VBCE 6.0 Details

Apply your existing knowledge of the Visual Basic programming model, environment, and language to building Windows CE-based solutions for Handheld PCs and custom platforms. The ability to easily write applications for mobile devices opens up new markets, as well as new classes of corporate solutions, such as data collection and mobile-to-desktop data exchange applications.

The Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 6.0 is an add-on to the Visual Basic 6.0 development system, providing a custom environment inside of Visual Basic by exposing just the right functionality for Windows CE-based development. The Toolkit provides Windows CE versions of the most commonly used ActiveX® Controls, as well as new ActiveX Controls that provide Windows CE-specific functionality, including formless applications.

What's New in the Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 6.0?

You'll find a variety of upgrades in the newest version of Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic. Just a few of the enhancements include:

• Support for Windows CE 2.1 and 2.11 functionality, such as additional hardware, localization, database APIs (application programming interfaces), drivers, and COM/OLE capabilities, so you can take advantage of the latest devices.
• Platform Manager abstracts the development tools from the actual communication layer to allow low-level protocol drivers to seamlessly plug into the development environment. This allows the development environment to target devices using any communication protocol adhering to the Platform Manager specification.
• A CommandBar control, which lets you easily customize user interface elements for the smaller, more compact environments.
• Support for formless projects, enabling you to target a whole range of new devices.
• Improvements to the compiler, including enhanced error handling.

The Windows CE Operating System

The Microsoft Windows CE operating system is a 32-bit, multithreaded operating system for Handheld PCs and other mobile and embedded devices. With broad processor support, plus industry backing for a number of non-PC devices, Windows CE provides a wealth of development opportunities. And with the rapidly expanding market for this new platform, the need for quality Visual Basic-based applications and solutions continues to grow.

Great for Embedded Development

Windows CE is designed to fill the need for a small, scalable operating system that works for a broad range of products, including mobile computers, terminals, industrial controllers, and many others. Because Windows CE is componentized, you can design embedded system platforms using the minimum set of software modules and components needed to support the platform's system requirements, which minimizes the memory footprint and maximizes performance of the operating system. Windows CE directly supports many kinds of hardware peripherals and devices, such as keyboards, mouse devices, touch panels, serial ports, Ethernet, modems, USB devices, audio devices, parallel ports, printer devices, and storage devices (ATA or flash media).

Supported processor families include:

• ARM, including StrongARM
• MIPS
• PowerPC
• Super-H
• x86

For the complete list of supported processors, including specific model numbers, please visit our Technology Partner web site.

No Hardware Required

The Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 6.0 delivers desktop emulation that gives you the look and function of Handheld PCs. Develop, test, and debug your programs on your desktop-no device is needed. Once you've written an application, downloading into a Windows CE-based device is automatic.

And when you can work directly with a Handheld PC, your application is transferred to the device automatically through standard connections. You can also monitor and debug your applications remotely, right from your PC.

Create Visual Basic-based solutions for Handheld PCs and Custom Platforms

Start Developing Today-Quickly and Easily

• Integration with Visual Basic. Apply your current expertise with the integrated Visual Basic development environment to build dynamic Windows CE-based solutions.
• Leading-edge, desktop emulation environment. Create and debug Windows CE-based applications from your desktop-no device is needed. Built-in emulation technology provides the look and function of a Handheld PC, right on your desktop system.
• Remote application debugger. Debug programs running on a remote Handheld PC through standard serial, parallel or Ethernet connections.
• Auto-download and execute. Once your application is completed, you can automatically download it and run it on your targeted device.

Code for the New Generation of Handheld PCs

• ActiveX Controls. Develop your solutions quickly by using powerful ActiveX Controls for Windows CE.
• Sample projects. Get up to speed quickly with detailed examples of Visual Basic-based applications designed specifically for Windows CE.
• Remote tools. Monitor and debug programs running on your Handheld PC-right from your desktop development environment-using remote tools such as Spy, Process Viewer, and Registry Editor.
• Application Install Wizard. Easily ready your application for deployment using the Install Wizard.

Specifications

To use Microsoft Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 6.0, you need:

• PC with a Pentium class processor; Pentium 90-MHz or higher processor recommended
• Microsoft Windows 95 or later operating system or Microsoft Windows NT® operating system version 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later*
• Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Professional Edition or Enterprise Edition
• 16 MB of RAM for Windows 95 or later (32 MB recommended); 24 MB for Windows NT 4.0 (32 MB recommended)
• Hard Disk space required
• Minimum installation: 60 MB
• Complete installation: 145 MB
• 300 MB required if installing online documentation
• CD-ROM drive compatible with multimedia PC specification
• VGA or higher-resolution monitor required; Super VGA monitor recommended
• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device