Debugging Custom Controls at Design-Time for CF

[Brad Isaac]

'As Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 1.0 developers, we are well aware that the full .NET Framework has been trimmed down to run on smart devices with limited memory and processing power, such as Microsoft Pocket PCs and Windows CE handhelds. The .NET Compact Framework 1.0 supports as much of the full framework as possible, in order to maintain a memory footprint of only 2 MB that is feasible for most compact devices to handle. This doesn't include design-time functionality, because we write and compile our .NET Compact Framework code on a desktop PC—not on the device itself. The compiler is smart enough to generate libraries and executables that will specifically run on these tiny devices, and there simply isn't enough room to include support for libraries that are only utilized during development when the forms are laid out in the visual designer.
By now, you may be wondering why Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 includes several controls, like buttons and labels, that can be dragged and dropped onto Smart Device Windows Forms. How did the Microsoft developers add design-time support to their .NET Compact Framework controls when design-time support is missing from the .NET Compact Framework? Fortunately, this functionality is still available for our use despite the fact that it's missing from the .NET Compact Framework. In order to get this to work, we have to compile two different versions of the library—one that will be used on the device at runtime, and another that can be imported into the toolbox for the IDE design-time experience.' More...