How To Deploy a Visual Basic Application in an Embedded Platform (258854)

SUMMARY

The Platform Builder version 2.12 documentation references the Wceload.exe tool in the topic titled "Working with the Shell." The Release Notes for Windows CE Platform Builder briefly mentions that Wceload.exe is obsolete. This article gives more background on the purpose of WCELOAD, why it does not apply to embedded systems, and provides steps as an example of how to deploy an application as part of an embedded system by using Windows CE.

The Wceload.exe tool is used for installing an application for Windows CE that has been packaged by using the CAB Wizard (CabWiz) for Windows CE. The tool is a device-side component of the Windows CE Application Installation (AppInstall) tools and is included on most Windows CE-based retail devices, such as Palm-size PC and Handheld PC. More information about the AppInstall mechanism can be found in the MSDN technical article "Creating an Application Installation Package."

Because Wceload.exe is part of the retail platform shell and not part of the core operating system, it is not distributed with Platform Builder. Wceload.exe works along with the desktop Application Manager (Ceappmgr.exe) to download and install applications on a Windows CE retail platform. Application Manager was not intended to be used with Platform Builder-based custom embedded systems.

NOTE: Starting with Platform Builder 3.0, Wceload.exe is included. This opens the option to deploy an application to a custom embedded device using the Application Manager with Microsoft ActiveSync. Typically, an application that is used within an embedded system should be included with the other components of the platform image (for example, Nk.bin). That is, the application is "built in" as opposed to being installed. Following are examples of how to include your application modules and run-time support components by using Platform Builder 2.12.

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Adding a Visual Basic Application to a Platform Image

This procedure assumes that you have already created your application by using a software development kit (SDK) that is exported for this platform. It is important to note that in order to use the Visual Basic CE (VBCE) exported SDK, you must first install the Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic, then install the exported VBCE SDK.

1. Start with your Platform Builder project opened in the Platform view.
2. Add the needed Visual Basic run-time support and any additional Visual C++ run-time support, such as ATL, if you have created an ATL COM object to be used from your Visual Basic application. In the Catalog window, open the Catalog\Runtimes\VB tree. The components are added by dragging the item from the Catalog window to the Platform window (the Platform window must be in Component view). Drag the VBEng and VBForms components, then open the Catalog\Runtimes\VB\Controls tree and drag and drop any of the additional controls you have used in your application.
3. In the Platform window, click the Parameter View tab that is located at the bottom of the window.
4. In the Platform window, open the Project Specific Files folder.
5. Double-click the Project.bib file. (This opens the source Project.bib file in the common project folder. During the build process, this file overwrites the Project.bib file in the release folder. If you edit the wrong copy of the Project.bib file, your changes will not be included.)
6. The Project.bib file has a MODULES section and a FILES section. List any custom dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) in the MODULES section. Because a Visual Basic program for Windows CE is not an executable module (a .vb file is interpreted by the Pvbload.exe run-time engine), your .vb application file must be listed in the FILES section. The following is an example:

   FILES
   ;  Name          Path                               Memory Type
   ;  ------------  ---------------------------------  -----------
      MYAPP.VB     $(_FLATRELEASEDIR)\MYAPP.VB         NK 
   					

7. Copy your application files into the same release folder as the platform's other Windows CE components. For example:

   C:\WINCE212\PUBLIC\MAXALL\RelDir\X86_Debug

8. Build the image: from the Platform menu in the IDE, click Build Platform.

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