Rockwell Automation 2711P Software Development Kit User Manual - Manual (Page 29)

29 Publication 2711P-UM005A-EN-P - March 2007
Chapter
2
Developing CE Applications
Overview This chapter covers topics on developing CE applications for the
2711P PanelView Plus CE device:
• Distribution and installation
• Persistency considerations
• Set up of the development system
Application Distribution
and Installation Application programs for the PanelView Plus CE device will consist of
EXE and DLL files that will reside in the FAT partition of the internal
CompactFlash card; for example, \Storage Card. They will be installed
much like applications for Windows desktop operating systems.
Typically, a CE application will be distributed as a.cab file install
package containing the run-time components, in compressed form,
and an executable installation script that manages the installation
process.
When the installation package is run, the run-time components are
decompressed and moved to their assigned folders, desktop icons and
start menu entries are created, and the system registry is edited to
register the application’s components and associated parameters.
Finally, an uninstall script is created and saved.
A program such as the CAB Wizard or InstallShield tool is
recommended for packaging applications for distribution. These tools
alleviate some of the difficulties associated with the development of
installation scripts and imposes a familiar look and feel on the
installation process. The application developer should give some
thought to the means to be used for distributing the installation script.
Generally, there are two means available: CDROM and the internet.