How to start developing Windows mobile applications

compact-frameworkmobilesharpdevelopwindows-mobilewindows-mobile-6

I want to write an application for my Windows 6.1 standard smart phone that intercepts incoming SMS messages and auto responds if they match a specific criteria, but despite installing countless SDk's I am unable to do what I need.

The code I want to use relies on the Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook.dll assembly, but I can't seem to find that assembly. Is it possible to use this assembly on a standard mobile device, or do I have to have a Windows Mobile professional device?

So basically I need help getting set up to create Windows Mobile applications.

  • I am using SharpDevelop (because I
    can't afford Visual Studio).
  • I need the
    Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook
    assembly (Since I have already written code that should work, that uses it).
  • A device emulator would also be nice
    so I don't have to test on my phone.

Is what I want to do possible on a Windows 6.1 Standard device (HTC OZone)?

Any help would be appreciated, since I am completely stuck at this point.

Thanks,

I tried to compile my code and I get the following errors, as I suspected I would.

  • The type or namespace name
    'WindowsMobile' does not exist in the
    namespace 'Microsoft' (are you
    missing an assembly reference?)

I can't find the Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook assembly so of course I'm missing an assembly reference.

Where can I get this assembly, and will this code run on my Windows 6.1 Standard phone if I can find it?

Best Answer

In my opinion it's very difficult for someone new to Windows Mobile development to work without Visual Studio.

In theory you can use SharpDevelop or MonoDevelop, but you wouldn't be able to do any debugging on the emulator or a connected device. Being able to debug by stepping through the code while it's running seems to me an unmissable thing if you're new to Windows Mobile and are not quite sure why something you coded is not working. It requires more effort and time to debug something and in the end you might find it more cost effective to buy a Visual Studio license.

The minimum required is Visual Studio 2005 Standard. You could try to see if you can find somewhere that sells it cheaply (as most developers now use VS2008/2010). If you're a student you could get an academic license or take advantage of Microsoft's DreamSpark program. Or if you're a startup you could look at Microsoft's BizSpark program.

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