Free mileage tracker with desktop import for Windows Mobile 6 Smartphones

Christian Donner,
6/07/2009 Update Version 1.2 for Android is available. Search for TripsNMiles on Android Market from your device.
7/29/2009 Update Version 1.2 is available via the download link below and from Cnet. The forms use docking and work on all form factors and resolutions. Windows Mobile 6.1 was tested as well and works fine.

8/19/2009 Update Version 1.2 of the desktop application resolves installation issues. The workaround with modifying the connection string in one of my comments below is no longer needed. Also, Windows 7 and Windows Vista are now tested and supported. Do not get the installation package from CNet until September 5 or so – it takes that long to refresh the package on their server. Use the pod link below.
It is finally ready – the new and improved version 1.1. of TripsNMiles, pod consulting’s free mileage tracker for the Windows Mobile platform. New features include:
  • support for multiple vehicles
  • support for gas expense tracking
  • support for annual milage limit tracking (for leases)
  • annual mileage and gas mileage statistics (using US or metric units)
  • a desktop application for importing data into spreadsheet applications

This software is also available for download from CNet. Setting up the product listings on CNet has been somewhat challenging, since there is no direct communication with the person who is taking in the data, and the data is not being used in the way it was intended. There is no link to this site from CNet, which is a problem, since this is the only place where I maintain any documentation.

To get started, you need to install the following:

On the device

Prerequisites:

For Windows Mobile 6 Standard Edition (without touch screen):

Get it from CNET Download.com!

For Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition (with touch screen):

On the desktop

Get it from CNET Download.com!

Prior to running the TripsNMiles installer packages, please make sure that the prerequisites are installed. The TripsNMiles application does not check for their presence and will fail with a fatal error.

In order to install a CAB package on the device, you need to download it to a folder on your desktop computer, then copy it to the device, and then execute the package from the device, using the File Explorer. Alernatively, you can browse to this page from the device. Clicking on the above CAB links will automatically download and install the packages.

The installer supports installation on the device itself or a storage card. You will be prompted for the install destination when the CAB is executed on the device. Initially, the executable and the database will use 332kB of memory.

Using TripsNMiles on the device

tnm_startmenu
Windows Mobile 6 start menu

In order to start the TripsNMiles application for the first time after installing it, locate the icon in the device’s start menu.

Starting TripsNMiles on Windows Mobile
Starting TripsNMiles on Windows Mobile

When you first start the application, the database will be empty. The only action that is allowed at this time is creating a new vehicle. All other menu items are initially disabled. Select Menu, then Vehicles, then Add New to create a vehicle.

The Add Vehicle screen
The Add /Edit Vehicle screen

Enter the vehicle data:

  • A short name or description – this will be used to show the currently active vehicle in the title bar and the Vehicle menu.
  • The acquisition date
  • The annual mileage limit, if applicable. Set this value to 0 if none applies.
  • The unit of Lenght (US or metric)
  • The unit of Volume (US or metric)
  • The currency ($ or €)
  • The formula for calculating gas milage (US or metric style)

Click Save to save your entries, or Cancel to leave the screen without creating a new vehicle. The application is flexible enough to mix the units, so you can choose to display gas milage in miles/liter or gallons/100 km. If you are in the US, you can just go with the defaults.

The application expects one vehicle to be identified as the default vehicle. You can only enter data for one vehicle at a time, and that is the one that is selected as the default. Once you have saved the vehicle, it does not automatically become active (i.e. marked as the default). In order to select the new vehicle as the current default, select Menu again, then Vehicles, then select the vehicle that you just entered and that now shows up in the Vehicle menu.

The vehicle menu
The vehicle menu

The currently active vehicle will be displayed in the form’s title bar, and there will be a check mark next to the entry in the Vehicle menu, as shown in the screen shot above (1). Now that your vehicle is activated, other menu options are enabled and you can start recording trips and gas purchases.

The Delete Current vehicle option will only delete a vehicle if there are no trips or gas purchases for this vehicle in the database.

tnm_main
The TripsNMiles main screen

Trips are displayed in a grid on the main screen (2). The title bar shows the active vehicle (1), and you can select New Trip from the menu to add, as you would expect, a new trip.

