.NET Compact Framework Development Articles, Sample-code, Reference, etc.

  This is a list of Articles and Resources essential for .NET Compact Framework development:

Starting Points & Reference

• The .NET Compact Framework (intro) [ InformIT ]
• Fundamentals of Microsoft .NET Compact Framework Development for the Microsoft .NET Framework Developer [ MSDN ]
• Getting Started with Visual Studio .NET and the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework [ CodeProject ]
• Microsoft QuickStart Tutorials: .NET Compact Framework [ GDN ]
• 
  
.NET Compact Framework FAQ [ MSDN ]
• 
  
Windows CE.NET Product Documentation [ MSDN ]
• 
  
Pocket PC Development Guide [ MSDN ]
• 
  
Pocket PC API Reference [ MSDN ]
• 
  
.NET Compact Framework References & Resources [ Developmentor ]
• 
  
Compact Framework Reference [ Developmentor ]
• How to Install the Pocket PC Emulator [ blog ]
• Choosing a Windows Embedded API: Win32 vs. the .NET Compact Framework [ MSDN ]

Portals

• SmartDevices.MicrosoftDev.com - Microsoft Smart Devices Developer Community
• PocketPCdn.com - Pocket PC Developer Network
• Microsoft.com - Mobile Web Services
• PocketPC Magazine - For users of Windows Mobile PDA's and SmartPhones.
• DevBuzz - Handheld Development
• WindowsMobile Bloggers - Main Blog Feed of Windows Mobile developers.

News Groups & Forums

• OpenNETCF Forums 
  • Marshalling w/ StringBuilder, IntPtr and arrays
• Developmentor “DOTNET-CF“ List  [ search ]
• PocketProjects Forums
• Microsoft.Public Newsgroups:
  • .pocketpc [ Web-View , News , Google ]
  • .pocketpc.developer [ Web-View , News , Google ]
  • .dotnet.framework.compactframework [ Web-View , News ,  Google ]
  • .sqlserver.ce [ Web-View , News , Google ]

Articles

Custom Control Authoring

• Walkthrough: Authoring a Custom Control for Smart Device Applications [ MSDN ]
• Creating custom controls with Visual Studio .NET 2003 for the Compact Framework [ blog ]
• Creating Custom Controls for the .NET Compact Framework [ MSDN ]
• Adding Designer Support to the .NET Compact Framework DateTimePicker Control [ MSDN ]
• Design-time functionality for custom controls in Compact Framework and SDE.

Custom Control Examples

• Creating a Microsoft .NET Compact Framework-based Animation Control [ MSDN ]
  • Animation Control Sample Code Download 
• How to Create a Microsoft .NET Compact Framework-based Image Button [ MSDN ]
  • Image Button Sample Code Download
• Microsoft .NET Compact Framework-based DateTimePicker Control [ MSDN ]
  • DateTimePicker Control Sample Download
• OpenNETCF.org Windows.Forms Library Open-Source Project
• Color Button for the .NET Compact Framework [ CodeProject ]
• Editable History ComboBox [ CodeProject ]
• Custom CheckBox control for Compact Framework [ GDN ]
• HTML Control for .NET Compact Framework [ GDN ]

Server/Desktop Integration

• Creating Desktop Application Remote Controls with the .NET Compact Framework (Part1) [ CodeProject ]
• The Desktop Side of Mobile Computing [ MSDN ]

P/Invoke & Interop

• Creating a P/Invoke Library [ MSDN ]
• Using dumpbin.exe as an Aid for Declaring P/Invokes [ MSDN ]
• A P/Invoke Type Translator [ CodeProject ]
• P/Invoke Arguments [ MSDN ]
• Writing Unmanaged Functions for Microsoft .NET Compact Framework-based Applications [ MSDN ]
• An Introduction to P/Invoke and Marshaling on the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework [ MSDN ]
• Advanced P/Invoke on the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework [ MSDN ]
• TechEd 2003: .NET CF P/Invoke(presentation)
• Using the Microsoft Compact Framework MessageWindow class [ MSDN ]
• How to obtain the window handle of the .Net control?
• Using the MessageWindow Class [ GDN ]
• P/Invoking Memory APIs from the .NET Compact Framework [ GDN ]
• P/Invoking Serial APIs in the Compact Framework [ MSDN ]
• How to wrap a standard Windows control in .Net Compact Framework (C#)
• Creating a "pseudo" window procedure using OpenNETCF.ApplicationEx class [ blog ]
• Windows.Forms Library: ApplicationEx [ OpenNetCF ]
• Using the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework MessageWindow Class [ MSDN ]

Rich Ink

• Using Rich Ink Technology in Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 [ MSDN ]

"Today" Screen

• Today Screen API [ MSDN ]
• Creating a Pocket PC Today Screen Plug-in with the .NET Compact Framework  [ MSDN ]

Game Dev

• Writing Mobile Games Using the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework
• Gaming with the .NET Compact Framework [ MSDN ]
• Cave Man Hank [ GDN ]

