Create Your Application Using an SDK for an OS Image (Compact 2013)
10/26/2015
You can create a project for an application that you will develop and test on a stand-alone virtual device that includes the run-time image in a virtual drive or on a device that has the run-time image copied into flash memory. This type of project does not require Platform Builder because you do not need to download an run-time image to the device or the virtual device to test a change in your application code. To create this type of application project, you include the SDK that was created from the OS design project.
Tip
If you plan to test your application on a virtual device or a device that does not already include an run-time image, use the procedure in Create Your Application as a Platform Builder Subproject instead.
Prerequisites
To complete the following procedure, you must:
- Install Windows Embedded Compact, with or without Platform Builder. For more information, see Install Windows Embedded Compact 2013.
- Install the SDK that was created from an OS design project by you or the OS developer. For information about how to create an SDK by using Platform Builder, see Create Software Development Kits. For information about how to create an SDK to use with a virtual device, see Create an OS and SDK for the Sample Virtual Device.
- Optional. If you plan to use a virtual device for preliminary testing, create or have access to a stand-alone virtual device that is similar to the SDK for your target device. For more information about creating a stand-alone virtual device, see Create a Virtual Device for Use with an SDK.
To create an application project
If you haven't done so already, install the SDK for the OS design. Navigate to the SDK installer and double-click it to begin the installation process. Complete the steps in the wizard as directed.
In Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 or Microsoft Visual Studio 2015, on the File menu, point to New, and then click Project.
In the New Project dialog box, under Templates, expand the Visual C++ node, then expand the Windows Embedded Compact node, then select the node corresponding to your SDK.
In the list of available project types, select the type of project that you want to create. This list includes only those templates or features that are supported by the SDK.
Your new project is generated and opens in Visual Studio for editing.
Tip
Do not select the Empty project option unless you want to create a project without source files.
To build the solution, right-click your solution name and click Build.
Next Steps
You can now develop your application by adding code to the source file, creating new source files, and so on.
To test your application, you must use a stand-alone virtual device that already includes the run-time image or a device that has the run-time image copied into flash memory. The target virtual device or device must be selected in Configuration Manager for the active solution configuration.
.png "Selecting a platform for the active configuration")
For each change that you make to your application code, you will need to rebuild your application and rerun it on the virtual device or device.
To debug your application, use the tools in Visual Studio. In Visual Studio, you connect to your device or stand-alone virtual device using Connect to Device on the Tools menu, set breakpoints in your application source files, and then press F5 to run your application in debug mode.