Internet Explorer for Windows CE

  • Article

Windows Internet Explorer for Windows CE is the most compatible, feature-rich browser control for the Windows CE operating system. Developers, OEMs, independent software vendors (ISVs), and independent hardware vendors (IHVs) can use the technologies provided by Internet Explorer for Windows CE to build a custom browser for a specific device or market.

  • Feature Differences
  • Supported Technologies
  • Related Topics

Feature Differences

Internet Explorer for Windows CE supports the same features that were included in the Microsoft Win32 version of Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, except for the following:

  • Data binding
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript)
  • XML
  • Downloadable Microsoft ActiveX Controls
  • PNG
  • Microsoft virtual machine
  • Gopher
  • Recreation Software Advisory Council on the Internet (RSACi) rating system
  • Filters and transitions

Microsoft JScript (compatible with the ECMA 262 language specification) supports the same features that were included in the Win32 version of JScript, except for the following:

  • RegExp support
  • SAFEARRAY support (used for coexistence with VBScript and other languages)
  • Scrrun.dll support (dictionary object, file object, and so on)
  • Automatic loading of type libraries (IActiveScript::AddTypeLib is not supported)
  • Referencing cross window objects (for example, opener.top.location)

Internet Explorer for Windows CE is not intended to be an upgrade of Pocket Internet Explorer, so Internet Explorer for Windows CE does not attempt to provide backwards compatibility with Pocket Internet Explorer or its custom interfaces.

Supported Technologies

Internet Explorer for Windows CE supports Dynamic HTML (DHTML), Win32 Internet functions, asynchronous pluggable protocols, URL monikers, MSHTML, the WebBrowser control, and MLang. Internet Explorer for Windows CE also supports:

  • ActiveX controls installed on the Windows CE device (no downloads)
  • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) support (compliant with CSS1 core functionality)
  • Full event model for all tags and objects
  • Integration of JScript and objects
  • International language support (Unicode characters)
  • Images (GIF, JPEG, BMP, and XBM)
  • Multimedia (using Microsoft DirectShow)

In the scripting documentation in the Web Workshop, Windows CE support can be determined by moving the mouse pointer over object names in the Applies To lists on the property, method, event, and collection pages. See the onclick event in the DHTML events reference for an example.

Currently, the C/C++ and Component Object Model (COM) references that are supported in the Windows CE version of Internet Explorer have a Windows CE section included in their reference page. The section indicates the version of Windows CE that supports the API and the minimum version of Internet Explorer that is required. See the InternetOpen function reference document for an example. The C/C++ and COM references that do not have a Windows CE section are not currently supported in Windows CE. Eventually, all reference pages will be updated to include a Windows CE section that will indicate whether Windows CE supports the API.

The following technologies are supported by Internet Explorer for Windows CE.