Application Activation/Licensing Sample?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ML
  • Start date Start date
M

ML

Does anyone have any info on sample code for handling activation/licensing
for a vb.net app?
Just looking for something fairly basic to implement the ability to have an
application registered and tied to a specific single PC to help reduce
possible piracy.
Something where the user would install the app and then send a code via
email or phone to the seller who would in turn generate a code to fully
unlock the program.
 
That is targeted at control licenses for use in VS is it not?
I am looking for something to handle the actual activation and licensing on
an end user application.
 
I guess I am missing how it can be used that way and how it relates to
activation and registration tied to a specific PC. Are there any samples on
using it this way?

Ray Cassick (Home) said:
You can use it the same way.

ML said:
That is targeted at control licenses for use in VS is it not?
I am looking for something to handle the actual activation and licensing on
an end user application.
Click to expand...
<URL:http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/cpguide/html/cpconlicensingcomp
Click to expand...
 
The LicenseProvider (and subsequent license classes) are applied as
attributes to classes. Their chief role is to instantiate when the class
they protect has been created and try to determine if a file is there (the
license file) and then allow the license provider class (that you write) to
open it, use whatever is inside to validate the running mode somehow and
then either throw a license exception to stop execution or to allow the
class to be created.

There is really no reason why this cannot be used to license an application
instead of a class or component.

It took me quite a while to get my head around the LicenseProvider class but
once you get a hang of how it works it is really basic.

I am working on a complete licensing system right now so I don't have a
complete set of code to send you but find yourself a good example and dig
into it. I suggest the CD that comes with Programming with VisualBasic (ISBN
0-7356-2059-8). There is an EXCELLENT example of hoe to use the
LicenseProvider. I had found several examples on the web and none of them
worked well. This one was good the first time and helped my understanding in
a MAJOR way.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'll give it a look.
With an issue as important to software developers as licensing you would
think more samples would exist.
 
Yes that is what I was referring too. Not looking for help with it, looking
for opinions on it.
Posting in their forum would be less unbiased I would suspect. Just looking
for general feedback on it.
 
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