| Hacker finishes .NET app-a-day marathon |
Jul. 07, 2008
 On Jun. 1, software developer Chris Craft pledged to write 30 Windows Mobile applications in 30 days, publishing both executables and source code. Now, Craft has successfully completed his "30 Days of .NET" marathon, and plans to spend the next month publishing Visual Studio 2008 tips.
(Click here for a larger view of Chris Craft's latest Windows Mobile application, Trippr)
"I've given many presentations on developing Windows Mobile applications, and heard time and again that people have a hard time writing their first," Craft blogged at the beginning of June. "It's easy to think that it will take too much time, but that's not the case."
To prove it, Craft -- a frequent speaker and Microsoft Windows Mobile device application development MVP, and a founder of South Carolina's Pee Dee River area .NET User Group -- pledged to write one Windows Mobile application per day for the next 30 days. "My goal is for each to be useful, interesting, and straight-forward. Someone considering writing their first Windows Mobile application should be able to look at these applications and 'get it'," he said.
Added Craft on Jun. 2, "One goal is that I write each application on the day I publish it. That really doesn't leave me any room to spare. I'm not sure I can do it, but that's part of the fun and challenge."
Appropriately enough, he began on that day by posting an application called Minutes to Midnight (below left). When run, the app shows how many minutes, hours, and seconds are left to midnight, using a series of progress bars.
  
Minutes to Midnight (left), Trippr (middle), and GPS Compass (right)
(Click images for further information and to download)
By the end of the month, Craft had reached his goal of creating thirty different Windows Mobile applications in as many days. On Jun. 30, he posted Trippr (above middle), an application that uses a device's GPS hardware to calculate its position, then uses the Flickr.NET API to download photos that were geotagged as having been taken in nearby locations.
Rather than accessing a phone's GPS hardware serially, Trippr uses Microsoft's GPS Intermediate Driver, a hardware abstraction layer, notes Craft. His GPS Compass application (above right), posted on Jun. 4, used the same technique to calculate a device's bearing in degrees, then display it on a compass graphic.
As the above programs suggest, Craft has created some useful applications that go beyond the rudimentary demos that might have been expected. We've reviewed his work and picked a favorite application from each of the weeks -- over and above the programs already mentioned, that is.
 
Mobile Capture (left) and Mobile SMS Contact (right)
(Click images for further information and to download)
A highlight during the first week was Jun. 6's Mobile Capture (above, left), a screen capturing utility. This useful application features full-screen or area capturing modes, hardware key support, a timer, and the ability to take multiple pictures in a row, according to Craft.
From week two, we especially like Mobile SMS Contact (above, right). This application permits typing in a single SMS message, then sending it to multiple Outlook contacts who have a mobile number specified. A built-in filter allows messaging just personal contacts, or just business contacts, though refinements such as adding individual contacts manually have been left for readers to implement, says Craft.
 
Mobile SMS Remote (left) and CallBlock (right)
(Click images for further information and to download)
Week three brought an even-more-elaborate SMS application, Mobile SMS Remote (above left). According to the author, this application is designed to run on two or more Windows Mobile devices, then allow each to run remote commands on any of the others via an SMS message.
Mobile SMS Remote looks for any SMS message that begins with a specific character string -- in the demo application, it's "30days:" -- and uses it to trigger an event. Craft notes that while the sample app is limited to being able to obtain date and time information from a remote device, it could easily be modified to discover another phone's GPS location. "Or," he asks, "how about something more Web 2.0, such as what song is currently playing?"
Finally, CallBlock (above right) is designed to watch incoming calls, comparing their numbers with a user-entered list of those to be blocked. As long as it is left running, the application is capable of sending keypresses to the OS so that banned numbers will be ignored.
31 Days of Visual Studio 2008
While "30 Days of .NET" has reached its successful conclusion, Craft has now committed himself to publishing 31 days' worth of Visual Studio 2008 tips. Writes Craft, "The material will come from a presentation I have given many times at different code camps and user groups. One of the goals of the series is to start a conversation with my readers. I want to share some of my best tips and tricks for Visual Studio, and in return I hope you'll share some of yours with us as well."
Further information
To pick your own favorite Windows Mobile applications from those Chris Craft has written, and download any executables or source code, go here.To see what Visual Studio 2008 tips and tricks he follows up with, see his blog, here.
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