Project


In this chapter's project code, we'll follow two of the four licensing steps discussed in the "Library Licensing System" section of this chapter: generating the license file and using the license file. The design we created previously is good enough for our needs, although we still need to record it in the project's technical documentation. We won't formally install the license file until we create the Setup program in Chapter 24.

Update Technical Documentation

Because we'll be adding a new external file that will be processed by the Library Project, we need to document its structure in the project's Technical Resource Kit. Let's add the following new section to that document.

Report Configuration File

The Library Project reads a customer-specific license file generated by the Library License Generation support application. That program generates a digitally signed XML license file that includes licensee information. Here is a sample of the license file content.

<?xml version="1.0"?> <License>   <Product>Library Project</Product>   <LicenseDate>1/1/2000</LicenseDate>   <ExpireDate>12/31/2999</ExpireDate>   <CoveredVersion>1.*</CoveredVersion>   <Licensee>John Q. Public</Licensee>   <SerialNumber>LIB-123456789</SerialNumber>   <Signature>     Digital signature appears here (not shown)   </Signature> </License> 


The <LicenseDate> and <ExpireDate> tags indicate the first and last valid dates of the license. <Licensee> indicates the name of the license owner. <SerialNumber> includes the vendor-defined serial number associated with this license. The <CoveredVersion> tag contains data similar to the assembly version number included in .NET applications. It has up to four dot-delimited parts:

<major>.<minor>.<build>.<revision> 


Each component can include a number from 0 to 9999, or the "*" character, which indicates all valid values for that position.

The <Signature> section contains the generated digital signature. Its format is dependent on the XML Cryptography tools in .NET that generate this section. Always use the Library License Generation support application to build license files, to ensure a proper digital signature.

That support application generates a public and private key pair for use in digital signing. The public portion of this key (as an XML file) must be added as a resource named LicensePublicKey to the Library application. The private portion must be kept private. For consistency, the same key-pair should be used throughout the lifetime of the Library Project's availability.


We will also store the location of the license file as an application setting in the main program. We need to record that setting with the other application settings already added to the User Settings section of the Resource Kit.

LicenseFileLocationThe path to the Library License file on this workstation. If not supplied, the program will look for a file named LibraryLicense.lic in the same folder as the application.


Library License Helper Application

Generating license files and digital signatures by hand using Notepad would be . . . well, let's not even think about it. Instead, we'll depend on a custom application to create the files and signatures for us. I've already developed that custom tool for you. You'll find it in the installation directory for this book's code, in the LibraryLicensing subdirectory.

This support application includes two main forms. The first (KeyLocationForm.vb, shown in Figure 21-6) locates or creates the public-private key files used in the digital signature process.

Figure 21-6. Support form for digital signatures


Most of the form's code helps locate and verify the folder that will contain the two key files (one private, one public). Some of the code in the ActGenerate_Click event handler creates the actual files.

Dim twoPartKey As RSA Dim publicFile As String Dim privateFile As String ' ----- Generate the keys. twoPartKey = New RSACryptoServiceProvider twoPartKey = RSA.Create() ' ----- Save the public key. My.Computer.FileSystem.WriteAllText(publicFile, _    twoPartKey.ToXmlString(False), False) ' ----- Save the private key. My.Computer.FileSystem.WriteAllText(privateFile, _    twoPartKey.ToXmlString(True), False) 


That's really simple! The System.Security.Cryptography.RSA class and the related RSACryptoServiceProvider class do all the work. All you have to do is call the RSA.Create method, and then generate the relevant XML keys using the ToXmlString method, passing an argument of False for the public key, and True for the private key. If you want to look at some sample keys, open the LicenseFiles subdirectory in this book's source installation directory. You'll find two files, one for the public key and one for the private key. I'd print one of them here, but it all just looks like random characters.

The other support form is MainForm.vb, which generates the actual end-user license file, and appears in Figure 21-7.

Figure 21-7. Support form for license file generation


As with the first form, most of this form's code simply ensures that the public and private key files are intact, and that the user entered valid data before generation. The ActGenerate_Click event handler is where the real fun is. First, we need some XML content, which we build in the BuildXmlLicenseContent method. It creates the content element by element, using the methods we learned about in Chapter 13. For instance, here's the part of the code that adds the serial number.

dataElement = result.CreateElement("SerialNumber") dataElement.InnerText = Trim(SerialNumber.Text) rootElement.AppendChild(dataElement) 


Then comes the digital signature, via the SignXmlLicenseContent function, most of which appears here.

