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Part 1: Building a better world with Windows CE logo certification
Written by Carl Davis  [author's bio]  [read 31341 times]
Edited by Derek

         

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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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