Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About VBCE 6.0

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This article was previously published under Q235707

SUMMARY

This article covers some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 6.0 (VBCE 6.0).

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MORE INFORMATION

The following questions are answered in this FAQ:

Where can I find technical information about VBCE?
What other products do I need in order to use VBCE 6.0?
Does VBCE provide database programmability?
Where can I find technical information about ADOCE?
Does ADOCE work in the emulation environment?
Can I develop VBCE applications for Palm-size PCs?
For which Windows CE platforms can I develop VBCE applications?
Are ActiveX controls supported in VBCE? Where can I get them?
Are the same Visual Basic controls supported in VBCE?
Can I use Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me to develop VBCE applications?
Can existing Visual Basic applications be ported to VBCE?
How do I debug VBCE applications?
How do I distribute my VBCE application?
Can I access Pocket Outlook contacts, tasks, etc. from VBCE?
Can I call APIs in VBCE applications?
Do I need a Windows CE device to run VBCE?
I'm confused. Which devices and platforms will VBCE 6.0 and ADOCE run on?

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Questions and Answers

Q: Where can I find technical information about VBCE? A: There are a number of places to look for documentation on VBCE. In addition to the Windows CE Toolkit online help available from the Visual Basic Help menu, you can also check the following resources:
- The Microsoft Knowledge Base contains many articles discussing topics related to VBCE. To search for them, navigate to the following Microsoft Web site, enter the search phrase VBCE and include Knowledge Base in the selected scope:
  MSDN Online (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx)
- The VBCE Release Notes contain lots of information on known issues. Many commonly-asked questions about specific behavior can be found in this document. In addition to the file installed with VBCE, the release notes can be found in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
  217375 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/217375/EN-US/ ) INFO: Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 6.0 Release Notes
- The MSDN Online Library now has a number of areas with technical articles, presentations, downloads and online special interest groups related to VBCE:
  MSDN Library Online (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx)
```
See:
     \Windows CE Documentation
        \Visual Development Environment
           \Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 6.0
						
```
- Scott Lewis' VBCE.COM is also a very good source for information. Scott also has a mailing list set up for peer-to-peer support available from this site. NOTE: VBCE.COM is not affiliated with Microsoft other than it refers to a Microsoft product:
  VBCE.COM (http://www.vbce.com)
- Larry Roof's "Visual Basic Windows CE Programming" by Wrox Press, although written for the first version of VBCE, is still a great resource. Additionally, I believe that Larry Roof and Scott Lewis will be teaming up for some technical content as outlined on VBCE.COM.
Q: What other products do I need in order to use VBCE 6.0? A: In order to use VBCE 6.0, you'll need the following:
- Microsoft Windows 95 or later or Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
- Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Professional or Enterprise Edition.
Note that Windows NT or Windows 2000 is required for emulation.
Q: Does VBCE provide database programmability? A: VBCE is able to provide database programmability via the ActiveX Data Objects control for the Microsoft Windows CE operating system (ADOCE), which provides a subset of ADO for Windows CE. The setup program for ADOCE is included on the VBCE 6.0 CD in the ADOCE directory.

