Happy July 4th!  We are closed today to celebrate the holiday, but we'll be back Thursday.

We've published the July edition of ITScriptNet News.  You may have received this in your email box as well.  This months new includes information about the 2.3a release, new Ready To Go apps, upcoming features, and more.

It was a long time in coming, but the latest ITScriptNet release is finally here.  Version 2.3a adds support for Hand Held Products Dolphin mobile computers running Windows Mobile 5, as well as Unitech HT660 and PA600 devices.  There are some new features and a few bug fixes as well.  You can see all of the detail in the Knowledge Base article Updates in ITScriptNet V2.3a(6).

We are very excited about this new release, and we hope you will download a demo and check it out for yourself!

If you have a Windows Mobile based portable device with a keyboard that contains function keys, you may have noticed that not all of the keys are available to be used as Hot Keys by ITScriptNet.  This happens because Windows Mobile has hard coded some function keys to system features.  You can see the list of keys here.  Although this article refers specifically to the Stand Alone emulator, some device manufacturers also follow it. 

Our experience is that Hand Held Products devices make all function keys available to applications, while Symbol devices do not.  You should test on your device to see which keys are available.

We have added a Knowledge Base article on this topic:
INFO: Not all function keys are available to ITScriptNet on Windows Mobile devices

If you are using Windows Vista and have the Windows Mobile Device Center installed, you may want to download the latest version.  From the linked article, here are the updates in this version:

• Windows Mobile 6 feature support
  • Information Rights Management activation - Automatically configure the Windows Mobile 6 device to open IRM-protected documents and files
  • HTML mail – Set up your Windows Mobile 6 device to sync HTML-formatted mail
  • Certificate Enrollment - Acquire certificates through the PC the Windows Mobile 6 device is currently connected to
  • Allow data connections on the Windows Mobile 6 device when connected to the PC
  • File synchronization for smartphones – Synchronize files with your Windows Mobile 6 devices, including both touch screen and non-touch screen devices
• Automatic device authentication - Connect the Windows Mobile device to the PC without the need to enter the device-lock PIN every time upon connect
• Product Registration - Register your Windows Mobile device and get connected to information and offers available for your device

We are getting close to releasing a new version of ITScriptNet.  Here is a preview of the new features that will be available.  We'll have more information on this coming soon.

New features:

• Validation File definition import/export.  You can save the definition of a validation file and import it into another program.
• New constants for Screen Height and With, ITB and ITC file names, Terminal ID, etc.
• ValidationFail function can now take an empty message string to fail the validation without displaying any message.
• Support for new Windows Mobile 6 screen sizes, screen rotation, and square screens.
• Updated Configuration screen to have all options configurable from the device.
• New fullscreen modes, including taking over the entire screen, hiding the Taskbar and Caption.
• New HandHeld Products Dolphin 7900 Windows Mobile 5 client.
• New Unitech clients, including the HT600 and PA600.
• Changed the demo limit from 5 records to 10.

There are also a number of fixes for minor bugs that have been uncovered since release. 

More to come!

Mike Hall, Technical Product Manager in Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Devices Group, has written an interesting article about the Windows CE.  Have you ever wondered why an application written for one Windows CE device doesn't run on another device, when PocketPC applications run on all devices?  Here is the answer.

We've posted updated Sales Packages to our website.  You can find them on the Reseller page. 

There is a Summary Version and a Detailed Version.  Each describes the various ITScriptNet product offerings and the licensing model.

There are several new articles in the Knowledge Base.  These include:

PRB: The ITScriptNet Program Designer can not be run in Demo mode under a limited User account.

INFO: ITScriptNet registration requires an Administrative account.

PRB: Keep Alive setting for RemoteVBScript causes dropped connection

INFO: Slow Omni Server connections if no DNS server is available.

PRB: In-Prompt Script IF/ELSE/ELSEIF/ENDIF nesting problem.

Are you wondering which HandHeld Products devices are supported in ITScriptNet?  Here is the complete list:

Current Device Support

Dolphin 9500
The entire 95xx line, using either Imagers (9500/9550) or Lasers (9501/9551), is supported.  There is a client version for PocketPC 2003 Second Edition and PocketPC 2002.