The Add/Edit trip screen
The Add/Edit trip screen

Fields on the Add/Edit Trip screen:

  • Date – record the date of your trip
  • Start and end odometer readings
  • Check Business for business trips
  • Describe the purpose of the trip in the Comment field

You can chose to record individual legs of a trip as separate entries, or to use a single entry for a round-trip journey. Click Save to persist the entry.

Gas purchases are used for expense reporting (we will look at this later when we describe the desktop application), and the device application uses it to report annual gas milage. Select Menu, then Gas Purchases.

Screen to display and edit gas purchases
Screen to display and edit gas purchases

This screen combines both a data grid with a list of past purchases, and an entry form that lets you add or edit data rows. The fields on the form are:

  • Date of transaction
  • Odometer reading
  • Quantity (without unit, just enter the numeric value)
  • Purchase amount (without currency symbol, just enter the amount)

The only notable feature left to describe is the Statistics page. On this page, the application will calculate one row of summary data per calendar year for every vehicle that has enough data in the system (it needs at least two gas purchases for a vehicle in order to calculate gas milage). Scroll to the left to see all values.

The Vehicle Statistics screen
The Vehicle Statistics screen

Using TripsNMiles on the desktop

When you start the TripsNMiles desktop application, it will automatically try to connect to the device and retrieve the latest data. This process creates a copy of the database to the desktop, which can also serve as a backup. ActiveSync must be installed, or the application will fail. If the device is not connected, the application will display an error and show the data that was most recently imported. Initially, the desktop database will be empty.

If a device was detected, however, and the database file cannot be found in the default locations on either the device itself or the storage card, the application will provide the option to manually search the database file:

The device file browser
The device file browser

You can use the built-in device file browser to locate the database file if it was renamed or if it is in a non-standard location (the application will look in the \Program Files\TripsNMiles folder on the device and on the storage card by default). If you rename the database file (TripsNMiles.sdf), the application will of course no longer find it. It is possible, however, to keep multiple copies of the database on the device. If you wanted to start each tax year with a fresh database, for instance, you could rename the database file at the end of the tax year and copy an emtpy version of the database (e.g. the one provided as part of the desktop application installer package) onto the device in its place.

The TripsNMiles desktop application
The TripsNMiles desktop application

Once the startup procedure has completed, the desktop app’s main page will show. From here, you can refresh the data again from the device, or copy the entire data set to the clipboard for inserting it into a spreadsheet application or text editor. We tested Microsoft Excel and StarOffice Calc.

The desktop application provides a denormalized view of all data. It will show one row per trip, along with the complete vehicle data, and gas purchase data when the odometer reading of the gas purchase falls within the trip’s start and end readings. This means that, if you leave gaps in the vehicle milage, not all gas purchases may be exported. Here is a complete list of the columns that can be exported:

  • Trip Date
  • Odometer Start
  • Odometer End
  • Business Trip
  • Comment
  • Vehicle
  • Annual Distance Limit
  • Vehicle Acquired On
  • Gas Purchase Date
  • Odometer Gas Purchase
  • Gas Quantity
  • Gas Cost
  • Vehicle Volume Unit
  • Vehicle Currency
  • Vehicle Length Unit
  • Vehicle Gas Milage Format

Use the functions available in your spreadsheet application to extract gas purchases from the data set for separate processing of business expenses.

Please contact with questions or if you experience any issues with this software – or simply leave a comment on this blog.

Multiple Vehicle Operators

The software supports scenarios where multiple vehicle operators log trips for the same vehicle on different devices. The following restrictions apply:

  • The default starting mileage has to be edited manually for each new trip, based on the actual odometer reading (in all other scenarios, the starting mileage will be the ending mileage of the previous trip)
  • Gas purchases can only be logged on the device that also holds the trip for the odometer reading at the time of purchase
  • The desktop application currently does not support synchronizing with multiple devices. Each sync operation will overwrite the previous data, even if it came from a different device
  • Data needs to be merged manually on the desktop into a single data set

Licensing Terms

TripsNMiles is free for personal and business use on up to three devices per organization. Please contact for bulk licensing terms in larger organizations.

