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do you know how to work with activesync using c#?
i want to know if any device is connected to cradle.
thanks

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Good to see this was resolved by . For others reading this later: the reliable desktop way to detect a cradled Windows Mobile device is to use the Remote API (RAPI) that ships with ActiveSync / Windows Mobile Device Center. RAPI lets a desktop process test for a connected device and then perform file or registry operations on the device. Two practical options are (a) P/Invoke the native RAPI calls or (b) use a managed wrapper such as OpenNETCF.Desktop.Communication.

A minimal P/Invoke approach (call on a worker thread because the call can block while establishing a link):

[DllImport("rapi.dll")]
private static extern int CeRapiInit();

[DllImport("rapi.dll")]
private static extern int CeRapiUninit();

// usage
int hr = CeRapiInit();
bool devicePresent = (hr == 0); // S_OK
if (devicePresent) {
    // device is connected — do RAPI operations here
}
CeRapiUninit();

Notes and troubleshooting:

  • ActiveSync (on XP) or Windows Mobile Device Center (Vista/7) must be installed and running. The device usually must accept the partnership/trust prompt.
  • CeRapiInit can block for a few seconds; run it off the UI thread and uninit when done.
  • If you get DllNotFound or similar on a 64-bit OS, build your app as x86 because the desktop RAPI DLLs are 32-bit in many installs.
  • Alternatives: use OpenNETCF for an easier managed API, or monitor OS device-change notifications (RegisterDeviceNotification / WM_DEVICECHANGE or WMI) if you only need attach/detach events.
  • This applies to classic Windows Mobile devices. Modern iOS/Android phones do not use ActiveSync/RAPI; use vendor SDKs/protocols for those platforms.
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