Private Function SignXmlLicenseContent( _       ByVal sourceXML As XmlDocument) As Boolean    ' ----- Add a digital signature to an XML document.    Dim privateKeyFile As String    Dim privateKey As RSA    Dim signature As SignedXml    Dim referenceMethod As Reference    ' ----- Load in the private key.    privateKeyFile = My.Computer.FileSystem.CombinePath( _       KeyLocation.Text, PrivateKeyFilename)    privateKey = RSA.Create()    privateKey.FromXmlString( _       My.Computer.FileSystem.ReadAllText(privateKeyFile))    ' ----- Create the object that generates the signature.    signature = New SignedXml(sourceXML)    signature.SignedInfo.CanonicalizationMethod = _       SignedXml.XmlDsigCanonicalizationUrl    signature.SigningKey = privateKey    ' ----- The signature will appear as a <reference>    '       element in the XML.    referenceMethod = New Reference("")    referenceMethod.AddTransform(New _       XmlDsigEnvelopedSignatureTransform(False))    signature.AddReference(referenceMethod)    ' ----- Add the signature to the XML content.    signature.ComputeSignature()    sourceXML.DocumentElement.AppendChild(signature.GetXml())    ' ----- Finished.    Return True End Function 


Digital signing occurs via the SignedXml class (in the System.Security.Cryptography.Xml namespace). This class uses a few different signing methods; the one I chose (XmlDsigCanonicalizationUrl) is used for typical XML and ignores embedded comments.

This signature appears as tags and values in the XML output, added through the AppendChild statement near the end of the routine. Because we don't want the signature itself to be considered when we later scan the XML file for valid content, the SignedXml class adds the signature as a <reference> tag. This occurs in code by adding a Reference object that is programmed for that purpose. It's added through the signature.AddReference method call.

Once we have the signature in the XML content, we write it all out to a file specified by the user via the standard XmlDocument.Save method (in the ActGenerate_Click event handler).

licenseXML.Save(LicenseSaveLocation.FileName) 


Here's a sample XML license file that includes a digital signature. This is the one that I have included in the LicenseFiles directory in the book's source installation directory (with some lines wrapped to fit this page).

<?xml version="1.0"?> <License>   <Product>Library Project</Product>   <LicenseDate>1/1/2000</LicenseDate>   <ExpireDate>12/31/2999</ExpireDate>   <CoveredVersion>1.*</CoveredVersion>   <Licensee>John Q. Public</Licensee>   <SerialNumber>LIB-123456789</SerialNumber>   <Signature xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">     <SignedInfo>       <CanonicalizationMethod Algorithm=         "http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/REC-xml-c14n-20010315" />       <SignatureMethod Algorithm=         "http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#rsa-sha1" />       <Reference URI="">         <Transforms>           <Transform Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/             xmldsig#enveloped-signature" />         </Transforms>         <DigestMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/           xmldsig#sha1" />         <DigestValue>Dn6JYIBI/qQudmvSiMvuOvnVBGU=           </DigestValue>       </Reference>     </SignedInfo>     <SignatureValue>NULghI4WbzDLroIcf2u9aoybfSjXPJRN5        0UMrCPYa5bup+c7RJnqTM+SzP4jmfJWPPs7pOvDC/fbdNY        VMaoyXW0jL3Lk8du3X4JXpW3xp9Nxq31y/Ld8E+RkoiPO6        KRGDI+RRZ8MAQda8WS+L2fMyenRAjo+fR9KL3sQ/hOfQX8=     </SignatureValue>   </Signature> </License> 


The digital signature appears as the scrambled content within the <SignatureValue> tag. Now, if anyone tries to modify any of the license values, the license will no longer match the signature, and the entire license will become invalid.

Instead of using a digital signature, we could have just encrypted the entire licensing file with the private key, and later used the public key to decrypt it and examine its contents. But I like the digital signature better, because it allows anyone to open up the license file and check the parameters of the license itself while still preventing any changes.

Adding the License to the Library Program

Let's return to the Library application already in progress.

Project Access

Load the "Chapter 21 (Before) Code" project, either through the New Project templates, or by accessing the project directly from the installation directory. To see the code in its final form, load "Chapter 21 (After) Code" instead.