Custom Offline and Online Data Collection Solutions for Windows Mobile

Contact if you are interested in discussing custom development services for the Windows Mobile or iPhone platforms.

Related Posts:

Free Software Mobile Devices Smartphone SQL Server

Comments (50)

  1. Hi.
    I downloaded the three items for use on my BlackJack II: I downloaded and ran the .NET redistributable (no problem) and the SQL Server Compact for Windows Mobile (installed on the PC; I didn’t see anything for SQL Server getting transferred to the phone). I then downloaded the .cab file and moved it to the phone; then I executed the .cab on the phone. It installed, but when I run the app on the phone, it never comes up: the spinning wheel shows for a number of minutes, then the app gives an error screen. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?

  2. It is not clear from your question whether you installed SQL Compact on the device or the desktop. If you want to use the desktop app, you need both. You need the .Net Framework in both places as well.
    Please forward the error message that you are getting.

  3. See this link for instructions related to installing SQL CE.

    Unfortunately, Microsoft does not provide an automated way to get the right version of SQL CE installed on your device.
    You will have to pick the right CAB file for your device from C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition\v3.5\Devices\wce500 and install it yourself.
    I think the Jack has an ARM processor, so you can try this file: armv4i\sqlce.wce5.armv4i.CAB. The installer will give you an error if it is the wrong platform.

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  5. Christian, I am having the same issues as “Your Excellency”. I have installed .net CF 3.5 and SQL Core 3.5 on both phone and desktop. When starting the app on the phone I get a “An unexpected error has occurred in TrpsNMiles.exe” I then open the details of the error and see “TypeLoadException” as the error in TripsNmiles.exe before I ma forced to quit the app. Any help to get this running would be gratefully received.

    Dave
    ——–
    HTC Touch
    WM 6.1

  6. Please contact me if you are getting errors after installation. I will send you the exact CAB files for SQL CE and the .Net 3.5 framework that need to be installed on the device.

  7. Bug and workaround: There is a bug in the desktop code in version 1.1. As a workaround and until I release version 1.2 with a fix, edit the datasource in the configuration file C:\Program Files\pod\TripsNMiles Desktop Host\TripsNMilesHost.exe.config so that the value of the connection string property reads as follows:

    connectionString="Data Source=TripsNMiles.sdf"

  8. I’ve downloaded the necessary files, but can’t install the .msi files for the device (SmartPhone). I’ve put them in the same folder as the program itself (in Programs), and I tried to install them, but I get a message that says, “There is no application associated with “NETCFSetup35″. Run the application first and then open this file inside the application.” What am I doing wrong? The programs installed just fine to my desktop computer, but I can’t find where the program installed to. (There is no “pod” in Program Files.) Thank you for making this program available, and I appreciate any assistance you can provide.

  9. I have everything ready to install and I am up to installing the SQL Compact on my Samsung Jack but the device rejects every sqlce.wce5.xxx.cab I have tried. I have not been able to figure out which SQL files I need to load on the device or what processor the Jack has. I would appreciate the help. I really like the look of the program. It looks exactly like what I need.

  11. Christian, I have a new one for you. A friend of mine wanted to use tripsnmiles on his AT&T Samsung Epix and I told him no problem. Problem. We got everything installed according to the last instructions you sent me for my Jack, but the Epix fails to run the app with Error – TypeLoadException. Any ideas?

  13. I am getting a TypeLoad Exception message. I believe I have followed the outline steps carefully.
    I am using a Samsung Omnia and this is a new phone and program to replace my aging and now unsupported Palm Zire31 (using Vista 64 bit)

  15. I too am getting the type load exception message, using the link you provided for windows professional w/ touch screen. I know I have updated the .NET compact framework, but need to know exactly which SQL server compact 3.5 is correct for my Pharos Traveler 137. Thanks!

