DB Gurus: Database with Reassigned Hardware Buttons?

[Mark Johnson]

I've been a long-time Access developer and have always been looking for something on PPC that gave me similar functionality. I've had quite good results with Syware Visual CE, but I've run into a snag I'm hoping someone can suggest a solution for.

My issue is that I need to be able to get a database to work in a one-handed situation (no stylus taps). In the usage I'm working on, there is no real "data entry" of any significance, only "click choices" that are pre-defined. (i.e., the delivery agent looks on-screen and sees his next location is 123 Main Street, then "clicks" the "package delivered" icon triggering move-to-next-record to show the next stop. Pretend that he can only use one hand for this because he's driving or he has a box under his other arm. What I need is to reassign one of the hardware buttons to perform the click instead of the stylus.

This functionality is apparently planned for the next release of Syware, but I'm wondering if any of the other "off-the-shelf" database packages do this currently.

[Mark Johnson]

So I guess my question is more unusual than I thought. I'm not suprised that most databases are by default designed to heavily use the stylus. I just thought there would be at least be some button-reassignment options in one of the common PPC DB packages for simple "checkbox" or "complete specific action" types of events.

Does anyone have any insight on how hard it would be to write a VB app to layer-between the database and the buttons? For example, say I have an open Syware VisualCE database with a record showing a checkbox control named "package_delivered" (default off) and I want a press of the hardware contacts button to actually check that box (instead of checking it with the stylus.) Anyone ever tried something like this? Where a second custom EmbeddedCE VB app "takes over" the hardware button and then interacts back with the original Syware DB?

Am I likely to have to build this whole thing from the ground up? It seems like what I want to do would be a pretty simple "hardware extension" of existing databases that are off-the-shelf, but I just can seem to find how to get started on this.

[Peter Foot]

It is possible to register the hotkeys from c++ or .NETCF, probably eVB also but I've never tried. You would then need to get the native window handle of the checkbox in question to be able to post a keyboard event to it.
Microsoft have made some advances in 2003 Second Edition and v5.0 to improve the keyboard support on Pocket PCs so you can do proper tabbing between controls for example, however you'd still need to resort to custom code if you want to capture the application buttons, and because your VisualCE app is a "closed" system you have a little work to get the handles of the various controls on your forms.

Peter