Managing Printing in Your .NET Application

The .NET Framework makes it easy to support printing. In this article, Wei-Meng Lee shows you the basics of printing in .NET 2.0, including how to configure page setup, print multiple pages, preview a document before it is printed, as well as let users select a printer to which to print. May. 15, 2007

Using the Cryptography APIs in .NET

The .NET framework contains a number of cryptography services that allow you to incorporate security services into your .NET applications. In this article, Wei-Meng Lee shows you how to use some of the common security APIs to make your .NET applications more secure. May. 22, 2007

Cool New Tools in Windows Mobile 6

While it may be some time before you can get your hands on a Windows Mobile 6 device, this early look at the Windows Mobile 6 SDK reveals some of the new tools and utilities you'll be using soon.

Personalization with Application Settings in Visual Basic

Application Settings is a new feature in Windows Forms 2.0 that allows you to maintain both user- and application-specific data (known as settings). Find out how to use it to improve your application's usability with personalization--this time in Visual Basic.

See you at MEDC Singapore 2007 this Fri (8th June)

Come and join us at MEDC 2007 this Fri (8th June) at Suntec City (http://www.microsoft.com/singapore/events/medc/default.mspx). I will be presenting two sessions - one on Windows Mobile 5.0 Network Programming and another one on Programming Vista SideShow Gadgets. If you are there, please come up and say hi!

I will be posting my slides up in my blog after the event. Hence, watch this space for the latest updates.

Bluetooth Barcode Scanner - Cut the Cord!

For a long time, I was looking for a good and reliable wireless barcode scanner that would allow me to scan my library of books without needing to lug around my notebook. Once the barcodes (ISBN) of the books are scanned they can then be offloaded in bulk to my PC. I then automate the cataloging process by calling the Amazon.com Web service. The Symbol LS4278 fits the bill perfectly. The Symbol LS4278 is a Bluetooth Class 2 device that supports the Serial Port and HID profiles. One of the scenarios is using it in a warehouse environment where you need to run about scanning all the barcodes. When you are back in your office, you can then transfer the collected barcodes wirelessly (through Bluetooth) to your PC.

I will be showing how to interface the LS4278 scanner with your .NET application in the Aug run of the Windows Mobile 5.0 Programming course.

Device Simulator for Windows SideShow

Microsoft has made the SideShow Simulator available as an download for those of you who want to experience SideShow but without the necessary hardware. Previously, you have to install the Windows Vista SDK in order to run the SideShow Simulator. But now, you can simply download it as a standalone version.

Check it out today!

Displaying Master-Details Relationships in ASP.NET 2.0

One of the common tasks in manipulating databases is displaying master-details relationships. In this article, I will show how you can use the GridView and DetailsView controls to display records in the authors and titles tables.

Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Programming using the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 - 16th, 17th Aug 2007

NEW TOPICS ADDED!
* An overview of Microsoft's New Windows Mobile 6 * Introduction to Windows Mobile 6 Standard Programming (previously known as SmartPhone) *

I am happy to announce the next run of the Windows Mobile 5.0 Programming course! After much considerations and planning, the dates are set on the 16th and 17th Aug 2007 (Thurs and Fri). This time round, I am adding one day (optional day) of introductory topics so that beginners can get a jumpstart on the basics before they embark on more advanced topics. If you have missed the first run of the course in May, this is a good time for you to register now. Details below:

Download the registration form here.

Synopsis
This course will introduce to participants the various techniques to program their Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC devices. Far from being an introductory course, this feature-packed course will show you how to interface with external devices, communicate wirelessly with other devices, as well as access the data of built-in applications (such as Contacts, Outlook Mobile, and Calendar) from within your own.

What you will learn
Day 1 (Introductory Topics)

* Using Visual Studio 2005 for Windows Mobile 5.0 Programming
* Obtaining the relevant SDKs
* Introduction to Windows Mobile 6 (NEW)
* Introduction to Windows Mobile 6 Standard (aka SmartPhone) Programming (NEW)
* Creating your first Windows Mobile application
* How to access the information of your contacts in Contacts
* How to integrate telephony functions into your application
* Data access and data-binding
* Using Web Services

Day 2 (Advanced Topics)
* How to connect to serial devices (e.g. GPS, computers) using Bluetooth
* How to obtain geographical location information using a GPS
* How to send and receive SMS messages
* How to capture images using the built-in camera
* How to perform barcode scanning (1D and 2D barcode scanning)
* How to capture signature
* How to program the IrDA port
* How to connect to a remote computer using sockets programming
* How to program RFID
* How to print to a Bluetooth Printer

Date
* Time: 9am to 5pm daily
* Day 1 – 16th Aug 2007 (Thurs)
* Day 2 – 17th Aug 2007 (Fri)
* Closing date for registration: 16th July 2007

Course Fees

* Day 1 - S$399
* Day 2 - S$399
* To qualify for Early Bird Discount, register before 16th June and receive a $100 discount for each day ($299 after discount)
* Inclusive of 1 lunch and 2 tea breaks for each day

Use Windows Forms Application Settings to Personalize Your Applications

Application Settings is a new feature in Windows Forms 2.0 that allows you to maintain both user-specific and application-specific data (known as settings). Find out how to use it to improve your application's usability with personalization.

