Version 0.5 of my PDC Session Browser is ready to roll! This started off for me as a way to learn how to do a few specific new things for a current project and to get ramped to attend the (Now sold out!) Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in LA. In order to get the most from the conference, I’ve been working hard to increase what I know going in so that I can build upon it and do even more with what I’ll see. It has been great to hear the ideas of others including those working on similar projects. it has been great to make a number of new contacts and I look forward to meeting you in LA. I think that this is an excellent time to be a Windows developer, with great opportunities for us to make the most of.
As mentioned before, I decided to create a Visual Basic.Net application using the Compact .Net Framework so that it would run on my Pocket PC PDA. The goal was to write a small application that would provide me with informational details on the various conference sessions.
A few of the things used in to achieve this were:
- To connect to a web service to receive the latest updated session list.
- Store the all data locally on the device in XML
- Create a custom control to display the session data
- Maintain as small of footprint and ease of deployment possible
My next steps are:
- Fix the date sort
- Refactor a lot of the code now that I know what I’m doing
- Provide better error handling
- Create some sort of P2P/Blog style message board WIFI equipped devices
- Provide session notes (Share session notes?)
- Update notifications.
The ARM self-installing CAB file is available here. Drop me an email if you require a different version. Just copy it onto your device and give it a tap. It will install itself in the Program Files directory.
Thanks to everybody for your help and support!