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Tools menu (Device Stage Visual Editor)

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You can use the Device Stage Visual Editor Tools menu to get hardware IDs, create GUIDs, and use the test mode.

The Tools menu contains the following commands, which are described in this topic:

  • Get Hardware ID
  • Create a GUID
  • Enter Test Mode
  • Exit Test Mode

Get Hardware ID

There are two parts to get the hardware IDs in Device Stage Visual Editor: one is to get the computer Hardware ID for PC, and the other part is to get the Hardware ID for other types of devices. When you select Get Hardware ID, Device Stage Visual Editor automatically determines the category for your Metadata Package.

To get the device hardware ID

  1. On the Tools menu, click Get Hardware ID.
  2. Select the corresponding settings in the Get Hardware ID pop-up window, and click OK.
  3. Choose the HWID that matches the device and then click OK.

To get the computer hardware ID

  1. On the Tools menu, click Get Hardware ID.
  2. After you obtain the HWID, you receive a confirmation message that the Hardware ID was successfully obtained.

By default, Device Stage Visual Editor auto-runs ComputerHardwareIDs.exe (a command-line tool that is included with Device Stage Visual Editor) to obtain a computer hardware ID. It then reads the first computer hardware ID from the output. This default computer hardware ID is obtained when you select Get Hardware ID.

In addition to obtaining and reading the first hardware ID from the output, ComputerHardwareIDs.exe lists a total of seven hardware ID GUIDs for the computer that are based on information from the system's System Management BIOS (SMBIOS). These computer hardware IDs represent the following items:

  • Manufacturer
  • Family
  • Product Name
  • Vendor
  • BIOS Version
  • System BIOS Major Release
  • Enclosure Type

You can obtain a specific computer hardware ID with which to identify your device metadata package instead of using the default hardware ID.

To get a specific computer hardware ID

  1. Click Start and then type cmd.

  2. Right-click the Cmd.exe application, and then click Run as administrator.

  3. Type the following command at the command prompt:

    ...\resource\ComputerHardwareIds.exe

    Where “. . .” is the installation location of Device Stage Visual Editor on your computer.

  4. Press Enter.

  5. Manually copy the GUID that represents the computer hardware ID that you want to use, as shown in the following screen shot.

  6. Paste the GUID into the String Collection Editor of the HardwareIDs field in Device Stage Visual Editor.

For more information about computer hardware IDs, see Specifying Hardware IDs for a Computer.

Create a GUID

The definitions of many unseen XML elements in Device Stage Visual Editor metadata packages require the use of GUIDs to decipher different device experiences and tasks. Each task has its own GUID in Device Stage Visual Editor.

Device Stage Visual Editor offers a built-in algorithm function that reliably produces a unique GUID number every time the function runs.

Note  Device Stage Visual Editor auto-generates all GUIDs as you load default templates and add custom categories and tasks. You can use the Create a GUID tool for unique situations such as testing or replication when you want to force creation of a new GUID.

To create a new GUID

  1. On the Tools menu, click Create a GUID.
  2. In the Create GUID dialog box, click the Generate button.
  3. Copy the generated number and paste it over the existing GUID in the target Category or Task ID field.
  4. Exit the Create GUID dialog box or click the Generate button to create another GUID.

Note  Every task must have a unique GUID. When you create a new task or when you save a metadata package as a new file, you must create a unique new GUID in ID field for Custom tasks and Custom task categories. The GUIDs for the tasks or task categories in the required, template-based tasks for a given device category must remain unchanged. Please note that an error in GUID will cause the metadata package to fail.

Enter Test Mode

A device metadata package contains all files that are necessary to display the Device Stage experience in Windows 7. Before the Device Stage experience can run in Windows 7, Microsoft must sign the files.

Device Stage Visual Editor provides the functionality for you to set up a test environment to run preliminary tests on your metadata package. After you assemble your metadata package, you can start the Device Stage experience when your computer is in test mode.

To enter test mode

  1. On the Tools menu, click Enter Test Mode.

    You are prompted to restart your computer to activate test mode.

  2. Restart your computer.

    After you restart your computer, the Test Mode Windows 7 Build xxxx watermark displays in the lower-right corner of your desktop.

After you enable test mode, you can build a metadata package (which creates the final .cab file) and start the Device Stage experience.

Windows 7 requires a Microsoft signature on Device Stage experiences. The goal is to ensure that the experience is well formed, that associated devices meet the functionality requirements, and that the Device Stage experience that you designed and developed is delivered to users. If the computer is not in test mode, the Device Stage platform does not present Device Stage experiences that are unsigned or that have been altered after they were signed.

Important  Your computer remains in test mode until you exit test mode and restart your computer.

Test the Device Stage Experience

To test the experience, plug in the device. Depending on the class of device for which you are developing, you might see an auto-run experience (for nomad devices such as portable media players or mobile phones), or you must double-click the device in the Devices and Printers window. The latter approach is required for non-nomad devices such as keyboards, mice, or smart cards.

Note  You build the experience in Device Stage Visual Editor, so it doesn’t matter whether the device is connected to the computer. If the device is already connected to the computer when you are building the experience, Device Stage Visual Editor automatically retrieves the Hardware ID from that device. However, you can also input the device’s Hardware ID manually without connecting to the computer.

You can debug metadata package installation problems by using Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) or the Problem Reports and Solution application. For more information about how to install and debug the device metadata package, see Device Metadata Package Pipeline.

For details on testing, see the Microsoft Device Experience Development Kit.

To exit test mode

  1. On the Tools menu, click Exit Test Mode.

    You are prompted to restart your computer to deactivate test mode.

  2. Restart your computer.

    After you restart your computer, the Test Mode Windows 7 Build xxxx watermark no longer displays in the lower-right corner of your desktop.

Device Stage Visual Editor v1.5 User's Guide

Windows 7 device experience

 

 

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