Here are some important notes regarding the two current versions of ADOCE:
- ADOCE 2.0 only works on an H/PC 2.0 device that runs Windows CE 2.0.
- ADOCE 2.0 does not support automatic Database Table Synchronization between the database tables on the desktop and the device.
- ADOCE 2.1 only works on H/PC Pro 3.0 devices (running Windows CE 2.11), Palm-size PC 1.2 devices (running Windows CE 2.11 and with the Palm-size PC 1.2 SDK installed), and the H/PC devices with ROM upgrades (that is, running Windows CE 2.11).
- ADOCE 2.1 supports automatic Database Table Synchronization.
For additional information about ADOCE, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
238947 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/238947/EN-US/ ) FILE: Msadoce2.exe Installs ADO for Windows CE SDK
196034 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196034/EN-US/ ) HOWTO: Use ADOFILTR.DLL to Transfer Database Tables
Q: Where can I find technical information about ADOCE? A: There are a number of places to look for documentation on ADOCE. In addition to the Windows CE Toolkit online help available from the Visual Basic Help menu, you can also check the following resources:
- The Microsoft Knowledge Base contains many articles discussing topics related to ADOCE. To search for them, navigate to the following Microsoft Web site, enter the search phrase ADOCE and include Knowledge Base in the selected scope:
  MSDN Online (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx)
- The MSDN Online Library now has a number of areas with technical articles, presentations, downloads, and online special interest groups related to ADOCE:
  MSDN Library Online (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx)
```
See:
     \Windows CE Documentation
        \Visual Development Environment
           \ADO for Windows CE
						
```
  Microsoft Windows CE Toolkits Home Page (http://msdn.microsoft.com/cetools)
- Scott Lewis' VBCE.COM is also a very good source for information. Scott has also got a mailing list set up for peer-to-peer support available from this site. NOTE: VBCE.COM is not affiliated with Microsoft other than it refers to a Microsoft product:
  VBCE.COM (http://www.vbce.com)
Q: Does ADOCE work in the emulation environment? ADOCE does work in the emulation environment. You'll need to ensure that you install the emulation components as a part of the ADOCE SDK installation from the VBCE 6.0 CD-ROM. You'll also need to ensure that you have copied your database tables to the emulation environment by using the EmpFile utility. For an illustration of how to do this, please see the EmulDB sample that ships with the ADOCE SDK. This sample is located, by default, in the following location:
```
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\ADOCE\Samples\VB
					
```
For additional information about the EmpFile utility, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
212884 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/212884/EN-US/ ) INFO: VBCE: How to Use the EmpFile Utility
Q: Can I develop VBCE applications for Palm-size PCs? A: Palm-size PCs can be targeted with VBCE 6.0. The target Palm-size PCs must be running at least the Windows CE operating system version 2.11. Please note that the implementation of the Windows CE operating system on the Palm-size PC devices running the Windows CE operating system version 2.0 does not include sufficient COM support for VBCE applications.

In order to target Palm-size PCs, the associated Windows CE Palm-size PC Platform SDK is required:
Palm-size PC 1.2 SDK Download (English) (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/downloads/details/default.aspx?pm=p:276)
For additional information about the Palm-size PC's support for VBCE applications, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
191478 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/191478/EN-US/ ) INFO: Palm-size PC Does Not Support VBCE Applications
Q: For which Windows CE platforms can I develop VBCE applications? A: VBCE 6.0 can currently target the following Windows CE platforms using the Platform SDKs provided by Microsoft:
- Handheld PC version 2.0 (H/PC)
- Handheld PC version 3.0 (H/PC Pro)
- Palm-size PC version 1.2 (PsPC)
Also, please note that VBCE 5.0 applications can only be created for H/PC devices.
Q: Are ActiveX controls supported in VBCE? Where can I get them? A: Yes. ActiveX is supported in Windows CE and you can use ActiveX controls in your VBCE applications. Currently, however, you cannot develop ActiveX controls using VBCE. Instead, you must use the Windows CE Toolkit for Visual C++ (VCCE) for ActiveX control development.

Additionally, there are a growing number of third-party companies that are either developing or looking into developing ActiveX controls for use in VBCE. See one of Microsoft's Windows CE Web sites for the most current information:
Microsoft Windows CE Home Page (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce)
Microsoft Windows CE Toolkits (http://msdn.microsoft.com/cetools)
Q: Are the same Visual Basic controls supported in VBCE? A: Most Visual Basic intrinsic controls (such as CheckBoxes, TextBoxes, CommandButtons) are supported in VBCE. There are some differences in control appearance and behavior corresponding to differences in the Windows CE user interface model, however, and there are also differences in the Visual Basic built-in functions corresponding to differences in operating system features. For the most part, you will find that creating VBCE applications is very similar to creating Visual Basic applications on Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT.
Q: Can I use Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me to develop VBCE applications? Yes. The Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 6.0 can be installed on Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me to develop Windows CE applications. The emulation environment, however, is available only under Windows NT or Windows 2000. Additionally, it is important to note that Windows CE Toolkit for Visual Basic 5.0 cannot be installed on a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me machine.
Q: Can existing Visual Basic applications be ported to VBCE? A: You cannot directly port an existing Visual Basic application into VBCE due to some limitations and unsupported features in VBCE. The amount of work required to "port" an existing Visual Basic desktop application to VBCE will depend on many factors, including the complexity of the application and whether it uses features not supported in VBCE. It may be significantly easier to create a VBCE application from scratch than to port an existing Visual Basic application.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
186266 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/186266/EN-US/ ) INFO: What Is Handled Differently in Windows CE and VBCE
184650 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/184650/EN-US/ ) INFO: What Does Visual Basic Have That VBCE Doesn't Have?
189478 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/189478/EN-US/ ) INFO: What Does VBCE Have That Visual Basic 5 Doesn't Have?
192459 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/192459/EN-US/ ) INFO: Unsupported Controls, Properties, Methods and Events
Q: How do I debug VBCE applications? A: There are two methods of debugging available for VBCE users. The first is to use the emulation environment to debug your application right on your Windows NT development workstation. The second is to use the remote debugging tools provided with the Toolkit. These tools let you execute your VBCE application remotely on your Windows CE device, while at the same time monitoring and controlling its execution from your Windows NT or Windows 2000 development workstation.

