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The older Windows CE 5.0 Emulator (Emulator_500.exe) can be used to run images of the Pocket PC and Smartphone 2003 operating systems for x86 CPUs. There are no x86 images of Windows Mobile 5.0 available for this emulator.

• Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 Emulator
• SDK Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC + Emulator Image Windows Mobile 2003 (x86) (custom install, uncheck the Visual C++ code samples)
• Emulator Image Windows Mobile 2003 SE Pocket PC (x86)

Those who have installed Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 will notice that there is a new emulator called Device Emulator (and Device Emulator Manager). Recently, Microsoft has released a standalone version of the Device Emulator. This new Device Emulator is significantly better than its predecessor (easier to install, more features, ActiveSync support, works in a VMWare session, better help file) but this new emulator only runs code compiled for ARM processors. So, when you try to use an old x86 OS image you will get an error "Invalid or missing ROM image".

• Microsoft Device Emulator 1.0 + Emulator Image Windows Mobile 5.0 MSFP (ARM)

If your PC does not have a Virtual Machine Network driver, then you first have to download and install it :

• Virtual Machine Network Driver for Device Emulator

Localized images and extra tools are also available :

• SDK Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC + Emulator Image Windows Mobile 5.0 (ARM)
• Localized Emulator Image Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC (ARM) (it requires that Visual Studio 2005 is installed)
• Overview of emulator images and SDK files

At this moment no Windows Mobile 2003 SE images for ARM CPUs are available on the Microsoft website. These will be made available in the next few days.

There is also a newer bèta version which is much faster and has some bugfixes :

• Microsoft Device Emulator 2.0 Bèta - Community Technology Preview

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Paths Windows CE 5.0 Emulator & PPC 2003 SE images (x86)

Paths Device Emulator 1.0 (standalone version) & PPC 5.0 images (ARM)

Paths Device Emulator 1.0 (VS2005) & PPC 2003 SE (ARM) + PPC 5.0 images (ARM)

Startup parameters

VBScripts to start an emulator

Dim WshShell
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

q = Chr(34) 
strCommandLine = q & "C:\Program Files\Windows CE 5.0 Emulator\Emulator_500.exe" & q 
  & " " & q & "C:\Program Files\Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition Emulators\WWE\Pocket_PC\PPC_2003_SE_WWE.bin" & q 
  & " /sharedfolder " & q & "C:\Program Files\NET CF\Shared" & q 
  & " /video 240x320x16"  & " /ethernet shared"& " /skin " 
  & q & "C:\Program Files\Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition Emulators\WWE\Pocket_PC\PPC_2003_SE.xml" & q

WshShell.Exec(strCommandLine)

Dim WshShell
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

q = Chr(34) 
strCommandLine = q & "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Device Emulator\DeviceEmulator.exe" & q 
  & " " & q & "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 MSFP Emulator Images\pocketpc.nb0" & q 
  & " /sharedfolder " & q & "C:\Program Files\NET CF\Shared" & q 
  & " /video 240x320x16"  & " /ethernet shared"& " /skin " 
  & q & "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 MSFP Emulator Images\Pocket_PC.xml" & q

WshShell.Exec(strCommandLine)

Remove the enters in the command line rule because this should be one source line !

1) Start with File|New|Windows Forms .NET application- Delphi for .NET

2) Resize the form. Size.Width=240, Size.Height=320

3) Set Text property of form : "Pocket PC"

4) Add a Button and change the Text : "Delphi"

When you press the Run F9 button, the application will be compiled with the .NET compiler. But we are trying to create a .NET Compact Framework application for a Pocket PC, so we can not proceed the normal way.

To compile this application we have to use the Delphi .NET CF compiler (DCCIL) which is available in the Borland\BDS\4.0\Bin folder. The .dcpil and .dcuil files for the .NET CF can be found in the C:\Program Files\Borland\BDS\4.0\lib\cf folder. When .dcpil files are present, you do not need to install these .NET CF assemblies (DLL files) on your PC. This DCCIL compiler can not be invoked directly from the Delphi 2006 IDE.

