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Ok, perhaps we aren't building a better world,
but we can certainly build a better application by utilizing the
information and processes required for Windows CE logo certification.
I've decided to let these guidelines give me some inspiration
for interesting exercises in eVB development. I started looking
into the logo requirements while working on improvements to the
user experience on one of my applications. I was looking for best
practices around how an application should function and look.
Obviously, I started searching Microsoft's resources first to
find style guidelines and techniques. What I found was the technical
guidelines associated with the Windows CE logo certification.
This is the first installment of several articles
about the "Ready for Windows" Pocket PC logo program.
Honestly, I'm writing each of these pieces as I go along, so I'm
not sure how many installments there will be. Hopefully, it will
at least be an interesting ride. More information on the logo
program is available from Veritest's
web site. It contains details on the process and all the documentation
needed.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, we should
discuss the logo program just a bit. To obtain the "Ready
for Windows" stamp of approval, your software application
needs to pass a number of tests. Microsoft does not administer
these tests; rather they are run by independent group called Veritest.
Veritest is one of the world's largest independent testing laboratories
for software and manage the logo testing for all of Microsoft's
programs (as well as for other companies).
I had an opportunity to discuss the logo certification
process with members of Veritest's team - Marc Zasada who is responsible
for certification program development, Jon Lescoulie the Windows
CE test manager, and Kate McKnight. Marc described the value to
developers in a couple of ways: "Getting a 'Ready' logo is
not just about getting a marketing boost. These guidelines lead
to good development and good usability, and are an important way
to keep development teams on the same page." He's dead on;
you can get inspiration on how an application should operate by
reading the guidelines.
I think we can see how spending the effort
and time to get certified is a useful endeavor. So, the first
question I asked was obvious, "Can an eVB application become
certified?" The answer was a resounding YES. The Veritest
team believes there are many applications based on eVB that have
probably already become certified.
Veritest uses a documented test plan to see
if an application passes. If an application fails, the author
is provided with a full report on what went wrong. The team at
Veritest is available for consultation prior to submitting your
application to test. They actually encourage this and would like
to see applications pass the first time. Although the test plan
(about 30 pages in length!) isn't available for developers to
review directly, the tests are based on the requirements found
in the Pocket
PC Technical Handbook on Veritest's site. This document contains
a number of requirements and recommendations for building your
Pocket PC application. It covers topics such as installation,
menu naming and location conventions, as well as how desktop support
applications should be used. The content is provided as a list
of required items and recommendations in several different categories.
The contents of this document will provide the basis for several
of our projects in the next few articles.
We'll cover more on testing as the series
proceeds, including some pitfalls and an overview of the process
you follow on the path to certification. I'm also planning on
having conversations with developers who have already made the
plunge to see what benefits they've seen.
However, I know we want to get to some code!
This month, I started working on several ideas that I found in
the Pocket PC Technical Handbook. As a developer I want my applications
to meet the expectations of my users; following the guidelines
can certainly help this.
One of the first things to catch my eye in
the technical guidelines was:
Required: No user-exposed method for closing
an application (Handbook pg. 8)
In other words, an application should not
provide an "exit" function. The Pocket PC automatically
handles these functions when more memory is needed. Specifically,
the "OK" button should be used to close a document or
item, but not the application. I think you know where I going
with this: the default eVB application does the exact opposite.
Jon pointed out that this is one of the top reasons applications
fail certification, so we'll definitely want to stop this practice.
We'll take another piece of advice from another section of the
handbook to help us accomplish our goal:
Recommended: Consider List view/card model
for application design (Handbook pg. 12)
Microsoft recommends using the same technique
as most of the built in applications. The main application window
consists of a list of available items that are opened when tapped.
This is how notes, Word, Excel and others work. When you load
Pocket Word, you see a list of documents available. Selecting
the document opens up the edit window.
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