# Apache Cordova Documentation

# Windows Phone 7 Platform Guide

This guide shows how to set up your SDK development environment to deploy Cordova apps for Windows Phone 7 devices. Apps also run on Windows Phone 8 devices using the same APIs, but version 7 lacks some of IE10's advanced features available on Windows Phone 8. Windows Phone 8 apps do not run on Windows Phone 7 devices.

See the following for more detailed platform-specific information that applies to both versions:

- Upgrading Windows Phone
- Windows Phone Plugins
- Windows Phone Command-line Tools

The command-line tools above refer to versions prior to Cordova 3.0. See The Command-Line Interface for information about the current interface.

## System Requirements

Use Windows 7 or Windows 8 (Pro) or Windows Vista with SP2. The 64-bit version (x64) of Windows is required for the SDK. The Pro version is recommended for running a device emulator.

Register and pay for a Windows Phone Dev Center account if you want to install an app on a real device or submit it to Market Place.

NOTE: Running the SDK in Virtual Machine may present challenges. Read Windows Phone on a Mac for insights on developing solutions.

## Install SDK and Cordova

Download and install the Windows Phone SDK.

Download and extract the latest copy of Cordova. You need to work in the `lib\windows-phone-8\wp7` subdirectory, `lib\windows-phone-8\wp8` contains the Windwos Phone 8 version of Cordova.

Copy the `CordovaWP7_x_x_x.zip` file to the `\My Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Templates\ProjectTemplates\` directory.

## Building the Template

NOTE: Skip this step if the `lib\windows-phone` directory already contains a `CordovaWP7_x_x_x.zip` file.

To simplify development, Cordova bundles a script to build Visual Studio templates. These allow you to rapidly generate Cordova apps, and you can modify them if necessary. The steps below show how to generate it.

### Run the Batch File to Create and Install the Templates

The root of the repo contains a `createTemplates.bat` file. Double-clicking this file generates two `.zip` files: `CordovaWP7_x_x_x.zip` and `CordovaWP8_x_x_x.zip`, where 3.3.0 is the current version number. To use these files easily in Visual Studio, copy them to the `My Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Templates\ProjectTemplates\` subdirectory. You are then able to create new Apache Cordova Windows Phone_ apps from Visual Studio's __File → New Project menu.

If you run the batch file from the command line, you can also call with a parameter to install automatically:

        >createTemplates.bat -install

## Set up a New Project

- Open Visual Studio Express for Windows Phone and choose New Project.

- Select CordovaWP7. The version number displays in the template description.

- Give the project a name, and select OK.

## Review the Project Structure

The `www` directory features `html`, `js`, and `css` subdirectories and any other resources your app requires. Any additional content needs to be a part of the Visual Studio project, and it must be set as content.

The following sample structure represents a 2.3.0 project, but may vary depending on installed version:

## Build the Project for the Device

Before testing your application on a device, the device must be registered. Consult Microsoft's documentation.aspx) for details on how to deploy and test on Windows Phone 7. These are the basic steps:

- Make sure your phone is connected, and the screen is unlocked.

- In Visual Studio, select Device from the drop-down menu at the top.

- Press the green play button next to the main drop-down menu to start debugging, or else type F5.

At this point, you're done.