ActiveSync aware – are you?

Ever wondered how the ActiveSync synchronization application gets launched automatically when you plug-in your SmartPhone or PocketPC? Or, would you like to build your application ActiveSync-aware, getting invoked when ActiveSync connection has been established or disconnected?

On your desktop, under the following registry key, create an entry for the application to be launched when ActiveSync connection has been established:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows CE Services\AutoStartOnConnect

Likewise, to invoke an application when ActiveSync connection is disrupted, create an entry under the following registry key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows CE Services\AutoStartOnDisconnect

Source Code – Windows CE File Manager

As part of the recently concluded Mobile and Embedded DevCon 2004 at Bangalore, from 9th-11th Dec 2004, I delivered a talk on Remote API (RAPI), amongst other things. To demonstrate the tremendous power and capability of Windows CE RAPI (which allows us to managed CE based devices from the desktop), I wrote a Windows CE File Manager – a Windows Explorer like application that can be used to navigate the CE device’s file system and move files to/fro the device and your desktop and open them from the device directly.

For those interested in the source code of the application, it can be downloaded from the Source Code section at the following URI:

http://www.wintoolzone.com/showpage.aspx?url=win32.aspx

Its a VS.NET 2003 VC++ Solution.