Microsoft .NET Compact Framework (Core Reference)

Book Description

This comprehensive reference provides developers with the information they need to develop new applications or move existing applications to handheld devices and other resource-constrained hardware. It offers specific techniques for writing mobile applications, including developing GUI elements using Web Forms, transferring data using XML Web services, working with local and remote data sources, and developing applications that can operate in a disconnected state from the wireless network. The book illustrates each technique with working code samples in Visual Basic .NET and Visual C# .NET. It also includes a quick reference appendix showing the differences between the .NET Compact Framework and the full .NET Framework.

Customer Reviews:

The first and definitely one of the best books on the Compact Framework.......2005-09-06

As the first Compact Framework book on the market, it helped light the way for all that followed. As a mobile developer, this book has helped me tremendously and I refer to it all the time. This book belongs in the collection of anyone who has to tackle the nuances of embedded development on the Windows Mobile platform.

Great book!.......2005-07-19

I have learned a lot about the .NET compact framework. It has been a great first-book to begin my understanding of this topic. The examples in the book really help to advance my understanding. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to begin a project on the .NET compact framework.

If this book's so great, why won't the code run?.......2004-11-15

Chapter 17, UsingSQLCESample. First, the buttonAdd_Click() event wasn't added to the button, so you click away and nothing happens, until you figure it out yourself & fix it. Then, the section in the book dealing with parameters is missing from the sample code, and the DataGrid never does fill with data. This job is difficult enough without having to spend time debugging some "expert's" sample code!

Best of the best.......2004-04-26

This is definatley the most comprhencive and infomative book about pocket pc out there.

Buy this book first, you will not regret it.

Great book.......2004-04-15

I have some .NET C# experience, and this book is great. If you were new to C# it would probably be difficult, but for those with some .NET experience this book is perfect.

I expected the book would come with a CD containing code samples, but you have to download them from Microsoft.
http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/companion/5960.asp <-, then click on Companion Content.

Book Description

"For nearly two decades, Paul Yao and David Durant have been acknowledged as experts on the Windows platform, so it's only natural that they would bring their experienced point of view to the .NET Compact Framework. With a unique combination of historical perspective and in-depth understanding of the subject matter, Yao and Durant take the reader through not only the technical guts of the Compact Framework but also the reasons behind the design decisions."

—Joshua Trupin, Executive Editor, MSDN Magazine "Yao and Durant have written a book that, although it assumes no prior experience with the .NET Framework, serves both the rookie and advanced programmer equally well. This is definitely a rare quality among technical books and is certainly not an easy thing for an author to accomplish."

—Doug Holland, Precision Objects "This is a very good hands-on book with plenty of sample code illustrating programming tasks and techniques, which any serious development effort for Windows CE or Pocket PC will require."

—Bill Draper, Director of Software Development "This book serves as both a great reference and tutorial when building .NET Compact Framework applications. My only wish is that it had been available sooner."

—Greg Hack, Senior Software Engineer, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions "Of the handful of books on Compact Framework, this book takes the cake. Paul Yao and David Durant's expertise with .NET Compact Framework is evident from their excellent and very insightful coverage of sections such as Building the User Interface, Managing Device Data, and Creating Graphical Output. The chapter discussing the topic of P/Invoke is unparalleled. After reviewing this book, I am certain that if there is one book that will help you understand .NET Compact Framework, this is the one."

—Deepak Sharma, Senior Systems Specialist, Tata Infotech Ltd. "Yao and Durant's fresh, innovative, and in-depth look at the .NET Compact Framework gets developers up to speed using C# to develop robust and scaleable handheld software solutions. A definite must-read for mobile handheld developer enthusiasts!"

—Andrew Krowczyk, Software Architect, Zurich North America .NET Compact Framework Programming with C# is the definitive tutorial and reference for the .NET Compact Framework (CF). It shows you how to transfer your skills and your code to the Pocket PC 2003 and other mobile and embedded smart devices.

Authors Paul Yao and David Durant draw upon their years of research and experience with members of the Microsoft .NET CF team to show you exactly how the best CF programming gets done in C#. This is the only book a programmer needs to master the art of CF coding. Throughout the book, sample code and examples illustrate best practices and programming techniques. In addition, the companion Web site includes downloadable code for all these examples, along with a set of development tools to help you with your CF development projects.

