Application Manager .ini File Format
4/19/2010
The Application Manager installs applications that have been packaged into cabinet (.cab) files. To do so, the Application Manager requires an initialization (.ini) file as input that describes the .cab file and the application to be installed.
Application Manager .ini File Format
The .ini file used by the Application Manager must use the following format:
[CEAppManager]
Version = 1.0
Component = component_name
[component_name]
Description = descriptive_name
[Uninstall = uninstall_name]
[IconFile = icon_filename]
[IconIndex = icon_index]
[DeviceFile = device_filename]
CabFiles = cab_filename [,cab_filename]
The following table describes the parameters used in the .ini file.
| Parameter name | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
Version |
Yes |
The version of the Application Manager. This should always be 1.0 |
Component |
Yes |
A string that identifies the section of the .ini file that describes the application to be installed. |
Description |
Yes |
A string that will appear in the Description field of the Application Manager user interface (UI) when a user selects that application. The full name of the application is obtained from the .cab file of the application. If there is more than one .cab file listed in the .ini file, the name is taken from the first .cab file in the list. |
Uninstall |
No |
A string that identifies the Windows Uninstall registry key name of the application. This name must match the registered Windows Uninstall key name of the application, which is found in the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Uninstall registry key. Access to this name enables the Application Manager to remove the application from the desktop computer and the device automatically when the user clicks the Remove button in Application Manager. |
IconFile |
No |
A string that identifies the desktop icon file. This icon appears next to the application in the Application Manager UI. If this parameter is omitted, a default icon is used. |
IconIndex |
No |
Numeric index of the image from the IconFile that will be displayed. |
DeviceFile |
No |
The name of the executable file. |
CabFiles |
Yes |
A comma-delimited list of one or more .cab file names. The list should not include any extra whitespace. Providing more than one .cab file name allows you to target multiple device platforms. For more information about multiple .cab files, see Providing Multiple .cab Files. |
Providing Multiple .cab Files
You can specify more than one .cab file in the CabFiles parameter in the .ini file, each one targeting a different device platform. To ensure that Application Manager installs the correct .cab file for the currently cradled device, the list of .cab files must begin with the .cab file targeted at the widest range of platform types and versions, and end with the .cab file for the most specific platform types and versions. The list must also use an order that begins with the newest version and ends with the earliest version. Finally, if the platform string and version information are specified, information about the operating system version is ignored.
In the following example, there are three .cab files targeted toward the following platforms:
- Windows Mobile Version 5.0
- Smartphone for Windows Mobile Version 5.0 and earlier
- Pocket PC for Windows Mobile 2003
The following list shows the order in which the .cab files should be listed in the Application Manager .ini file.
- Smartphone for Windows Mobile Version 5.0 and earlier
- Windows Mobile Version 5.0
- Pocket PC for Windows Mobile 2003
Example .ini File
The following code example illustrates the format of the Application Manager .ini file.
[CEAppManager]
Version = 1.0
Component = Games
[Games]
Description = Game Pack for your Windows CE–based device
Uninstall = Game Pack
IconFile = gamepack.ico
IconIndex = 0
DeviceFile = gamepack.exe
;Because there are multiple .cab files specific to a CPU type,
;these files are relative to the installation directory.
CabFiles= SH3\gamepack.cab,MIPS\gamepack.cab