Windows Mobile 5.0 Programming Course - Full house!

Due to overwhelming response, I would like to announce that the applications for the course is now closed. As much as I would like to accept all interested participants, we have run out of seats for the course and hence are not able to accept any further applications.

However, I am currently planning for the next run of the course and if you have some ideal dates that you would like me to consider, do send me an email at weimenglee@gmail.com.

Thanks for the interest and support! For those who have already signed up, I look forward to seeing you on the day of the course! It is going to be a fun day!

Practical .NET 2.0 Networking Projects Reviews

My latest book - Practical .NET 2.0 Networking Projects, was recently released and I am delighted with the reviews on Amazon.com. Here is one of them:

Reviewer: William A. Miller "Consultant" (Grand Rapids, MI)

"I found the book to be very solid. The chapters are divided up decently, and there is a ton of code listings in the book, although almost to the extent of to much. However, if you want to get a quick start on using any of the technologies such as fingerprint readers, GPS, and RFID this is a great primer. The author provides up to date examples, provides you references for the proper tools, and SDK's needed to complete the project. I built a fingerprint reading application based off his example for tracking visitors to the User Group meetings I attend. I've always wanted to know how to develop applications using external devices, but haven't had the time to dig in and research it. This book will give you a great starting point and will have a working application quickly. It is a fun book and will give you the basics on these technologies. One comment would be that it would have been nice to have at the beginning of each chapter/section a quick reference list for resources you will need. Also, since I typically jump ahead, I found that in the case of the fingerprint reader there was an issue when trying to add the control to the form and I spent sometime working through that on my own. Then I turned the page and the author has kindly put the resolution in a big gray box. Would have saved me a little time if I would have read that!"

Looking for a barcode scanner? Get the LS2208

If you are looking for a barcode scanner for your use with your applications, look no further. The Symbol LS2208 is a laser barcode scanner that scans with surprisingly high accuracy.

Most of the time, you would want to use a barcode scanner as a quick alternative to keyboard input, and hence you need to configure the barcode scanner to act like a keyboard, passing in the scanned data into your computer just like a keyboard.

If you have just purchased a Symbol LS2208, simply print out the following barcode and scan it using the LS2208. Once the barcode is scanned, you can now use the LS2208 to scan barcodes directly into your application. For more configuration options, download the LS2208 manual, which can be found here.

Roll Your Own SMS Gateway

You can do a lot of fun applications using an SMS gateway but unless you work for a major television network, good luck getting a return on your investment. In this article, we'll show you a great alternative to an expensive SMS gateway using a Pocket PC and a Bluetooth connection.

Last chance to enjoy early-bird discount price of $299

This is your last chance to enjoy the early-bird discount price of $299 for the "Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Programming using the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 (Singapore - 11 May 2007)" workshop, if you register before 11th March 07. After this date, the course fee for this course will be $399.

The following new topics have been added:

• QRCode generation and scanning


• Bluetooth Printing


• RFID reading and writing


• IrDA programming
• GPS programming

Download the registration form here.

Learn Windows Mobile 5.0 Programming at your place!

A number of readers wrote in indicating their interest in my Windows 5.0 Programming Course. However, the most common problem is that these people are located outside of Singapore (maybe this is the best excuse to tell your boss that you need to come to Singapore for a course ;-P). If you have sufficient number of participants, let me know and I would be able to fly to your country for in-house training. For pricing information, contact me at weimenglee@gmail.com

Course Materials Translated into Japanese

I just came back from Japan after co-running a Windows Mobile 5.0 Workshop with my Japanese counterpart. It was nice to see my course materials translated into Japanese, though I don't understand any Japanese at all. I hope to learn it one day, but for now, my priority is to learn my Chinese well! ;-)

Windows Vista SideShow Gadgets: Little Apps, Big Impact

Vista's SideShow feature supports auxiliary screen devices that can run applications even when the main computer is turned off, letting users read news, play games, or check their email without powering up the main computer. Check out this tutorial on what how to create Sideshow gadgets using Visual Studio 2005.

QRCode - Generating and Scanning

Do you know that QRCode is very popular in Japan for encoding information? QRCode is a type of 2D barcoding technique that encodes more information than what is traditionally possible with linear barcodes.

I will be covering how to generate and scan QRCodes using the MC70 in the upcoming course -
Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Programming using the .NET Compact Framework 2.0. Register for the course today!

Two New Courses Launched - Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Vista Sidebar & SideShow Gadgets Programming!

