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FTP connections within eVB or VB.NET
With the web being an extremely powerful
tool in creating truly mobile applications, you can now
incorporate the power of the File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
right into your eVB or VB.NET applications. Sapphire
Solutions Ltd have developed an easy-to-use utility
that can connect to a remote FTP server, search for directory
listings, upload and download files or directories and create,
rename and delete items.
Overview
You can download the demo
project of the Sapphire FTP DLL which
includes a personal use version of the utility. This utility
allows advanced FTP functionality such as:
- Open and close a FTP session
- Upload and download files
- Remote directory navigation
- Search for files and directories
with attributes
- Remove files and directories
- Rename files and directories
- Create directories
- Upload and download directories (including
contents)
- Check if a remote file exists
Running the Project
After downloading and unzipping the
SapphireFTP demo project, you need to add the appropriate
version of the SapphireFTP.DLL to the \Windows
directory on your Pocket PC. If you are using VB.NET, you
will need to include the SapphireFTP.DLL
into the application directory of your program instead.
You can find the correct DLL in the unzipped project directory
under the appropriate sub-directory. Once you have done
this you can run the desired project file on the client
device.
This demo project is a multi-purpose
project that demonstrates the functionality of both the
Sapphire
FTP and Sapphire
RAS utilities. Depending on which DLLs you have installed
on your client device, the demo project will allow you to
use the associated functionality.
In terms of the FTP functionality, when
you enter the FTP explorer you will be able to connect to
the remote server (specified under the FTP settings) and
perform a variety of functions on both the local device
and the remote server.
FTP Settings
The FTP Settings allow you to enter
the remote server address, either a domain name or IP address.
You can also specify the username and password for the FTP
connection. If you require an anonymous connection, use
'Anonymous' as the username and your email
address as the password.
The Code
To implement FTP functionality in your
own eVB or VB.NET application you only need to create a
few simple calls to the DLL.
Example: Linking the DLL using VB.NET
<DllImport("SapphireFTP.dll")>
_
Public Function sFTPOpen( _
ByVal sServer As
String, _
ByVal lPort As
Integer, _
ByVal sUser As
String, _
ByVal sPwd As
String, _
ByVal lPassive
As Integer, _
ByVal lTimeOut
As Integer, _
ByVal lLicence
As Integer) As
Integer
End Function
<DllImport("SapphireFTP.dll")> _
Public Function sFTPClose(
_
ByVal lLicense
As Integer) As
Integer
End Function
<DllImport("SapphireFTP.dll")> _
Public Function sFTPPull(_
ByVal sRemoteFile
As String, _
ByVal sLocalFile
As String, _
ByVal bOverWriteFile
As Byte, _
ByVal lTransferType
As Integer, _
ByVal lLicence
As Integer) As
Integer
End Function
Example: Linking the DLL using eVB
Declare Function
sFTPOpen _
Lib "SapphireFTP.dll"
( _
ByVal sServer As
String, _
ByVal lPort As
Long, _
ByVal sUser As
String, _
ByVal sPwd As
String, _
ByVal lPassive
As Long, _
ByVal lTimeOut
As Long, _
ByVal lLicence
As Long) As
Long
Declare Function sFTPClose _
Lib "SapphireFTP.dll"
( _
ByVal lLicense
As Long) As
Long
Declare Function sFTPPush _
Lib "SapphireFTP.dll"
( _
ByVal sLocalFile
As String, _
ByVal sRemoteFile
As String, _
ByVal lTransferType
As Long, _
ByVal lLicence
As Long) As
Long
A simple example on how to create an
FTP connection is shown below:
lResult = sFTPOpen(sFTPSession, lPort,
_
sFTPUsername,sFTPPassword, lPassive, lTimeOut,
_
SapphireFTPLicence)
- lResult contains the number
of any possible error that may have been encountered.
- sFTPSession is the name
of the remote FTP server.
- lPort is the port number
of the remote FTP server. By default this should be 21.
- sFTPUsername is the username
for the FTP account.
- sFTPPassword is the password
for the FTP account.
- lPassive is a long specifying
whether to use passive mode or not. 1 = Passive, 0 = Non-passive.
- lTimeOut is the connection
timeout in milliseconds.
- SapphireFTPLicence is the
licence number for registered users of the utility. For
the demo project, this will be 1234567890.
Below is a simple example on how to
download a remote file:
lResult = sFTPPull(sRemoteFile, sLocalFile,
_
FTP_OVERWRITE, FTP_TRANSFER_BINARY, _
SapphireFTPLicence)
- lResult contains the number
of any possible error that may have been encountered.
- sRemoteFile is the filename
of the remote file.
- sLocalFile is the name of
the file to create when downloading the remote file.
- FTP_OVERWRITE is a flag
to state that the local file will be overwritten if it
exists.
- FTP_TRANSFER_BINARY is a
flag to state the remote file is binary opposed to ASCII
text.
- SapphireFTPLicence is the
licence number for registered users of the utility. For
the demo project, this will be 1234567890.
Please refer to the demo
project for a more complete example on how to use the
utility including error capturing.
Where to find the demo
The product information page for the
latest Sapphire FTP utility allows you to download the personal
use version that includes the sample eVB and VB.NET projects
with the demo version of the DLL for each target platform.
This can be found at www.sapphire-solutions.co.uk/product.asp?product=FTP.
Licence of use
For those that wish to simply experiment
with the utility or use it for personal projects, you can
use the utility absolutely free of charge.
For those that wish to include the utility
into their own commercial applications, they can purchase
a royalty-free licence for the utility online at http://www.sapphire-solutions.co.uk.
This is a one off payment that allows you to distribute
it in any projects created under the registered company.
Please refer to the web site for the latest prices.
Other utilities you may find useful
Sapphire Solutions Ltd have a variety
of other utilities that you may find useful or vital to
your application. Some of these are:
- Sapphire
RAS - Dial up a remote connection and manage phone
book.
- Sapphire
GZip - Compress and decompress files into .gz or .zip
format.
- Sapphire
Encrypt - Encrypt or decrypt strings or files ensuring
its confidentiality.
- Sapphire
IrDA - Use your application to print on an IrDA enabled
printer.
- Sapphire
Buttons - Take control of other buttons on your device.
Please check www.sapphire-solutions.co.uk
for a full listing of available products.