Dolphin 7900
The 7900 running PocketPC 2003 Second Edition is supported.

Dolphin 7900 WM5
Currently, the PocketPC 2003 Second Edition client runs on the 7900 with Windows Mobile 5.  However, a native WM5 client is due for release in version 2.3, coming soon.

Dolphin 7600
This device was supported starting with 2.2a(9).

IK8560/IK8570
The Image Kisosk without magstripe reader (IK8560) is supported.  MagStripe reader support (IK8570) will be added in an upcoming release.

IT3875
This device line is support in single-prompt mode only.

Retired products still supported

Dolphin 7200
All 7200 versions (RF, 2D, serial) are supported.

Dolphin 7400
All versions supported.

Dolphin 7400 PocketPC
All versions supported.

Dolphin 7300
All versions supported.

New Products

We try to add clients for new devices as they are released.  If you have questions about an upcoming device, please contact us for more information.

We are upgrading our Internet service today, so expect sporadic outages as we make the transition.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

HandHeld Products has announced the IK8570 Image Kiosk.  This device is similar to the IK8560, but adds a Magstripe reader.  This is a windows CE 5.0 based device with a 320w x 240h screen (landscape mode).

ITScriptNet currently supports the IK8560, and we will be adding support for the IK8570 Magstripe reader shortly.

If you've received a Dolphin 7600 recently, you may have noticed that the ITScriptNet Omni client comes pre-loaded with some new Ready-To-Go^TM applications.  These applications can be used out of the box with no additional licensing required.  The new owner of a Dolphin can see samples of data collection programs, including barcode scanning, without having to write an application first.

There are 10 new applications pre-loaded on the 7600.  These are:

• Asset Tracking
• Gift Registry
• Lookup
• Meter Reading
• Order Picking
• Physical Inventory
• Price Change
• Receive/Move Inventory
• Stock Transfer

A user guide for these applications is installed on the PC when the full ITScriptNet package is installed, which includes a description of the programs and sample barcodes.

On the ITScriptNet client, you can specify a Device Alias on the Configuration screen. This Alias is saved into each collected data record and can be used to identify which device was used to collect a specific data record.

The Device Alias is also used as part of the filename for Image Capture or Digital Ink, along with a date/time stamp. This means that if you use a character in the Alias that is not a valid filename character, you will have problems saving the captured images.

What are the valid and invalid characters for a filename on a Windows CE/PocketPC/Windows Mobile device? Although it seems like an easy question to answer, the details turn out to be difficult to pin down. The Microsoft Knowledge Base has several articles about filenaming conventions, mostly with regards to the PC. Here are a few:

Errors Creating Files or Folders in the Root Directory

Naming a File

However, these articles list differing information on which characters are allowed. Are '?' and '*' allowed or not?

With the .Net Compact Framework 2.0 and higher, there is a function called GetInvalidFileNameChars which is supposed to return the list of invalid file name characters.

We created a test program using this function, and it returned the following invalid characters.
All characters between 0 and 31, along with the " < > | characters.

However, we tested creating files on a PocketPC device and determined that the ? * : \ / characters are also not allowed, even though they were not returned by GetInvalidFileNameChars.

So what is the answer to the question, what characters are not allowed in a Windows CE/PocketPC/Windows Mobile filename? It appears these are the invalid characters:

Avoid using any of these characters in your Device Alias to prevent problems saving Image Capture or Digital Ink characters.

We have added a pair of knowledge base articles describing this issue.

INFO: Invalid Filename Characters for Windows CE / PocketPC / Windows Mobile.

PROBLEM: Unable to Save Image error with Image Capture or Digital Ink.

With Extended Daylight Savings Time turning our clocks forward 3 weeks ago, you may have put that whole problem behind you.  This past saturday was the original Daylight Savings Time changeover date, so any devices which were not updated with the new rules will have changed their clocks ahead.  Take a moment to double-check your devices and make sure all clocks are in sync!