For additional information about Debugging VBCE applications and differences between emulation and the remote device, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
192549 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/192549/EN-US/ ) INFO: VBCE: Overview of Debugging VBCE Applications
192998 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/192998/EN-US/ ) INFO: VBCE: Differences Between Emulation and the Remote Device
Q: How do I distribute my VBCE application? A: Distribution of VBCE applications can be accomplished using the Application Install Wizard supplied with VBCE.

For additional information about distributing VBCE applications, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
194837 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/194837/EN-US/ ) HOWTO: Distribute a Visual Basic Windows CE Application
Q: Can I access Pocket Outlook contacts, tasks, and so forth from VBCE? A: Using the new Pocket Outlook Object Model (POOM) you can now read, create, and modify items used by the Pocket Outlook's Calendar, Tasks, and Contacts, as well as accessing and creating cities used by the World Clock.

In order to access Pocket Outlook objects, the Pocket Outlook Object Model (POOM) SDK is required:
Pocket Outlook Object Model (POOM) SDK (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&familyid=78d1a8b7-d606-45b2-9cdc-58bf5a578338&displaylang=en)
For additional information about using the POOM from VBCE, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
208568 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/208568/EN-US/ ) HOWTO: Access Pocket Outlook Objects from VBCE
Q: Can I call APIs in VBCE applications? A: The current version of VBCE allows you to call many Windows CE API functions directly. You can use the existing Visual Basic API Text Viewer to view the API information from the winceapi.txt file. In certain circumstances, because VBCE does not support structure data type, you may still need to use the Windows CE Toolkit for Visual C++ (VCCE) to create an ActiveX control to wrap the appropriate API calls and then host the control in VBCE.

Please note that API calls could not be made from VBCE 5.0 applications.
Q: Do I need a Windows CE device to run VBCE? A: You do not need a device to begin developing VBCE applications. You can create and debug Windows CE-based applications from your desktop. Built-in emulation technology provides the look and function of a device, right on your PC.

It should be noted that in order to install ADOCE, Windows CE Services is required. Windows CE Services only ships with the devices. So although ADOCE will work in the emulation environment, currently it cannot be installed without the presence of Windows CE Services.

I'm confused. Which devices and platforms will VBCE 6.0 and ADOCE run on? A: The following table lists what is supported and what is not:

Collapse this tableExpand this table

	Handheld PC 2.0	Handheld PC with ROM Upgrade	Handheld PC Professional Edition 3.0	Palm-size PC 1.2	Palm-size PC 1.0
OS Version	Windows CE 2.0	Windows CE 2.11	Windows CE 2.11	Windows CE 2.11	Windows CE 2.0
VBCE 5.0	Supports	Does not Support	Does not Support	Does not Support	Does not Support
VBCE 6.0	Supports	Supports	Supports	Supports	Does not Support
ADOCE 2.0	Supports	Does not Support	Does not Support	Does not Support	Does not Support
ADOCE 2.1	Does not Support	Supports	Supports	Supports (must have the Palm-size PC 1.2 SDK installed)	Does not Support
Platform SDK	Handheld PC 2.0 SDK	Handheld PC Professional 3.0 SDK	Handheld PC Professional 3.0 SDK	Palm-size PC 1.2 SDK	Does not Support