Gavin Gear's Tech Blog https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/feed.xml Tue, 16 Apr 2019 05:09:14 GMT en-US hourly 1 It's been a while, find out the latest regarding sensors for Windows 8 at //BUILD/ https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/its-been-a-while-find-out-the-latest-regarding-sensors-for-windows-8-at-build Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:47:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2011/09/09/its-been-a-while-find-out-the-latest-regarding-sensors-for-windows-8-at-build/ Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've been active here on my blog, but I'm excited to say that we have material that we'll be sharing at the //BUILD/ Windows conference next week! I hope to see some of you there!

]]> Use your Nintendo Wii-mote accelerometer with the Windows Sensor Platform https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/use-your-nintendo-wii-mote-accelerometer-with-the-windows-sensor-platform Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:54:19 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2010/07/26/use-your-nintendo-wii-mote-accelerometer-with-the-windows-sensor-platform/ Have you ever wanted to do something, and someone else beat you to it? (or saved you from the pain)

Here's a project:

https://www.codeproject.com/KB/system/wiisensor.aspx

where 'gleat' on codeproject.com wrote a Windows 7 Sensor Platform driver for the Nintendo Wii-mote (using Bluetooth HID). This project demonstrates how it doesn't really matter what type of device you're using, the sensors can be exposed via the Windows Sensor Platform if you have access to the data via an understood protocol. Now you can write apps for Windows that can use the Wii-Mote, or other accelerometer hardware such as the Windows 7 Sensor Development kit without any special knowledge of the hardware specifics in your app.

Very cool!

]]> Video: How to integrate Accelerometers with Direct Input Games for Widnows 7 https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/video-how-to-integrate-accelerometers-with-direct-input-games-for-widnows-7 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:53:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2010/06/22/video-how-to-integrate-accelerometers-with-direct-input-games-for-widnows-7/  The UK DPE (Developer Evangelism) team has posted a great video showing the Windows 7 Sensor and Location platform in use. In this video, you'll see how the Windows 7 Sensor Development Kit (Freescale board) can be used with XNA and Direct Input to allow for an interactive input experience. Check it out!

 [View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhVm_A3eVv8]

]]> Visual Studio 2010 has shipped, what are you going to build? https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/visual-studio-2010-has-shipped-what-are-you-going-to-build Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:48:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2010/04/12/visual-studio-2010-has-shipped-what-are-you-going-to-build/ Wow- the long-awaited VS 2010 release has finally come! With .NET 4 built in, there are many exciting new possibilities with Visual Studio.

There are also quite a few enhancements in the "built on WPF" IDE. Auto completion of "switch on enum" expressions is one of my favorites. (See my PDC talk for more info on that - scan to about 40:20 to see the overview of switch auto-complete)

Since I worked on the new System.Device.Location API, I have plenty of ideas about location-aware apps I'd like to build, but with VS 2010, the sky is the limit...

What are you going to build?

Here's a link to the VS 2010 page showing improvements over previous versions:

https://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/why-upgrade 

Screenshot:

]]> Visual Studio 2010 Global Launch coming up soon! https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/visual-studio-2010-global-launch-coming-up-soon Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:20:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2010/03/31/visual-studio-2010-global-launch-coming-up-soon/ If you're interested in getting Visual Studio 2010 RTM, you won't have to wait long now!

The global launch event is on April 12, 2010- more information is available here:

https://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/visual-studio-events

]]> Upcoming changes for System.Device.Location in .NET 4 RC web release https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/upcoming-changes-for-system-device-location-in-net-4-rc-web-release Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:29:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2009/12/09/upcoming-changes-for-system-device-location-in-net-4-rc-web-release/ Hello all- just wanted to inform you of some changes that will be coming in the .NET 4 / Visual Studio 2010 RC release related to the new Location API in System.Device.dll

 

Here’s a high-level view of the .NET 4 Beta 2 Location API: (first public release)

 

For RC and RTM, there will be a few changes for this API:

1.       GeoCoordinate data (latitude, longitude, altitude, etc) and CivicAddress data are not exposed on the same object as they were in Beta 2

2.       The CivicAddressResolver object is used to take a GeoCoordinate, and resolve an address from that geodetic position

3.       Status and permissions are now separate properties on GeoCoordinateWatcher (formerly called GeoLocationProvider)

4.       Other naming and minor changes

 

And here’s a high-level view of the .NET 4 RC and RTM Location API:

 

I’ll cover the RC/RTM API object model in greater detail in future posts, but wanted to get the word out on these changes since the RC RTW (Release To Web) date is rapidly approaching.