The program will adjust its behavior depending on whether it is licensed or not. But to make that determination, it needs to ensure that the contents of the licensing file are valid and haven't been tampered with. To do this, it needs a way to unscramble the signature, and compare it with the rest of the license to make sure it matches. We built the signature using the private key; we must unscramble it using the public key.

We could store the public key in its own file outside of the program, but then it might get lost (just like my real keys). Instead, we'll store the public key as an application resource, found externally in the source code's Resources folder. I've already added the resource to your copy of the program, and named it LicensePublicKey. With this key embedded in the application, any regeneration of the public and private keys will require modification of this resource. In code, we refer to the XML content of the public key using its resource name.

My.Resources.LicensePublicKey 


Some of the security features use classes found in the System.Security.Cryptography.Xml namespace. This is not one of the namespaces included by default in new Visual Basic applications, so we'll have to add it ourselves. Open the project properties window, and select the References tab. Just below the list of References, click the Add button, and then select System.Security from the .NET tab of the Add Reference window that appears.

Because the project properties window is still open, click over to the Settings tab. Add a new String setting and use "LicenseFileLocation" for its name. We'll use this setting to store the path to the license file. Save and close the project properties window.

Our general licensing needs throughout the application are pretty simple. We only need to know the current status of the licensing file, and have access to a few of the licensing values so that we can display a short message about the license. We may need to do this in various parts of the program, so let's add some useful generic code to the General.vb module. Open that module now.

Right at the top of that file, the code already includes a reference to the System.Security.Cryptography namespace, because we include code that encrypts user passwords. But this doesn't cover the standard or secure XML stuff. So add two new Imports statements as well.

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Imports System.Xml Imports System.Security.Cryptography.Xml 


We'll use an enumeration to indicate the status of the license. Add it now to the General module.

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Public Enum LicenseStatus    ValidLicense    MissingLicenseFile    CorruptLicenseFile    InvalidSignature    NotYetLicensed    LicenseExpired    VersionMismatch End Enum 


Let's also add a simple structure that communicates the values extracted from the license file. Add this code to the General module.

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Public Structure LicenseFileDetail    Public Status As LicenseStatus    Public Licensee As String    Public LicenseDate As Date    Public ExpireDate As Date    Public CoveredVersion As String    Public SerialNumber As String End Structure 


By default, the license file appears in the same directory as the application, using the name LibraryLicense.lic. Add a global constant to the General module that identifies this default name.

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Public Const DefaultLicenseFile _    As String = "LibraryLicense.lic" 


All we need now is some code to fill in the LicenseFileDetail structure. Add the new ExamineLicense function to the General module.

