Windows Mobile 6.5 Native UI Controls

Windows Mobile 6.5 introduced a transitional user interface layer designed to bridge the gap between traditional stylus-driven interfaces and capacitive, finger-friendly touch navigation. Built atop the Windows CE 5.2 kernel, the platform provided developers with a native C/C++ Win32 and Common Control library alongside the .NET Compact Framework. This article outlines the primary native UI controls available in Windows Mobile 6.5, detailing both the classic controls inherited from Windows CE and the touch-enhanced components introduced specifically for the 6.5 release.

Touch-Optimized Native Controls and APIs

To accommodate finger-based touch without requiring a stylus, Windows Mobile 6.5 introduced specific UI framework enhancements:

  • Gesture-Enabled Controls: Native controls such as ListViews, ListBoxes, and TreeViews were updated to integrate with the Windows Mobile 6.5 Gesture APIs. These enabled flick scrolling, pan-and-bounce boundary physics, and touch velocity tracking.
  • Softkey Bar (Menu Bar): Created via SHCreateMenuBar, this control positioned large, touchable software buttons at the bottom of the display, dynamically mapping to menus, back commands, and primary application actions.
  • Touch-Friendly List View: An adaptation of the standard Win32 ListView control configured with increased vertical padding, larger fonts, and simplified selection states to accommodate direct finger input.
  • Notification Bubbles: Interactive system-level notification windows (SHNotificationAdd) that allowed user interaction, inline dismissal, and embedded links.

Standard Win32 and Windows CE Controls

Developers had access to core Windows controls adapted for embedded devices through commctrl.h and standard Win32 window classes:

  • Buttons and Toggles: Standard command buttons (BUTTON), auto-toggling checkboxes, and radio buttons.
  • Text Input Controls:
    • Edit Control (EDIT): Standard single-line and multi-line text input fields.
    • CapEdit: A mobile-specific variant that provided automated capitalization routines optimized for hardware and software keyboards (SIPs).
  • Selection Controls: Standard drop-down combo boxes (COMBOBOX) and standalone list boxes (LISTBOX), which automatically triggered full-screen touch selection lists when activated in touch-friendly modes.
  • Hierarchical and Tabular Displays:
    • ListView (WC_LISTVIEW): Supported Report, Details, Icon, and Small Icon presentations.
    • TreeView (WC_TREEVIEW): Hierarchical node trees supporting node expansion and checkboxes.
  • Progress and Range Controls:
    • Progress Bar (PROGRESS_CLASS): Visual indicators for discrete and marquee-style completion metrics.
    • Trackbar / Slider (TRACKBAR_CLASS): Linear controls used for volume, brightness, and percentage adjustments.
    • Up-Down Controls (UPDOWN_CLASS): Companion spin controls attached to text boxes.

Specialized Mobile Controls

Windows Mobile 6.5 shipped with native system libraries catering to PDA and smartphone workflows:

  • HTML Viewer Control (WC_HTML): An embedded Pocket Internet Explorer rendering control capable of parsing and displaying HTML, handling DOM interactions, and rendering hybrid user interfaces.
  • Ink Control: A pen-centric control capturing raw stylus input, enabling digital ink strokes, signature capture, and handwriting recognition integration.
  • Date and Time Picker (DATETIMEPICK_CLASS): Input fields that launched native touch spinners or calendars for date and time selections.
  • Month Calendar (MONTHCAL_CLASS): Full calendar grid control for agenda and scheduling views.
  • Property Sheets and Tab Controls (WC_TABCONTROL): Paginated dialog structures designed to fit the limited screen real estate of handheld screens.