 

Also note that there will not be a docs refresh online for the RC release, so you won’t see updated MSDN docs for this API until RTM.

 

Until later,

Gavin

]]> .NET 4 Location: Let's take a look at status... https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/net-4-location-lets-take-a-look-at-status Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:25:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2009/11/30/net-4-location-lets-take-a-look-at-status/ In my last post, I showed how you can write a simple .NET 4 Location-enabled console application. This application just output the location of the PC/device when the location changed. Here, we'll see how we can write an application that displays changes in location status rather than location data.

 

Sample Code:

 

// This namespace is where you'll find the location API in .NET 4

// **Note that you'll have to add a reference to System.Device.dll first

using System.Device.Location;

 

namespace LocationConsoleApp

{

    class Program

    {

        static void Main(string[] args)

        {

            Console.WriteLine("Outputting location updates, press any key to exit...");

 

            // The LocationWatcher object will monitor location updates

            // and output them to the console

            LocationWatcher watcher = new LocationWatcher();

 

            Console.ReadKey();

        }

    }

 

    class LocationWatcher

    {

        // Root object for the .NET 4 Location API

        // we'll hang on to a reference for the lifetime of

        // the LocationWatcher object

        private GeoLocationProvider provider;

 

        public LocationWatcher()

        {

            // Initialize our private member

            this.provider = new GeoLocationProvider();

 

            // This event will get raised when the status of location data availability or

            // accessibility changes. Here, availability means whether or not data is being sent

            // from any of the available location sensors, and accessibility means whether or

            // not we have permissions to access the location provider(s)

            this.provider.StatusChanged +=

                new EventHandler<GeoLocationStatusChangedEventArgs>(provider_StatusChanged);

           

            this.provider.Start();

        }

 

        void provider_StatusChanged(object sender, GeoLocationStatusChangedEventArgs e)

        {

            Console.WriteLine("LocationStatus: " + e.Status.ToString());

        }

    }

}

 

 

 

Here's the output I saw when I ran the application with a sensor enabled, then disabled and enabled the location sensor:

 

 

Here's an overview of the different GeoLocationStatus enum values:

 

Ready
 There is a device that is ready to supply location data.
Initializing A device is working to acquire location data (such as when a GPS device is working to acquire a fix).
NoData There are no devices than can currently resolve location.
Disabled The location system feature has been disabled. On Windows 7, this is the case when the Sensors/Location platform has been disabled using group policy. 
NoPermissions One or more location devices are available, but the application does not have permission to access any of the devices.

 

So, when we started the application, we had location data available, and the corresponding status was "Ready". When I disabled the location sensor in the "Location and Other Sensors" CPL, our status updated to "NoPermissions". Finally, when I re-enabled the sensor, the sensor went to "Initializing" (default initial state while location data is acquired), then "Ready" again when data was available.

 

There's a simple into to how GeoLocationStatus works in .NET 4.

 

**Note: There will be some changes in this object model coming for RC, so make sure to check back here if you are writing .NET 4 Location apps  

 

See ya,

Gavin

]]> Let's write a simple .NET 4 Location-aware application! https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/lets-write-a-simple-net-4-location-aware-application Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:38:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2009/11/20/lets-write-a-simple-net-4-location-aware-application/ So you want to write an application in .NET that’s location-aware? Let’s start with a code sample (console application) that will show you how to use a GeoLocationProvider to respond to location updates, and print those updates out to the console.

 

In order to compile and run this code, you’ll need Visual Studio 2010 installed, and you’ll need to create a new console application project. If you paste this code into your Program.cs, and then add a reference to System.Device.dll, you should be ready to go.