The authors expertly zero in on what programmers need to understand for successful smart device programming, including:

Garbage Collection in the .NET Compact Framework Controls and supported Properties, Methods, and Events (PMEs) Custom controls with Windows Forms Designer support Using Platform Invoke (P/Invoke) Simple and complex data binding and the DataGrid control Programming with ADO.NET data classes Synchronizing SQL Server CE with SQL Server 2000 databases Creating graphical output, including font and printing coding tricks Differences between the standard desktop framework and the CF .NET Compact Framework Programming with C# is your single resource for everything you really need to know about CF programming.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent book.......2006-10-05

I am currently reading this book and I gotta say that it really went into great lengths on it's internal architecture. The author is also helpful enough to point out some pitfalls to avoid and offer recommendations for working with the WIN32 API that Microsoft provides.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to enter .NET Compact Framework programming and to be comfortable in attempting to do some professional projects.

The author definitely demonstrated his vast knowledge about the platform with this book.

Good Coverage But Too Long-winded.......2006-06-19

While the coverage is quite good and the authors highlighted details, the book is too long-winded and seriously in need of editing. This book repeat too much of the same things in many chapters and can be cut to half the size in volume. Very tiring to read. Perhaps, if the authors gave more complete comprehensive examples instead of code fragments while discussing the features, it would be easier to read. I give 5 stars for material but 2 stars for editing; an average of 3.5 stars.

Excellent work!.......2005-08-17

Definitely the best all around book for C# development with the .NET Compact Framework.

Very Complete.......2005-01-05

I found this book to be very complete and gives the reader a firm foundation to start compact framework projects. The "Building Solutions with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework" book by Fox is a good high level view, but this book gives you some real good code examples.

This book assumes very little .NET knowledge, but they don't waste a lot of time getting the user up to speed and I think can be easily understood with anyone with a decent Windows programming background.

I hope they come up with new book describing the differences between the current compact framework (1.x) and 2.0 which will be released with VS 2005.

An Overall Fine Book on the .NET Compact Framework.......2004-10-24

Paul Yao and Dave Durant have applied their years of programming and training experience to this .NET Compact Framework (.netCF) book. It covers most aspects of .NETcf needed to quickly get started writing Windows CE applications with managed code, from basic UI concepts, to P/Invoke and even database programming with SQL Server CE.

My main complaint with the book is that it is a little too introductory. Specifically, I would expect coverage of network programming topics, the .NET System.Net classes, and much deeper coverage of XML and Internet programming topics. As such, this is much more a beginner's book than one suited to experience Windows CE programmers. All in all, though, this title is still worth the money.

.NET Compact Framework Programming with Visual Basic .NET (Microsoft .NET Development Series)

Average customer rating:

Initially seemed OK, but badly written
Very Useful Book
Looks good at first but then .....
Excellent end-to-end introduction to portable .NET
Not that good

.NET Compact Framework Programming with Visual Basic .NET (Microsoft .NET Development Series)
Paul Yao , and David Durant
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0321174046

Customer Reviews:

Initially seemed OK, but badly written.......2006-06-23

This book started well, with a good high-level overview of the CF. However, the authors then put the reader in deep water, they don't explain examples hardly at all, use very technical language without explanation and to top it all most examples didn't work, even when downloaded from the author's site. When used as a reference, there are not clear examples of how to do even simple things, instead there are very long and complex examples which confuse and overwhelm. Unless you want to spend hours trying to do simple tasks, stay well away from this book.

Very Useful Book.......2005-09-19

The right book, at the right time!

I wish I had bought this book 1 week earlier, it would have saved a lot of time and frustration.

Looks good at first but then ............2005-04-28

At first glance I thought the book was well written. However after digging deeper I found that each time I wanted a particular question asked I had to result to other books. Throughout the book the examples are fragmented and are not tied together very well.

When I downloaded the examples from the author's web site I found that every single example project I tested to be incomplete with missing files or code.

There are several syntax errors in the VB code and it is obvious that they were just copied over from the C# examples with out testing. This is also probably why the VB projects did not work. It is this reason that I decided to return the book.

