Windows CE Interface

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it:WINDOWS CE INTERFACE

Setting Up the Windows CE interface

Following are instructions to manually set up the Windows CE interface. Another option is to just use the pre-compiled snapshot


The Compiler and Run-time library for Windows CE are only available on the development branch of Free Pascal, the 2.1.x version. Lazarus snapshot comes with this Free Pascal version.


Step 1 - To start with you will need to recompile the compiler on Windows to create a Windows CE - ARM Crosscompiler. There are instructions here: WinCE_port.

Step 2 - You also need to compile FCL (Free Component Library) with the newly built compile. Instructions here.

Step 3 - Put the batch file bellow on the root of your subversion lazarus directory and run it

PATH=C:\Programas\lazarus\pp\bin\i386-win32;c:\Programas\arm
make lcl LCL_PLATFORM=wince PP=ppcrossarm.exe CPU_TARGET=arm OS_TARGET=wince

This should compile LCL for Windows CE.

Step 4 - Cross-compile the LazarusPackageIntf so you can use 3rd party visual components. Go to lazarus\packager\registration and do:

PATH=C:\Programas\lazarus\pp\bin\i386-win32;c:\Programas\arm
make PP=ppcrossarm.exe CPU_TARGET=arm OS_TARGET=wince

NOTE: you need to specify $(LazarusDir)\packager\units\$(TargetCPU)-$(TargetOS)\ into your project's unit path (adding FCL as requirement should do that).

Step 5 - Now you can use lazarus IDE to design,compile and debug your applications.

  • You can also use scripts similar to this for compiling your applications:
PATH=C:\Programas\lazarus\pp\bin\i386-win32;c:\Programas\arm
ppcrossarm.exe -Twince -FuC:\Programas\fpc\rtl\units\arm-wince -FDC:\Programas\arm -XParm-wince- test.pas
ppcrossarm.exe -Twince -FuC:\programas\lazarus\lcl\units\arm-wince -FuC:\programas\lazarus\lcl\units\arm-wince\wince -FuC:\Programas\fpc\rtl\units\arm-wince -FDC:\Programas\arm -XParm-wince- windowtest.pas

Compiling Windows CE project files with Lazarus IDE

Everything is just as you do with other interfaces and oses. Make sure you have selected wince as widgetset in in Compiler Options->Paths and in Code tab page select WinCE as target os and arm as Target CPU. You also need to change compiler path in Environment options to point to your ppcrossarm.exe compiler.

Now IDE is ready to compiler your files.

Debbuging Windows CE software on the Lazarus IDE

You can also debug applications created whithin Lazarus IDE.

Step 1 - In Lazarus IDE go to the menu Environment->Debugger Options. Change the debugger path to the directory with gdb for wince.you can get it from here ftp://ftp.freepascal.org/pub/fpc/contrib/cross/gdb-6.4-win32-arm-wince.zip


Step 2 - If you are using Microsoft Device Emulator Preview, launch(or restore)it.Make sure you've started emulator with 128mg of ram.Select a path for shared folders in emulator, add copy command to your .bat file used for building your application to copy the compiled exe file to your shared path.(as you can see in my .bat file).Here is a .bat file you can use to launch emulator with 128 of ram.

start deviceemulator.exe ".\ppc_2003_se\PPC_2003_SE_WWE_ARMv4.bin" /memsize 128 /skin 
".\ppc_2003_se\PocketPC_2003_Skin.xml"

After that just do 'save and exit' whenever you want to quit emulator,and launch it again from shortcuts created in your start menu.(the shortcuts with '(restore)').

Step 3 - Run Device Emulator Manager and in available emulators right click on the name of emulator and do cradle.Now Microsoft ActiveSync will be launched.If not in Micrososft ActiveSync Go to the menu File->Get connected.If still ActiveSync doesnt recognize the emulator.Uncradle and Cradle the emulator again.

Step 4 - Copy that file with File Explorer program in your emulator to \gdb directory.If it is your first time running emulator you have to create a gdb directory in 'My Pocket PC' folder which is your root(\) folder.(To make things even faster for your each build,with file explorer go to your shared folder,press ctrl+c in your exe file,go to \gdb folder and each time before you try to debug your application just press ctrl+v)

Step 5 - Now you can safely debug your application.gdb for wince will be launched.it will copy arm-wince-pe-stub.exe to \gdb folder and check if your application.exe file is there and will launch the program. If you encountered an error make sure the \gdb folder is created,arm-wince-pe-stub.exe and you exe file is there.Also most of the times becouse of big size of exe file you can not copy that into your \gdb file.So you have to call Microsoft Device Emulator Preview with 128mg of ram instead of defaulkt 64mg ram.

Some Hints

1. Programs exist in memory still after exiting them.So you cant overwrite the file if you mae a nwere .exe file.You have to use tools like Process Viewer from Microsoft which remotly shows all processes and allow you to kill them.Or use process killers inside emulator.I use Process Explorer,very good program,inside emulator.Get it from http://madebits.com .

2. Each time you are done with debugging your program dont exit from program.Do program Reset and then Debugger reset.Note that sometimes still program exist in memory,so you also have to kill the process too.

Screenshots

An example of Lazarus+WinCE and the Free Pascal software used to test the cross compiler:

Capture 2.jpg Wince.PNG

How to add a new control

For example TButton.

TButton is defined in lcl/buttons.pp. This is the platform independent part of the LCL, which is used by the normal LCL programmer.

Its widgetset class is in lcl/widgetset/wsbuttons.pp. This is the platform independent base for all widgetsets (qt, carbon, gtk, win32, ...).

It's wince interface class is in lcl/interfaces/wince/wincewsbuttons.pp:

 TWinCEWSButton = class(TWSButton)
 private
 protected
 public
   class function  CreateHandle(const AWinControl: TWinControl; const AParams: TCreateParams): TLCLIntfHandle; override;
 end;

Every WS class, that actually implements something must be registered. See the initialization section at the end of the wincewsXXX.pp unit:

 RegisterWSComponent(TButton, TWinCEWSButton);


Also notice that DestroyHandle should be implemented to clean up memory utilized by the control.

See Also

  • User:CCRDude - Alternative Lazarus Windows CE tutorial using Win64
  • Mini framework for WindowsCE applications:

pkMiniGUI.pas Documentation

Downloads