Hannes DuPreez

Introduction Recently, I had to make a VB.NET program that reads PDF file contents and replace it with customized text. VB.NET unfortunately doesn’t have a built in PDF file reader object, so I had to make use of a third party’s product called iTextSharp. From the moment I started using it, I fell in love […]

Introduction Imagine this scenario: Your program’s duty is to print a lot of reports and charts, and relies heavily on printers. Now, imagine further that your program cannot determine whether or not a printer is working or is having some kind of paper jam. This scenario can be quite embarrassing for you or your company […]

Introduction Hello again! Today I will talk about how to retrieve hard disk information via WMI. Sometimes it is necessary to know how much free space is available on your disk, what type of drive it is, and/or what file system is being used. Not quite so often, we might need to know what the […]

Introduction I love games; but I am in no sense of the word a gamer. My wife is the one and only gamer in my family. Also, the word gamer is quite relative. Why? Well, people think of gamers as young people with the best and biggest pcs playing games over the network with each […]

Introduction Knowing which version of MS Office is installed on the client computer is vital. Many a programmer sees this as an afterthought, sadly. This happens because not enough research of the client’s needs and abilities was done. This article will show you 4 different ways to determine the Office versions installed. Design Create a […]

Making it Work Introduction Welcome back! In part 2 of this article we will concentrate on the user interface, and user interaction with our preview pane. We will also finalize this project. Let’s jump right in, but before we continue, make sure you have enough snacks and drinks – we must keep those brain cells […]

Part 1 – Designing the Framework Introduction I’ve always wanted to do this. Somehow, I never got round to it. With Christmas creeping closer, I decided that my Christmas present this year will be this project. From Hannes. To Hannes. With this article, we will learn how to add a window to an OpenFileDialog. This […]

Introduction Hello again! Today I will try to explain how to create a word search game with Visual Basic.NET. In case you don’t know what a Word Search game is, have a look at this Wikipedia Article. Our Project Shaken not stirred. Seeing the fact that the James Bond Movie franchise turned 50 early in […]

Introduction Knowing whether or not the PC running your application is connected to the internet or not, is essential for future application updates. This article will demonstrate four different and very easy ways to determine an internet connection. Design Our design is very simple. Open Visual Studio 2010 and start a VB.NET or a C# […]

Introduction A nice feature to build into your application is allowing your application to check for inactivity. Inactivity means that the program is just “standing still” – it is open, but it seems to be forgotten. Some programs check for inactivity in order to release important resources. Some programs rely on activity in order to […]

Introduction Getting lost is an unfortunate habit for me. My mind is always somewhere else, and before I know it, I have skipped a Stop sign… or two… My wife always wants to drive, because she always knows where to go and gets just as frustrated as I get when I am lost – but […]

Introduction In the previous two installments of this series we have concentrated on how things work, and making the logic work. With this final part, we will build in a way to win or lose, as well as add some effects when a win takes place. We will also polish off this article, so that […]