Excellent end-to-end introduction to portable .NET.......2004-10-14

I'm really impressed. I'm not usually much on the big tome books. This one is almost 1400 pages, which weighs in at 5 pounds on my bathroom scale. That being said, the text is really tight, the illustrations are cropped, not overwhelming in number, and are used effectively. And the book on the whole does not pander to the reader. The topics are also covered at a reasonable depth.

The book is essentially three books, one on the compact framework, one on WinForms and one on database access, all in one book, in a well integrated form. And it works. If you need a book that is an end-to-end introduction to .NET on small devices, this is a great book to try.

Not that good.......2004-07-10

This is the first book I buy on compact .net. Granted, I can't compare with others.

Still, there are things I miss. First and foremost, Amazon's description says the book covers "Custom controls with Windows Forms Designer support". This isn't correct. The book just says "in can't be done in VB due to a bug in .NET, so the following examples must be in C#".

Also, there's no talk on locking your application so it's impossible to get out of it (for example when your app is the only application supposed to be used in a device - imagine the device that the UPS guys use).

Book Description

With start-up templates for projects ranging from Windows applications to web services, and extensive help and on-line documentation, Visual Studio .NET might be mistaken for a tool for unsophisticated users. It's true that most developers soon discover that the basic operation of Visual Studio is fairly self-explanatory; less obvious are some of the suite's more advanced built-in features. Visual Studio .Net includes a wealth of little-used capabilities, is very customizable, has a complete automation model, and much more. On top of its regular feature set, there are hosts of free add-ins, macros, and power toys that can further enhance the functionality of Visual Studio. This book is all about exploring these things, and in doing so, becoming a better and more efficient developer. Developers will learn how to:

Get the most out of projects and solutions, including getting down and dirty with the undocumented format of project and solution files
Use these editor features to the fullest, and add additional functionality to the editor through the use of third-party add-ins
Learn smarter ways to navigate the application and your own source code
Customize shortcut keys, toolbars, menus, the toolbox, and much more
Use the debugger successfully not only on your source code, but with T-SQL and scripting languages as well
Automatically generate code
Learn how the server can be used to interface with databases, services, and performance counters, as well as WMI
Use and create Visual Studio add-ins to extend its functionality

Offering valuable tips, tools, and tricks, Visual Studio Hacks takes you far beyond the suite's usual capabilities. You can read this book from cover to cover or, because each hack stands its own, you can feel free to browse and jump to the different sections that interest you most. If there's a prerequisite you need to know about, a cross-reference will guide you to the right hack. If you want to experience the full spectrum of Visual Studio's functionality and flexibility, you'll find the perfect guide for exploration in Visual Studio Hacks. Once the final page is turned, you can confidently say that you've been exposed to everything that Visual Studio .NET is capable of doing.

Customer Reviews:

Good quick reference.......2006-07-13

A lot of the tips in this book were either painfully obvious or were more "product reviews" of third-party tools than tips. But the format was easily accessible and enjoyable to read. There were enough real, productivity enhancing tips to make it worth the read.

The book was published with 2005 was in beta and so most of the tips are 2003-centric. I would like to see this book updated to be more of a "power-tips" book for 2005.

Overall--good read. It will help you use the dev environment more productively.

A must have for any VS 2005 developer.......2006-02-11

If you want to remain a Junior Programmer forever, then don't get this book. But if you want to really excel as a VS 2005 programmer, then you need to get this book. There is no fluff in this book at all. It is densly packed with a ton of useful details on the VS 2005 IDE. Not only do you learn the ins and outs of the IDE but it also guides you through several very useful 3rd party add-ins to VS.

This book is a terrific read and a great reference. I can't say that about too many books.

Full of gems.......2006-01-07

I would say this book is must-have for any die-hard .Net coder. Visual Studio.Net is a powerful IDE, and it is an expensive piece of software. This book helps you to squeeze every dollar out of your investment.

Among 100 hacks in the book, #64 about Reflector is my favorite. It sent me deep below the skin of .Net framework and get me an intimate look at .Net.