  17. Kevin – I am glad you found the right CAB.

    For all others – The SQL Server CE 3.5 Download (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=38ED2670-A70A-43B3-87F3-7AB67B56CBF2&displaylang=en) installs the entire suite on the desktop, with a number of different CAB files for all supported hardware platforms. It is then up to you to figure out which one will work. Start looking in
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition\v3.5\Devices\wce500

    The phones I have personally seen and owned all had ARM processors, and the ARM Cabs are the only ones I ever installed.

  18. Try as I might, I cannot get this software to run on my HTC touch pro. I successfully installed .net 3.5 and sql 3.5. I’ve installed every version or tripsnmiles I can find with no luck. The desktop ap runs fine, but I cannot get the mobile ap to run. Any assistance would be very welcome.

  20. The exception only means that a library was not found. The most likely causes are
    – SQL Server is not installed,
    – you installed the Windows Mobile Standard version of Trips’n’miles.
    I will email you the cabs that you need (and that Tom Troxell was successful with).

  21. Everything installed fine on my HTC Snap (Sprint) phone. But when entering gas prices and specifically quantity and cost, it doesn’t keep the decimal point. Any ideas?

  22. Ruth, I suspect that this issue is due to the fact that the Windows Smartphones with full keyboard don’t have a decimal point key when in numeric mode. The application switches the keyboard mode to numeric for these fields. This works fine on phones with a QVGA form factor. The landscape phones like yours, unfortunately, require that you switch the keyboard back to character mode for the decimal point.

  24. Feature Request:
    1. Would it be possible to have a separate listing of addresses (like a separated table) and have two more fields in the odometer input section for “Started From” AND “Destination” linked to this list? It would also be great if you were able to code it so that the last inputted address selected address is carried over to the next “Start” or “Destination” field. Having a drop down list and most commonly used listing toward the top of that list to select from would be very practical too
    Would it be possible to add to this program 3 more fields where you enter the odometer readings?
    2. Time field? To go along side the date field). For example: This helps when you are looking back on your records and are trying to figure out where you were the other day at 10am.

    Thanks

  25. Danny, I will keep your suggestions in the queue. The next time I will work on this application will likely be to port it to Android, and I will review all feature requests at that time.

  26. I’ve enjoyed the program since we overcame the installation issue.
    Now that the new year has come, is there a way to mass delete all the 2009 data and start fresh for 2010?
    Thanks

  27. Hi Tom,
    Just back up your old database file from the phone and copy an empty database file (the one from the desktop installer package, for instance) to the folder where TripsNMiles is installed on the device, using ActiveSync (XP) or the SyncCenter (Vista/Windows 7). You will have to redefine your car(s).

  28. Hi

    I am using HTC Fuze (windows mobile 6.1 professional). I installed .net 3.5 and sql from C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition\v3.5\Devices\wce500\x86. I am getting TypeLoadException when i start the application. Please help

    Thanks
    BASheer

  29. I downloaded the Pro version and the program still says Type Load Exception. Can you send me the pro cab file directly. I am using a Samsung Omnia Mobile 6.1.

    Thank you,

    Fred

  30. Christian,

    Downloaded and installed all required components and TripsNMiles. It works great for setting up vehicles and entering trip data, I am having an issue though when attempting to enter gas purchases. I get a NullReferenceException error. Any suggestions? I have a Samsung Jack SGH-i616, cabinet filed used to install SQL on device is sqlce.ppc.wce5.armv4i.

    Thanks,

    Sandor

  31. If you can enter trips, your SQL installation works. Can you confirm that the mileage that you entered for your purchase falls without the start and the end date of one of the trips?

  32. Christian,

    Not exactly sure what you mean by “mileage that you entered for your purchase falls without the start and the end date of one of the trips”.
    I can tell you this much. Tried to enter gas purchase before entering any trips, it failed. Tried to enter gas purchase during a trip (after saving the trip), it failed. The mileage for the purchase was 30920, start of trip 30915, end of trip 30925, same date.

