Help! Need to print a report from a mobile device

[Callon Campbell]

Hello,

My name is Callon Campbell. I'm designing/developing an
application that will use the .NET Framework and the .NET
Compact Framework. I haven't had any experience using the
Compact Framework, Remoting or Web Services.

Here is the situation. We're developing a .NET application
which is going to be running in a production environment.
We're going to have WinCE .NET devices along the
production line communicating to PLC machines, Pocket PC
2003 handhelds in our shipping department scanning
barcoded units and assigning them to shipments. We'll also
have have desktop PC's for reporting, maintenance, etc.

I've come across a problem in which I need to signal a
report (shipping manifest) to print after a shipper closes
a shipment. This needs to be done from a Pocket PC device.

As far as I know I can't generate the report on the
handheld so I'm thinking of having the report (Avtive
Reports for .NET by Data Dynamics) reside on a local mill
server. When the shipper closes the shipment via a button
for example on the handheld, I want the report to print to
a local (pre-determined printer) without any user
interaction.

I thought about using .NET Remoting but I quickly found
out that this isn't available on the .NET Compact
Framework, however Web Services are.

So I'm wondering if Web services will do the trick or
another solution.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Callon

 

[Alex Yakhnin [MVP]]

So I'm wondering if Web services will do the trick or

 

[Ginny Caughey [MVP]]

Callon,

Web services could indeed work, or also look at this article as a substitute
for remoting:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dncscol/html/csharp09182003.asp

 

[Callon Campbell]

Thank you for the link. I read the article and the one
following it about using sockets. I now have a better
understanding of what I need to do and what my options are.

I also thought of another (relatively simple solution) if
anyone is interested. With regards to my application, the
idea is when a shipper has finished loading a truck, they
click a button to indicate the shipment is loaded. This
will change a status field in the database. A Windows
Service application will reside on a local server and poll
a table every 10 seconds or so looking for shipments that
are loaded. When one is available the service will call a
runtine in the shipping manifest assembly and print the
shipping manifest and change the status of the field to
closed.

This would solve the problem of having the Pocket PC
device initiate the print process and would also account
for any errors in which a request was sent to print and
nothing happened.

I'm going to investigate the socket method to see how it
stacks up against this Windows Service implementation.

If anyone has any other ideas I'd be more then welcome to
hear them out. You can reach me directly at the following
email: (e-mail address removed)

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Callon