I would give this book a solid five stars if all the hacks download work as book said, but some(although very few) of hacks have bugs that need some help. For example, hack #97 Classify add-in, when I downloaded it from the book's site and installed it, I got a cryptic keybinding invalid warning. But it got fixed when I emailed the author about the problem. Thank you, James for your responsiveness.
Ying

Great collection of tips, tricks, and info to improve your VS experience.......2005-11-21

I've been using Visual Studio .NET for a couple of years now, and while I've always managed to get the things done that I needed, it was not always done in the most efficient way. However, it was not until I read this book that I realized that.

The book is well organized, divided into 13 logical chapters, each focusing on a particular area. My favorite was "Customizing Visual Studio" which shows you many ways to setup VS to work best for you and your particular needs. The book also has tons of screenshots and very clear instructions, which I have found that many computer books lack these days, especially some of the other O'Reilly books. In addition, there are lots of code samples, where applicable.

Another great thing that book included was info about a bunch of VS add-ins. There are literally hundreds of them out there, so it was nice to have someone else spend all the time sorting through them and letting the reader know which ones are worth their time.

Overall, it's a great book for anybody who uses Visual Studio .NET

good but not for a vs starter.......2005-10-05

I'm looking a visual studio book which really explain what is going on with Visual Studio from how to use it to what is really happening behind the scenes. This books DOES NOT do this.

Building Solutions with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework: Architecture and Best Practices for Mobile Development

Average customer rating:

A great book that will help you on your next mobile project
Just about the worst compact framework book
Great book for technical managers, not for developers
Two Heavy Hitters write a great book

Building Solutions with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework: Architecture and Best Practices for Mobile Development
Dan Fox , and Jon Box
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0321197887

Customer Reviews:

A great book that will help you on your next mobile project.......2005-09-06

The Fox and Box dynamic duo have created a wonderful book that really explains how to be sucessful with your Compact Framework projects. The chapter on Localization saved me a lot of time when needing to make a large-scale Compact Framework application world-ready for a current client. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Go get it!

Just about the worst compact framework book.......2005-04-28

I purchased 8 books when decided to jump from VB6 to Pocket PC programming with VB .Net. Some were good and some were bad. This book rates at the bottom of the list. I found absolutely no value in the information provided. Just about every other book was better written and provided more information.

I returned the Book.

Great book for technical managers, not for developers.......2004-05-30

This is a well written book with a nice overall structure and easy-to-follow language. Each discussion starts with an executive summary and ends with references to other resources for further reading, thus making it a very straightforward read. I will not enumerate the subjects covered, since you can do that by looking at the contents table.

Although the title tells us this is a .NETcf book, you should pay attention to the subtitle, as the topics of architecture and general advice on mobile development are also covered at considerable length. This may or may not please you, depending on your role. For example, the chapter on security includes general theoretical principles on the topic but omits examples of using the Cryptography API. We notice this in other parts of the book, and in fact the first chapter is a pure retrospection into the history of mobile devices as supported by Microsoft. Add to my previous comments that the book is only 350 pages long and the fact that there are no complete/end-to-end code examples, and you can see why it is not aimed at programmers. To be fair, the authors don't hide this and they state in their preface that the target audiences are technical managers and architects.

Like anything that goes to print, there are some errors including: the recommendation of using ResEditor (it simply does not work with the CF); the suggestion that C# is 100% compatible between desktop and compact frameworks (what about `volatile'?); and the claim that the class loader ignores the build & revision number (or that for private assemblies the version number is not consulted), which is not true. Overall, though, the content is correct and for technical managers this is probably the best book on the subject (but certainly not for developers). Finally, a small note that there is no mention of SmartPhone 2003 since the writing must have been completed prior to its launch (or indeed prior to CE 4.2).

Two Heavy Hitters write a great book.......2003-12-05

As an avid Compact Framework enthusiast, I buy every book on the CF that I can find. As you may be aware, there aren't a whole lot of them out there, but they are all really good. This one is no exception. If you do much with .NET, then you probably know these authors already, and they lived up to their reputations with this one!

