Windows Mobile: Writing applications for multiple device screen sizes/orientations

I just recieved the latest issue of "Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine", and they were kind enough to publish my article on writing applications in managed code that support multiple screen sizes and orientations. This is a tricky subject, and I've tried to lay out some approaches that might be helpful. My thanks to Mel Sampat who is the expert on this subject.

 Now I have to finish the companion piece of developing using C++... It's a good thing we've all got snowed in again in Redmond, and I have the afternoon free to work on it.

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 17, 2007
  I am looking forward to seeing ideas for this in c++  - my new app for Windows Mobile 5 uses the "top left hand corner" method for not exceeding the screen size and it's very liming.

• Anonymous
  January 19, 2007
  You'll want to see this then: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=a908dd7f-71c0-4cea-b97d-b9ffe985f903&displaylang=en :-)

• Anonymous
  January 26, 2007
  I did have a look at that, got part-way through watching the video then had to get back to work. It talked about landscape and portrait screens, but I was hoping to find a way of coping with square screens as well. Though I suspect I'll just have to use different screens on the square products as no amount of moving controls will cope with having less screen space. (In case anyone was wondering, the last word in my first comment should have been "limiting").

• Anonymous
  January 26, 2007
  The important part is that Mel introduces a library called ScreenLib that will help your controls re-position themselves: so your app will look good on both landscape/portrait AND square devices. My article in the magazine discusses some other approaches: using the control layout templates to make "snapshots" for different layouts for example.

• Anonymous
  January 28, 2007
  Sounds like I need to finish the video and/or play with the code.