the web. You run it once outside of Visual Studio (ie when first installed) to generate a PBScript. You also run it ouside of VS occssionally to check for updates (this doesn't happen in VS).

  • Take the download button (purple on right) on https://wecsharpwiz.codeplex.com/
  • It will prompt you about security but choose to install it anyway.
  • Let the app once run to create the PBScript.
  • Now in an OS project you can run the wizard

Running the Wizard

This is a "Clickonce" installation.
Read about the ClickOnce Life Cycle at CEDriverWiz
The app runs from with Visual Studio 2012/13 when a Windows Embedded Compact 2013 OS project is loaded, as it uses this context to generate a Managed Code app.

  • Once installed run the app from outside of Visual Studio once to generate a PBScript for it.
  • Then in future run it from Tools-->Platform Builder-->Scripts Menus from within a Compact 2013 OS Project in Visual Studio 2012/2013
    • Tools-->Platform Builder-->Show Scripts View
      • Normally ignore this
    • Tools-->Platform Builder-->Configure Scripts
      • Choose the required PBScript or create a new one
        • .. Choose WECSharpWiz
      • Can then run it from there
    • Tools-->Platform Builder-->Run Active Script
      • Rerun the last selected PBScript.
    • Note may need to click on the root of the OS project in Solution Explorer first.

Using the Wizard

  • File-New Project
    • Select either Console or Forms app
      • Now DLLs yet
  • Give the project a suitable name.
  • Project Menu:

image

    • Add New Windows Form: add another form
    • Add New Class: Add a new class file
    • Add Reference: Add a reference to extra DLLs as listed at bottom of the wizard.
    • Add an existing Source Item
      • Add any existing .cs source file
    • Add Existing Resource Item: Add images etc to be included
    • Generate Project: As it says.

The generated Subproject will be placed with the other OS Subprojects, so now "Add Existing Subproject".
When included in the OS have a look at the source file (double click on the subproject header in the Solution Explorer).
Build and test the project.

Enjoy Open-mouthed smile

ToDos

  • Add more template files, starting with AboutBox Dialog.
  • Implement SDK projects
  • Further facilitate resources
  • Include DLL projects

Limitations

  • There is no capability to debug these apps apart from a brute force writeline approach.
    • Debugging is discussed in the next blog in this series.
  • Whilst the forms page comes with its designer page , generated forms page can't be viewed in a the Visual Editor this making GUI design a bit harder. This also means that the creation of UI component event handlers has to be coded manually.
  • Whilst resource files can be added, resource compilation is not currently supported.
  • Whilst there is an ability to add additional files to a project, there are only two file templates, a blank class and a blank form (with its designer). Subsequent versions will add more templates.
  • Compilation errors when double clicked don't take you to the source code.

Feedback

This is a work in progress. Please comments and feedback here or on the Discussion Tab on Codeplex:

  • Is this app useful?
  • Is Import a desirable feature?
  • What item templates would you like?
  • Should VB be supported?
  • Etc.

Managed Code Blog Series 

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