Steps in Developing ActiveSync Providers (Windows CE 5.0)

The following steps are a recommended sequence for designing and coding ActiveSync providers. All these steps are required, regardless of the order in which you perform them.

1. Define the types of objects you want to synchronize.

   Object names should have a mnemonic relation to the object. If a name collides with an existing ActiveSync provider name, the existing service provider will be replaced.

   It is usually a good idea to write a single ActiveSync provider to synchronize similar objects, or types that reside in the same store. For example, one ActiveSync provider synchronizes Appointment, Contact, Task, and Message object types.

2. Specify an object ID for objects in each object type, preferably as an integer or as a string.

   If you are not using a GUID, select the algorithm that will be used to create the ID.

3. Decide how objects of each object type are to be enumerated.

   You need to establish the order-of-creation sequence.

4. Establish how to determine whether an object has changed.

   A time stamp of the last modification is typically used. A number incremented each time an object is changed can also be used.

5. Define the HREPLITEM and HREPLFLD structures.

   HREPLITEM is usually cast into a structure that contains the object ID, timestamp, and any other object-specific data. HREPLFLD is usually cast into a different structure that contains the conversion filter for the object type.

6. Define a unique ProgID for the store.

   For example, MS.WinCE.Outlook.

7. Obtain a GUID for the store.
8. Implement the device functions and desktop interface methods.
9. Read ActiveSync Programming FAQ to make sure all points have been taken into account.
10. Compile, configure and test the ActiveSync service provider.

See Also

Creating the ActiveSync Service Provider

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