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Public Function ExamineLicense() As LicenseFileDetail    ' ----- Examine the application's license file, and    '       report back what's inside.    Dim result As New LicenseFileDetail    Dim usePath As String    Dim licenseContent As XmlDocument    Dim publicKey As RSA    Dim signedDocument As SignedXml    Dim matchingNodes As XmlNodeList    Dim versionParts() As String    Dim counter As Integer    Dim comparePart As String    ' ----- See if the license file exists.    result.Status = LicenseStatus.MissingLicenseFile    usePath = My.Settings.LicenseFileLocation    If (usePath = "") Then usePath = _       My.Computer.FileSystem.CombinePath( _       My.Application.Info.DirectoryPath, DefaultLicenseFile)    If (My.Computer.FileSystem.FileExists(usePath) = False) _       Then Return result    ' ----- Try to read in the file.    result.Status = LicenseStatus.CorruptLicenseFile    Try       licenseContent = New XmlDocument()       licenseContent.Load(usePath)    Catch ex As Exception       ' ----- Silent error.       Return result    End Try    ' ----- Prepare the public key resource for use.    publicKey = RSA.Create()    publicKey.FromXmlString(My.Resources.LicensePublicKey)    ' ----- Confirm the digital signature.    Try       signedDocument = New SignedXml(licenseContent)       matchingNodes = licenseContent.GetElementsByTagName( _          "Signature")       signedDocument.LoadXml(CType(matchingNodes(0), _          XmlElement))    Catch ex As Exception       ' ----- Still a corrupted document.       Return result    End Try    If (signedDocument.CheckSignature(publicKey) = False) Then       result.Status = LicenseStatus.InvalidSignature       Return result    End If    ' ----- The license file is valid. Extract its members.    Try       ' ----- Get the licensee name.       matchingNodes = licenseContent.GetElementsByTagName( _          "Licensee")       result.Licensee = matchingNodes(0).InnerText       ' ----- Get the license date.       matchingNodes = licenseContent.GetElementsByTagName( _          "LicenseDate")       result.LicenseDate = CDate(matchingNodes(0).InnerText)       ' ----- Get the expiration date.       matchingNodes = licenseContent.GetElementsByTagName( _          "ExpireDate")       result.ExpireDate = CDate(matchingNodes(0).InnerText)       ' ----- Get the version number.       matchingNodes = licenseContent.GetElementsByTagName( _          "CoveredVersion")       result.CoveredVersion = matchingNodes(0).InnerText       ' ----- Get the serial number.       matchingNodes = licenseContent.GetElementsByTagName( _          "SerialNumber")       result.SerialNumber = matchingNodes(0).InnerText    Catch ex As Exception       ' ----- Still a corrupted document.       Return result    End Try    ' ----- Check for out-of-range dates.    If (result.LicenseDate > Today) Then       result.Status = LicenseStatus.NotYetLicensed       Return result    End If    If (result.ExpireDate < Today) Then       result.Status = LicenseStatus.LicenseExpired       Return result    End If    ' ----- Check the version.    versionParts = Split(result.CoveredVersion, ".")    For counter = 0 To UBound(versionParts)       If (IsNumeric(versionParts(counter)) = True) Then          ' ----- The version format is          '       major.minor.build.revision.          Select Case counter             Case 0 : comparePart = _                CStr(My.Application.Info.Version.Major)             Case 1 : comparePart = _                CStr(My.Application.Info.Version.Minor)             Case 2 : comparePart = _                CStr(My.Application.Info.Version.Build)             Case 3 : comparePart = _                CStr(My.Application.Info.Version.Revision)             Case Else                ' ----- Corrupt verison number.                Return result          End Select          If (Val(comparePart) <> _                Val(versionParts(counter))) Then             result.Status = LicenseStatus.VersionMismatch             Return result          End If       End If    Next counter    ' ----- Everything seems to be in order.    result.Status = LicenseStatus.ValidLicense    Return result End Function 


That's a lot of code, but most of it just loads and extracts values from the XML license file. The signature-checking part is relatively short.

publicKey = RSA.Create() publicKey.FromXmlString(My.Resources.LicensePublicKey) signedDocument = New SignedXml(licenseContent) matchingNodes = licenseContent.GetElementsByTagName( _    "Signature") signedDocument.LoadXml(CType(matchingNodes(0), XmlElement)) If (signedDocument.CheckSignature(publicKey) = False) Then    ' ----- Invalid End If 


The SignedXml objectwhich we also used to generate the original license fileneeds to know exactly which of the XML tags in its content represents the digital signature. You would think that having an element named <Signature> would be a big tip-off, but perhaps not. Anyway, once you've assigned that node using the SignedXml.LoadXml method, you call the CheckSignature method, passing it the public key. If it returns True, you're good. I mean, not in a moral sense; the code doesn't know anything about you. But the signature is good.

Display License on the About Form

When we added the About form to the project a few hundred pages ago, we included a Label control named LabelLicensed. It currently always displays "Unlicensed," but now we have the tools to display a proper license, if available. Open the source code for the About.vb form, and add the following code to the start of the AboutProgram_Load event handler.

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' ----- Prepare the form. Dim licenseDetails As LicenseFileDetail ' ----- Display the licensee. licenseDetails = ExamineLicense() If (licenseDetails.Status = LicenseStatus.ValidLicense) Then    LabelLicensed.Text = _       "Licensed to " & licenseDetails.Licensee & vbCrLf & _       "Serial number " & licenseDetails.SerialNumber End If 


Figure 21-8 shows the About form in use with details displayed from the license file.

Figure 21-8. Displaying a valid license


Just for fun, I changed the version number in my license file from "1.*" to "2.*" without updating the digital signature. Sure enough, when I displayed the About form again, it displayed "Unlicensed," because the check of the signature failed. How did I test the code this early? I copied the LibraryLicense.lic file from the book's installed LicenseFiles subdirectory, and placed that copy in the bin\Debug subdirectory of the project's source code. Later on, you'll be able to put the file anywhere you want and browse for it, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Enforcing the License

At some point, a missing or invalid license should have a negative impact on the use of the application. When that happens, we should give the user a chance to correct the problem by locating a valid license file. We'll do this through the new LocateLicense.vb form. I've already added the form to your project. It appears in Figure 21-9.

