Device CAB project in VS2005

Hi, Is it possible to specify path based on environment variables
for the source files of a Smart Device project. In the FileSystem view
of the CAB project one can add files by right clicking the Application
Folder
and then Add file. This is an absolute path to a file. Is there a way of
listing which files are added based on certain settings?

What i'm really looking for i suppose is where the information in the IDE is
stored
so i can edit it.

It's all stored in the project file. Open it with notepad and hack away.


--
Chris Tacke
OpenNETCF Consulting
Managed Code in the Embedded World
www.opennetcf.com
--


"TW" <tw@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uwiwh6Y1GHA.2196@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Hi, Is it possible to specify path based on environment variables
> for the source files of a Smart Device project. In the FileSystem view
> of the CAB project one can add files by right clicking the Application
> Folder
> and then Add file. This is an absolute path to a file. Is there a way of
> listing which files are added based on certain settings?
>
> What i'm really looking for i suppose is where the information in the IDE
> is stored
> so i can edit it.
>

Hi Chris,

I use Makecab.exe to manually create a CAB file for my app using the INF
file that's genereated from VS2003.
In VS2005, is there a way to generate this same INF file for the program to
make the prgram CAB file? Or are you simply relegated to creating a CAB
project??

Thanks
Harry

PS. Get a grant and write the CF2 book Chris!

"<ctacke/>" <ctacke[@]opennetcf[dot]com> wrote in message
news:uuhoXFb1GHA.1040@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> It's all stored in the project file. Open it with notepad and hack away.
>
>
> --
> Chris Tacke
> OpenNETCF Consulting
> Managed Code in the Embedded World
> www.opennetcf.com
> --
>
>
> "TW" <tw@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:uwiwh6Y1GHA.2196@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Hi, Is it possible to specify path based on environment variables
>> for the source files of a Smart Device project. In the FileSystem view
>> of the CAB project one can add files by right clicking the Application
>> Folder
>> and then Add file. This is an absolute path to a file. Is there a way of
>> listing which files are added based on certain settings?
>>
>> What i'm really looking for i suppose is where the information in the IDE
>> is stored
>> so i can edit it.
>>
>
>

The Device CAB project is what Microsoft provides. While I did write an
MSDN article on how to use it, I honestly don't use it myself becasue it has
limitations that irritate me (like the inability to install somewhere other
than the Program Files folder and the inability to rename files when it
copies them like we need for GAC installs).

We at OpenNETCF hand-write our INF files and have a generic batch file that
runs CABWIZ against them. We use that batch file as a pre-build step in the
product's MSI project.

It's a little bit of a pain, but once you have a decent INF base and a good
file structure, replicating it to new projects is pretty easy. It probably
takes less time to set up a new CAB build for me this way than it would to
generate a new CAB project anyway.


--
Chris Tacke
OpenNETCF Consulting
Managed Code in the Embedded World
www.opennetcf.com
--



"Harry Simpson" <hssimpson@phgt.net> wrote in message
news:%23wPRJSe1GHA.1588@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hi Chris,
>
> I use Makecab.exe to manually create a CAB file for my app using the INF
> file that's genereated from VS2003.
> In VS2005, is there a way to generate this same INF file for the program
> to make the prgram CAB file? Or are you simply relegated to creating a
> CAB project??
>
> Thanks
> Harry
>
> PS. Get a grant and write the CF2 book Chris!
>
> "<ctacke/>" <ctacke[@]opennetcf[dot]com> wrote in message
> news:uuhoXFb1GHA.1040@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> It's all stored in the project file. Open it with notepad and hack away.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Chris Tacke
>> OpenNETCF Consulting
>> Managed Code in the Embedded World
>> www.opennetcf.com
>> --
>>
>>
>> "TW" <tw@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:uwiwh6Y1GHA.2196@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> Hi, Is it possible to specify path based on environment variables
>>> for the source files of a Smart Device project. In the FileSystem view
>>> of the CAB project one can add files by right clicking the Application
>>> Folder
>>> and then Add file. This is an absolute path to a file. Is there a way of
>>> listing which files are added based on certain settings?
>>>
>>> What i'm really looking for i suppose is where the information in the
>>> IDE is stored
>>> so i can edit it.
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

I hear you Chris....I think i'll just do the same.....I use NSIS for the
installs and will just modify the inf to produce program cabs......but if
the INF was autocreated and waiting around somewhere I'd rather use it since
it would capture all dependencies so to speak.

Harry

"<ctacke/>" <ctacke[@]opennetcf[dot]com> wrote in message
news:%23qYdRde1GHA.4388@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> The Device CAB project is what Microsoft provides. While I did write an
> MSDN article on how to use it, I honestly don't use it myself becasue it
> has limitations that irritate me (like the inability to install somewhere
> other than the Program Files folder and the inability to rename files when
> it copies them like we need for GAC installs).
>
> We at OpenNETCF hand-write our INF files and have a generic batch file
> that runs CABWIZ against them. We use that batch file as a pre-build step
> in the product's MSI project.
>
> It's a little bit of a pain, but once you have a decent INF base and a
> good file structure, replicating it to new projects is pretty easy. It
> probably takes less time to set up a new CAB build for me this way than it
> would to generate a new CAB project anyway.
>
>
> --
> Chris Tacke
> OpenNETCF Consulting
> Managed Code in the Embedded World
> www.opennetcf.com
> --
>
>
>
> "Harry Simpson" <hssimpson@phgt.net> wrote in message
> news:%23wPRJSe1GHA.1588@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> Hi Chris,
>>
>> I use Makecab.exe to manually create a CAB file for my app using the INF
>> file that's genereated from VS2003.
>> In VS2005, is there a way to generate this same INF file for the program
>> to make the prgram CAB file? Or are you simply relegated to creating a
>> CAB project??
>>
>> Thanks
>> Harry
>>
>> PS. Get a grant and write the CF2 book Chris!
>>
>> "<ctacke/>" <ctacke[@]opennetcf[dot]com> wrote in message
>> news:uuhoXFb1GHA.1040@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> It's all stored in the project file. Open it with notepad and hack
>>> away.
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Chris Tacke
>>> OpenNETCF Consulting
>>> Managed Code in the Embedded World
>>> www.opennetcf.com
>>> --
>>>
>>>
>>> "TW" <tw@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:uwiwh6Y1GHA.2196@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>>> Hi, Is it possible to specify path based on environment variables
>>>> for the source files of a Smart Device project. In the FileSystem view
>>>> of the CAB project one can add files by right clicking the Application
>>>> Folder
>>>> and then Add file. This is an absolute path to a file. Is there a way
>>>> of
>>>> listing which files are added based on certain settings?
>>>>
>>>> What i'm really looking for i suppose is where the information in the
>>>> IDE is stored
>>>> so i can edit it.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>