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Getting Started with VB.NET

Welcome to using Phidgets with VB.NET! By using VB.NET, you will have access to the complete Phidget22 API, including events. We also provide example code in VB.NET for all Phidget devices.

Windows

If you haven't already, please visit the Windows page before you continue reading. There you will be instructed on how to properly set up your Windows machine so you can follow the guides below!

Visual Studio

Use our examples

One of the best ways to start programming with Phidgets is to use our example code as a guide. In order to run the examples, you will need to download and install Microsoft Visual Studio.

Now that you have Microsoft Visual Studio installed, select an example that will work with your Phidget:

VB.NET Examples

Open the example project and start the example by pressing the Start button:

The application will open the Phidget, list basic information about the Phidget, and demonstrate the Phidget's functionality. Here is an example of a Digital Output channel on a RFID Phidget:

You should now have the example up and running for your device. Play around with the device and experiment with some of the functionality. When you are ready, the next step is configuring your project and writing your own code!

Configure your project

When you are building a project from scratch, or adding Phidget functionality to an existing project, you'll need to configure your development environment to properly link the Phidget .NET library. To begin:

Create a new Windows Forms Application project:

Next, right-click to add a reference to the Phidget .NET library:

On the following screen, click Browse... and navigate to the location of Phidget22.NET.dll:

C:\Program Files\Phidgets\Phidget22\Phidget22.NET.dll

Finally, to include the Phidget .NET library, add the following lines to main window class file:

Imports Phidget22
Imports Phidget22.Events

Success! The project now has access to Phidgets. Next, view the write your own code section located below.

Mono

Use Our Examples

One of the best ways to start programming with Phidgets is to use our example code as a guide. In order to run the examples, you will need to download and install Mono for Windows.

Now that you have Mono installed, download and unpack the HelloWorld example for C#:

HelloWorld example

Note: The HelloWorld example is compatible with Mono because it does not use Windows Forms. All other C# examples use Windows Forms.

Next, copy Phidget22.NET.dll from type the following location:

C:\Program Files\Phidgets\Phidget22\Phidget22.NET.dll

Place both the HelloWorld example and the Phidget22.NET.dll file in the same location. Your folder should now look something like this:

Open the command prompt at the folder location and enter the following command:

vbnc /r:Phidget22.NET.dll Module1.vb

This will create an executable file called Module1.exe. Type in the following command to run the example:

mono Module1.exe

You should now have the example up and running. When you are ready, the next step is configuring your project and writing your own code!

Configure your project - IN PROGRESS (LUCAS)

When you are building a project from scratch, or adding Phidget functionality to an exisiting project, you'll need to configure your development environment to properly link the Phidget .NET library.

To include the Phidget .NET library, simply add the following lines to your code:

Imports Phidget22
Imports Phidget22.Events

The project now has access to Phidgets. Next, view the write your own code section located below.

Write Code

By following the instructions for your operating system and compiler above, you probably now have a working example and want to understand it better so you can change it to do what you want. This teaching section has resources for you to learn from the examples and write your own. Your main reference for writing VB.NET code will be the Phidget22 API Manual.

Code Snippets

The following code snippets describe how to do various general tasks with Phidgets. You should be able to find places in the examples where these snippets exist, and modify them to suit your requirements.

Step One: Initialize and Open

The Open() function opens the software object, but not hardware. So, it is not a guarantee you can use the Phidget immediately.

For example, if we were using an Digital Input as our device, the create and open calls would look like this:

device = New Phidget22.DigitalInput()
device.Open()

Step Two: Wait for Attachment (plugging in) of the Phidget

To use the Phidget, it must be plugged in (attached). We can handle this simply by calling open with a number as a parameter in place of the basic open. This function works for any Phidget. This will block until a connection is made to the Phidget, or the specified timeout is exceeded:

device.Open(5000);

Sometimes, it makes more sense to handle the attachment via an event. This would be in instances where the Phidget is being plugged and unplugged, and you want to handle these incidents. Or, when you want to use event-driven programming because you have a GUI-driven program. In these cases, an event-driven code snippet to handle the attachment might look something like this:

Private Sub device_Attach(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As Phidget22.Events.AttachEventArgs) Handles device.Attach
  Dim attachedDevice As Phidget22.Phidget = CType(sender, Phidget22.Phidget)
  Dim serialNumber as Integer
  Dim deviceName as String
  serialNumber = attachedDevice.DeviceSerialNumber;
  deviceName = attachedDevice.DeviceName;
  Console.WriteLine("Hello Device {0},  Serial Number: {1}!", deviceName, serialNumber.ToString());
End Sub

Step Three: Do Things with the Phidget

We recommend the use of event driven programming when working with Phidgets. This allows the program to execute other tasks until the Phidget generates a new event. You can hook a custom function into an event trigger like this, using a Digital Input Phidget as an example:

Private Sub device_DigitalInputChange(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As Phidget22.Events.DigitalInputStateChangeEventArgs) Handles device.StateChange
  textBox1.Text = "State: " + e.State;
End Sub

Some values can be directly read and set on the Phidget. These functions can be used inside a polling loop as an alternative to event driven programming. The line inside the loop would be something like this, after which you could do something with the value:

val = device.State;

device.State = true;

Step Four: Close and Delete

At the end of your program, be sure to close your device.

Private Sub Form1_FormClosing(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.FormClosingEventArgs) Handles Me.FormClosing
    device.Close();
End Sub

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