Most people's first application in any programming language is a simple "Hello World". I always try to do my best to be unlike other people. The first .NET application I wrote (using C#, since I wanted to learn a new language as well as framework) was an application that changes my desktop wallpaper (creatively named Desktop Changer). I know there are other applications out there that do exactly this, but I wanted to write my own version. I also figured that it would be a good introduction to the language and the framework since it includes image manipulation, file i/o, registry access, standard controls and other common programming concepts.
The current version (1.3.2) runs in the Windows tray (down by the clock). Check out the ugly icon! Yay programmer art!
The application has the option of being launched when Windows first boots up. When running, it changes your wallpaper at certain intervals (however many minutes you pick. I prefer 5 minutes myself) to the next wallpaper in the list. You can also choose to have Desktop Changer pick the next desktop wallpaper at random. The latest version also comes with a handy preview window to show you what wallpaper you have currently selected in the list (so that you can switch directly to that wallpaper if you wish). Check out a screen shot of Desktop Changer's preferences window (complete with preview).
If you would like to download the source code for the current version of Desktop Changer, you can get that here. Or, if you're just interested in the binary executable, you can get that here.
Note that the executable will only run on versions of Windows that have the .NET runtime installed (which is Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed or later). If you do not have .NET installed, then you can download a copy here.
The current version (1.3.2) runs in the Windows tray (down by the clock). Check out the ugly icon! Yay programmer art!
The application has the option of being launched when Windows first boots up. When running, it changes your wallpaper at certain intervals (however many minutes you pick. I prefer 5 minutes myself) to the next wallpaper in the list. You can also choose to have Desktop Changer pick the next desktop wallpaper at random. The latest version also comes with a handy preview window to show you what wallpaper you have currently selected in the list (so that you can switch directly to that wallpaper if you wish). Check out a screen shot of Desktop Changer's preferences window (complete with preview).
If you would like to download the source code for the current version of Desktop Changer, you can get that here. Or, if you're just interested in the binary executable, you can get that here.
Note that the executable will only run on versions of Windows that have the .NET runtime installed (which is Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed or later). If you do not have .NET installed, then you can download a copy here.