Why would you want this book? Well, most importantly it really explains the Why's of Compact Framework development. There really are a lot of considerations and while the CF is very similar to the full framework, there are a lot of differences. As a developer, this book thoroughly explains what you are getting into and how to avoid many common mistakes. However, even if you are a non-technical person this book will prove to be a great asset if you are involved in decision making. After all, who wouldn't want a mobile presence for their company? Well, like everything else, it comes with some strings attached. In most instances they are trivial compared to what you get. In others they may not be. Architectural considerations are critical because you are dealing with limited battery life, smaller processors and memory and reduced real estate. It's also a lot easier to lose a PDA than it is a desktop and since many of the advantages of using Handhelds are only realized when you have wireless access, issues like bandwidth and security can make or break any mobile initiative.

I think the best part of this book is its theoretical focus. It's very easy to run off and start coding, forgetting architectural concerns. In these instances, many find that getting a great little app that works great in a test environment isn't so good once you get it into production. This book can help you minimize the chances of that happening. Furthermore, it gives you a very sober perspective on what you will need to deal with. Due to the fact that the CF has only been commercially released for under a year, and PDA development hasn't been a practical reality for more that a few years, there just isnt' that much literature out there. And this book's focus on architectural issues and HOW TO Deal with them effectively will prove how hip the authors really are.

Book Description

The primary goal of .NET Compact Framework is to bring the familiar experience of developing .NET applications for the desktop to the device world. Of the approximately six million Microsoft desktop developers in the world, it is estimated that perhaps two hundred thousand will turn their attention to the device world using the enabling technology of the .NET Compact Framework.To facilitate the goal of showing readers how to develop applications for the .NET Compact Framework, the book contains in-depth treatment in the following topic areas: Windows Forms and Threading, Network Programming, ADO.NET Dataset, XML Serialization, SQL CE, Web Services, and performance management. Each concept is accompanied with a sample application that illustrates its implementation on the .NET Compact Framework. For the convenience of the reader, each sample application will be offered in both C# and Visual Basic .NET. Developers can use this source code as a springboard for creating their own device side database applications.

Download Description

The primary goal of .NET Compact Framework is to bring the familiar experience of developing .NET applications for the desktop to the device world. Of the approximately six million Microsoft desktop developers in the world, it is estimated that perhaps two hundred thousand will turn their attention to the device world using the enabling technology of the .NET Compact Framework.To facilitate the goal of showing readers how to develop applications for the .NET Compact Framework, the book contains in-depth treatment in the following topic areas: Windows Forms and Threading, Network Programming, ADO.NET Dataset, XML Serialization, SQL CE, Web Services, and performance management. Each concept is accompanied with a sample application that illustrates its implementation on the .NET Compact Framework. For the convenience of the reader, each sample application will be offered in both C# and Visual BASIC. Developers can use this source code as a springboard for creating their own device side database applications.

Customer Reviews:

Has issues but still is a good book.......2005-04-28

I have to agree with the other posters that stated that there were errors in the book. I found where a great many of the VB examples were just copied directly from the C# with out testing them. This was obvious as they still had the ; following code lines.

That said.

I purchased 8 compact framework books and they all were lacking in one way or another. All just glossed over the database aspects. However this book was better than most and I found that out of all of them I found that as I turned to each book this one answered most of my questions.

Great for getting rolling on the .NET CF.......2004-11-06

I bought this book along with the Definitive Guide when I was assigned to do some C# work on both the regular framework and the .NET CF. I was doing mostly JavaScript for the past two years and this book really helped me get moving with C# in general. This book helped me get comfortable with getting connected to the device, understanding some of the general capabilities of the framework, and stuff like that. It paid for itself by getting me past the "hello world" stage very quickly. I recommend the Definitive Guide for when you really want to drill down but this book is great for a quick rampup, with good quick step-by-steps to do a lot of the common things programmers care about. It saved me much more time than the cost of the book, so I'm very happy with it.

Complete and detailed explanations.......2004-10-31

Information that is hard to find in other books can be find here. I buy a lot of computer books and I know when one stands out. This book paid for itself the first day.

covers basics glosses over SQL CE.......2004-06-13

This book gives a fair basic overview of the .net CF. Examples in both VB and C# are helpful to those making the switch. However, it glosses over SQL CE in one chapter with no sample code and says nothing about replication.