Miscellaneous

• Microsoft .NET Compact Framework Background Processing Techniques [ MSDN ]
• Pocket Access and the .NET Compact Framework [ MSDN ]
• Develop More Responsive Applications Using Multiple Threads
• Creating a Multiple Form Application Framework for the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework
• Generating GUIDs on the Pocket PC
• HOW TO: Determine the Executing Application's Path
•  .NET Compact Framework Mobile Web Server Architecture [ MSDN ]
• Consuming XML Web Services with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework [ MSDN ]
• Creating a Microsoft .NET Compact Framework-based Process Manager Application [ MSDN ]
• Improving Microsoft .NET Compact Framework-based Application Form Load Performance
• Developing Well Performing .NET Compact Framework Applications [ MSDN ]
• Accessing the Enterprise with Ease [ MSDN ]
• Creating Self-Updating Applications With the .NET Compact Framework [ MSDN ]
• Tiny Encryption Algorithm (TEA) for the Compact Framework [ CodeProject ]
• Tip: Gradient background in a ListView control. [ blog ]
• cfEvent - Booty Calls using WS-Eventing to CF Web Server
• CHM Reader for Pocket PC 2003 [ CodeProject ]

Non-Compact Framework

• HOWTO: Combine Managed and Unmanaged Projects into a Single Visual Studio Solution  [ CodeProject ]
• Creating a Pocket PC DLL Using C++ (eVC++) [ MSDN ]
• How can I create a dialog title like in Control Panel property pages? (eVC++)
• How do I add a title to a view? (eVC++)
• Create your own input method (eVC++)

   

Sample Projects & Code

• Smart Device Samples [ MSDN ]
• .NET Compact Framework Mobile Web Server Architecture [ MSDN ]
• OpenNetCF.org Products Download 
• Pocket GAPI 1.2 Download
• Windows Mobile Developer Power Toys Download
• Ensure only one instance sample for .NET Compact Framework [ GDN ]
• Bitmap Saving Class For .NET Compact Framework [ GDN ]
• Beam Mobile Code between Pocket PCs [ GDN ]
• Using the HTMLView.dll in a .NetCF application [ GDN ]
• INI File Handling in XML (the CF way) [ GDN ]
• Simple Fixed Length Field Text File Parser  [ GDN ]
• CheckList for PocketPC  [ GDN ]
• spCrypt - SmartPhone (SP) and CryptoApi with CompactFramework (.NETcf)
• MSDN Downloads: .NET Compact Framework Samples: ( via Google )
  • Today Screen ( via MSDN, PPCdn )
  • POOM Wrapper
  • HTTP Communications
  • Performance Measurement
  • Serial Communications
  • MSI that Detects Framework Version
  • GUID Generator
  • Power Status
  • DateTimePicker Control

Developer Tools

• Windows Mobile Developer Power Toys
• AppForge Enterprise Developer Suite (commercial tool)
• Developer Resources for Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition

Control Libraries

FREEware/OpenSource

• Pocket GAPI 1.2
• OpenNetCF - Open Source controls & libraries.
• GapiDraw.NET - a .net wrapper around GapiDraw.
  • GapiDraw - Graphics library for Stationary PCs, Smartphones and Handheld Computers!  (semi-commercial app...see website for details)
• Hekkus.Net - a .net wrapper around around the sound library Hekkus Sound System (HSS)
  • Hekkus Sound System - a freeware sound library for the Pocket PC by Thomas Maniero
• INI Read & Write library [ GDN ] - a library to allow read/write access to INI structured files.
• Pickle [ GDN ] - Safe Serialization for .NET and .NET CF
• Anole (aka cfHTML control) - C# HTML Renderer for the .NET Compact Framework

Commercial

• Intelliprog
  • RichInk Control – enter and edit text while also providing more advanced formatting features such as Rich Text Format (RTF) and Rich Ink.
• InTheHand
  • Pocket Access - The ADOCE .NET Wrapper provides read/write access to Windows CE Databases from the .NET Compact Framework
  • Pocket Outlook – A wrapper library for manipulating Pocket outlook data such as Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Inbox, etc.
• Odyssey Software
  • CF COM – A lightweight .NET CF wrapper for COM.
• Innovative DSS
  • IDSSAPI.NET - Use IDSSAPI .NET with your VB.NET or C# application to FTP, read and write registry keys, query the device's power or memory status and several other features
• GapiDraw - Graphics library for Stationary PCs, Smartphones and Handheld Computers!  (semi-commercial app...see website for details)

Developer Tools

• Windows Mobile Developer Power Toys
• AppForge Enterprise Developer Suite - a complete development environment for building applications for the Pocket PC and other mobile technologies.
• Srego CE Toolpack - utilities for the Windows desktop to manipulate a connected Windows CE device.  All of the utilities are command-line tools that are run on the desktop (Srego)

Books

• Microsoft .NET Compact Framework (Core Reference)  by Andy Wigley, Stephen Wheelwright
• The Definitive guide to the Compact Framework by Larry Roof, Dan Fergus

Blogs & Bloggers

• MSDN Blog Feed
  • Kevin Lisota's WebLog (rss) - Windows Mobile "Batman"
• OpenNetCF Advisor Board Member Blogs
  • Peter Foot (rss) - .NET Compact Framework MVP
  • Alex Yakhnin (rss) - .NET Compact Framework MVP
• “Pocket PC Hints and Tips“ Blog (rss)
• CJCraft Compact Framework Blog (rss)