Clear all tables
In some applications, we want to delete all the data from all the tables. And in almost all cases of database development, you test the application with dummy data or enter a few dummy values for reports, etc. What happens when the database has to be taken at client's site? I have seen many people deleting the contents of each table manually!! Well, we are smart workers, this does not suit us. I have developed small code that clears all tables for me. Here is the source code for you.

Store/Retrieve binary data (BLOBs) from database [BLOBs - Audio, Image, Video, etc.]
I always wanted a simple way to store binary data (images, audio, video, EXEs, XML files, etc.) in database and retrieve it when needed? Here, I have tried to present the simplest and perhaps the shortest way of doing so in VB.NET.

Object Oriented Programming
This tutorial is for our new friends (beginners) who want a clear practical explanation of OOP.

Object Oriented Programming in VB.NET
Specially written for our beginner friends but experienced friends will also find it interesting. This tutorial is an extension to my last article on Object Oriented Programming. We have already seen the beauty and power of OOP in the last article.

Image to Icon & Icon to Image
This tutorial is about conversion of an image into icon and of an icon into image. We can say, it is extension of the previous tutorial about image formats. This code is interesting because in this I have used some techniques and controls, that we have not discussed till now.

Change Image Format/Type
I always wanted that the functionality to convert an image from one format to another should be available in the programming language itself. This dream has come true with .NET. There are many applications (dealing with images) in which we might want to save an image of any format in some other format (example: bmp to jpg is very common as it decreases the file size considerably without significant loss of quality). This can be done very easily in .NET.

Convert Dialogic ADPCM (.vox) file to WAV
This code converts a Dialogic ADPCM File (.vox) into a .wav file without using any third party component.

Monitor and respond to all Windows keyboard events
How to develop aplication that can monitor all the keystrokes by the user. How do key loggers work. Excellent tool for security and administration. How to read what key is pressed irrespective of focus on form or visibility of form and write code for handling it. Object Oriented wrapper for Windows Hook (with event) to address the above issues.

Minimize all Windows
This code shows how can we minimize all open windows with a single click. I have used keybd_event API for this.

Launch Applications, Links and Mails
Have you ever wished to provide a clickable web link in your application? Or have you ever wished to launch a pre-filled email client (like outlook express)? Or have you ever wised to open another application from your .NET program? If yes, this is the tutorial addressing these issues.

Shutdown, Restart or Log off Windows
To shutdown computer through VB.NET, we use an API - ExitWindowsEx. However, there is one problem; we cannot shut the computer down if our application does not have the privilege (permission). I have made a simple class which encapsulates the ExitWindowsEx API and other APIs needed for getting privilege.

Fading Visual Effect
In VB.NET, the fading effect on form can be easily programmed using the 'Opacity' property of form. In this tutorial we will discuss the use of this property. Looks very basic? Yes, it is. However, it will surely help beginners and moreover, I have used some stuff like Optional parameters and use of threads (simple use of CurrentThread to pause the application) in the code.

Put bitmap/image in menu (API Version)
I am sure we all have developed applications with menus. Right? And obviously, we all use the applications with menus. Take Office for example, or our .NET IDE. What is the difference between the menus of these applications and our menus? These applications have bitmaps in their menus. .NET does not have the facility of putting images in menus by design. How can we achieve this?

Drag/Move Window from surface
I am sure you have seen applications in which you can move the form from any place on the window (not just the title bar). Here is the tutorial on how can we do this.

Give your form any shape you want
This code is developed for beginners and explains how to make a form of any shape in VB.NET, very small code without using any API.