Get ready for missing sample files & incorrect instruction.......2004-03-27

I am currently trying one of the examples in this book. However, files that should have been included in the download are missing and some of the instructions are just FLAT WRONG. To add to this, there is no direct contact information for the authors. I have submitted the problems to the publisher but I am not hopeful. A poster on the Compact Framework newsgroup said that he had come across other errors which he submitted to the publisher some time back. As of today, there was no errata available for this book and no updates of missing files.

I find it hard to believe that they don't have at least ONE person to proofread the book and run the samples so that this doesn't happen.

The whole selling point of this book is to get you going QUICKLY with .NET CF programming. How can you do that with incomplete samples and incorrect instructions?

Book Description

SQL Server CE Database Development with the .NET Compact Framework takes an in-depth look at SQL Server CE 2.0 and the .NET Compact Framework. This book illustrates how both Visual Basic .NET and C# can be used to build powerful database applications for the Pocket PC. While other .NET Compact Framework books try to broadly cover general programming issues, this book focuses strictly on database application development.

Download Description

SQL Server CE Database Development with the .NET Compact Frameworkwill be the only book of its kind for developers wishing to take an in-depth look at all aspects of SQL Server CE 2.0 and the .NET Compact Framework, the most significantly updated area of Visual Studio 2003.

Taking an in-depth look at SQL Server CE 2.0 and the .NET Compact Framework, this book illustrates how both Visual Basic .NET and C# can be used to build powerful database applications for the Pocket PC. While other .NET Compact Framework books try to broadly cover general programming issues, this book focuses strictly on database application development.

Customer Reviews:

Got me Through SQL CE.......2006-01-29

This and another book got me through the limitations of the .net compact framework. This book helped me understand and code my first .Net Compact Framework PDA application. I used it to build an actual application. This is a down-to-earth-make-it-happen book. I hope no one else buys it so that I am one of the few that can use SQL CE effectively!

SQL CE BIBLE.......2005-09-12

SQL CE is a very tough topic with plenty of pitfalls, this is the book you need to navigate the terrain and ship your product on time. Beginner to Advanced, this book covers it all.

Design of a successful mobile system isn't necessary intuitive, this book guides you through various subtle differences in mobile development issues. The deep dive in the replication is very valuable.

A few nuggets and a lot (!) of padding.......2005-06-15

This book is padded with reference materials that you can easily find in SQL's users manual. Huge amounts of space are used to show full source examples (in both C# and VB) of incredibly simple concepts. There is a 45 page chapter on Operator Reference which includes three whole pages on using the plus sign, and another three on the minus sign. Yes SQLCE can do addition and subtraction. Similar excessive detail is given to SQL command syntax (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, etc.) and SQL function references.

The first three chapters are essentially how to use Visual Studio, how to use Active Sync, and how to use Query Analyzer. All are covered accurately, but no real insight on any of them.

So 311 pages into the book I finally get to something meaningful, Remote Data Access. Sorry, the chapter walks me, with full page screenshots, through the steps of the wizard to set up RDA. It then gives full source code (in C# and VB) to a simplistic example. Unfortunately, in all of that bulk, there are some important concepts which are essentially lost in the noise, such as why we use uniqueidentifier and timestamp columns.

OK, so maybe the next chapter on Replication will be good. Again, a highly pictoral walk through of the SQL Replication Wizard screens, and another application in full source code (in C# and VB). Oh wait! It's the same application as the previous chapter but with a replication button.

So keep reading there has to be meat here somewhere. Nope, we've hit the Appendix. And somehow we have again found a complete waste of pages. The Appendix contains a class listing of the Compact .NET Framework. I don't understand the point of this at all. It's just a listing of all the objects and their types. No descriptions, no properties, no methods. I don't know what anyone would use this for.

If the source code examples were paraphrased (and provided in full online) and the pointless references were removed, this book would be about 40 pages long. It might be a very good book at that point, although not one worth $49.99.

Great SQLCE Resource.......2005-03-25

This book is a great overview for someone starting SQL Ce development. It is also a great reference book for those familiar with CE development. The book starts by going over some of the basics of SQL CE. Examples are easy to follow and a good foundation for starting development.

