You know how the things that you think are going to be the easiest are actually the hardest, and how sometimes once you've started something you really wish you hadn't? Well, i've had a day like that today

I've been fortunate enough to have been using a Windows Mobile 6 Standard Landscape Smartphone for a little while now, and I really like it. A couple of things bug me though, and the key one is the fact that Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, removed the 'New' functionality from Word Mobile and Excel Mobile. No matter I thought to myself, rather than messing around doing this 'Save As' thing all the time, i'll just rustle myself up a little application to make it easier... should only take half hour.

And it did, kinda.

I was using my Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PC as my dev device (big mistake), and I had it finished in next to no time at all. Brilliant! Success! So I then tried running it on my Smartphone. It b0rked On further investigation, I discovered that the 'Save As' dialogue in the Compact Framework is not implemented in Smartphone. DOH! The solution? Writing my own 'Save As' dialogue... rather a lot more work.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, i'd like to introduce you to 'MoDaCo DoNew'. This first version of DoNew is for Landscape WM6 Standard devices ONLY, and restores the 'New Document' functionality i've been missing so much, and you will all be missing when you start getting your hands on devices!

I've included some screenshots and the install CAB below, and i'm open to feedback and tweaks on what is a very quickly knocked-up application.

Enjoy, feedback welcomed! If you use the CAB, please consider donating £1 to my 'quidapps' effort to develop cheap, useful applications and tweaks - click here to donate. Donations will be used specifically to buy development tools to enable slicker and more advanced tweaks and applications in the future while retaining a £1 price point!

P

 donew.cab ( 35.63K ) Number of downloads: 805

[Edit: WM6 Professional (Pocket PC) version also available here]

[Edit 2: Now compatible with portrait devices!]

[Edit 3: Now with DOCX / XLSX support!]

BTW, I have noticed that the standard provided icons in the menu are a bit grainy, i'll nab the Office 2007 ones in the next build and use them

P

So how many Windows Mobile 6 Standard landscape handsets are there out there at the moment?

That's not the point

P

Bah I suspect you've signed an NDA and either been sent some test device OR sent yours away to be flashed? ;) And hence telling us WHICH devices you have running WM6 is out of the question? So far I've seen pics of a Tornado, Hermes, Wizard, Universal all running WM6. No landscape smartphones tho Excalibur maybe? ;)

TBH i haven't used Office mobile much, i can see however why it would be valuable to business customers with Smartphones with LS screens + keyboards tho

Phil

Excalibur...

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I need to not buy an i600 (stoopid money!) Wasn't it rumoured to come out on Voda?

Eh?

Off topic innit Mono? That's not WM6

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Heh that is true. Just voicing my own internal turmoil over which device to buy next! Guess i'll wait for a half decent WM6 one

I've attached MoDaCo DoNew for Windows Mobile 6 Professional (Pocket PC) devices in both landscape and portrait.

This was much easier to write (as I originally intended) as it uses the standard common dialogue.

Although you can 'New' on Pocket PC, I find the dedicated shortcut helpful.

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 MoDaCo_DoNew_PPC.cab ( 12.51K ) Number of downloads: 864

Over at SmartphoneToughts they had a simpler, perhaps less elegant, solution of creating a blank Word template (.DOT), write-protect it, and transfer to the device. You then add a shortcut to the template and click that when you want a new file.

Yeah, then you have to do a 'Save As'. I like my version better

P

Just to clarify, you don't want to use a DOT (Template), because when you do Save As it doesn't drop it out to a DOC. Crazy, I know. So just create a blank .DOC and mark it read only. Then when you close it you will be asked to save it as a new document.

Nice solution there Paul. I still can't understand why Microsoft would leave out such a major feature. Especially when it's not a lot of code to make it right.

Thanks for creating this awesome application. It works great on my T-Mobile Dash. I posted a link on my site for this app. Great job!!!!

http://gadgetsonthego.net/2007/03/free-win...6-standard.html

I use these ones:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa446567.aspx

but yours look fine.

Super thank you very much

some of us with moto q's are having issues with this. We are able to install the Microsoft Office from WM6 (for WM5) and the cab from this thread but it is not functional. just wondering if this is a universal problem or just a wm5 issue?

Thanks

I have the same problem on HTC Excalibur (WM5). Installs, but has no (visible) effect. Is there any hope, that this can be fixed?

Thanxx, Mixx

I have Moto Q and although the app does not complete its intended functionality (create a new doc then open it) it DOES create the new document wherever you specify it. Once I had empty docs I just made them read only and open those.