Deploying and updating custom tasks/extensions

In ArcGIS for Windows Mobile, you have the ability to develop custom tasks or extensions (which is termed "capabilities" in Mobile Project Center [MPC]) that modify existing functionality or to embed new features into your project using MPC. When saving a mobile project, MPC copies the assemblies with the implementation of these tasks and/or extensions to the project folder, and the assemblies are deployed together with the project into the field devices; therefore, there is no need to separately deploy these custom tasks and extensions.

Read http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/windows-mobile-sdk/concepts/index.html#/Overview_of_application_framework/01sp0000004n000000/in the developer help to learn about developing custom tasks and extensions.

Deploying custom tasks or extensions

Steps:

1. Close the MPC.
2. Make sure that you have the task/extension assemblies ready. You should have a set of two to three assemblies for each task/extension: one is built for use by MPC and the other assembly or assemblies include(s) the actual implementation of the task/extension used by the field applications. Note that separate assemblies are required for Windows and Windows Mobile platforms.
   1. The assembly for MPC should be copied to:
      • For Windows 7 machines: C:\ProgramData\ESRI\MobileProjectCenter\Extensions
      • For Windows XP machines: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ESRI\MobileProjectCenter\Extensions
   2. The assembly with the implementation for the field applications should be copied to:
      • For Windows 7 machines: C:\ProgramData\ESRI\MobileProjectCenter\Extensions\Win32 if your task/extension runs in Windows devicesor notebook, or C:\ProgramData\ESRI\MobileProjectCenter\Extensions\WinCE if your task/extension runs in Windows Mobile device.
      • For Windows XP machines: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ESRI\MobileProjectCenter\Extensions\Win32 folder if your task/extension runs in Windows devices or notebook, or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ESRI\MobileProjectCenter\Extensions\WinCE folder if your task/extension runs in Windows Mobile devices.

   The first time you include custom tasks/extensions in a mobile project, you may need to manually create the Extensions\Win32 and Extensions\WinCE folders at the locations specified in step 2b.

3. Create a new project or open an existing project in MPC.
4. To add a custom task, click the Tasks tab on the left panel, then click the Add button.

   You will see the custom tasks at the end of the available list of tasks:

5. Click to include the custom task that you want to include from the list.
6. To add a custom extension, click the Capabilities tab on the left panel, then click the Add button. Click to include the custom extension you want to use from the list.
7. Configure other settings of your project then save the project (For details, see Creating a mobile project).
8. After you save the project, MPC automatically copies the assemblies with the implementation of the custom tasks/extensions to <Project Folder>\Extensions\Win32 if the assemblies work on Windows devices, or <Project Folder>\Extensions\WinCE if the assemblies work on Windows Mobile devices.

After you deploy the mobile project to your Windows devices or Windows Mobile devices, the custom tasks/extensions will be ready to use. For details about deploying a project, see Sharing and deploying mobile projects

Updating custom tasks or extensions

In some cases, you might update the task/extension with the implementation detail while keeping the assembly's namespace, class name, and assembly file the same. If so, you only need to overwrite the older assembly with the updated assembly in the appropriate folder as addressed in step 8 in the last section.

If, however, you update the custom task or extension in the assembly with the implementation but also in the assembly for use by MPC, restart MPC and re-open the project, then remove the existing task/extension and add the updated one back in as described in steps 4–6 in the last section.