Exporting an SDK from Microsoft Windows CE Platform Builder

Microsoft Corporation

April 1999

Summary: This paper explains how to export a software development kit (SDK) from Microsoft® Windows® CE Platform Builder version 2.11 and install it on a computer for use with Microsoft Windows CE Toolkit for Visual C++® version 6.0.

Introduction

Microsoft Windows CE Platform Builder version 2.11 provides a set of development tools designed to create custom configurations of the Windows CE (WCE) operating system (OS) for embedded devices. Platform Builder can then package the OS configuration into a software development kit (SDK), and you can export the SDK for your use or for use by independent software and hardware vendors. This SDK contains the tools and information needed to develop applications for Windows CE-based platforms using Microsoft Windows CE Toolkit for Visual C++.

This paper assumes you have used Platform Builder to create a custom Windows CE build and are ready to export its SDK. For information about creating a custom Windows CE build, see the Platform Builder documentation.

Exporting an SDK from Platform Builder involves two procedures: creating a Windows CE configuration using the Configuration Wizard and then exporting the SDK using the Export SDK Wizard.

Creating a Windows CE Configuration

Before you can export an SDK, Platform Builder needs to know where the OS configuration is located on your hard drive. Using the Configuration Wizard in Platform Builder, you must point to the following files that define your OS:

When you export the SDK for a platform, Platform Builder refers to the data collected by the Configuration Wizard and packages the appropriate directories into a self-extracting executable file, complete with headers, libraries, and OS components.

This section first describes file paths that you might need to add using the Configuration Wizard, and then gives a step-by-step procedure for using the Configuration Wizard to add file paths.

You must specify paths to all the files in your OS configuration. If you want to create additional application programming interfaces (APIs) that are not included in Windows CE, you also need to add your dynamic-link library (DLL) and header file paths. The paths should indicate the library and header files located under the Cesysgen directory of your OS configuration. For example, you could add the following Include paths. The header files in these paths support software application and client device driver development.

C:\wince211\public\MyOSProj\cesysgen\sdk\inc
C:\wince211\public\MyOSProj\cesysgen\ddk\inc

For example, if you have built the OS configuration Maxall for x86 and SH3 CPUs, you could point to files your software application can link to by adding the following Library paths:

C:\wince211\public\MyOSProj\cesysgen\sdk\lib\x86\i486\ce\retail
C:\wince211\public\MyOSProj\cesysgen\ddk\lib\x86\i486\ce\retail
C:\wince211\public\MyOSProj\cesysgen\sdk\lib\shx\sh3\ce\retail
C:\wince211\public\MyOSProj\cesysgen\ddk\lib\shx\sh3\ce\retail

If you are exporting files for an independent software vendor, you need only include files under the directory Cesysgen\Sdk. If you are exporting files for an independent hardware vendor, you must also include files under the directory Cesysgen\Ddk.

In addition to including vendor-specific files, if you are including support for Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) or Active Template Library (ATL) in your Windows CE image, you must include the MFC or ATL headers provided on installation CD 1. MFC and ATL directories are located in the root directory on the CD. Copy these entire directories to your development workstation, and provide the file paths; or provide paths to the CD directories.

To provide an independent software vendor with support for debugging MFC or ATL applications, you must include paths to the source files. For example, add paths such as the following:

\Atl\Src
\Atl\Src\X86
\Mfc\Src
\Mfc\Src\X86

To add file paths:

  1. Choose Configuration Wizard from the Build menu.

  2. Select the Add new configuration option, and choose Next.

  3. Enter a configuration name that identifies your project or product in the Enter new configuration name box.

  4. Select the check boxes for the CPU platforms that you want the configuration to support, and choose Next. Be sure to select only CPU platforms for which you have built a Windows CE OS.

  5. For each CPU platform selected in step 4, select that platform in the Platforms list, select a file type in the File Types list, and choose Add to add the corresponding paths to the Directories box. Repeat this step as many times as needed to add all the necessary Include, Library, Executable, and Source files.

    You must provide paths to each directory. The Configuration Wizard does not automatically include subdirectories.

  6. Choose Done. The WCE Configuration list on the Build toolbar will now include the configuration you added.

If you need to verify or change the file paths for your configuration:

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu, and then choose the Directories tab.

  2. Select your WCE configuration in the WCE Configuration list.

  3. Select the platform in the Platform list.

  4. Select the file type for which you want to verify file paths in the Show directories for list.

  5. Verify and, if necessary, change the files listed in the Directories box.

  6. Repeat steps 3-5, as needed, for each platform and file type.

Exporting an SDK

After you create a configuration using the Configuration Wizard, use the Export SDK Wizard to select the configuration, and export its platform SDK. The export process creates a compressed, self-extracting executable file.

To export an SDK:

  1. Choose Export SDK from the Build menu.

  2. Select the configuration you want to export, and choose Next.

    If your Windows CE image includes MFC, MFC ActiveX®, or ATL support, and your configuration includes the appropriate paths, select the check boxes applicable to MFC, MFC ActiveX, and ATL. Selecting these check boxes does not cause the inclusion of the MFC, MFC ActiveX, or ATL files. To include the files, you must have added them to a Windows CE configuration that you previously created.

  3. Enter the directory where you want to save the self-extracting executable file in the Export SDK to box, and choose Next.

  4. Enter an End User License Agreement (EULA) in the Software License Agreement box, and choose Next.

  5. When the export is complete, choose Finish. Verify the compressed file exists in the specified directory.

The time required to export depends on the number of files to be exported. Including MFC files, for example, noticeably increases the export time. While the export is still in progress, the dialog box displays "Exporting SDK to." When the export is complete, "SDK Exported to" is displayed.

To cancel the export, choose the Cancel button. To cancel the export and change the SDK export options, choose the Back button.

Installing and Using the SDK

Installing an exported SDK is as simple as double-clicking the exported .exe file. The setup displays an EULA, which must be accepted, and then installs all necessary files and settings on the computer. The extracted files are placed in the directory

C:\Windows CE Tools\WCE211\projectname.

The SDK is now available for developing Windows CE-based applications using Microsoft Windows CE Toolkit for Visual C++. After you open a workspace in the Toolkit, select the new configuration supplied by the SDK as the active WCE configuration. The active WCE configuration is the second box from the left on the WCE Configuration toolbar, as shown below in Figure 1.

Figure 1. WCE configuration toolbar

For More Information

For more information about creating a custom Windows CE configuration in Platform Builder, see the Platform Builder documentation. For more information about using the Windows CE Toolkit for Visual C++, see the Toolkit documentation.

For the latest information about Windows CE and embedded development tools, visit the Windows CE developer site on the Web: www.microsoft.com/windowsce/developer/default.asp.

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