Figure 21-9. The gentle way to enforce a product license


This form starts up with a call to its public ChangeLicense function, which returns True if the user changes the license. Most of this form's code manages the display, presenting detailed reasons why a license is valid or invalid using the results of the ExamineLicense function. If for any reason the license is invalid, a click on the Locate button lets the user browse for a better version.

Private Sub ActLocate_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _       ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles ActLocate.Click    ' ----- Prompt the user for a new license file.    If (LocateLicenseDialog.ShowDialog() <> _       Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK) Then Return    ' ----- Store the new path.    My.Settings.LicenseFileLocation = _       LocateLicenseDialog.FileName    LocationModified = True    ' ----- Update the display.    DisplayLicenseStatus()    LicensePath.Text = My.Settings.LicenseFileLocation End Sub 


The LocationModified form-level variable gets sent back to the caller as a trigger to refresh the status of the license.

For the Library Project in particular, I didn't see a point in enforcing the license on startup, because it's not the patrons' fault that the library stole this important work of software. Instead, I delay the verification process until an administrator or librarian tries to access the enhanced features of the application. Then, if the license check fails, the user should be able to browse the disk for a valid license file.

I think the best place to add the license check is just after the administrator successfully supplies a password. If we checked before that point, it would give ordinary patrons the ability to browse the disk, which is probably a no-no, because anyone and their uncle can walk up and use a patron workstation. Open the source code for the ChangeUser.vb form, locate the ActOK_Click event handler, and locate the "Successful login" comment.

' ----- Successful login. LoggedInUserID = CInt(dbInfo!ID) LoggedInUserName = CStr(dbInfo!LoginID) ... 


Just before this block of code, add the following license-checking code.

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' ----- Don't allow the login if the program is unlicensed. Do While (ExamineLicense().Status <> _       LicenseStatus.ValidLicense)    ' ----- Ask the user what to do.    If (MsgBox("This application is not properly licensed " & _          "for administrative use. If you have access to " & _          "a valid license file, you can verify it now. " & _          "Would you like to locate a valid license file " & _          "at this time?", MsgBoxStyle.YesNo Or _          MsgBoxStyle.Question, ProgramTitle) <> _          MsgBoxResult.Yes) Then       dbInfo.Close()       dbInfo = Nothing       Return    End If    ' ----- Prompt for an updated license.    Call LocateLicense.ChangeLicense()    LocateLicense = Nothing Loop 


This code gives the user an unlimited number of chances to locate a valid license file. Once the license is validated, the code moves forward and enables administrative access.

Daily Item Processing

The last major set of code to be added to the Library Project isn't related to licensing, but it's important nonetheless: the processing of fines for overdue items. We'll add a common method that will perform the processing, and then call it where needed throughout the application.

Add the new DailyProcessByPatronCopy method to the General module.

