Application Development Introduction

Applications for Compact 2013 can be Native or Managed code, console or have a graphical user interface Native code applications are typically coded in C++ and have direct access to the Compact 2013 Windows API. Managed code applications are coded in C# or Visual Basic and use the .NET Compact Framework. Compact 2013 applications can also be developed using XAML to define the user interface with native C++ code to implement the UI functionality. Applications require Visual Studio 2012 and can be developed as part of the OS project or as separate projects using an SDK.

This chapter introduces the following topics:

• Application Development Setup
• Native Code Applications
• Managed Code Applications
• Native Code v Managed Code
• XAML for Windows Embedded
• Platform Builder Subproject Application Development
• SDK Application Development
• Application (In)compatibility
• Unicode Strings
• Database Applications
• Real Time Applications
• A Generic Compact 2013 Operating System for Application Development – Outline

Application Development Setup

Native Code applications for Compact 2013 can be developed as subprojects of a Compact 2013 Operating System project which requires Visual Studio 2012 with SP2 and Compact 2013 Platform Builder installations. Alternatively applications can be developed In Visual Studio 2012 with App Builder installed (with or without Platform Builder) as well as the target OS SDK installation. Managed Code applications can only be developed using App Builder. Applications cannot though be developed in earlier versions of Visual Studio. XAML applications also require Blend for Visual Studio 2012 to create the XAML UI code, although the C++ code behind can be developed as an OS subproject or as a separate Visual Studio project.

The target system may require some runtime components. For example Native Code applications will require the Full C Runtime and may require the C Runtime Library or even the Standard C++ Library. Managed Code applications will require .NET Compact Framework. MFC applications will require its runtime. If developing applications as subprojects then KITL and Shell components need inclusion in the OS for deployment and debugging. This is covered in the Native Code chapter. If developing via the SDK then the OS will need Corecon components. This is covered in the SDK and Managed Code Chapters.

Setting up a generic Windows Embedded Compact 2013 image for application development is covered elsewhere in this chapter.

NEXT: 13.2 Native Code Applications

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