How To Distribute an eMbedded Visual Basic Application

After you complete the development and testing of an eMbedded Visual Basic (eVB) application, you need to properly compile, distribute, and install the application on target devices. The purpose of this article is to guide you through the steps necessary to complete this process by using the Application Install Wizard, which is included with the eMbedded Visual Tools (eVT), and to provide information on some of the issues that may come up during the distribution process.

The Application Install Wizard handles the creation of the installation package for your application (including the project and all of the necessary supporting files) and takes care of downloading the required components to Microsoft Windows CE-based devices.

This article assumes that your application has been fully tested for use on the targeted Windows CE devices and that the project has been compiled into a .vb file before you create the installation package for your project by using the Application Install Wizard. Note that, unlike the Package and Deployment Wizard in Microsoft Visual Basic, the eVB Application Install Wizard does not give you the option of recompiling the program.

By default, the folder in which compiled eVB applications are placed is: Of course, you can compile the application to the location of your choice.

The Application Install Wizard can be accessed by selecting it from the Remote Tools submenu under the Tools menu in the eVB design environment.

Creating the Installation Program

1. Start the Application Install Wizard. An introduction screen will appear. Click Next to begin.
2. The step 2 page of the Application Install Wizard appears. It prompts you for the full path to the .ebp project file. Click Browse to go to the correct location. Click Next to continue.
3. In step 3, you are prompted for the full path to the compiled .vb file. Click Browse to go to the correct location. eVB will save the .vb file to the location you specified when the .vb file was compiled. Click Next to continue.
   
   Note If you have not yet compiled the .vb file, when you click Next, you receive the following error message:
   The build file is invalid or does not exist. It is required that the eMbedded Basic Project file be compiled before installation wizard runs.
4. In step 4, you are prompted for the full path to where the Setup folder is to be created. The Application Install Wizard outputs all components that will be distributed to this folder. (Specific information on the files generated and output to this folder is provided later in this article.) Provide an appropriate path, and then click Next to continue.
   
   Note If the following error occurs, the VBCE.ini file may be damaged, missing, or incomplete:
   Unable to find list of available processors from the SDK specified by this project. Please verify that the most recent version of this platform SDK has been installed on your system.
   
   
   The VBCE.ini file should include processor information for each of the installed Platform SDKs. The format of a platform section should look something like this:

   [{0B7D1301-289F-11D2-974F-00A0240918F0}]
   SH 3 (1K) v2.0=4,3,2,0,1024,10003
   Mips 3000 (4K) v2.0=1,3,2,0,4096,4000
   Mips 4000 (1K) v2.0=1,4,2,0,1024,4000
   

   If the VBCE.ini file is not present or the necessary information is not present, reinstall the appropriate Platform SDK.
5. In step 5, you are prompted to select the target processors. You must select at least one processor. Although your application is the same across all processors, the run-time components and ActiveX controls that are to be distributed with your project are processor-specific. This step in the process tells the Wizard which processor-specific files are to be included with the distribution package. Click Next to continue.
6. In step 6, you choose the ActiveX controls that must be distributed and installed with your application. If an ActiveX control is not supported for a processor you selected in step 5, it will not appear on the list of available controls. Click Next to continue.
   
   Note If no ActiveX controls are listed in step 6, the VBCE.ini file may be damaged, missing, or incomplete.
7. In step 7, you can include any additional files that you want to distribute with your program. This could include data, text, or any other files. Once a file has been selected, the wizard will ask whether the file selected is a system file. All system files are installed to the \Windows folder. All other files are installed to the application folder. If you decide to include the device run-time in the .cab file, the following files will be included:
   • pvbform2.dll
   • pvbhost2.dll
   • pvbload.exe
   • vbscript.dll
   • vbsen.dll (for Windows CE 2.11-based platforms only)
   If the device you are targeting already has the eVB run-time files installed (either in ROM or in RAM), you can clear this check box to minimize the size of the installation package. Click Next to continue.
8. In step 8, you specify the following:
   • Default install directory
   • Application name
   • Description
   • Company name
   Each field must be filled in. The default install directory will include "Program Files\" plus whatever folder name that you provide. For example, if you specify "MyApp" as the install directory, the Application Install Wizard will install the program to the "Program Files\MyApp" folder. This information can be modified in the .inf file after the package is created if a different install path is preferred.
   
   The application name that you provide will be the name that your application is given on the Windows CE device. Click Next to continue.
9. In step 9, you have one last chance to cancel the process. Click Create Install to begin the process of generating the installation package. Click Finish when the process has completed.

The Application Install Wizard creates the following directories, based on the processors you specified in step 7, in the location that you specified in step 4.

For Windows CE HPC Pro projects:

• \App
• \Arm 1100 (4K) v2.10
• \Cd1
• \Mips 4000 (1k) v2.10
• \SH 3 (1k) v2.10
• \SH 4 (4K) v2.10

For Windows CE Palm-size PC projects:

• \App
• \Cd1
• \Mips 3000 (4k) v2.11
• \Mips 4000 (1k) v2.11
• \SH 3 (1k) v2.11

For PocketPC projects:

• \App
• \Arm 1100 (4K) v3.00
• \Arm 720T (4K) v3.00
• \Cd1
• \Mips 4000 (4k) v3.00
• \SH 3 (1k) v3.00

For Handheld PC 2000 projects:

• \App
• \Arm 1100 (4K) v3.00
• \CD1
• \I486 (4K) v3.00
• \Mips 3000 (4k) v3.00
• \Mips 4000 (4k) v3.00

The "App" directory includes the compiled .vb file as well as any additional files that were specified in step 7 above.

The "CD1" directory includes the Setup.exe file that will be started from the desktop to install the application on a remote device. Also in this directory are the .cab files for the appropriate processors and the initialization file for the Setup program.

The remaining directories include the processor-specific eVB run-time and ActiveX Control files that were specified during the Wizard process.

For more information, see the "References" section of this article.

Distributing and Installing the Application

Only the contents of the Cd1 directory need to be distributed in order to install the application on the device.

To install your application, run the Setup.exe program on your desktop computer. The first dialog box that appears allows the user to select the location on the desktop to which the application's .cab and .ini files will be copied. If the handheld device is connected to the desktop, the program will be downloaded and installed. Otherwise, this will occur on the next connection.

To remove a program from the handheld device, run the Remove Programs tool. To access it, from the Start menu on the device, click Settings.

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information concerning how to customize the installation to handle additional nondefault preferences, see the following MSDN topic: