Setting up the development environment

Overview

To develop with the ArcGIS for Windows Mobile application framework, you need to have a development machine and a Windows Mobile device (or emulator) configured correctly. You will use Visual Studio 2008 with SP1 on your development machine as the integrated development environment (IDE) and a device or emulator for testing.

Before you begin coding, make sure you have all required components installed on both the development machine and the testing device. Some of the components and tools can be downloaded free from Microsoft (allowing you to build applications for certain Windows Mobile platforms and connect your development machine with your device or emulator). Other components are installed by the ArcGIS for Windows Mobile setups, which provide application programming interfaces (APIs) and applications.

System requirements

Development machine

• Visual Studio 2008 with SP1
  Note:

  Visual Studio 2005 is no longer supported.

• .NET Compact Framework 3.5
• ArcGIS Mobile core framework for Windows Mobile
• ArcGIS Mobile application framework
• Windows Mobile 5 SDK for Pocket PC or Windows Mobile 6 Professional/Standard SDK Refresh
• ActiveSync 4.5 (XP) or Windows Mobile Device Center (Vista, 7)

Note:

Visual Studio 2008 with SP1 and tools should be installed before you install ArcGIS for Windows Mobile on your development machine to ensure toolbox components and other templates install correctly.

Mobile device or emulator

• Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC or Windows Mobile 6 Professional/Standard
• .NET Compact Framework 3.5
• ArcGIS Mobile application

By using the project templates in the same way as any other Visual Studio template, you can create empty projects for tasks or project extensions, each including an additional Mobile Project Center project that will be required by Mobile Project Center when you author mobile projects.