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Public Sub DailyProcessByPatronCopy( _       ByVal patronCopyID As Integer, ByVal untilDate As Date)    ' ----- This routine does the most basic work of    '       processing overdue fines. All other daily    '       processing routines eventually call this routine.    Dim sqlText As String    Dim dbInfo As SqlClient.SqlDataReader    Dim daysToFine As Integer    Dim lastProcess As Date    Dim fineSoFar As Decimal    On Error GoTo ErrorHandler    ' ----- Get all of the basic values needed to process    '       this entry.    sqlText = "SELECT PC.DueDate, PC.ProcessDate, " & _       "PC.Fine, CMT.DailyFine FROM PatronCopy AS PC " & _       "INNER JOIN ItemCopy AS IC ON PC.ItemCopy = IC.ID " & _       "INNER JOIN NamedItem AS NI ON IC.ItemID = NI.ID " & _       "INNER JOIN CodeMediaType AS CMT ON " & _       "NI.MediaType = CMT.ID " & _       "WHERE PC.ID = " & patronCopyID & _       " AND PC.DueDate <= " & DBDate(Today) & _       " AND PC.Returned = 0 AND PC.Missing = 0 " & _       "AND IC.Missing = 0"       dbInfo = CreateReader(sqlText)       If (dbInfo.Read = False) Then          ' ----- Missing the patron copy record. Oh well.          ' It was probably because this item was not          ' yet overdue, or it was missing, or something          ' valid like that where fines should not increase.          dbInfo.Close()          dbInfo = Nothing          Return       End If       ' ----- If we have already processed this record for today,       '       don't do it again.       If (IsDBNull(dbInfo!ProcessDate) = False) Then          If (CDate(dbInfo!ProcessDate) >= untilDate) Then             dbInfo.Close()             dbInfo = Nothing             Return          End If          lastProcess = CDate(dbInfo!ProcessDate)       Else          lastProcess = CDate(dbInfo!DueDate)       End If       ' ----- Fines are due on this record. Figure out how much.       daysToFine = CInt(DateDiff(DateInterval.Day, _          CDate(dbInfo!DueDate), untilDate) - _          DateDiff(DateInterval.Day, CDate(dbInfo!DueDate), _          lastProcess) - FineGraceDays)       If (daysToFine < 0) Then daysToFine = 0       fineSoFar = 0@       If (IsDBNull(dbInfo!Fine) = False) Then _          fineSoFar = CDec(dbInfo!Fine)       fineSoFar += CDec(dbInfo!DailyFine) * CDec(daysToFine)       dbInfo.Close()       dbInfo = Nothing       ' ----- Update the record with the lastest fine and       '       processing information.       sqlText = "UPDATE PatronCopy SET " & _          "ProcessDate = " & DBDate(untilDate) & _          ", Fine = " & Format(fineSoFar, "0.00") & _          " WHERE ID = " & patronCopyID    ExecuteSQL(sqlText)    Return ErrorHandler:    GeneralError("DailyProcessByPatronCopy", Err.GetException())    Resume Next End Sub 


This code examines a PatronCopy recordthe record that marks the checking-out of a single item by a patronto see if it is overdue, and if so, what penalty needs to be added to the record. Each record includes a ProcessDate field. We don't want to charge the patron twice on the same day for a single overdue item (no, we don't), so we use the ProcessDate to confirm which days are uncharged.

There are a few places throughout the application where we want to call this processing routine without bothering the user. The first appears in the PatronRecord form, the form that displays the fines a patron still owes. Just before showing that list, we should refresh each item checked out by the patron to make sure we display the most up-to-date fine information. Open that form's source code, locate the PatronRecord_Load event handler, and add the following code, just before the call to RefreshPatronFines(1) that appears halfway through the routine.

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' ----- Make sure that each item is up-to-date. For counter = 0 To ItemsOut.Items.Count - 1    newEntry = CType(ItemsOut.Items(counter), PatronDetailItem)    DailyProcessByPatronCopy(newEntry.DetailID, Today) Next counter 


The overdue status for an item must also be refreshed just before it is checked in. Open the source code for the MainForm form and locate the ActDoCheckIn_Click event handler. About halfway through its code, you'll find a comment that starts with, "Handle missing items." Just before that comment, insert the following code.

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' ----- Bring the status of the item up to date. DailyProcessByPatronCopy(patronCopyID, CheckInDate.Value) 


Check-out needs to refresh the patron's fines as well, just before letting the patron know if there are, in fact, any fines due. Move to the MainForm.ActCheckOutPatron_Click event handler, and add the following declarations to the top of the routine.

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Dim dbTable As Data.DataTable Dim dbRow As Data.DataRow 


In this same method, find a comment that starts with "Show the patron if there are any fines due." As usual, it's about halfway through the routine. Insert the following code just before that comment.

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' ----- Bring the patron record up to date. sqlText = "SELECT ID FROM PatronCopy WHERE Returned = 0 " & _    "AND Missing = 0 AND DueDate < " & DBDate(Today) & _    " AND (ProcessDate IS NULL OR ProcessDate < " & _    DBDate(Today) & ") AND Patron = " & patronID dbTable = CreateDataTable(sqlText) For Each dbRow In dbTable.Rows    DailyProcessByPatronCopy(CInt(dbRow!ID), Today) Next dbRow dbTable.Dispose() dbTable = Nothing 


In addition to automatic fine processing, the Library Project also allows an administrator or librarian to perform daily processing of all patron items at will. This occurs through the Daily Processing panel on the main form (see Figure 21-10).

