Problem:        How To Install the SatForms Runtime for PocketPC Programmatically

Updated for Version 8: With Satellite Forms 8 there is a new capability to use an integrated runtime engine, which removes the need to install the runtime engine files separately from the application files.

Updated: Starting with Satellite Forms 7.0, it is possible to bundle the PocketPC runtime engine directly with your application files, instead of needing to install the runtime engine separately.  That is the new recommended approach, described in How To Bundle the SatForms PocketPC runtime engine with your app.  The information below is retained for Satellite Forms 6.x users.

Solution:        The installation of the SatForms Runtime for PocketPC can be automated using the SatForms ActiveSync OCX.  An example is given here for Visual Basic, thought the same functions could be executed under any development language that employs ActiveX controls.  The necessary steps are:

1. Install the SF runtime cab file to the PPC device

2. Remotely launch the cab file to install the files on the PPC

1. Use FileSendToPPC function to send the right CAB file to a folder on the PPC, eg. \MyAppInstall

Use the FileSendToPPC OCX function to send the CAB file to the PPC in the desired folder (may need to use the CreateFolder function first if the folder does not exist).  It is safe to send the CAB to the default \My Documents folder if desired.

eg. SyncAx1.FileSendToPPC("SatFormsRuntimeRDK.Arm.CAB", "\MyAppInstall\SatFormsRuntimeRDK.Arm.CAB")

2. Use the StartApp function in CeSync to invoke the CAB file to install.  To do this you need to start the wceload.exe utility on the PPC and pass it the name of the CAB file to install:

SyncAx1.StartApp("wceload.exe", "\MyAppInstall\SatFormsRuntimeRDK.Arm.CAB")

NOTE: If you install stuff to a path with spaces (eg. \My Documents\MyApp) then you will have to deal with enclosing the commandline arg in quotes, which in VB ends up looking like this:

SyncAx1.StartApp("wceload.exe", """\My Documents\MyApp\SatFormsRuntimeRDK.Arm.CAB""")

The SatForms Runtime installation should proceed without needing any user input.  On PocketPC 2002/2003/2003SE the operating system will automatically delete the CAB file once it has been installed, but on Windows Mobile 5.0 the CAB will not be deleted automatically by the system.

Keywords:      PocketPC, runtime, install, CAB, wceload, StartApp, OCX, ActiveSync

KB ID: 10015 

Updated: 2010-06-22

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