Software Development Archive
18 Jun 2015
C# Global Keyboard Listeners – implementation of key hooks
In a previous post I briefly outlined the pros and cons of using global event listeners. Although the summary was to use them with caution, the entire use of listeners only came about due to a quick bit of personal programming I did yesterday, in which global listeners were a necessity (due to the program
18 Jun 2015
Global keyboard listeners – pros and cons
As discussed previously, event listeners are a key component to GUI development and good software development. Being able to record mouse clicks, or keyboard keys can enhance the usability of software for the end-users. In this post, I intend to show you how to implement a global keyboard listener for C#. What is a global
09 Jun 2015
C++/CLI Wrapper – marshalling GUIDs
GUIDs, unique identifiers which can be assigned to items in C# and C++ are another set of variables which, despite sharing many characteristics, need to be marshalled between the C# implementation and C++ implementations when using the CLI wrapper. Marshalling GUIDs between System.Guid and GUID GUIDs are useful variables to pass between C# and C++
06 Jun 2015
C++/CLI Wrapper – marshalling strings
As mentioned previously, C++/CLI code makes use of managed data types to pass data between C# and C++. Primitive data types are not affected by this (int, double, bool, etc.) but others, such as strings, are. Marshalling strings between system and std Strings in C# are referred to as System Strings as they are a
06 Jun 2015
C++/CLI Wrapper – how to set up a CLI file
What is CLI and what is it used for? The Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) is a part of .NET programming. It is commonly referred to as the C++/CLI wrapper (this may be important if ever you’re Googling for help) and is used for managing code between different .NET based code. As mentioned previously (here and
05 Jun 2015
C++ Error C2784 – Working with GUID keys in map data structures
Error C2784 is caused by problems with the compiler for using a key in map data structures. Map data structures are very useful in C++, their C# equivalent being the Dictionary structure. They allow you to store data to a key, which means when you come to need that data you can use the key,
04 Jun 2015
C++ Error C2011 – What it is and how to fix it
Errors are never fun to deal with, especially late at night with no one around to bounce ideas off of. During the course of my programming adventures I encounter many errors in compilation and hopefully, by posting them and the solution for them I might help myself later, or others, in solving the problem. Error
04 Jun 2015
Inheriting or Inclusion, the differences between both
Many programming languages make use of inheritance and inclusion. For beginner programmers, this can be a daunting concept but once understood, they can open up a world of new possibilities for your software development. This post is aimed at those who have an understanding of programming, but perhaps need or want a little example of
03 Jun 2015
Basic File IO – Java/C#/C++ examples
File Input/Output (FileIO) is a necessary piece of programming for software development where outputs need to be saved, or inputs used for calculations. All pieces of software create, to some degree, data which needs to be output to a permanent source on the file system. These files are not written magically and need to be
12 May 2015
Mouse Art
Mouse Art is a piece of software available from IOGraphica to record the movements of your mouse on the monitor. I stumbled upon this recently and have, over the last couple of weeks, been ‘playing’ with it while at work. It’s very easy to use and doesn’t interfere with what you’re currently working on. I’ve