Copying files from a desktop to PDA via the PDA

[sam.cartner]

Hi,

We have a pda application that we use to perform 'Tasks' out in the field,
we use an app on the desktop written in VB.net to copy xml files back and
forth. This works perfectly.

However we have been asked by one of clients if it would be possible to do
this the other way around i.e have an app on the PDA that connects to the
desktop and copy files from it? The reason is they dont allow the PDA users
direct access to the desktop application for whatever reason and therfore the
PDA users keep having to drop their PDA's off for the Desktop user to sync it
with the application which uses up their time and wastes the PDA users time
with waiting.

Is this possible?

Thanks in advance

 

[Ginny Caughey MVP]

Yes is is possible. Assuming they'd still be getting the files directly from
the desktop machine, you'd need a socket listener app running on the
desktop, perhaps as a service, and as well as a socket-based app running on
the device.

 

[sam.cartner]

Thanks Ginny, have you any examples of what these are and how to set them up
etc?

Thanks

 

[Ginny Caughey MVP]

There's an old sample of collecting signatures on the device and using
sockets to send them to a desktop machine:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/mobile/PPCSignatureApp.aspx

There are probably lots of other socket samples for Compact Framework as
well.

 

[Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]]

You didn't really tell us what you mean by "the PDA". As Ginny says, the
most-general solution is something entirely under your control (write
programs on both ends of the connection). However, depending on what device
you're talking about, you might be able to connect to a shared folder on the
PC and read/write files there (or copy them to the local filesystem on the
device). Of course, depending on what the PC is running, there might also
be the options of FTP to an FTP server running on the PC, or HTTP access to
files on the PC, if it's running a Web server, etc.

Paul T.