[Windows Mobile Development and Hacking General] mikiqex:
[APP] QetriX: Universal data manager BETA incl. Best Freeware "AppStore-like" project

Allow me to introduce my first-born child, QetriX.

QetriX (Q3X) is universal server-client data manager for .NET (Compact) Framework 2.0+ and WM2003+ (all resolutions). Client program works in both Win and WM (as well as under Mono - Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris...). It can handle almost every data which could be distributed as XML, as well as some existing XML files (e.g. RSS). As you can see on screenshots, pictures and light formating and styles are supported.

Communication with server is standard HTTP POST and GET.

You can take a look to Google-Translated app homepage. Project is language independent, but I'm from Czech republic so I use mostly Czech language.

Well, I tried to define a new web-browsing data-orientated paradigm. There are a lot of useless information and wasted megabytes on the internet and I'm sick of it ;-) The client program behaves like specific-data browser.

The idea was to define controls in one (form) XML and data in another XML, one form could be used for multiple data. Main focus was to simplicity, efficiencty and low data transfer (ZIP packing supported, JSON support in progress :), work with QetriX is very similar to regular web applications.

Each of downloaded file is stored as cache for further usage. You can define "expiration" for images, data or forms for re-download after this date. I'm planning to release complete XML and app specification, but it takes much more time than programming itself :(

Configuration is both server and local (for corporate and safety reasons server definitions are preferred). In config file you can set even Main Menu items. You can notice, on screenshots the menu isn't the same all the time. Menu commands as well as form controls uses built-in commands (like "file open xy.q3x") and built-in timer for repeated actions or timing. I tried to make support for "internal" calculations for e.g. currency convertor without sending data to server to do the math.

It's possible to open file from both server and device's memory. It has a "suggest" feature to avoid long searching for desired file. Suggested files are in app directory, in working directory, in MRUDs and even provided by defined online service (especially URL addresses). "Suggest" could be used for any TextBox on form as well. (open-file suggest currently works only with online service so it's turned off right now, sorry for any inconvenience :)

You can submit one page to server or whole data file. You can even save the data file to device's memory (offline) and send it to the server later. Even it's desired to be server-client, you can use the program without any server.

I tried to implement finger-friendly GUI, you can use finger-scroll (only on Form itself and pictures, where applicable methods are supported by .NET CF) and easy-to-aim "fingerMenu" with configurable buttons.

Server side could be one PHP script, demonstration script with list/insert/update ability has 83 lines and less than 3 kB. I wrote a simple client for web browser that can work with forms and data, it's still very dirty but basically it works ;-)

Because I wanted to keep WM2003 supported and I didn't want to take care of two different versions of the same program, I wrote additional program called "Q3X Aid". It adds support for GPS, GSM Cell ID and Camera. Coordinates are transferred via XML file and if the GPS is enabled and required, client program loads coordinates from this file and uses in request.

Now I use it as:

Shopping list

Twitter client

E-mail client

To-Do list

Calendar

Blog management

Tic-tac-toe game

Now about the "Best Freeware AppStore-like" project:

I know there are many servers for PPC freeware, but It's hard to choose the "best" piece of software. I know everyone wants different features, but sometimes you find bad, buggy or obsolete programs. So I decided to write a simple implementation for QetriX with 1-click install ability (download and run CAB) and current WM version detection (for offering apps and games right for your device).

Now it's ready on my localhost, so I'm building a database of best freeware apps and games. You can

contribute

, the page is in both czech and english language.

I noticed you help to improve programs so I'm offering work-in-progress beta version. Any bugreport, suggestion or idea warmly welcomed.

I have difficulties to make CAB so please prefer ZIP instead :) After launching program I predefined two URLs, I recommend "...kraje-cr/" (list of counties in CZ), because it's very simple. The other (...psc/) is a list of all ZIP codes in CZ in very large data file.

After download the form and data file, a link to local file will apper in the MRUD list too, for further usage. You can access the "Open" interface by click to "Panel > Open".

I hope the program is simple and intuitive so you probably don't need a manual. If so, just let me know and I'll try to write one, in english.

Tested on: HP iPAQ 1940 (WM2003), HTC Touch Pro (WM6.1), WinXP SP3

It has much more features (however smugly it looks :), I just wanted to wrote the "core".

Please comment and write feedbacks. Thank you!