Shell Catalog Items and Sysgen Variables (Compact 2013)

3/28/2014

In Windows Embedded Compact, you can implement a wide variety of shells, from a standard shell that resembles a Windows XP shell to fully customized graphical user interfaces adapted to your device, by adding the following catalog items or SYSGEN variables.

For more information about how to add or remove catalog items, see Create Your First OS.

Hardware and Software Requirements

  • Device with a display screen.

Catalog Items and Sysgen Variables

The following table describes the catalog items and associated SYSGEN variables that you can use to add shell features to your OS.

Catalog item

SYSGEN variable

Description

Dependencies

Target Control Support (Shell.exe)

SYSGEN_SHELL

Provides a shell for file transfers to the device, accesses files on the computer from the device, and helps you debug device applications. For more information, see Target Control Debugging.

Requires an Ethernet port or serial port on the hardware board.

Quarter VGA Resources (Portrait Mode)

SYSGEN_QVGAP

Resources for portrait views on quarter VGA (QVGA) display screens.

Requires a display screen that supports a screen resolution of 320 × 240.

Shell API Set

SYSGEN_SHELLAPI

The shell provides the user with an interface to the objects necessary for running applications and managing the operating system.

None.

Sysgen Variables

The following table describes the SYSGEN variables that you can set to add shell features to your OS:

SYSGEN variable

Description

Dependencies

SYSGEN_XRSHELL

Adds the Sample Home Screen, a XAML for Windows Embedded-based home screen with a configurable XAML-based UI.

Requires XAML for Windows Embedded (SYSGEN_XAML_RUNTIME). For more information, see XAML for Windows Embedded Catalog Items and Sysgen Variables.

SYSGEN_MINSHELL

Provides a minimal sample shell with a customizable menu system that can be replaced with your own shell.

None.

See Also

Other Resources

Shell