 

Sample Code:

 

using System;

 

// This namespace is where you'll find the location API in .NET 4

// **Note that you'll have to add a reference to System.Device.dll first

using System.Device.Location;

 

namespace LocationConsoleApp

{

    class Program

    {

        static void Main(string[] args)

        {

            Console.WriteLine("Outputting location updates, press any key to exit...");

 

            // The LocationWatcher object will monitor location updates

            // and output them to the console

            LocationWatcher watcher = new LocationWatcher();

 

            Console.ReadKey();

        }

    }

 

    class LocationWatcher

    {

        // Root object for the .NET 4 Location API

        // we'll hang on to a reference for the lifetime of

        // the LocationWatcher object

        private GeoLocationProvider provider;

 

        public LocationWatcher()

        {

            // Initialize our private member

            this.provider = new GeoLocationProvider();

 

            // Subscribe to updates when our location changes

            this.provider.LocationChanged += new

                System.EventHandler<GeoLocationChangedEventArgs>(provider_LocationChanged);

           

            // When we call Start(), two things happen

            // 1. If we don't have permissions to access the location sensor(s),

            //    the user will be presented with a dialog where they can grant

            //    permissions

            // 2. If we have permissions, following this call, we'll be able to

            //    access location data, and we'll get LocationChanged events if

            //    we have setup an event handler

            this.provider.Start();

        }

 

        void provider_LocationChanged(object sender, GeoLocationChangedEventArgs e)

        {

            // Output the new location coordinate to the console if present

            if (e.Location.Coordinate != GeoCoordinate.Unknown)

            {

                Console.WriteLine(

                    "Latitude:  " + e.Location.Coordinate.Latitude.ToString() +

                    " Longitude: " + e.Location.Coordinate.Longitude.ToString());

            }

        }

    }

}

 

 

If you have a Windows 7 supported GPS, WAN card, or other provider (such as a software-based lookup provider) attached/installed, you will see output that will look like the following:

 

When we create our LocationWatcher object, it in turn creates an instance of a GeoLocationProvider, subscribes to the LocationChanged event, starts the provider, and prints out location updates to the console from the LocationChanged event handler.

 

This is a simple example of using location data with .NET 4. In future blog posts, we’ll explore other parts of this API, and see what else we can do with it.

 

**Note: There will be some changes in this object model coming for RC, so make sure to check back here if you are writing .NET 4 Location apps  

 

See ya,

Gavin

]]> Video of PDC 2009 .NET 4 Location Session https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/video-of-pdc-2009-net-4-location-session Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:36:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2009/11/19/video-of-pdc-2009-net-4-location-session/ Are you interested to learn more about how location devices and applications work in Windows 7? Do you want to see a demo of Windows 7, Location awareness, the new .NET 4 Location API, and Visual Studio 2010? If so, you can watch the session I presented on these topics on the PDC website:

Link: https://microsoftpdc.com/Sessions/CL17

Screenshot:

Until next time,
Gavin

]]> .NET 4 and VS 2010 to support Location API in all SKUs https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/gavingear/net-4-and-vs-2010-to-support-location-api-in-all-skus Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:17:00 GMT https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/gavingear/2009/11/18/net-4-and-vs-2010-to-support-location-api-in-all-skus/ Last year at PDC 2008, Microsoft first announced the Windows 7 Sensor and Location platform. Last month, we shipped Windows 7 worldwide, and the corresponding Windows 7 Sensor and Location platform. This is great because now sensor and location hardware manufacturers can easily integrate these devices with Windows. Software developers can also leverage our in-box Win32 COM (Sensors and Location) and IDispatch (Location only) APIs to integrate sensor and/or location functionality into their applications.

 

But one question I get frequently from developers is “What about .NET?”. Our answer until now has been to use our .NET interop samples, or to write their own interop code. But now I’m happy to say that .NET 4 and Visual Studio 2010 will support location functionality, which is new for the Beta 2 release.

 

Here are some fundamentals for location in .NET 4:

·         New assembly: System.Device.dll, represents the PC/device

·         New namespace: System.Device.Location, contains classes, data types, etc for location awareness

 

Here is a high-level diagram showing the core object model for this API:

 

... and here’s an introduction to how these objects are used:

GeoLocationProvider:
This is the “root object” for the API. It is used to access location data, status, as well as to get location and status updates. This is a value type, so you start by creating an instance of this type.

 

GeoLocation:
Represents the current location of the device/PC

 

GeoCoordinate:

Represents the position of the PC (latitude, longitude, etc)

 

CivicAddress:
Represents the CivicAddress corresponding to the location of the PC

 

GeoLocationStatus:
Represents the accessibility (whether you have permissions to access location data) and availability (is location data available at all) of the GeoLocationProvider

 

So, if you install .NET 4 / Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2, you can start to play with this new API!

 

I’ll be following up this post with more posts covering different aspects (in more detail) of what you can do with this new API.

 

**Note: There will be some changes in this object model coming for RC, so make sure to check back here if you are writing .NET 4 Location apps 

 

See ya!

Gavin

]]>