Figure 21-10. Daily administrative processing


Currently, the panel doesn't do much of anything, so let's change that. The first task is to update the status label that appears at the top of the panel. Add a new method named RefreshProcessLocation to the MainForm form's class.

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I won't show its code here, but it basically checks the CodeLocation.LastProcessing database field for either all locations, or for the user-selected location, and updates the status display accordingly.

The user selects a location for processing with the ProcessLocation drop-down list, but we haven't yet added any code to populate that list. Find the TaskProcess method in the main form's source code, and add these declarations to the top of its code.

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Dim sqlText As String Dim dbInfo As SqlClient.SqlDataReader On Error GoTo ErrorHandler 


Then add the following statements to the end of the method.

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' ----- Refresh the list of locations. ProcessLocation.Items.Clear() ProcessLocation.Items.Add(New ListItemData( _    "<All Locations>", -1)) ProcessLocation.SelectedIndex = 0 sqlText = "SELECT ID, FullName FROM CodeLocation " & _    "ORDER BY FullName" dbInfo = CreateReader(sqlText) Do While dbInfo.Read    ProcessLocation.Items.Add(New ListItemData( _       CStr(dbInfo!FullName), CInt(dbInfo!ID))) Loop dbInfo.Close() dbInfo = Nothing RefreshProcessLocation() Return ErrorHandler:    GeneralError("MainForm.TaskProcess", Err.GetException())    Resume Next 


Each time the user selects a different location from the list, we need to update the status display. Add the following code to the ProcessLocation_SelectedIndexChanged event handler.

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' ----- Update the status based on the current location. RefreshProcessLocation() 


Daily processing occurs when the user clicks on the Process button. Add the following code to the ActDoProcess_Click event handler.

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' ----- Process all of the checked-out books. Dim sqlText As String Dim dbTable As Data.DataTable Dim dbRow As Data.DataRow Dim locationID As Integer On Error GoTo ErrorHandler Me.Cursor = Cursors.WaitCursor ' ----- Get the list of all items that likely need processing. sqlText = "SELECT PC.ID FROM PatronCopy AS PC " & _    "INNER JOIN ItemCopy AS IC ON PC.ItemCopy = IC.ID "& _    "WHERE PC.Returned = 0 AND PC.Missing = 0 " & _    "AND IC.Missing = 0 AND PC.DueDate < " & DBDate(Today) & _    " AND (PC.ProcessDate IS NULL OR PC.ProcessDate < " & _    DBDate(Today) & ")" If (ProcessLocation.SelectedIndex <> -1) Then    locationID = CInt(CType(ProcessLocation.SelectedItem, _       ListItemData))    If (locationID <> -1) Then sqlText &= _       " AND IC.Location = " & locationID Else    locationID = -1 End If dbTable = CreateDataTable(sqlText) For Each dbRow In dbTable.Rows    DailyProcessByPatronCopy(CInt(dbRow!ID), Today) Next dbRow dbTable.Dispose() dbTable = Nothing Me.Cursor = Cursors.Default MsgBox("Processing complete.", MsgBoxStyle.OkOnly Or _    MsgBoxStyle.Information, ProgramTitle) ' ----- Update the processing date. sqlText = "UPDATE CodeLocation SET LastProcessing = " & _    DBDate(Today) If (locationID <> -1) Then sqlText &= _    " WHERE ID = " & locationID ExecuteSQL(sqlText) ' ----- Update the status display. ProcessStatus.Text = " Processing is up to date." ProcessStatus.ImageIndex = StatusImageGood Return ErrorHandler:    GeneralError("MainForm.ActDoProcess_Click", Err.GetException())    Resume Next 


To try out the code, run it, locate a valid license file, and test out the different administrative features.

This marks the end of primary coding for the Library Project. Congratulations! But there's still plenty to do, as you can tell by the presence of four more chapters. Now would not be the time to close the book and call it a day. But it would be good time to learn about ASP.NET, the topic of the next chapter.




Start-to-Finish Visual Basic 2005. Learn Visual Basic 2005 as You Design and Develop a Complete Application
Start-to-Finish Visual Basic 2005: Learn Visual Basic 2005 as You Design and Develop a Complete Application
ISBN: 0321398009
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 247
Authors: Tim Patrick

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