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Compact Framework.NETcf : from the trenches

casey chesnut

brains-N-brawn.com

12/15/2003

Harvard

for David Platt’s .NET class

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Questions

Language– C#, VB .NET, C++, Java

At work– .NET, .NETcf

CE

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Experience

Web Services Compact Framework Tablet PC Speech .NET

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Compact Framework

Mappoint .NET Client LBS – GPS, MapPoint, SQL NS, MSN Mess. Signature Biometric Speech Recognition – DIME & SAPI WS Managed DirectPlay Wrapper for PPC ASP.NET-like Web Service server

– Port of a 75K –> 100K line WS app– ~20 web services, ~175 web methods

Cryptography and Client-side WSE

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Agenda

[ Keith Pleas Intro. ] [ SmartPhone and WSE article? ] What is missing How to get it back Where we are now Futures Resources

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What Is Missing

Assemblies Namespaces Types Events Properties Methods Overloads Behavior

.NETfx versus .NETcf.NETfx versus .NETcf

SystemSystem

System.DataSystem.Data System.XmlSystem.Xml

System.WebSystem.Web

GlobalizationGlobalization

TextText

* Security* Security

CollectionsCollections

ResourcesResources

ReflectionReflection

NetNet

IOIO

* Threading* Threading

* Diagnostics* Diagnostics

ServiceProcessServiceProcess

ConfigurationConfiguration

DesignDesign

ADO.NETADO.NET

SqlServerCeSqlServerCe

SqlClientSqlClient

Xslt/XPathXslt/XPath

XmlDocumentXmlDocument

RuntimeRuntimeInteropServicesInteropServices

RemotingRemoting

SerializationSerialization

SerializationSerialization

ConfigurationConfiguration SessionStateSessionState

CachingCaching SecuritySecurity

ServicesServicesDescriptionDescription

DiscoveryDiscovery

ProtocolsProtocols

UIUIHtmlControlsHtmlControls

WebControlsWebControls

System.DrawingSystem.Drawing

ImagingImaging

Drawing2DDrawing2D

TextText

PrintingPrinting

System.WinFormsSystem.WinForms

DesignDesign ComponentModelComponentModel

Reader/WritersReader/Writers

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Metrics

.NETfx Types: 4,753 Methods: 80,277

.NETcf Types: 1,360 Methods: 18,701

* mscorlib, system, system.data, system.drawing, system.windows.forms, system.xml

* .NETcf adds SqlCe and IRDA namespaces

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Examples

Typed DataSets (.xsd) Resource files (.resx) Hardcoded strings

– Registry keys– Environment variables– File paths

Types– Sealed– Partial implementations

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Examples

pInvoke– Unicode– MarshalAs– FieldOffset– Missing or different DLLs

Missing or different OS features– WMI– Hosts

Updating controls from thread Bugs

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How To Get It Back

Open source efforts 3rd party controls pInvoke

– CE .NET Win32 APIs– eVC++ thunk layer

Write the logic yourself

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Open Source

go-mono.org – “Effort to create an open source implementation of

the .NET Development Framework”– Not intended for CE– Be aware of licensing

ssCli / Rotor– MS initiative– Academic licensing only– Port to CE .NET underway

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OpenNetCF.org

Smart Device Framework (~January 2004) Audio recording and playback, serial

communication, registry and clock manipulation, notifications, environment setting, extended marshaler

10 controls with designer support: Button, CheckBox, GroupBox, ColorDialog, LinkLabel, StatusBar, owner-drawn ListBox and SignatureCapture control

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3rd party controls

Odyssey CfCom InstallShield Developer Mobile Edition Preemptive Dotfuscator /n Software’s IP*Works for CF ComponentOne Studio for Mobile Devices Xceed Zip for .NETcf IntelliProg UI controls HP thumbprint biometric

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pInvoke

VB .NET cant do unsafe– Call C# library if necessary

Only 32-bit blittable types– Pass by ref

Strings– unicode only, use StringBuilder

No callbacks from native code– MessageWindow– Make blocking call into native code