There are 2 ways to invoke the DCCIL compiler :

The hard way is to to create a small script to run this compiler. I have updated my Delphi 2005 VBScript to do this. In the Tool Properties dialog (Configure Tools) you can add a menu item for this script. Specify the title (this is the caption of the new menu item), the location of the program and a list of parameters which contains some macros.

CompileNETCF.vbs

' CompileNETCF.VBS
' Compile project with Delphi 2006 .NET Compact Framework Compiler (DCCIL)
' February 2006 - Stefan Cruysberghs
' Delphi tools properties
'   * Program : C:\WINDOWS\system32\wscript.exe
'   * Parameters : $SAVEALL "path\CompileNETCF.vbs" $NAMEONLY($PROJECT) $PATH($PROJECT)Dim WshShell, Fso, Args, Exec, i
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set Fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set Args = WScript.Arguments

If Args.Count = 0 Then  MsgBox "No Delphi project given", 16, "Error"Else  strProjectName = Args(0)  strProjectFolder = ""  For i = 1 To Args.Count-1
    strProjectFolder = strProjectFolder & " " & Args(i)
  Next  strProjectName = Trim(Fso.GetBaseName(strProjectName))  strProjectFolder = Trim(Fso.GetParentFolderName(strProjectFolder))  strProject = strProjectFolder & "\" & strProjectName & ".dpr"  If Not Fso.FileExists(q & strProject & q) Then    MsgBox strProject & " does not exist", 16, "Error"  Else    q = Chr(34) 'quote    ' Set paths    strDCCIL = "C:\Program Files\Borland\BDS\4.0\Bin\dccil.exe"    strCFUnits = "C:\Program Files\Borland\BDS\4.0\lib\cf"    strLogFileName = strProjectFolder & "\CompileCFNETLog.pas"    ' Extra compiler options. If .NET CF assemblies are not available/needed, set it to ""    strCompilerOptions = ""    'strCompilerOptions = " -lu" & q & "C:\NETCFAssemblies\Microsoft.WindowsCE.Forms.dll" 
    '  & q & " -lu" & q & "C:\NETCFAssemblies\System.Windows.Forms.DataGrid.dll" & q    ' Delete all .dcuil files    On Error Resume Next    Fso.DeleteFile strProjectFolder & "\*.dc?il", True    strCommandLine = "cmd /c > " & q & strLogFileName & q & " " & q & strDCCIL & q & " "      & q & strProject & q & " -u" & q &  strCFUnits & q            & " -luSystem.Windows.Forms -luSystem.Data " & strCompilerOptions    ' Compile the project with the DCCIL.exe    Set Exec = WshShell.Exec(strCommandLine)

    ' Wait for application to exit    Do While Exec.Status = 0
      WScript.Sleep 1
    Loop    ' Show the log file (when extention of log is PAS, it will be opened in Delphi)    WshShell.Run(q & strLogFileName & q)  End IfEnd If

Remove the enters in the command line rule because this should be one source line ! 

After changing the Library Path run the application (or run the script). As you can see, the compilation failed with many Undeclared identifier errors. As stated before, not all properties, methods and classes which are available on the full .NET Framework have been implemented on the Compact Framework.

Borland Delphi for .NET compiler version 18.0
Copyright (c) 1983,2005 Borland Software Corporation
.NET Framework v1.1.4322 loaded

Project1.dpr(8) Warning: W1026 File not found: 'WinForm.TWinForm.resources'

WinForm.pas(49) Error: E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'SuspendLayout'

WinForm.pas(54) Error: E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'Name'

WinForm.pas(55) Error: E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'TabIndex'

WinForm.pas(60) Error: E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'AutoScaleBaseSize'

WinForm.pas(63) Error: E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'Name'

WinForm.pas(65) Error: E2003 Undeclared identifier: 'ResumeLayout'

Project1.dpr(15) Fatal: F2063 Could not compile used unit 'WinForm.pas'

When a class is undeclared, we have to remove it from the form (or in the source code).

The TabIndex is one of the properties that does not exist in the .NET CF and therefore the compiler will return an Undeclared identifier "TabIndex" error . Other properties and methods which should be deleted or commented out in the InitializeComponent method of the form (Windows Form Designer generated code) are :

• Name
• TabIndex
• TabStop
• Index
• AutoScaleBaseSize
• ResumeLayout
• SuspendLayout
• AddRange

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In the project file you have to remove the [STAThread] attribute.