Today I launched two new courses:

• What is New for Developers in Windows Mobile 6
• Programming Windows Vista Sidebar and SideShow Gadgets

At the moment, these two courses are only targeted at in-house training. If your organization want to have a quick overview of what is new in Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Vista programming, contact me at weimenglee@gmail.com.

Build a Photo Viewer Using the New FTP Classes in .NET 2.0

Yet another highly useful but underappreciated feature of .NET 2.0? How about the FTPWebRequest and FtpWebResponse classes? These nifty classes let you built FTP file access right into your applications. See how it's done with this handy photo viewer example.

Ricavision's Vista SideShow Remote Control

Ricavision has announced their latest remote control that supports the Windows Vista SideShow technology. It supports IrDA and Class-1 Bluetooth, and a very sexy 2.5" QVGA LCD for SideShow. Enuff said, a picture is worth a thousand words.

New ASUS motherboards support SideShow

If you are looking to build a new PC to run Windows Vista, be sure to first checkout the new motherboards from ASUS - P5B Premium Vista Edition, M2N32-SLI Premium Vista Edition, P5B-Plus Vista Edition and M2N-Plus SLI Vista Edition. These 4 models include numerous features specifically designed for Vista, among them my favorite is no doubt the ScreenDuo, which is a SideShow device. SideShow is a auxiliary display supported in Windows Vista that allows you to view important information without needing to keep your PC on all the time. Some of the early SideShow devices are commonly found in notebooks, but the four motherboards listed above brings SideShow devices to the desktop.

And of course, SideShow devices are useless unless you got a way to program them to display useful information. Well, of course you can! Stay tuned! ;-)

Sony Ericsson W850i

Recently, my old phone - the old trusty Motorola E398, gave way and I was searching for a new phone. As I have always been a great fan of Sony Ericsson, I finally decided on the W850i Walkman phone (I got the black one). This is a handsome handset that supports 3G and it has all the great features that you have come to expect from Sony Ericsson's line of Walkman phones. Sound quality is superb and it features a 2MP camera. It comes with a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo and hence I can reuse my memory stick for my Sony T10 camera.

I am still exploring the phone but so far I am a happy user!

Preorder Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)

If you are a Harry Potter fan, be sure to pre-order the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)" from Amazon.com.

Download my articles on CoDe Magazine!

In the Sep/Oct 2006 and Nov/Dec 2006 issues of CoDe Magazine, I have the following articles:

Programming Windows Mobile 5.0 Applications using the .NET Compact Framework

Fun with RFID

Thanks to the generosity of Code Magazine, they have kindly made the PDF copies of the article/magazine available for download. You can simply click on the above links to download the articles.

If you like CoDe magazine, be sure to check the following link for a great discount offer for subscribers! https://www.code-magazine.com/subscribe/vip ($10 discount plus they get a CD with the past 5 years of CoDe on it).

GPS Module for your Symbol MC70

Another really cool device I tried recently is the 1058-GPS from Technology Solutions (UK) Ltd. This is another plug-in for the MC70 and it draws the power from the MC70 directly. Accessing it programmatically is a no-brainer - simply listen to COM1 and interpret the NMEA data sentences that it spew out. For industries that need to track the whereabouts of their staff and delivery vehicles, this is a perfect accessory for your MC70, which has GPRS and Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing you to transmit the geographical locations back to the server real time using wireless connections (GPRS or wireless hotspots).

I have an actual sample on how to perform real-time tracking using GPS and Pocket PCs at: http://www.devx.com/wireless/Article/32938/1763.

I will be covering how to use the 1058-GPS Module in the upcoming course -

Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Programming using the .NET Compact Framework 2.0. Register for the course today!

RFID Solutions for your Symbol MC70

If you are looking for a RFID solution and are searching for the mobile devices and its accompanying accessories, look no further. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with the 1059 HF Multi-ISO RFID Reader from Technology Solutions (UK) Ltd. The 1059 HF Multi-ISO RFID Reader is a plug-in for the Symbol MC70 and it draws its power from the MC70, and hence it does not require any external sources of power. It provides the ability to read and write to a wide variety of transponders at 13.56 MHz including ISO 15693, ICODE (I & II) and the complete Mifare family of ISO14443 (A&B).

Using the 1059 HF Multi-ISO RFID Reader, you can retain the barcode scanning capabilities of the MC70 and at the same time equip your MC70 with RFID capabilities.

I will be covering how to use the 1059-HF Multi-ISO RFID Reader module in the upcoming course -
Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Programming using the .NET Compact Framework 2.0. Register for the course today!

101 Ways to Manipulate the DataGridView Control

The DataGridView control, new in Windows Forms 2.0, is so versatile and powerful that beginners can easily be overwhelmed by the options. Here's an at-your-fingertips reference to some of the most common and useful things you can do with it. (OK there aren't really 101 ways but there are a lot!)

Monitor Your Web Cam from a Remote Computer

We've offered a few solutions for working with web cams within .NET to create fun and intriguing monitoring applications. In this article, we extend those ideas so that web cam images can be shared with multiple clients over the Web.