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pInvoke

coredll.dll has 1600 functions Cant handle nested structures

– Flatten into byte arrays– Manually marshal

Managed pointers DLLImport CE & XP pattern for keeping

common codebase Native thunking layers

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Write it yourself

.NETcf extended.NETcf extended

SystemSystem

System.DataSystem.Data System.XmlSystem.Xml

System.WebSystem.Web

GlobalizationGlobalization

TextText

* Security* Security

CollectionsCollections

ResourcesResources

ReflectionReflection

NetNet

IOIO

* Threading* Threading

* Diagnostics* Diagnostics

ServiceProcessServiceProcess

ConfigurationConfiguration

DesignDesign

ADO.NETADO.NET

SqlServerCeSqlServerCe

SqlClientSqlClient

Xslt/XPathXslt/XPath

XmlDocumentXmlDocument

RuntimeRuntimeInteropServicesInteropServices

SerializationSerialization

SerializationSerialization

ConfigurationConfiguration SessionStateSessionState

CachingCaching SecuritySecurity

ServicesServicesDescriptionDescription

DiscoveryDiscovery

ProtocolsProtocols

UIUIHtmlControlsHtmlControls

WebControlsWebControls

System.DrawingSystem.Drawing

ImagingImaging

Drawing2DDrawing2D

TextText

PrintingPrinting

System.WinFormsSystem.WinForms

DesignDesign ComponentModelComponentModel

Reader/WritersReader/Writers

RemotingRemoting

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Where We Are Now

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Development

Use eVC++ tools with device Can do command line builds Ports of nUnit Get ethernet to device VS.NET supported by .NETcf line Class Library Comparison Tool Windows Mobile Developer Power Toys

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Emulator

Same image as run on device 80% speed of device Newer ones can do GAPI eVC++ can share folders Can sometimes active sync Cannot listen Ultimately need a slew of devices

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Debugging

System.SR.dll OutputDebugString No console TraceListeners No event log (to file) Use the device Cannot attach to process Cannot skip to next statement Cannot do mixed native and managed Native threads will not break

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pInvoke Debugging

Cross platform pInvoke signatures SetLastError, Marshal.GetLastWin32Error Exceptions

– NotSupportedException– MissingMethodException

Look at .h files dumpbin /exports (name mangling) P/Invoke Wizard

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Data

Web Services XML DB API Pocket Access CSV 3rd party SQL

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SQL

Connected – Sql Server Disconnected – SQL CE Replication No concurrent access No stored procedures Basic SQL support Runs in process Can become corrupted

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Garbage Collection

Not generational– Mark and sweep aggressive– Compacting is rare– Code pitching has never happened when i was

watching pInvoke memory leaks Platform builder / cordbg mscoree.stat

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Performance

2 JITS (ARM & other), No NGEN ARM is supposed to be twice as fast Machine code is generated, but not much UI is ~20% slower on device Tech preview was interpreted Release builds are slower No profiling tools

– Environment.TickCount– QueryPerformanceCounter

SP2 has some significant resource and xml handling speed ups

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What is slow

XmlDocument Reflection Catching Exceptions pInvoke DataSets Web Services Data Binding

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Faster

SQL CE replication Do not freeze the UI Pre-init behind the scenes Re-use objects StringBuilder Batch pInvoke calls in thunking layer Use XmlTextReader / XmlTextWriter Drawing controls top-down, parents 1st

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Final Thought

Remember that these are Embedded Devices!

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Futures

SmartPhone 2003 Whidbey (.NETcf) Predictions

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SmartPhone 2003

2002 OS does NOT support .NETcf– No future support announced by MS

2002 release just now happening in US– No upgrade path announced by carriers

2003 release happening in Europe .NETcf is basically unchanged

– Missing some UI controls– Missing SQL Server CE

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Whidbey

eVC IDE integrated into VS .NET– Mixed native and managed– Remote tools– Attach to running process

Language updates– Generics, Iterators, Anonymous methods

Performance – Execution engine, JIT, profiling

Interop– COM RCW, Marshalling, Runtime hosting

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Whidbey

Emulator– ActiveSync, Shared Folder, Stateful, Orientations

WinForms– Docking, Anchoring, Tabbing, Auto-scroll, Clipboard,

Extend existing types, Multi-resolution Controls

– WebBrowser, DateTimePicker, MonthCalendar, LinkLabel, Notification Balloon, DocList, RichInk, Splitter, DataContainer, UserControl, HelpProvider

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Whidbey

Protocols– IPv6, Kerberos, NTLM, SOAP 1.2

XML– XPath, Schemas, Serialization

SQL CE 3.0– SqlCeResultSet

BCL– Image, Messaging, Registry, Cryptography– Serial, Sound

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Whidbey

Direct3D, DirectDraw Notifications of system state POOM Telephony Device Configuration Location Services

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Predictions

HREF EXEs (CAS?) SPOT

– 384K RAM, ~1 meg flash, 27Mhz– OS = HAL + CLR– Only what is needed– Interpreted

Car .NET Longhorn Modular

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Resources

Newsgroups (microsoft.public.)– dotnet.framework.compactframework– smartphone.developer

Source– OpenNetCF.org, go-mono.org, ssCli / Rotor

Spelunking– Reflector, Anakrino, ILDasm

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Portals

microsoftdev.com MS .NETcf FAQ devbuzz.com pocketpcdn.com dotnetdn.com

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Books

.NET Compact Framework (MS Press) C# .NET Compact Framework Kick Start (Sams)

C# & VB Definitive Guide to the .NETcf (Apress) VB SQL Server CE Database Development

with .NETcf (APress) Building Solutions with the .NETcf (Addison) Programming the .NET Compact Framework

(?) C# and VB.NET

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Questions