Trial System

**VBGangsta** · Dec 10th, 2003, 04:02 PM

HI, I need help making a trial system for my program. I want it so it can only be exucted 3 times. Registry is out of the question because i have tried and people always edit it. So i want to use a some sort of system that uses my web server to keep track of the HD serial Numbers(I know how to do this). This is also good because i can get an idea of how many people tried it. Thanks in Advance

**DevGrp** · Dec 10th, 2003, 06:42 PM

Well if the person is not connected to the internet, then thats a problem. Why dont you just keep a count internally of how many time the program has been executed? You can create a file on the users harddrive with a name that wont draw too much attention. Set the attributes to read only and hidden and write to it the amount of times the program is executed.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 10th, 2003, 06:57 PM

well my application uses the interent so know one with out the interent whould be useing it in the first place.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 10th, 2003, 10:30 PM

Is there sum way i can use php?

**hellswraith** · Dec 10th, 2003, 10:36 PM

Originally posted by VBGangsta
Is there sum way i can use php?

You are asking this in a .Net forum? Anyway, why don't you start looking into web services. It seems to be what you want, and you can stay with vb.net.

**Lunatic3** · Dec 10th, 2003, 11:57 PM

Originally posted by VBGangsta
So i want to use a some sort of system that uses my web server to keep track of the HD serial Numbers(I know how to do this).

Is that legal? To keep track of the HD serial number of users without letting them know?

**VBGangsta** · Dec 11th, 2003, 12:09 AM

I dont see why not, its a useless piece if information. I just want it to keep a statistic of how many people are trying the trial.

**nswan** · Dec 11th, 2003, 03:43 AM

Create a webservice that creates a userID for the application then store this userID in the registry. Then use the webservice to keep track of how many times the program has been used.

**hellswraith** · Dec 11th, 2003, 11:20 AM

Originally posted by VBGangsta
I dont see why not, its a useless piece if information. I just want it to keep a statistic of how many people are trying the trial.

You should disclose that while on a trial, your app communicates hardware information. If you don't, you are opening yourself to privacy type lawsuits.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 11th, 2003, 03:59 PM

If i were to time how long they could use the trial, does the timers use the system clock because if they do people could just turn back their clocks and use it for as long as they want.

**Edneeis** · Dec 11th, 2003, 04:14 PM

If you were to use a WebService you could log the time on the server so it wouldn't matter if they changed their clock on the client side.

Here is the idea:
When the app starts up it makes one web service call which is a function: IsTrialOver(ClientID) As Boolean which accepts whatever you decide is a unique id for the client as an argument and returns True/False whether or not to continue running the app. On the server side the web service logs the clientid and current time then checks against the first entry for that client to see if the trial has expired.
ClientID Time
1 1/1/03 12:16 am 'logged the first time used by client 1

If Now>ClientTime.AddDays(30) Then Return True 'return true that the trial is expired or over and then in the app terminate.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 11th, 2003, 05:03 PM

I like the Idea of useing the server time. This is what i want to happen. I only want them to be able to execute the trial 3 times, so i guess i will have to use the registry for this part but them i also only want the trial to run for 5 minutes. I want to show the 5 minutes counting down in the title bar of the app. So how whould i get the server time?

**Edneeis** · Dec 11th, 2003, 07:33 PM

A web service runs on the server so the local time in the function should be server side.

**nkad** · Dec 11th, 2003, 08:10 PM

Your in luck! I am planning on developing a Trial/Demo system for the developers here on VB Forums. It won't be written in vb though

Sorry

Won't happen for a few months so stay tuned!

**VBGangsta** · Dec 11th, 2003, 08:45 PM

Cool nkad!!

Although this "server timer" idea is exactly what i need, i think its a little over my head. When u say server side u mean running on the server right? well how could i write sumthing that does that?

**Edneeis** · Dec 11th, 2003, 09:20 PM

You need to write a web service and host in on the web. There are tutorials on making web services in the help files, but it isn't hard.

**hellswraith** · Dec 11th, 2003, 09:34 PM

Originally posted by Edneeis
You need to write a web service and host in on the web. There are tutorials on making web services in the help files, but it isn't hard.

As a matter of fact, this system is downright easy! Maybe 50 lines of code max.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 11th, 2003, 10:20 PM

Could someone please start me off, im not sure what to do. I tried searching but no luck.

**Edneeis** · Dec 12th, 2003, 02:47 AM

Keep searching you'll figure it out. Here is a small example to get you started. I am running the web service on my server but the code for it is in the zip as well. It makes each clientID (which is just a variable in the app) expire 1 minute after the first use. you can tweak it from there.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 12th, 2003, 10:22 PM

ok thanks, i edited it to my liking but when i try to add a web reference it causes VS to close down. I uploaded the .asmx file and the wsdl file is that every thing or is there more and what link should i put in for the web ref, to the .asmx?

**Edneeis** · Dec 13th, 2003, 01:49 AM

The web service requires more than just the file, it gets compiled as part of a web application. You should really read up on web services in the help or else where and it will tell you what you need to do.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 14th, 2003, 12:23 AM

o ok, but when i try to add the reference it trys to find soumthing to reference, so what should i direct it to, the XML?

**Edneeis** · Dec 14th, 2003, 03:50 AM

Now you'd reference the URL of the Web Service.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 14th, 2003, 12:31 PM

Does it matter that my server doesnt have asp?

**Edneeis** · Dec 14th, 2003, 07:06 PM

Your server will need to have .NET and be able to run web services or aspx.

**VBGangsta** · Dec 14th, 2003, 07:12 PM

well, they say they run linux but VS says it has asp.net 1.0 so will this work?

**nemaroller** · Dec 14th, 2003, 09:52 PM

wossname, you will need to find a host that runs .Net on their server. Typically (i say because there may be that one I never saw that hosts .Net on a platform other than windows), these will be hosts with Window servers .

http://www.accesshosts.com/directory/asp-dot-net.php

Alternatively, you could build a web service in Java, but it doesn't sound you want to deal with that. (And I never have written one myself in Java).

**VBGangsta** · Dec 14th, 2003, 10:16 PM

Do you happen to know any free ones because i am already paying a fortune for my server, and i whould only need a small amount of space. Thanks

Thread: Trial System

Thread Tools

Display

Trial System

Re: Trial System

Posting Permissions