How to Add an Application to the Catalog (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)

1/6/2010

After you create an application for an operating-system (OS) design, you can add the application to the Catalog so that other OS designs created on the same development workstation can include the new application.

When you add a new application to the Catalog, you no longer need to re-create the application, and it becomes easier to add it to an OS design.

You can also distribute custom Catalog items, along with their corresponding source modules, to third-party developers. Then, third-party developers can view your features in the Catalog and can use the Catalog Items View to include them in their custom OS designs.

Hardware and Software Assumptions

• Familiarity with creating and building run-time images and applications in the Platform Builder IDE.
• Familiarity with editing Catalog item (.pbcxml) files. For more information, see Catalog Files.

Steps

Step	Related information
1. Open an existing OS design, or create and build an OS design.	Opening an OS Design How to Use the IDE to Create, Customize, and Build a Run-Time Image
2. If you have not built the run-time image, build the run-time image so that the build configuration files can be processed by the Catalog. On the Build menu, choose Advanced Build Commands, and then choose Sysgen.	No further information
3. Create a new application. For example, you can use the Windows Embedded CE Subproject Wizard to create a standard Hello World application and add it to your OS design. If you build a new application for an existing OS design, you must build your run-time image first before you build your application. If you have previously built a run-time image based on the OS design, you can build your subproject independently of the OS design. Note: If you already built an application and want to add it to the Catalog, skip to step 6.	Creating a New Subproject
4. Perform the pre-build tasks in preparation to build the new application.	Preparing to Build a Subproject
5. Build the new application.	Building a Subproject
6. Create a new Catalog file that will represent your application in the Platform Builder Catalog. Make sure that you save the new file in a Catalog folder in a directory for a feature. The following list shows the locations where you can save your Catalog file: %_WINCEROOT%\PUBLIC\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\CATALOG\*.pbcxml %_WINCEROOT%\PUBLIC\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\CATALOG\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\*.pbcxml %_WINCEROOT%\PLATFORM\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\CATALOG\*.pbcxml %_WINCEROOT%\PLATFORM\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\CATALOG\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\*.pbcxml %_WINCEROOT%\PLATFORM\COMMON\SRC\SOC\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\CATALOG\*.pbcxml %_WINCEROOT%\PLATFORM\COMMON\SRC\SOC\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\CATALOG\<ANY_DIRECTORY>\*.pbcxml	Using the Catalog Editor to Create a Catalog File
7. Customize the Catalog file by setting property values by using the Catalog Editor. This provides Platform Builder with information that is required to display your application in the Catalog.	Creating a Catalog Item that Represents an Application
8. Validate the Catalog file. In Catalog Editor, choose Validate to validate the changes against the XSD schema. Then, view the Error List window and verify that you have no errors or warnings. Note: If you have installed Visual Studio 2005 SP1, copy the XSL schema to the directory where you saved the .pbcxml file, or remove the xsi:schemaLocation attribute from the <CatalogFile> XML element, before you validate your .pbcxml file.	No further information
9. Edit the build-configuration files to include the Sysgen variable for your module.	Editing OS Design Configuration Files to Add a Catalog Item
10. Import the .pbcxml file into the Catalog, by doing the following: On the View menu, choose Other Windows, and then choose Catalog Items View. Choose the Refresh catalog tree button. Note: Catalog Items View is available only if step 1 is complete and an existing OS design is open in Platform Builder.	No further information
11. In Catalog Items View, expand the Third Party node to verify that your application has been added to the Catalog.	No further information
12. Select the check box associated with the new Catalog item to add it to the OS design currently open in Platform Builder. If a red X appears in the check box, this indicates that the item is excluded from the OS design. To troubleshoot this issue, see Excluded Catalog Item Dialog Box. The next time that you build the OS design into a run-time image, the new Catalog item should be included in the run-time image.	No further information

See Also

Tasks

How to Add a Device Driver to the Catalog

Concepts

Catalog Item Management
Catalog Item Icon Types

Other Resources