To resolve the File not found: 'WinForm.TWinForm.resources' warning, you need to remove the WinForm.resx file from the project. This can be done by deleting the reference in the project file. You can also select the menu item Project|Remove from Project..., click on the WinForm.resx item in the list, and press the OK button.

{$R 'WinForm.TWinForm.resources' 'WinForm.resx'}

After solving all errors, try to compile the project again by invoking the VBScript.

Now we can copy the EXE to the shared folder. Start the emulator and make sure the same shared folder has been set. Run the Explorer, go to the Storage Card (=shared folder) and start the executable. Your first Delphi Pocket PC application is running !

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When the .NET CF is installed on your mobile device, you can also copy the EXE to your Pocket PC with ActiveSync.

Chee Wee Chua has posted a Compact Framework Project Preprocessor (MakeCFCompatible) to the Borland CodeCentral. This little program will modify your code automatically by commenting out every line that raises error E2003.

• Compact Framework Project Preprocessor (Borland CodeCentral)

And Jeremy North created a great plugin called the Compact Framework Build Helper(CFBH) which adds some extra toolbars, menus and templates in Delphi 2006 (and 2005). CFBH makes it very easy to start new .NET CF projects, compile .NET CF projects within the Delphi IDE, launch different emulators and deploy the applications to the emulators or Pocket PC. It also includes some nice PDF manuals and on the website you will find several comprehensive videos.

• JED Software - Compact Framework Builder Helper

1) Download the Compact Framework Project Prepocessor, unzip it and place all files in a folder

2) Make sure Borland Developer Studio is closed

3) Download the Compact Framework Build Helper and run the setup

4) Settings : Check the checkbox as a result of which a new menu item with all CFBH features will be created

5) Folder Setup

• Refer to the BDS 4.0 compiler and library path
• Check Auto Fix Errors and refer to the MakeCFCompatibleDLL.DLL of the Compact Framework Project Prepocessor
• The other options will be explained later on in this article

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6) Emulators

• Here you can define several emulators, images and configuration options for each emulator
• Set the path for the emulator and the Windows Mobile image
• The shared path allows you to treat a folder as if it was a storage card in the emulator. Make sure this shared folder is different from your Delphi project folder.
• On the other tabsheets you can define the screen resolution, skin, network options, ...

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7) Deploy

• The deployment page allows you to set the default deployment method for your applications once they run.
  

On a Pocket PC, top-level forms with a border are always shown full screen and they can not be moved or resized. Therefore it is better setting the Size property in design-time; Width=240; Height=320. In run-time the Size and Location properties will be ignored. When using the CFBH templates (File|New|Others|Smart device) the size of the forms will be set automatically.

Common screen resolutions are :

In order to display a non-full screen form on a Pocket PC, you should set the form's FormBorderStyle property to FormBorderStyle.None. The position of the close button is still in the right top corner.

The StartPosition property which can be used to set a form in the screen center, is not supported in the .NET CF. But this can be solved easily by calculating the center of the screen in the Load event of the form.

procedure TWinForm1.TWinForm1_Load(sender: System.Object; e: System.EventArgs);
begin  Self.Location := System.Drawing.Point.Create(    (Screen.PrimaryScreen.Bounds.Width - Self.Width) div 2,
    (Screen.PrimaryScreen.Bounds.Height - Self.Height) div 2);
end;

Pocket PC applications normally remain running indefinitely to allow users to quickly switch between applications. So, a Pocket PC application does not close, instead it minimizes. When the form property MinimizeBox is True (default), a "smart minimize" X-button will be displayed in the top right, whereas MinimizeBox=False will show a little close OK-button. In a CFBH template the MinimizeBox property will be False.

	MinimizeBox=True	Minimize
	MinimizeBox=False	Close

When you want to know when a window is being minimized, trigger the Deactivate event.

In order to close a minimized application on your Pocket PC, you have to go to Settings|Systems|Memory|Running Programs. A list of all running applications will be shown and you can stop or activate them.

