BSP Export Wizard automation (Windows CE 5.0)

Is there a way to automate the BSP Export Wizard? We would like to add the
BSP creation as part of a nightly build. The best scenario will be to be
able to provide an input file to some command line.

Thanks,

>M.

Michel
Tue Jun 17 16:43:54 PDT 2008

My advice is to not use that msi file creator. Just pack the BSP as a
ZIP (excluding all generated files of course) and add instructions on
how to add the BSP. I've seen too many things go wrong with the msi
package (like overwriting an existing BSP without warning, not wanting
to install at all, catalog corruption, all without any sensible error
message).

CE 6.0 doesn't even have an msi file creator anymore. The way to do it
on CE 6.0 is also to create a ZIP and include instructions. They didn't
drop it without any reason...

Just use the same method in CE 5 so that whenever you move to CE 6 your
users are already familiar with how to install the BSP.

Good luck,

Michel Verhagen, eMVP
Check out my blog: http://GuruCE.com/blog

GuruCE Ltd.
Microsoft Embedded Partner
http://GuruCE.com
Consultancy, training and development services.

BSQR_MSoto wrote:
> Is there a way to automate the BSP Export Wizard? We would like to add the
> BSP creation as part of a nightly build. The best scenario will be to be
> able to provide an input file to some command line.
>
> Thanks,
>
>> M.

Bruce
Tue Jun 17 16:49:31 PDT 2008

Yes, search for SDK in PB Help. You should find "Building an SDK from the
Command Line"

You don't say which version of PB, there are differences.

--
Bruce Eitman (eMVP)
Senior Engineer
Bruce.Eitman AT EuroTech DOT com
My BLOG http://geekswithblogs.net/bruceeitman

EuroTech Inc.
www.EuroTech.com

"BSQR_MSoto" <BSQRMSoto@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:92665029-EE04-44F9-9BA8-289439D9E837@microsoft.com...
> Is there a way to automate the BSP Export Wizard? We would like to add
> the
> BSP creation as part of a nightly build. The best scenario will be to be
> able to provide an input file to some command line.
>
> Thanks,
>
>>M.

Bruce
Tue Jun 17 18:38:47 PDT 2008

Argh, I misread this one. I have SDKs on my mind lately...

--
Bruce Eitman (eMVP)
Senior Engineer
Bruce.Eitman AT EuroTech DOT com
My BLOG http://geekswithblogs.net/bruceeitman

EuroTech Inc.
www.EuroTech.com

"Bruce Eitman [eMVP]" <bruce.eitman.nospam@EuroTech.com.nospam> wrote in
message news:%23ollJTN0IHA.4500@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Yes, search for SDK in PB Help. You should find "Building an SDK from the
> Command Line"
>
> You don't say which version of PB, there are differences.
>
> --
> Bruce Eitman (eMVP)
> Senior Engineer
> Bruce.Eitman AT EuroTech DOT com
> My BLOG http://geekswithblogs.net/bruceeitman
>
> EuroTech Inc.
> www.EuroTech.com
>
> "BSQR_MSoto" <BSQRMSoto@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:92665029-EE04-44F9-9BA8-289439D9E837@microsoft.com...
>> Is there a way to automate the BSP Export Wizard? We would like to add
>> the
>> BSP creation as part of a nightly build. The best scenario will be to be
>> able to provide an input file to some command line.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>>M.
>
>

Bruce
Tue Jun 17 18:45:28 PDT 2008

Agreed. Besides, I never have the luxury of just grabbing the code and
delivering it anyway. I usually have some third-party code that I can't
release and some secret sauce that I want to keep to myself. For that I
created a couple of fairly simple batch files to process the BSP and then
zip them up.

Of course if BSQR means BSQUARE you have already thought of these things.

--
Bruce Eitman (eMVP)
Senior Engineer
Bruce.Eitman AT EuroTech DOT com
My BLOG http://geekswithblogs.net/bruceeitman

EuroTech Inc.
www.EuroTech.com

"Michel Verhagen (eMVP)" <michel@nospam.box> wrote in message
news:OA$8BQN0IHA.4040@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> My advice is to not use that msi file creator. Just pack the BSP as a ZIP
> (excluding all generated files of course) and add instructions on how to
> add the BSP. I've seen too many things go wrong with the msi package (like
> overwriting an existing BSP without warning, not wanting to install at
> all, catalog corruption, all without any sensible error message).
>
> CE 6.0 doesn't even have an msi file creator anymore. The way to do it on
> CE 6.0 is also to create a ZIP and include instructions. They didn't drop
> it without any reason...
>
> Just use the same method in CE 5 so that whenever you move to CE 6 your
> users are already familiar with how to install the BSP.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Michel Verhagen, eMVP
> Check out my blog: http://GuruCE.com/blog
>
> GuruCE Ltd.
> Microsoft Embedded Partner
> http://GuruCE.com
> Consultancy, training and development services.
>
> BSQR_MSoto wrote:
>> Is there a way to automate the BSP Export Wizard? We would like to add
>> the BSP creation as part of a nightly build. The best scenario will be
>> to be able to provide an input file to some command line.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>> M.

Arnie
Tue Aug 05 14:19:41 PDT 2008

I have a tool that will do this but is probably overkill for what you need.

As Michel points out things have changed anyways for CE6.0.

In CE5.0 the export wizard zipped up your files/folders and then
auto-registers any catalog updates you may have.
To me this was really the only redeeming quality of the wizard "to update
the catalog on the target system".

If you really need to do this for now you may just want to create a .zip
file and then use the command-line tool provided by MS for updating a
catalog (the name escapes me .. but it's found in the docs and in the bin
dir). With those two things your essentially mimicing the export wizard
.msi.

This will set you up nicely for the easier 6.0 model.

If you really need the full functionality of the CE5.0 export wizard I can
send you a code snippet off-line.

-jeff a

"BSQR_MSoto" <BSQRMSoto@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:92665029-EE04-44F9-9BA8-289439D9E837@microsoft.com...
> Is there a way to automate the BSP Export Wizard? We would like to add
> the
> BSP creation as part of a nightly build. The best scenario will be to be
> able to provide an input file to some command line.
>
> Thanks,
>
>>M.