Tip of the Month (January 2004)

Taking Pictures and Saving Them Into the Database

Visual CE allows you to use a camera to take a picture and put it directly into a record in a table. All you do is click on an Image Control (before version 9.0, the Image Control must be connected to a column of type Picture, not Text), aim the camera (the image control will act as the viewfinder), and then click on the control again.

If the image control is connected to a Picture column, Visual CE will capture the picture and put it into the record. When the record is synchronized to the desktop, it will be an OLE Object (bitmap) in the desktop database.

If the image control is connected to a Text column, Visual CE will capture the picture and put it into a file on the handheld. The name of the file will be based on the name of the handheld and the time the picture was taken. The file pathname will be stored in the record.

Currently this only works for the following cameras:

• HP SDIO 1.3 MP Digital camera
• LifeView Fly-CAM 1.3 MP digital camera
• HP built-in cameras
• Cameras that support the Windows CE Camera API

As other camera manufacturers provide SYWARE with the necessary information, SYWARE will integrate support for those cameras into Visual CE.

For all cameras: In the properties of the Image control, turn on the "Selection on click" property.

Camera specific instructions:

• HP SDIO 1.3 MP Digital camera: Install the manufacturer's software. Also, download http://www.syware.com/download/wce/sdiocam.zip and, using ActiveSync, put it into the \Windows folder on the handheld.
• LifeView Fly-CAM 1.3 MP digital camera: Install the manufacturer's software.
• HP built-in cameras: No additional drivers needed. In particular do NOT install software from http://www.syware.com/download/wce/sdiocam.zip for these cameras.
• Cameras that support the Windows CE Camera API: No additional drivers needed.

Note to camera manufacturers: If you would like Visual CE to support your camera, contact SYWARE, Inc. at 617-497-1300 or by email.