Rockwell Automation 2727-MRSDK MobileView Terminals Software Development Kit User Manual - Manual (Page 18)

Publication 2727-UM004B-EN-P - February 2004
2-2 Developing CE Drivers and Applications
Copy the script from a PC host using Data Exchange or from a
PCMCIA ATA memory card to the “\Flash Storage\” folder on the
MobileView and run the script on the MobileView.
Run the script directly from a PCMCIA ATA memory card on the
MobileView.
Remote Installations
The install package can be quite large and the decompression process
can consume high levels of memory, so remote installation is an
attractive option. Data Exchange, using CeAppMgr.exe on the host PC
and WCEload.exe on the MobileView, supports remote installation.
Application Upgrades
The application developer should make appropriate provisions for
issuing application upgrades from the beginning, adopting good
practice for source version control, bug reporting, etc. When
upgrades are required, typically with the desire to add new features or
to implement bug fixes, decisions will have to be made relating to the
notification of users and the distribution of the upgrades.
Considerations for the distribution and installation of application
upgrades are exactly the same as those discussed above for initial
distribution and installation.
Persistence Considerations
Installation of a new application program typically adds a new icon to
the Windows CE Desktop and sometimes a new entry in the Start
Menu, in order to enable the user to launch the new program or to
launch it automatically. Shortcuts in the folder “\Windows\Desktop”
create the Icons on the desktop. Shortcuts and subfolders in the folder
“\Windows\Programs” form the Start Menu. A shortcut in the folder
“\Windows\Startup” will automatically launch a program at startup. A
control panel applet that was added by an application has a file
extension *.CPL and resides in the folder “\Windows.
All this appears very Windows-like and ordinary until one considers
that the “\Windows” folder is effectively a RAM disk that is recreated
when cold-started; i.e. it is not persistent. When the operating system
boots it creates a new file system including “\Windows” and that
effectively removes all traces of the end-user applications that once
existed. With that in mind, special considerations are necessary for
applications on the MobileView and all similar embedded devices
since the Icons, the Start Menu, and application-provided Control
Panel Applets must be re-created at startup.