    Regards,

    Sandor

  33. Christian,

    Trips N Miles looks like a great program!! Unfortunately at this point I have so many hours into trying to install your program I could be keeping a paper log. Come to the conclusion MS operating systems SUCK and always will. ? I have an HTC TouchPro. Believe I’ve installed the version for the touch screen as I have Win6.1. When I run the SQL Server Compact 3.5 for Windows Mobile from my laptop how do I know if it’s doing anything on the phone? Copied to the phone it wont run. As is I receive the following error every time I run TNMiles: “An unexpected error has occurred in TripsNMiles.exe. Select Quite and then restart this program, or select Details for more information.” Details gives this info: “TripsNMiles. Exe TypeLoadException” VERY FRUSTRATED. I’ve wiped everything multiple times, power cycled the phone, tried install to phone and to storage card. Always with the same result. Going to wipe everything from the phone and laptop to have a clean slate. Again looks like a Great Program for those who get it to work!

  34. Christian,

    Thank You for such a fast response!!! Even if I can’t resolve the issue I will NOT soon forget how quickly you answered my questions!!!

    THANK YOU

  35. i have a samsung jack i-637 i am struggling with running the program. i have installed the new sql, it did not reject it but when i open the program i still get the type load error.

  36. I have put the pre-recquisites on my HTC Touch Pro and then Trip N Miles. But I keep getting an error, “Exe TypeLoadException” and “An unexpected error has occurred in TripsNMiles.exe. What do I do?

  37. Pingback: Trips’n’Miles now on Android Market - Donner's Daily Dose of Drama

  38. Trips N Miles looks like a great program!! Unfortunately at this point I have so many hours into trying to install your program I could be keeping a paper log. Come to the conclusion MS operating systems SUCK and always will. ? I have an HTC TouchPro. Believe I’ve installed the version for the touch screen as I have Win6.1. When I run the SQL Server Compact 3.5 for Windows Mobile from my laptop how do I know if it’s doing anything on the phone? Copied to the phone it wont run. As is I receive the following error every time I run TNMiles: “An unexpected error has occurred in TripsNMiles.exe. Select Quite and then restart this program, or select Details for more information.” Details gives this info: “TripsNMiles. Exe TypeLoadException” VERY FRUSTRATED. I’ve wiped everything multiple times, power cycled the phone, tried install to phone and to storage card. Always with the same result. Going to wipe everything from the phone and laptop to have a clean slate. Again looks like a Great Program for those who get it to work!
    +1

  39. Jonathon commented:

    “That is a pretty nifty little program, thanks for all your help getting this up and running!”

  40. Greetings, I’m thankful for finding our program, but having trouble getting to run on mobile device (Samsung Omnia II). It looks like the desktop version is running, it starts anyway. When I download and installed the prereqs I was told there was a later version of .Net Compact framework already installed on the device. Otherwise things seem to have gone well. I am getting the same error as some others, TripsNMiles.exe TypeLoadException. Can you help me out. I think you programs offers the best I’ve found at “finger friendly” 6.5 interface.

  41. Can any one help me in Deploying the MobileApplication into the Mobile,the mobile i need is the honeywell 9500 i am geting the error “An unexpected error has occurred in WinMobilePriceLookupApntOrders.exe. select quit and restart his program”

  45. HELP!!

    Our devices (Psion Ikons) run Windows Mobile 6.1 (ARM Processors) and I cannot get TripsNMiles to install for love no money.

    Not 100% sure I have got the correct installation files.

  47. No luck installing on my HTC Touch Pro 2 – Windows Mobile 6.5. Installed the 2 MS packages & the TripsNMiles download and getting message “An unexpected error has ocurred in TripsNMiles.exe”. In “details” : TripsNMiles.exe TypeLoadException. Have spent a lot of time playing around with this, but not luck. Can you help?

  48. Just a note. Found your TripsNMiles program (standard). Finally got the right SQL on my TREO750 and all seems to be working! The download link to the PRO version doesn’t seem to work anymore… is there an alternative download site? Thanks a Million!!

  49. P.S. to last comment – getting the right SQL on the mobile device seems to be VERY KEY to getting it to work.

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