Windows CE .NET

[Matt Nunnally]

Hi,

I wrote an VB.NET application for the .NET 3.0 framework. Now I want to try it on a Windows CE client. How do I get the .NET framework for Windows CE 5.0, since .NET 3.0 doesn't support CE? Is it possible? Is .NET for CE free like the others?

Thanks,
Matt

[Plater]

Windows CE uses something called the "Compact Framework"(CF). Currently I *believe* it is only up to 2.0 (roughly the same as .NET2.0). You can download it from microsoft for free.
If you have a Windows CE device, you will need to make sure it has a version of CF on it. If it does not have CF on it, you are probably out of luck since it needs to be built into the image.
You will also generally need the SDK for the Windows CE device, these would be provided (probably not for free) from the manufacturer.
If you had a board from CompuLab that ran on an Arm, you would probably have an SDK that says like "Compulab PXA27x Dev Platform: ARMV4I_Release".
You would need to pick that when creating a new project.

[Matt Nunnally]

Thanks for your reply. So I found the .NET CF for CE. I downloaded 3.5 and pushed down the NETCFv35.wce.armv4.cab to the CE client. I installed it and it looks like it installed fine. But when I startup my app I get a "File or Assembly name Microsoft.Visual Basic version = 8.0.0.0" and so on "Not found". Any ideas?

[Plater]

VB 8.0.0 = .net2.0 (or possibly CF2.0).
Did you create/compile your project as a "smart device" project?

[Matt Nunnally]

Thanks.

I tried 2.0, but got the same error.

My application is a straight windows app that uses a .dll that I created. Is there a compile flag or option I can turn on or do I have to create a new "smart device" project?

[Plater]

Hmm. I have a little bar up top of my visual studio where i pick what to compile as.
Pretty sure you need to start a new project (and copy/paste in) to use the different device compilations.

[Matt Nunnally]

Ok. So I created a new project for windows CE and copied my code over. I now have CF 3.5. But many of the .NET 3.0 methods that I used are either named differently or are not available in the CF 3.5. Is there an easy way to convert this code that I created with .NET 3.0 to use the CF 3.5, are am I just out of luck? Is there maybe a newer version of CF that will support these methods of 3.0? I understand that many methods used in .NET 3.0 aren't needed for CF because they are only intended for PC use, but many of these methods that I get errors on I would think we be supported?

For instance....
Dim socketStream As SslStream

Is SSL not supported with CF?

There are many others

[Plater]

I would guess no. MSDN will show you what functions/properties/methods/classes/etc are supported in CF by showing a picture of palmpilot-y phone.
There is almost nothing on crypto-related stuff in CF that I have seen. I find it's better to start in CF and build up. Almost all of what you do is directly supported in regular .NET that way.

[Matt Nunnally]

That's what I suspected. Thanks again for your help

[Matt Nunnally]

How about a DLL written in VB6. Will that have any problems the Windows CE platform? Are there special steps to get that to work?

[Plater]

That I am unsure of. I am pretty sure you have a smaller set of Win32_APIs to work with and the VB6 DLL will be machine code so in all likelyhood it will not work. (Like running a windows binary on a linux system).
Could try it though?