The TabIndex property does not exist in the .NET CF. Tabbing is based on z-order, the order in which the controls have been added to the Controls collection of the form. The first focusable control in a Pocket PC application is the mainform itself.

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A Pocket PC has a directional pad with 5 buttons that can be used to interact with applications. It is possible to capture these keys in the KeyDown event. The KeyDown event receives a KeyEventArgs object which exposes a KeyCode property. By comparing the value of the KeyCode property we can determine which button was pressed.

procedure TWinForm1.TWinForm1_KeyDown(sender: System.Object; e: System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs);
begin  case e.KeyCode of    Keys.Up     : ...    Keys.Down   : ...    Keys.Left   : ...    Keys.Right  : ...    Keys.Return : ...  end;
end;

Most properties of the Application class which you can use in .NET are not implemented in the .NET CF. So properties like CommonAppDataPath, ExecutablePath, CompanyName, ProductName, ProductVersion, ... are not available.

Another way to get the path of the executable is to access the FullyQualifiedName property of the first module of the assembly. For accessing the Assembly object you have to add the System.Reflection namespace. File IO functions are included in the System.IO namespace.

uses  ..., System.Reflection, System.IO;strExecutableFullName := System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly.GetModules[0].FullyQualifiedName;strExecutableName := System.IO.Path.GetFileName(strExecutableFullName);strExecutablePath := System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(strExecutableFullName);

The AssemblyVersion (=ProductVersion) is specified in the project file. In a Pocket PC application this version number can be accessed by using the GetName.Version property of the assembly.

[assembly: AssemblyVersion('1.2.0.0')]

strProductVersion := System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly.GetName.Version.ToString;

When you have started with a new smart device project (CFBH template), then one of the Oosterkamp Class Helper units has been added. To use them in all their glory, also add a second unit called OosterKamp.WindowsCE.ClassHelpersEx.

When these class helpers units are included, you can address some of the Application properties as in the full .NET framework. The namespaces System.IO and System.Reflection are not needed.

Label1.Text := Application.ProductName;
Label2.Text := Application.ProductVersion;
Label3.Text := Application.ExecutablePath;

When creating items for menus, listboxes, listviews, treeviews or toolbars in design-time, you will get undeclared identifier errors on the AddRange method. This can be solved easily by replacing these lines by using the Add or Insert method.

When using the Oosterkamp Class Helpers, you do not have to modify anything. The AddRange method in the class helpers (unit Oosterkamp.WindowsCE.ClassHelpers) will solve this .

On a Pocket PC the mainmenu and the toolbar will be shown at the bottom of the screen.

Self.MainMenu1.MenuItems.AddRange(TArrayOfSystem_Windows_Forms_MenuItem.Create(Self.MenuItemFile));
Self.MenuItemFile.MenuItems.AddRange(TArrayOfSystem_Windows_Forms_MenuItem.Create(Self.MenuItemClose));Self.ListBox1.Items.AddRange(TArrayOfSystem_Object.Create('Item0', 'Item1'));Self.TreeView1.Nodes.AddRange(TArrayOfSystem_Windows_Forms_TreeNode.Create(
  System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node0', 
  TArrayOfSystem_Windows_Forms_TreeNode.Create(
  System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node00'),  
  System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node01'))),  
  System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node1',  
  TArrayOfSystem_Windows_Forms_TreeNode.Create( 
  System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node10'))))); 

Self.MainMenu1.MenuItems.Add(Self.MenuItemFile);
Self.MenuItemFile.MenuItems.Add(Self.MenuItemClose);

Self.ListBox1.Items.Add('Item0');
Self.ListBox1.Items.Add('Item1');
Self.TreeView1.Nodes.Insert(0,System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node0'));
Self.TreeView1.Nodes.Item[0].Nodes.Insert(0,System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node00'));
Self.TreeView1.Nodes.Item[0].Nodes.Insert(1,System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node01'));
Self.TreeView1.Nodes.Insert(1,System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node1'));
Self.TreeView1.Nodes.Item[1].Nodes.Insert(0,System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode.Create('Node10'));

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