Development requirements
Before developing, choose your target client platform. If you are going to deploy on multiple client platforms you need to consider those, even though you must build and compile for each platform individually. If you are uncertain of your deployment target, it is easier to learn the basics of mobile development while targeting a Windows platform. If you are developing for a mobile device, there are additional developer considerations.
Visual Studio 2008 SP1
Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is the environment used when developing with the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Mobile. Install Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition or above before installing the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Mobile. (Note that you also need to install ArcGIS for Windows Mobile before you can install ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Mobile.) You can develop device-based applications in C# or VB.NET; therefore, install the language with which you are most familiar. There are no restrictions or benefits in developing with either language.
Client application | Required framework |
|---|---|
Windows Mobile | .NET Compact Framework (CF) 3.5 |
Windows Forms | .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 |
Windows WPF | .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 |
Note:Install the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Mobile after Visual Studio 2008 to ensure that the mobile toolbox components and other integration features install correctly.
After installing the SDK, you see an ArcGIS Mobile Controls tab within your Visual Studio toolbox containing the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Mobile controls. Additionally, when compiling your application, Visual Studio checks for and adds the additional core library component to the solution. If you reinstall Visual Studio 2008, reinstall the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Mobile to re-establish the integration.
The libraries for each platform, Windows and device based, consists of several DLLs to be deployed with your application. For Windows, these libraries are located within the ArcGIS SDKs\Windows Mobile\Bin directory. The compact framework versions are located within the ArcGIS SDKs\Windows Mobile\CompactFramework directory. Normally, during development, you do not have to worry about referencing these libraries in your solution as the Visual Studio integration manages referencing and linking.