I need a help. Desktop Notification. How to do this pls

[ericmsc]

Hello All,

I am not sure whether this is possible to do or not but it seems like my manager asked me to build a strange application for the office.

Basically the scenario is like this,

My manager wants a program where he can send a notification (not through email) to all the PCs in the office in his department.

Let say, an even is trigged he just need to open this application and enter a message let say "Baker street underground is suspended" or "system failure on Victoria line" and click the notify button. Once he clicks the notify button, this message will be displayed on the other PCs in the office to notify the other staffs about what is happening at the moment.

By using this the staffs who are working on the PCs will get notified or informed about the current event.

Any of the experts here know how to do this type of program in VB6?
I have been thinking this for days and still can't find the solution.

Thanks so much,
Eric

[cicatrix]

It won't be possible without client applications running on user machines and listening for some network port for incoming events. If installing clients onto user machines is OK then the rest is trivial.
Also you can do something similar using NET SEND command from the command prompt. Perhaps this is the solution you seek.
Run cmd.exe and type NET SEND /? to get help.

[BlindSniper]

This is The vb.net forum You will get .net code here. You should ask a mod to move it.

[ericmsc]

Hi guys,
Thanks for your replies.

BlindSniper- I am sorry for putting this thread here
but i really thought that VB6 can build a program something like this.

cicatrix - i've heard about NET SEND but if i not mistaken using this, my manager has to go to cmd prompt and if there are 20 users in the office, you have to enter 20 IP addresses right?

And he wants something with interface instead of just black and white.
All he wants is a program to send notification event to users' pcs when event is triggered/when he gets message about events.

[cicatrix]

You can write a wrapper for this command - a form with textboxes and buttons which then calls NET SEND

[ericmsc]

Hi cicatrix,

Thanks for your quick reply.
Now it reaches my limits. I'm not sure how to do the things you said.
Do you mean i still can develop a program using VB6 or VB.NET for the interface then
if i click the button it calls NET SEND to send the message?

I'm sorry if i misunderstood.

[cicatrix]

Yes,
basically you need System.Diagnostics.Process.Start for VB.Net or Shell method for VB6

[ericmsc]

Hi cicatrix,

Thanks for your reply again. Well, now at least i know that it is
possible to do this.
Do you know any tutorials links for this?
And is that means that the user has to install the program into their pcs
in order to get notified from my manager? or

is that means that my manager has to specify every ip addresses in the office then he can deliver the message to each staff?

Thanks...so much

[techgnome]

I'm not sure why or how system.process.start got into this... sounds like a simple IM type of application...

All you need is an "admin" app that the manager uses... when they enter a message, it goes to a central database like SQL Server.... (SQL Server Express could work in this case, as would Oracle, mySQL, but I wouldn't use Access, even for a lightweight app like this)... then the client Apps, on a regular basis would check the database for new messages from the last one received... if there is one... display it.

It's a simple one-way IM/chat app... doesn't need to be very complicated.

-tg

[ericmsc]

Hi techgnome,

Yup that's exactly what i want. But do u know how can i do this in VB6 or VB.NET?
Yeah you're right, One way IM application..
If you know any sample code or tutorials for this then pls post it here.
My manager asked me to develop this last week and am still trying to
find the solution for this.

Thanks so much...

[techgnome]

First thing to do would be decide where/how you want to store the messages... file or database... then make sure the resources you need are available (if using a file, is there a netowrk share you can put the file that EVERYONE will have access to - if using a dtatabase, is there an existing server or a new server/pc you can use to store the database) .... if you go the database route, then the next step would be our Database tutorials & FAQ section... has some nice articles/links on how to get started with databases.

Then, write the admin piece that writes the messages to the database. Then create the client piece that reads from the database.

Should take... an hour... maybe two.... well, it would take me about an hour to write something pretty basic that would work. If I really had the time and wasn't at work, I'd just whip it out.

For the client side, if you're more about the functionality and less about how it works, it could be a simple grid, add a timer, set the intervall so that it checks every minute or two (or more .... depends on how criticle the messages are and how quickly they need to be seen ... DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES go less than 30 seconds... and I'm not sure it's necessary to go less than 60 seconds... keep in mind, that EVERYONE will be hitting the db on a regular basis) ... anyways, the timer then selects the last, say 10 message from the database and displays them in the grid. Simple.

You can always add bells and whistles later... toaster notifications (those pop-up message like Messenger uses), formatting... configurable timers...

-tg

[ericmsc]

Hi techgnome,

Well our office has servers and yup i can simple use database.
Is that mean that if my manager notify a message at 11.20am the staffs will get notified at 11.21am? Mmmm...i wonder if i is it possible to make it real time or at least not more then 5 seconds interval time...

anyway..let me try to develop the application first. But is that mean i have to develop two applications? for the admin side and client side?

Thanks so much

[techgnome]

you could do it as a single, but then you would have to have a means to distinguish one use from the other... otherwise EVERYone would be able to send messages.

I'm sure there are other ways, that are more immediate... if you search through the code bank, you might find an IM system that someone has posted that you could probably use as a base to start with... you would just need to make the client (receiving) side read-only...

I would certainly explore that possibility, especially if you need something more immediate.

-tg

[ericmsc]

Hi Hi techgnome,

I am using visual studio 2008.
Is this application need to be built up under WPF Application??

Am sorry for asking this stupid question, i never really came across his sort of application before.

Thanks...

[ericmsc]

hi techgnome,

this is the example..exctly what i want
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/WPF/WP...rNotifier.aspx

but..i can't see how can it work for several pcs
it seems like it will notify only on my pc...not on the other pcs