embedded VB development for Smartphone 2002 - it's here!

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

Smartphone Developer John Cody writes:

 

Developing Smartphone 2002 Applications with Embedded Visual Basic (eVB)

by John Cody - November 28, 2003

Thought you couldn't use eVB to develop Smartphone 2002 applications? Think again!

"After purchasing a new Samsung i600, I was eager to start writing some apps for it. Being a seasoned VB programmer, I was disappointed that I could not use eVB for the job. But, I said to myself "now I finally have an excuse to dive into .NET programming". What?? I can't even write apps for my Smartphone using the latest state-of-the-art VS2003.NETcf!! Unacceptable, there's got to be a way..."

Until now, the only choice for developing Smartphone 2002 applications was by using eVC (embedded visual C). Because of the limited number of developers able to use that tool, end users (like myself) were suffering by the limited the number of applications being developed for that platform. This just wasn't fair ;) 

Below is the result of my research into this problem. I will describe exactly how to hack eVB for Smartphone 2002 development. My efforts so far yielded 99% seamless, integrated functionality. I am hoping, through a collaborative effort with the readers of this article, to bring that up to 100%. So, if you have any comments or suggestions to achieve that goal, please contact me so I can add your tip (with credit) to this article.

Fantastic!

You can view full details on how to get this up and running here at John Cody's website.

:lol:

P

[Guest Coucou]

Got to be good news, I was afraid developers were all going to switch efforts to 2003 at the expense of us who are slow to upgrade. Hurray! :lol:

Posted from my SmartPhone!

[Guest Dr_StrangeTrick]

Well done that man, will keep you posted if I make anything good. :lol:

[Guest Crispy]

Niiiiiiiiiiice! :lol:

[Guest spacemonkey]

OK, so this works on Smartphone 2002, has anyone with an e200 tested whether eVB apps developed in this way work on Smartphone 2003?

I think there's an installer on John Codys page that will let you try it out on your phone...

[Guest Brody]

This is great news! When i get back on my own PC i'll definately test this out on my E200 to see if it works on Windows Mobile 2003 as well as requested by spacemonkey. Now what shall i write?!

[Guest jmechan]

Maybe I'm suffering from net-stuffed-up-ness, but I'm not able to get anything on the link....just 'server not found'....anyone else having trouble...?

Cheers,

Jon

[Guest mirzaa]

Hi,

I'm if this is the casde then i am too suffering from 'net-stuffed-up-mess' coz i'm getting the same massage, but i would realy like access to the info you are all talking about, so if someone has access to this artical could you please help!!!

[Guest Dumdidum]

This actually seems not to work on smartphone 2003... still trying...

[Guest johncody]

This actually seems not to work on smartphone 2003... still trying...

Maybe you can see if you can install the Pocket PC 2003 eVB runtimes onto your smartphone. There's a good chance this will work because one of the reasons why my hack worked was that the Pocket PC 2000 eVB runtimes seem to work fine on the Smartphone 2002 OS. So, if the below eVB runtimes are designed for the Pocket PC 2003 (which is .NET based), then they too might work on the Smartphone 2003.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/res...eloper/evb.mspx

-John Cody

[Guest FragMeister]

As a VB developer, I was wondering what version of VB eVB is based on?

Is it VB6?

Please let it be so, and then I can sweet talk a mate to download the 200MB eVB kit over his ADSL, as being a 56kbps leper, it would take me a week!

[Guest johncody]

As a VB developer, I was wondering what version of VB eVB is based on?  

Is it VB6?

Yes, it is, but it is not compatible with any add-in's of VB6 - it's meant to be a complete independant stand-alone IDE. You can not use VB6 at all to do eVB programming and visa-versa.

-John Cody

[Guest lspatricio]

anybody tried this hack?

I have a Q, How do you trap the keydown event of the two (left/right)softkeys? Is there a way?

[Guest Dumdidum]

Hi everybody!

I have automated the hack, so you only have to start my tool and it does all for you!

before starting my tool, install embedded visual tools 3.0 and PocketPC 2000 SDK to the default folder (don't change folder destination!)

then start my tool and after that you can start programming!!!!!

http://homepage.sunrise.ch/mysunrise/rutten_sven/

it is possible that it does not work, but it did on my 2 PCs, so give it a try!

[Guest Dumdidum]

I GOT IT WORK UNDER Windows Mobile 2003!!!

Not direct from embedded visual basic, but if you compile the file to .vb, then I can start it on Windows Mobile 2003 after doing some settings...

I will post them as soon as I have it running ok!!

BUT IT WILL WORK and that's great!

Look at the image here: http://www.pocketpc.ch/download.php?id=1306

[Guest motbe]

Yes, it is, but it is not compatible with any add-in's of VB6 - it's meant to be a complete independant stand-alone IDE. You can not use VB6 at all to do eVB programming and visa-versa.

It's actually based more on VB Script than on VB6. Alot of conventions in VB6 aren't included in this release. VB.Net in the Compact Framework is a much more fully functional version of VB. VB in the eMbedded Visual Tools can still be used to produce some good applications, but just not quite as easily as in its desktop counterpart.

[Guest jmechan]

I tell ya, I'd be well chuffed if someone found a way to get .net cf working on SmartPhone 2002. I know, I know, it ain't gonna happen, but I can live in hope....

J

[Guest jmechan]

Hi Dumdidum,

I must be having a glass-half-empty week cos I can't get that rather superb automated tool to work. I get a Runtime Error 76, file not found error. I'm probably doing something stupid. Can you help...?

Thanks,

J

[Guest Dumdidum]

download it again - i have a new version of the tool!

Be sure that you first install embedded visual tools 3 and pocketpc 2000 SDK!!! In the DEFAULT-folder!

[Guest Dumdidum]

I have now added a way so that you can execute your VB-Files also on

WINDOWS MOBILE 2003!!!!!

http://homepage.sunrise.ch/mysunrise/rutten_sven/

[Guest henningl]

still file not found for me.. why not let users verify the path the program uses?

[Guest jmechan]

I'm also still having the same problem. Everything is installed in the default location, and I'm running the newest version of the tool.

[Guest Dumdidum]

when do you get the error? please describe exactly when!

Thanks

[Guest jmechan]

Launch the app, get the screen - click smartphone, then a reg merge question box pops up, and at exactly the same time get the file not found box.

[Guest Dumdidum]

Ok I will try to sort it out...

in your folder where you start my programm, are there a.cab, b.cab, c.cab?