Windows Mobile Tools
Windows Mobile 5.0 supports the following development tools.
Visual Studio 2005
Visual Studio .Net supports application programming for desktop computers, servers, and Windows Mobile-based devices. You can have projects for the desktop and Windows Mobile-based devices in the same solution. You can also have native and managed code projects in the same solution.
The Smart Device Programmability (SDP) features of Visual Studio .Net help you write mobile applications that take advantage of the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework, enabling distributed mobile computing in either connected or disconnected scenarios.
The Microsoft Device Emulator V1.0 that is included with Visual Studio enables you run, test, and debug an application.
.NET Compact Framework
.NET Compact Framework is a rich subset of the .NET Framework and is designed specifically for mobile devices. The extensive class library available through the .NET Compact Framework allows applications to be written much faster than with traditional tools. .NET Compact Framework uses the same naming conventions as in the .NET Framework and provides many of the same benefits such as shared code, robust code, and enhanced security during execution.
ASP.Net Mobile Controls
ASP.NET Mobile Controls extend the power of the .NET Compact Framework and Visual Studio .NET for building mobile Web applications by enabling ASP.NET to deliver markup to a wide variety of mobile devices. You can use Visual Studio .NET to build a single mobile Web application that automatically adapts its page rendering for a wide variety Windows Mobile-based devices.
SQL Server 2005 Second Edition
Microsoft SQL Server™ is the compact database for rapidly developing applications that extend enterprise data management capabilities to mobile devices. SQL Server CE is a powerful tool that makes it easy to develop mobile applications by supporting familiar Structured Query Language (SQL) syntax and providing a development model and API consistent with SQL Server.
Microsoft ActiveSync 4.0
ActiveSync provides support for synchronizing data between a Windows-based desktop computer and Windows Mobile-based devices. It also supports file conversion between the desktop computer and device formats and the import and export of database tables.
Note Microsoft eMbedded Visual C++ is not supported for Windows Mobile 5.0.
Desktop Configuration Tools
RapiConfig.exe is a desktop configuration tool that allows execution of provisioning XML on a Windows Mobile-based device or emulator connected using ActiveSync.
In order to ensure the maximum interoperability between tools, you need to install tools and the Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK in a specific order. For installation instructions, see "Introduction to Development Tools for Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs and Smartphones" in the MSDN library.
Managed and Native Code Development
Windows Mobile 5.0 supports native code and managed code applications for Windows Mobile-based Smartphones and Pockets.
You use Visual Studio 2005 and .NET Compact Framework to develop managed code applications. Visual Studio 2005 also supports the development of native code applications. For more information, see Support for Managed Code Development.
See Also
Development Tools and Resources
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