Review Comments: Talking to TomTom Navigator via Perl

lbendlin

Vehicle tracking is a hot topic nowadays. Most of the solutions are pretty expensive, yet do not exactly deliver the functionality that you as an individual need from them. With some sort of scripting language, the TomTom communications API and a Internet connection you could create your own individual solution, at a fraction of the cost.

That's exacly what PocketGPSWorld user Richard Thomas did on his TomTom equipped PDA, and he was kind enough to share the details of his project with the PocketGPSWorld community. So, without much further ado, here he comes:

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/TomTomViaPerl.php
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Lutz

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mcwarre · Regular Visitor Joined: Mar 25, 2004 Posts: 157

Richard,

Excellent! Well the next question is can you put it into a cab file???????? Smile

rich_d_thomas · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 25, 2004 Posts: 46

Hi mcwarre,

If someone could give me some points about how to put it all in a cab file, I'll give it a go.

For it to be useful, I would have to put the PERL executable, the PERL script and a few other files in the cab file.

The other useful thing would be for the registry settings to be made when unpacking the cab file, I'm not sure if this is possible.

Any advice would be appreciated, as I said, I'm happy to give it a go.

Richard.

lbendlin · Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 7:47 pm Post subject:

yes, registry entries can be part of the CAB file creation

http://www.codeproject.com/ce/pocketpc_deploy.asp
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rich_d_thomas · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 25, 2004 Posts: 46

Hi,

I've been looking at how to use cabwiz.exe, as a way of creating a cab file that contains the necessary files and registry settings to be deployed on the PDA.

I notice that it is part of Microsoft eMbedded Visual C++ 4.0, so I've been downloading it over the last half an hour.

When I came to install this, it asked for the product number and user ID.

As I do not have any Microsoft development tools or any licences, I am unable to progress the cabwiz method.

Unless anybody has any other ideas, it's looking like the installation of this solution will have to remain being a manual process.

Richard.

lbendlin · Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 11:37 pm Post subject:

The product ID for eVC4 is public.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1DACDB3D-50D1-41B2-A107-FA75AE960856&displaylang=en

rich_d_thomas · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 25, 2004 Posts: 46

Hi Lutz,

Good spotting, I didn't notice the key to be used for public use.

I managed to install this, using the key on the web page.

I'm still not much further, as when I try and run it, I get the following error message:

Microsoft eMBedded Visual C++ has discovered no CE platform SDK installed in the desktop.
Please install at least one CE platform SDK before launching Microsoft eMBedded Visual C++

Also, the path it's installed in is "Program Files\Microsoft eMbedded C++ 4.0" and the one that http://www.codeproject.com/ce/pocketpc_deploy.asp shows it to be installed in is "Program Files\Microsoft eMbedded Tools".

I then searched all sub folders for cabwiz.exe and couldn't find it.

Then I noticed that what I have downloaded and what you gave me the link for is version 4. The codeproject review refers to version 3.

So if I'm to produce the cab files, I need to find a way of getting cabwiz.exe somehow.

I can't understand why it's in version 3 and not in 4.

??????

butt · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 19, 2005 Posts: 10

Richard

Would it be popssible to also extract lat,long heading and speed this way ????

rich_d_thomas · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 25, 2004 Posts: 46

Hi Butt,

It certainly would be possible.

You can get any information out of TomTom that is available through the TomTom SDK API's.

The information I chose to extract is simulating a call to the GetRouteInfo() function.

The information that you are after can be extracted by simulating a call to the GetCurrentPosition() function.

The structure of the files to create and the files that TomTom will reply with are detailed in http://www.opentom.org/FileInterface

Just scroll down to where is says:

lbendlin · Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:22 pm Post subject:

Looks like Cabwiz is also packaged with the Theme Generator.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/themegenerator.mspx
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butt · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 19, 2005 Posts: 10

i can probly do this in wincabcemanager when i get in to work during the week much easier thsn cabwiz ... drag and drop no nastyy inf file .

milesmowbray · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 22, 2006 Posts: 1

You need the SDK for the relevant platform to go along with the eVC.

Pocket PC 2003:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9996b314-0364-4623-9ede-0b5fbb133652&DisplayLang=en

These are free to download as well. CABWIZ will then be found at:

C:\Program Files\Windows CE Tools\wce420\POCKET PC 2003\Tools

This will also enable eVC to compile for PPC2003. If need other platforms just download the relevant SDK.

Good luck.

captaincaveman · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 23, 2006 Posts: 14

Hi,

Been viewing the forums for a couple of weeks now, and there's loads of useful info on here. But it was this thread that finally made me register!

I must say, fantastic work Richard! I've been following your procedure to replicate your success, and I can get everything running, EXCEPT for the SDK files you say are required to communicate with Tomtom. Are they obtainable without having to purchase the SDK from Tomtom, i.e. can they be distributed 'royalty free' or some other similar mechanism?

Cheers!

captaincaveman · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 23, 2006 Posts: 14

Hmm, are the 'message' and 'finished' files actually ones that I can create my self and drop into my scripts directory?

rich_d_thomas · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 25, 2004 Posts: 46

Hi captaincaveman,

Thanks for you interest and welcome aboard this great community :D

The SDK files can be created from scratch using any hex editor.

The SDK.TomTomNavigationServer.1050229.1.message is the one that specifies what function call we are simulating. It's got the name of the function, which ends in "V1" and then the last two characters are hex 7c and hex 00.

The SDK.TomTomNavigationServer.1050229.1.finished is just one that tells TomTom that there is a message with a function for it to process. The content of it is the word "finish", followed by three hex characters of hex 2e, hex 0a and hex 00.

If you need, just google for "hex editor" and you'll find free ones.

Once you’ve created these files, then yes, just place them into the scripts directory.

Please let me know how you get on and shout if you need any more help.

Lutz, if you're reading this, would it be possible to put links to these example files please?

	PocketGPS
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