First real program - Probably need help throughout

[mediaguycouk]

A task at work would be easier if I wrote a program to handle it, so I'm going to try and write a C# Application. As I'm new I thought I might document my progress here so you can tell me if I'm being noobish with something or I've missed things.

I learn best by trying and then improving, so this should help me.

The overview is that we have a program called Squeeze that converts files into Flash FLV files. We have a filestore on the same server and Squeeze has 'watch folders' that when you put a file in the folder it will automatically convert it.

This program will have to

• Check that squeeze is running
• Look in a database or text file to see which files need moving into the watch folder
• Move files in and out of the watch folders
• Move some special files into different folders
• Send resultant files into a network drive

Things that I don't currently know how to do

• Check that a program is running
• Check that a network drive exists and works before sending files to it
• Most unexpected errors

I'll update you as I go along and please chip in if you see a way of helping.

[Renegade]

http://forums.micros...=499885&SiteID=1

http://www.c-sharpco...ListProcessesCS.aspx

Those will help for the first one of your questions. i.e.: System.Diagnostics.Process.GetProcesses()

[mediaguycouk]

This all seems to be going remarkably easily. I've been making individual programs to try out all the steps and they seem to be working exactly as they should.

I've got

• System.IO.File.Copy moving files from folder to folder
• Timer waiting 10 minutes before checking the watch folders
• System.Diagnostics.Process.Start starting up squeeze
• Processes.GetProcesses checking through the open programs to see if my program is already running

Next step is getting the program to check files in and out of a mySQL database. I've done it with a MSSQL database so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Then I'll just have to put it all together.