I found the chapters on Remote Data Access and Merge Replication the most useful. Detailed setup and installation instruction on what is needed to use either of these technologies. Overall book was an easy read and the examples were very useful providing a great starting point to extend on.

A good reference.......2004-12-04

I found this book to be a valuable reference and the chapters on replication have saved my hours of banging my head on my desk.

What do you get...
- You get the rundown of SQL CE and its limitations.
- Some reference material on the subset you must work in.
- Numerous examples.
- Complete walkthroughs of RDA and Merge replication, including how to secure the data being transfered.

Overall I am happy with the book.
I hope in the next edition it covers some topics like best practices for design, and performance enhancements.

Average customer rating:

Deceptive title - try VB.NET for Compact Framework
What were they thinking
a great little book
PocketGuide to get you up and running with CF. Indeed it is!

.NET Compact Framework Pocket Guide
Wei-Meng Lee
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596007574

Book Description

The rapid proliferation of mobile networks for both public use and private has made connectivity-on-the-go a desirable, if not absolutely essential, condition. Nor is this mobility limited to laptops: everywhere you look, people are downloading email and other information directly to their cell phones and PDAs. For developers, this means an increased demand to create applications for mobile devices. Microsoft's .NET Compact Frameworks provides a full suite of powerful tools to help them get the job done. The .NET Compact Framework--a scaled down version of Microsoft's .NET Framework--offers a powerful programming environment for designing rich applications for the Pocket PC or Windows Mobile-based Smartphones. If you're familiar with the .NET Framework, you'll feel right at home in the .NET Compact Framework. You'll find the perfect way to jumpstart your productivity in our new .NET Compact Framework Pocket Guide. As with all of our popular Pocket Guides, this concise book delivers just the information you need without all the fluff. The .Net Compact Framework Pocket Guide provides a brief introduction to the framework and includes several projects to get you up to speed quickly. In this book you'll learn:

The basics of programming for the .NET Compact Framework using Visual Studio .NET 2003; you'll be up and running with Hello, World in no time at all
User interface design considerations for the Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and Windows Mobile-based Smartphone
How to consume web services from .NET Compact Framework applications
How to cache on-line data for use when the mobile device is out of range of a network
How to write applications that use Bluetooth.

Whether you're new to mobile programming or new to Visual Studio .NET 2003, the .NET Compact Framework Pocket Guide will teach what you need to know to get started developing mobile applications.

Customer Reviews:

Deceptive title - try VB.NET for Compact Framework.......2007-09-25

This book was a fraud. It wasn't advertised as a VB.NET only book. There is no C# code in here at all. This one went right in the garbage. The information in their was not very useful. I'd recommend buying any other book on the Compact Framework than this one. If you're looking for something that tells you what classes you can and can't use, common workarounds, etc. - look somewhere else.

What were they thinking.......2005-04-28

Ok what can I say? This book was recommended to me by a friend. It looked like the book was going to take me step by step creating a couple project, But........

The very first project was missing the appropriate code and instructions to properly place some of the commands. With no explanation on the namespace system I was at a loss. However with a little research and a couple other books I figured it out and got past the errors. However after hours of coding in the examples I kept running into other typos and inconsistencies. There was not source code available from the web so I just gave up and returned the book.

a great little book.......2005-03-17

this book is small--truly pocket-sized and also cheap.
for its size and cost, it is truly a great starter for anyone just starting out with mobile development.

PocketGuide to get you up and running with CF. Indeed it is!.......2004-07-19

This A6/B6-sized book with only 100 pages certainly justifies the "Pocket Guide" in its title. One could write a whole book on what is missing from it in terms of covering the .NET CF, but that would be unfair, as the purpose of the book is just to get you up and running with programming against the CF. It would also be unfair for this review to be longer than the book, so I'll try and keep it short.

It starts with a quick intro to the CLR, devices and Visual Studio. At the end of these small 30 pages the reader has written the typical "Hello World" app and has had all the terminology put in context; impressively straightforward writing style and explanations. The second part of the book consists of 10 pages describing every single control (with a sentence or two) and includes a very good section on SmartPhone differences and considerations. The fourth part is the same size and discusses deployment hitting all the right points.

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