VDX-6318 Windows Embedded Compact 7 - Getting Started Guide
Windows Embedded Compact 7 Getting Started Rev 2.00
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Part 12 – Silverlight for Windows Embedded
Silverlight is a user interface (UI) development framework designed to separate the graphical
presentation from the programming logic. Different from the Silverlight for the desktop environment,
where the code behind is based on managed code, SWE code behind uses native code. Using native
code, you can develop compact and efficient SWE application to support resource constrained
embedded devices.
Silverlight for Windows Embedded (SWE) was initially introduced as part of the Windows Embedded CE
6.0 R3 release. The initial release for CE 6.0 was based on Silverlight 2 and uses Expression Blend 2 to
develop the XAML code project for the UI. For this release, you need to manually convert the XAML
code from Expression Blend 2 to a CE 6.0 application project, as a subproject within an OS design.
SWE for Compact 7 is based on Silverlight 3 and uses Expression Blend 3 to develop the XAML code
project for the UI. The Compact 7 release includes addition SWE tools to help convert the Expression
Blend 3 XAML code project to a Compact 7 application subproject to the OS design. Here is the list of
the additional SWE software components included as part of the Compact 7 software:
Windows Embedded Silverlight Tools (WEST)
The WEST tool installed as plug-in to the VS2008 IDE, provides the following functions:
o
Create Platform Builder Subproject wizard
: This wizard is provided to convert Expression
Blend 3 XAML code into a Compact 7 application subproject.
o
Update Silverlight for Windows Embedded Project wizard
: This wizard is provided to
update the codes in a Compact 7 application subproject (initially converted from a SWE
Expression Blend 3 XAML code project), when the source project, the Expression Blend
XAML code project, is changed.
o
Windows Embedded Events wizard
: This wizard is provided to add C++ event handlers to
the user interface elements parsed from the SWE Expression Blend 3 XAML code.
While SWE for Compact 7 is based on Silverlight 3, it’s a subset of the Silverlight 3 for the desktop and
does not support all of the Silverlight 3 features. SWE Expression Blend 3 project is created using the
Silverlight for Windows Embedded Template, which limit the project to use features that are supported
by the SWE for Compact 7 environment.
Here is the process to develop a SWE for Compact 7 application:
1.
Create a SWE for Compact 7 application from the Expression Blend 3 IDE, using the Silverlight for
Windows Embedded template.
2.
Convert the Expression Blend 3 SWE XAML code project to a Compact 7 subproject, using WEST.
3.
Use the Windows Embedded Events wizard to create the necessary event handler and add code
to support the application’s function and logic.
SWE application development is a broad subject involving multiple technologies. It’s not within this
getting started guide’s intention to cover SWE application development. For more information about
SWE for Compact 7 and sample application, please visit the following URL:
o
http://www.silverlight.net/
o
http://www.embeddedpc.net/SWE/