Determine OS version with .NET Compact Framework

If you are running a Device application and want to know (in the code) which platform you are running on (it could be CE.NET or Windows Mobile or various versions of each), then you can use:

Environment.OSVersion.Platform

For much more information and several examples, see:

http://www.christec.co.nz/blog/archives/77

Getting Windows Mobile Owner Name and Device Name

It is sometimes useful to get the Owner Name and/or the Device Name of the Windows Mobile device. If you are wanting a Device Id, then see this posting.

There are different ways to get the Owner Name and Device Name:

For Owner Name, add the following reference to your project:

Microsoft.WindowsMobileMicrosoft.WindowsMobile.Status

Then in your code:

Imports Microsoft.WindowsMobile.Status
.
.
.
MessageBox.Show(SystemState.OwnerName)

More info at:

http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/Forums/ShowMessages.aspx?ThreadID=46306



To get the Device Name (which is what you find under Start/Settings/System Tab/About), you simply have to say:

MessageBox.Show(System.Net.Dns.GetHostName())

For more Info:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.net.dns.gethostname.aspx

Unresolved Externals when using POOM in VC++

I found several postings when searching for a solution to compiling a POOM app that errors out with Unresolved External Symbol CLSID_Application and IID_IPOutlookApp. Only one of the solutions I found worked for me using Visual Studio 2008 C++:

http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/PocketPC/microsoft.public.pocketpc.developer/2006-03/msg00236.html


The trick is to use:

#include "initguid.h"
#include "pimstore.h"

at the begining of the .cpp file. The initguid.h is the item that fixes the problem.

Getting a Device ID using the Compact Framework

Here are a couple of approaches I found for getting a Device ID using the compact framework. Both are lengthy solutions to something that should probably be built into platform.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms172516.aspx


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa446562.aspx


http://blogs.msdn.com/jehance/archive/2004/07/12/181067.aspx

Getting Application's Path (Desktop and Windows Mobile)

Getting the Application's Path is different depending on the platform and application type. Ideally, you would just use the Application.StartupPath, but that only works for Forms apps on the desktop. I have provided this approach and another for Desktop Console App and another one for Windows Mobile.

VB.NET - Forms App

Public Function GetAppPath() As String

return System.Windows.Forms.Application.StartupPath

End Function

VB.NET - Console App

Imports System.Reflection
...

Public Function GetAppPath() As String

       Return Path.GetDirectoryName([Assembly].GetEntryAssembly().Location)

End Function

VB.NET - on Smart Device (Windows Mobile) Platform

Imports System.Reflection
...

Public Function GetAppPath() As String

Dim asm As [Assembly] = [Assembly].GetExecutingAssembly()

return System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(asm.GetName().CodeBase)

End Function